Can I Get an Abortion While Traveling Abroad?

From Canada to Australia, here are the countries that assist foreign visitors with unwanted pregnancies.

By Olivia Young
Published on 7/20/2023

When I was 25 and traveling in New Zealand, another American confided in me that she might be pregnant and didn't want to be. New Zealand's abortion laws were restrictive at that time, especially for a tourist with no local medical network. She would’ve had to fly 7,000-plus miles back to the states to terminate the pregnancy in her home country had the test come back positive. It didn't.

Seven years on, with abortion now criminalized in 14 states, discovering an unwanted pregnancy while abroad could be the best-case scenario for an American. While Roe v. Wade's polarizing demise made the Land Of The Free one of the least abortion-friendly countries in the Global North, the general shift to telehealth amid COVID made abortions easier than ever to get outside the US. Since 2020, New Zealand has deemed it legal to prescribe abortion pills over the phone.

Continued: https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/abortion-while-traveling-abroad

Nigeria – Debate rages over ban on ‘safe’ abortion rights

By Chukwuma Muanya and Ijeoma Nwanosike
12 January 2023

In recent times there have been global uproar on merits and demerits of abortion, especially in the United States (U.S.) and Nigeria. The US, which used to be liberal on issues of abortion, recently banned the procedure in most states in the country. In Nigeria, an attempt by the Lagos State government to legalise the procedure was shut down, forcing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to suspend the plan.

Until now, the levels of unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion continue to be high in Nigeria due to low contraceptive prevalence. A substantial number of women have unintended pregnancies, many of which are resolved through clandestine abortion, despite the country’s restrictive abortion law.

Continued: https://guardian.ng/features/health/debate-rages-over-ban-on-safe-abortion-rights/

Governor Sanwo-Olu moves to legalize abortion in Lagos state

By Naija247news Media Nigeria
November 25, 2022

Reports reaching Naija247News that Babajide Sanwo-Olu governor of Lagos state is planning to legalize abortion in Nigeria’s commercial capital.

Naija247News recalled that earlier in the year The Lagos State Government has developed a policy document on safe termination of pregnancy toward guiding healthcare professionals to provide safe and lawful abortion services in the state. Olusegun Ogboye, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, said this at a stakeholders’ meeting to launch the document on Tuesday in Lagos.

Continued: https://naija247news.com/2022/11/25/nigeria-moves-to-legalize-abortion/

Who wins the battle over Lagos abortion policy?

By CHINYERE OKOROAFOR
On Sep 19, 2022

The Lagos State abortion policy seeks to achieve safe termination of pregnancy within the ambits of the law. However, like many new policies, the initiative is mired in controversies, with opposition to it coming from many sides, including the Catholic Church. In this report, CHINYERE OKOROAFOR examines the issues.

On 28 June 2022, the Lagos State Government unveiled a 40-page policy document on safe termination of pregnancy. It was designed to reduce “preventable deaths” usually caused by unsafe abortion procedures. The policy is meant to guide medical practitioners and other stakeholders on when it is lawful or unlawful to terminate a pregnancy.

Continued: https://thenationonlineng.net/who-wins-the-battle-over-lagos-abortion-policy/

Women Groups Protest Lagos Continuous Suspension Of Safe Termination Of Pregnancy

By YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE
On Sep 7, 2022

In protest against the delay in lifting the suspension on safe termination of pregnancy in Lagos State, about 150 women groups across various rights and civil society organisations took to the streets to make their grievance known to government.

The Lagos State government had through the Ministry of Health developed a policy document on safe termination of pregnancy in a bid to guide healthcare providers within the state to provide safe and lawful abortion services within the ambit of the law.

Continued: https://tribuneonlineng.com/women-groups-protest-lagos-continuous-suspension-of-safe-termination-of-pregnancy/

07.09.2022

Babajide Sanwo-Olu

Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi

Lagos State Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications https://tribuneonlineng.com/women-groups-protest-lagos-continuous-suspension-of-safe-termination-of-pregnancy

Marie Stopes International

Population Reference Bureau

Society for Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Nigeria (SOGON)

Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre

Lagos develops guidelines on safe, lawful abortion

“In 2011, the Lagos State House of Assembly updated the criminal code, providing for abortion to save the life and protect the physical health of the woman."

