24 March 2022
United Nations
Data analysis on unintended pregnancy and abortion from 150 countries has revealed major disparities in accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare, the UN health agency, WHO, said on Thursday.
With partner organisation the Guttmacher Institute, the WHO said that the results would allow health authorities to better understand family planning needs in their countries, including contraception and abortion care.
Continued: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/03/1114642
By Julie Taft
20 January 2022
In the Northern Ethiopian regions of Tigray, Amhara and Afar, an estimated 5.2 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, and an estimated 3.5 million people from these regions have been displaced after more than a year of conflict, which began in November 2020. Among them are an estimated 118,000 pregnant women and 1.3 million women of reproductive age, with those figures set to grow with the ongoing crisis.
The dynamics of the conflict in northern Ethiopia remain complex and fluid, but one thing remains clear: at the heart of this crisis are millions of people in need, particularly women and girls.
Policy uses women as tool for economic goals and could endanger their lives, says rights group
Kaamil Ahmed
Mon 27 Sep 2021
China’s pledge to limit abortions puts women’s bodies under the state’s control just as the one-child policy did and could endanger the lives of women seeking abortions, rights groups have said.
The Chinese government announced on Monday that it would seek to reduce abortions for “non-medical reasons” – a move seen as being in line with its attempts to accelerate birthrates.
Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/27/china-to-limit-abortions-for-non-medical-purposes
September 20, 2021
By Nnamdi Eseme, The Nation
Sexual and reproductive healthcare worldwide is rapidly evolving with progress being made on adolescent sexual and reproductive health however, Nigeria’s healthcare sector is still running behind to meet up. In this letter, we discuss some areas where Nigeria is lagging and hopes it serves as a call to action to improve sexual and reproductive healthcare especially of young people, women and girls in the country.
Nigeria in recent times has seen her population growing massively with world experts predicting that by 2050, the country will become one of the most populous in the world. This is despite the many challenges she grapples with including poor health, unemployment, insecurity, poverty, among others. Accessing quality healthcare is a major problem in the country and for many women and girls, healthcare includes abortion services.
Interview, 28 September 2020
Médecins Sans Frontières
The United States policy known as the Global Gag Rule has had a devastating impact on women’s access to sexual and reproductive healthcare since it was reinstated and greatly expanded by the Trump Administration more than three and a half years ago. The policy – which already forces health providers to choose between providing information to patients or receiving US funding – is now set to be expanded even further. Dr Manisha Kumar, head of Médecins Sans Frontières' (MSF) task force on safe abortion care, explains the risks facing women and girls.
Continued: https://www.msf.org/proposed-changes-us-anti-abortion-rule-threaten-wider-harm-women
July 22, 2020
International Campaign for Safe Abortion
Dr Sosthène Dougrou, regional director for Francophone Africa of Ipas, has
expressed fears of an increase in unwanted pregnancies in Côte d'Ivoire in view
of the drop in usage of sexual and reproductive health services for
contraception during the Covid-19 pandemic. He
was speaking during a meeting in Abidjan of a group of civil society
organisations, whose aim was to create a community partnership to urge the
government to implement the Maputo Protocol.
He said there has not yet been an in-depth study, but attendance rates at
health services have greatly decreased due to difficulties getting there and
because the emphasis is on preparing for Covid-19 cases. He called on the state
to keep an eye on contraceptive needs and for concrete action to address sexual
and reproductive health care, especially for family planning and safe abortion.
Each year in Côte d'Ivoire, between 210,000 women and 290,000 women have
abortions, of whom many die.
SOURCE: http://apanews.net/index.php/news/acces-aux-contraceptifscovid-19-crainte-dexplosion-de-grossesses-non-desirees-en-cote-divoire/,
by APA Abidjan, 3 July 2020, in Revue de presse internationale, MFPF, 16 July
2020 (en français)
Keeping women's health essential despite Covid-19 shortages
Opinion by Anu Kumar
Thu May 7, 2020
(Video: Fear, panic as women navigate pregnancy during a pandemic, 02:59)
(CNN)The world is changing daily as a result of Covid-19. Like millions of people, I now have a virtual workday. I am fortunate -- I'm safe and comfortable at home with my family in North Carolina.
Although living socially distanced and not knowing when life will return to normal is a struggle, I am comforted by the knowledge of the frontline workers I work with around the world working to alleviate some of the harm being inflicted on those living in dense and underserved communities.
Continued: https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/06/opinions/covid-19-womens-health-abortion-access-kumar/
Women are finding it difficult to access abortion care, an essential service during lockdown
The closure of private clinics, lack of mobility and lockdown rules are restricting women from access to abortion care.
By Nirandhi Gowthaman
6th May 2020
The coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown has adversely affected many communities and subsections of society especially the poor, migrant labourers, marginalised communities and women. Particularly, pregnant women, new mothers and women seeking abortions have been affected due to lack of resources during the lockdown.
The Ministry of Health in its note on providing essential healthcare services said, “Focusing on COVID-19 related activities, and continuing to provide essential services, is important not only to maintain people’s trust in the health system to deliver essential health services, but also to minimise an increase in morbidity and mortality from other health conditions.”
Continued: https://yourstory.com/herstory/2020/05/women-difficult-access-abortion-lockdown-essential-service
The Ban on Abortion for Low-Income People Is Now a Litmus Test for Congress
People have started calling out Democratic members of Congress for supporting the Hyde Amendment.
by Katelyn Burns
Oct 1 2019
Forty-three years ago this week, Congress first enacted the Hyde amendment, which banned federal funds from covering abortion care. The amendment is now standard rider, or bill language, on all applicable federal spending bills. It primarily affects low-income people who depend on Medicaid for healthcare coverage.
Repealing Hyde has emerged as a flashpoint for Democrats as they enter the 2020 primary season in the wake of repeated GOP attacks on abortion access at both the state and federal level. While the current House of Representatives boasts its first pro-choice majority in more than 45 years, there are still a few anti-choice Democratic holdouts who continue to support Hyde, including Reps. Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Collin Peterson (D-MN), and Henry Cuellar (D-TX). On Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) endorsed Cuellar over Jessica Cisneros, a pro-choice progressive primary challenger. All three anti-choice Democrats face primaries against more progressive candidates.
The impact of U.S.’s abortion policies on international diplomacy
On August 29, 2019
WIIS Blog, Women Peace & Security
By Hannah Proctor, Research Fellow, WIIS Global
Throughout 2019, conservative states in the U.S. have been adopting increasingly restrictive abortion laws in an effort to undermine, and eventually abolish, the Roe v. Wade decision, which guaranteed the right to abortion based on the right to privacy. These laws and the mindsets that accompany them have far-reaching consequences that go beyond U.S. borders.
Historically, conservative U.S. administrations have relied on two main pieces of legislation to enforce their anti-abortion positions globally:
Continued: https://www.wiisglobal.org/the-impact-of-u-s-s-abortion-policies-on-international-diplomacy/
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