How will laws against abortion be enforced? Other countries offer chilling examples

In Argentina, midwives were prosecuted. In Brazil, clinics were raided. In Rwanda, hundreds of women went to jail

By GILLIAN KANE
MAY 25, 2022

Within the next month it is very likely the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade and eliminate the federal constitutional right to an abortion. When that happens, dormant trigger laws in many states will immediately go into effect and abortion will become a crime. Because abortion will be regulated at the state level, enforcement and penalties will vary greatly. Kentucky, South Dakota, North Dakota, Tennessee, South Carolina and Missouri are just some of the states that would make providing an abortion a felony, with penalties including jail time up to 20 years. Other states, too impatient to wait for the court decision, have already moved to increase penalties for either having or providing an abortion. Louisiana attempted to classify abortion as a homicide, although lawmakers there have since walked back the effort. Texas is uniquely punitive, criminalizing abortion after six weeks and incentivizing enforcement through the private sector by offering bounties of $10,000 cash to deputized ordinary citizens who can sue anyone involved in providing an abortion.

Continued: https://www.salon.com/2022/05/25/how-will-laws-against-abortion-be-enforced-other-countries-offer-chilling-examples/

Trump Administration Expands Assault on Global Abortion Access

Trump Administration Expands Assault on Global Abortion Access

April 18, 2019
Nina Besser Doorley

In March, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced two significant escalations in the Trump administration’s attacks on sexual and reproductive rights globally: a new expansion to the already-devastating Global Gag Rule and the unprecedented use of the Siljander Amendment to attack funding for a multilateral organization, the Organization of American States.

While the latest expansion to the Global Gag Rule has been well publicized, the use of the Siljander Amendment—an obscure legislative provision that prohibits the use of US funds for abortion-related lobbying—to cut more than $200,000 in US funding to the Organization of American States (OAS) has received less attention. Nonetheless, the use of this provision sets a dangerous precedent by attempting to force global human rights bodies to bow to US political pressure.

Continued: https://iwhc.org/2019/04/trump-administration-expands-assault-on-global-abortion-access/

ARGENTINA – Girl, aged 11, raped by 65-year-old, kept in Tucumán hospital for four weeks and denied a legal abortion

Girl, aged 11, raped by 65-year-old, kept in Tucumán hospital for four weeks and denied a legal abortion

5 Mar 2019
International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion

STATEMENT, 27 February 2019, by:

Redaas - Red de Acceso al Aborto Seguro Argentina

ELA - Equipo Latinoamericano de Justicia y Género

CEDES - Centro de Estudios de Estado y Sociedad

In light of what happened in the past month in relation to the request for a legal termination of pregnancy by a girl and her mother due to rape of the girl in the province of Tucumán, Argentina, we condemn the procrastination and systemic delays imposed on this girl by various government agencies, who were responsible for her welfare. The consequence was that she was prevented from having a legal abortion, even though it had been requested it in a timely and clear manner.

The unnecessary intervention of the courts added to the deepening institutional violence that this girl was subjected to. The neglect by the health authorities, throughout the four weeks she was in hospital, was a flagrant violation of her human rights, and a form of cruel and degrading treatment, amounting to torture.

Continued: http://www.safeabortionwomensright.org/argentina-girl-aged-11-raped-by-65-year-old-kept-in-tucuman-hospital-for-four-weeks-and-denied-a-legal-abortion/

ARGENTINA – What’s been happening since the abortion law reform bill was tabled

ARGENTINA – What’s been happening since the abortion law reform bill was tabled
by International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion
Mar 27, 2018

The tabling of the bill drafted by the Campaña por el Derecho al Aborto Legal, Seguro y Gratuito took place on 6 March in the lower House of the Argentine Congress.

Mariana Romero of Centro de Estudios de Estado y Sociedad (CEDES) writes: “I was inside the Chamber that day. There were 116 representatives at the ‘informative session’ in which the process of consideration of this bill and several others that were tabled at the same time was presented. Of the 116 representatives present in the Chamber, 102 of them belong to one of the three Committees that will take evidence from “experts” and will vote on whether to take one or more bills to the full Chamber, as outlined below. The methodology for this process was presented, and it seems transparent. All in all, it was a very good day. For sure, the situation is new, and we have two months to lobby those who do not know how they are going to vote.”

Continued: http://www.safeabortionwomensright.org/argentina-whats-been-happening-since-the-abortion-law-reform-bill-was-tabled/

Resources/Videos: Women’s experiences with abortion

VARIOUS RESOURCES AND VIDEOS – Women’s experiences with abortion
by International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion
Sep 5, 2017

Inroads: the International Network for the Reduction of Abortion Discrimination and Stigma is a global network of advocates, scholars, health providers, and donors interested in program design, research, and advocacy to address abortion stigma and its negative outcomes. One of the things Inroads does is to provide a forum for conversations between members.

During a week in June 2017, one of their conversation threads focused on how they share stories of personal testimony. Inroads members also shared a great collection of resources which you may find useful:

– From The Sea Change Program and Renee Bracey Sherman, guides for how to support storytellers and how storytellers can best prepare themselves to be more public: Saying Abortion Aloud: Research and Recommendations for Sharing your Abortion Story Publically and Saying Abortion Aloud: Research and Recommendations for Organisations on How to Support Abortion Storytellers

+ Ethical Storysharing, Exhale: After Abortion Support

+ International Planned Parenthood Federation have made two videos: Tips on How to Educate about Abortion and Tips on How to Talk about Abortion

+ Experiencias de aborto en el segundo trimestre de gestación (Experiences of abortion in the second trimester), by La Revuelta, Centro de Estudios de Estado y Sociedad (CEDES), and Ibis Reproductive Health

+ Speak My Language – Abortion Storytelling in Eastern Europe from a Youth Perspective Toolkit, by You Act

+ CALM Malta Video – A video by the Campaign for Abortion Law Modernisation in Malta (CALM) that highlights the difficulties women from Malta currently face when seeking an abortion. Most have to travel to the UK for a private procedure.

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Source: International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion: http://www.safeabortionwomensright.org/various-resources-and-videos-womens-experiences-with-abortion/