Legal but Stringent: Abortions in Zambia

September 10, 2021
By Marie-Simone Kadurira, safe2choose

Like many countries in Southern and East Africa, abortion legality in the context of Zambia is quite stringent. Unlike many of its neighbouring countries, such as Zimbabwe and Angola, Zambia has a more liberal abortion legislation. It also has a a unique stipulation [1] that allows for abortion upon request. As is evident in many countries where abortion upon request is allowed, access to the service is affected by much more than legislation. Lack of healthcare facilities that offer this service as well as stigma equally contribute to the inability to undergo safe abortions for many women. In this blog, we hope to highlight the legislative framework under which abortions in Zambia exist as well as shed light on the ways in which one can access the service.

Continued: https://www.mwebantu.com/legal-but-stringent-abortions-in-zambia/

10.09.2021

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How to Give Yourself an Abortion

How to Give Yourself an Abortion

January 9, 2020
Posted by Arielle Swernoff
Illustrated by Matt Lubchansky

For as long as people have gotten pregnant, people have given themselves abortions. Historically, these methods have varied from the brutal to the toxic to the bizarre.

But history hasn’t always gotten it wrong. From the Bronze Age until the 1st or 2nd century BCE, silphium, a plant native to Libya, was used as a safe and effective contraceptive and abortifacient. It’s said the plant was so popular that it was harvested to extinction. More recently, enslaved black people in the American South devised numerous herbal treatments to terminate unwanted pregnancies, some of which are still used today.

Continued: https://jewishcurrents.org/how-to-give-yourself-an-abortion/

Women fear strict U.S. laws will increase unsafe abortions and deaths

Women fear strict U.S. laws will increase unsafe abortions and deaths
Nine states have passed strict laws restricting abortion access this year, seen as part of a multistate effort to have the high court reconsider Roe v. Wade ruling

by Ellen Wulfhorst, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Wednesday, 5 June 2019

VANCOUVER, Canada, June 5 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - New laws restricting abortion access in the United States raise the specter of women ending unwanted pregnancies with coat hangers and knitting needles in unsafe, back-alley procedures, reproductive rights experts said on Wednesday.

Women now may get medical abortions using pills, which is considered very safe, and find information online on handling unwanted pregnancies, delegates said this week at Women Deliver, the world's largest conference on gender equality.

Continued: http://news.trust.org/item/20190605212116-boccy/

USA – Medical Abortions Have Changed Abortion Access — And They’re Available on the Internet

Medical Abortions Have Changed Abortion Access — And They’re Available on the Internet

April 23, 2019
by Catherine Trautwein

When Tami, a mother of three in her early 30s, found out she was pregnant, she began researching her options for an abortion. She discovered that there were only three remaining clinics in Louisiana, and the closest was hours from her home. And under state laws, Tami would need to make multiple trips: she would have to first receive an ultrasound and undergo counseling, then wait 24 hours before the actual procedure.

“I know what I want,” she said. “But the laws in the state make it so hard.” Instead, she turned to the internet.

Continued: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/self-managed-induced-medication-abortion/

USA – The women looking outside the law for abortions

The women looking outside the law for abortions

By Jessica Lussenhop BBC News
28 October 2018

Accessing abortion has become increasingly difficult in parts of the US. As a result, a growing number of reproductive rights activists say it is time American women learn the facts about "self-managing abortion" with pills.

Kate could tell something was wrong. She'd been feeling nauseous for days and her body just felt different. The 27-year-old massage school student and her boyfriend were supposed to leave on a short road trip together, but before they hit the highway, she asked him to drive to a local drugstore.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45970356

28.10.2018

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USA – The future of DIY abortions is the internet, not a back-alley doctor

The future of DIY abortions is the internet, not a back-alley doctor
No need for a clinic at all

by Lux Alptraum
Sep 22, 2018

For many people, the phrase “illegal abortion” calls to mind images of back alley clinics, medical providers with questionable credentials, and, of course, the dreaded coat hanger — an object so evocative it’s often been used as a protest symbol. But those images are outdated, belonging to a pre-Roe era. These days, the real action in abortion is now online, as a group of reproductive rights activists use the internet to spread the word about how to use abortion pills. They hope to give pregnant people living in places where abortion is nearly inaccessible, or outright illegal, access to safe and effective ways to take charge of their own fertility.