By Agency Report
June 29, 2022

The Lagos State Government has developed a policy document on safe termination of pregnancy toward guiding healthcare professionals to provide safe and lawful abortion services in the state.

Olusegun Ogboye, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, said this at a stakeholders’ meeting to launch the document on Tuesday in Lagos.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/539745-lagos-develops-guidelines-on-safe-lawful-abortion.html

Côte d’Ivoire – Midwives: A Critical Key to Ensuring Women and Girls’ Health Globally

5 July 2021
FIGO Advocating for Safe Abortion Project|

OBGYNs and midwives are part of an essential ecosystem of health workers that provide crucial health care in delivering women and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) globally. In lower-middle-income countries where health care facilities outside of capitals can be few and dispersed, midwives in particular are counted on to ensure that women, girls, and newborns receive appropriate care, support and counselling. Professor Boni Serge, President of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Côte d’Ivoire (SOGOCI), shared with us the important leadership role midwives have in Côte d’Ivoire.

Midwives are critical in the fight to reduce preventable maternal deaths and disability
Data from 2016 showed that, with a population of over 20 million, there are not enough health care workers in this coastal West African country (WHO, 2016). More recent data show that while there are more than 6,000 midwives spread across the Ivorian territory, there are only just over 440 OBGYNs. In addition, there is an unequal geographical distribution of these OBGYNs, with the majority of them located in the Ivorian economic capital of Abidjan.

Continued: https://www.figo.org/news/midwives-critical-key-ensuring-women-and-girls-health-globally

Nigeria – Why adolescents form major abortion victims

Why adolescents form major abortion victims

July 25, 2019
By APPOLONIA ADEYEMI

News of Aduke, 16 years was shocking and unbelievable. Based on profuse bleeding, from Aduke who collapsed suddenly on that fateful day, concerned persons that were sympathetic to her plight rushed her on emergency to the nearest health centre. After close examination, the care providers on duty, promptly referred Aduke who was a secondary school student to a general hospital. She had become unconscious.

Further medical tests on the patient however showed that there has been attempts to terminate a pregnancy. Doctors subsequently carried out some surgical procedures to perfect the abortion so as to save the life of Aduke. Sadly, she died on the operating theatre.

Continued: https://www.newtelegraphng.com/2019/07/why-adolescents-form-major-abortion-victims/

Expanding Access to Safe Abortion in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Expanding Access to Safe Abortion in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Strengthening Evidence-Based Policy to Expand Access to Safe Abortion (SAFE ENGAGE)

Mar 28, 2019

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), access to safe abortion has historically been limited. Political chaos, a weak health sector, low use of contraception, and restrictive laws—that until recently made it illegal in nearly all cases—have contributed to high rates of abortion across the country. Many of these are unsafe, which contributes to the DRC’s very high maternal mortality rate. However, in March 2018 the Congolese government published the text of the Maputo Protocol in the country’s national legal journal following a concerted advocacy effort by a coalition of women’s rights groups, researchers, and nongovernmental organizations, known as Coalition de Grossesses Non Désirées. Due to the nature of the country’s legal system, this action effectively expanded the categories under which abortion is now legal in DRC.

Continued: https://www.prb.org/program/expanding-access-to-safe-abortion-in-the-democratic-republic-of-congo/

28.03.2019

Featured

News

Coalition de Grossesses Non Désirées

Maputo Protocol

maternal mortality

Population Reference Bureau

Safe Engage project

Africa

Democratic Republic of Congo

Kenya spends millions treating unsafe abortion complications

Kenya spends millions treating unsafe abortion complications
The money is enough to procure at least two cancer treatment machines.

By EUNICE KILONZO
May 28, 2018

New report quantifies financial and human resource cost of treating complications of unsafe pregnancy terminations

Kenya spent Sh533 million treating complications of unsafe abortions in public health facilities, according to a new report by the Ministry of Health and the African Population and Health Research Centre.

Continued: https://www.nation.co.ke/health/Kenya-spends-millions-treating-unsafe-abortion-complications/3476990-4583802-y8ylukz/index.html