Thanks to the introduction of abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol — which, in combination, effectively induce abortion 95 percent to 98 percent of the time — it’s become possible to terminate an unwanted pregnancy without an invasive medical procedure. More to the point, it’s possible for women to take these pills to induce an abortion on their own, without the assistance of a doctor. Those pills can be bought online — so for many people, it’s possible to avoid the clinic entirely.

Continued: https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/22/17807550/diy-abortion-sass-pills-plan-c-repro-action-safe2choose-mifeprostone-misoprostol-online

USA – Cut The Bullshit: How Online Pharmacies Can Help People Have Safe And Private Abortions

Cut The Bullshit: How Online Pharmacies Can Help People Have Safe And Private Abortions

July 30, 2018
BY Plan C Team

“That’s a bunch of bullshit,” was Tami’s comment about the hoops she would have to jump through to get an abortion. When the 32 year-old mother of three from Louisiana sought services, she discovered that “every clinic but three have been shut down.” After learning about the numerous appointments required, waiting times, and counseling—“they are gonna make me listen to the heartbeat”—she commented, “I know what I want, but the laws in the state make it so hard.”

Barriers to abortion care are common; 90% of US counties have no abortion provider, creating vast “abortion deserts.”

Continued: https://bust.com/feminism/194908-plan-c-pharmacies.html

How abortion stigma is exposing medical students to risky behaviors in Uganda

How abortion stigma is exposing medical students to risky behaviors in Uganda

20th April, 2018

Sex is a reality, and we are proud to be sex-positive. As long as people are engaging in consensual experiences, safe2choose encourages and supports it. We do so by sharing accurate and stigma-free information, as well as facilitating access to safe abortion methods.

True autonomy comes with deep understanding of your options, your risks and your benefits. Therefore, one can never be autonomous without education on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Sadly, that’s exactly what we have witnessed among medical students from Uganda.

Continued: https://safe2choose.org/medical-students-uganda-abortion-stigma/

YOUTUBE – AGAIN ! More censorship by YouTube

by International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion
Feb 27, 2018

safe2choose reported on 23 February 2018 that their account on YouTube is the newest victim of anti-abortion censorship. The company has already refused their first appeal to have the account reinstated, and they are now planning their next moves. The video that triggered the suspension is a testimonial from a 42 year-old Malaysian woman who thanked safe2choose for supporting her through an abortion. There was no mention at all of the abortion process itself, which really made them ask: how arbitrary can these decisions be?

It seems YouTube does not provide an e-mail address to contact directly – so safe2choose wrote to their Help Center (where their first appeal was made). They had no luck. On their website, YouTube provide a postal address and a phone number.

Continued: http://www.safeabortionwomensright.org/youtube-again-more-censorship-by-youtube/

27.02.2018

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YouTube Censorship: safe2choose account is suspended for promoting safe abortion information and access

YouTube Censorship: safe2choose account is suspended for promoting safe abortion information and access

23rd February, 2018

One month since YouTube arbitrarily suspended the accounts of leading pro-choice organizations (only to go back on its decision a few days later), the social media platform has targeted another reproductive rights advocate: safe2choose, a social enterprise that connects women all around the world to accurate information and quality, affordable safe abortion pills.

YouTube claims that safe2choose is violating their guidelines by generating content that allegedly “encourages or promotes violent or dangerous acts that have an inherent risk of serious physical harm or death” (read more about YouTube policies here). And they’ve already denied our appeal.

Continued: https://safe2choose.org/youtube-censorship-safe2choose/