‘A perilous future’: UK aid budget cuts will ‘cause’ 23,500 maternal deaths

Exclusive: Cuts will leave extra 6.5 million people unable to get contraception

Maya Oppenheim, Women’s Correspondent
June 7, 2021

The UK’s cuts to the aid budget will result in 23,500 women dying while pregnant, during childbirth or from unsafe abortions which go wrong, experts have warned.

MSI Reproductive Choices, a leading reproductive health charity, estimates the maternal deaths will be the result of cuts to its services, leaving an extra 6.5 million people in the most “marginalised, remote” areas not able to get the contraception they “desperately” require.

Continued: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-aid-budget-cuts-maternal-deaths-b1861066.html


Biden to end Trump-era anti-abortion “global gag rule”

JANUARY 21, 2021
By Emma Batha

(Thomson Reuters Foundation) - President Joe Biden’s decision to scrap a “deadly” Trump-era policy banning funding for aid groups that discuss abortion could unleash billions in dollars for life-saving services in developing countries, women’s rights groups said on Thursday.

“It’s very, very good news. It sends a strong message that reproductive rights are human rights,” said Evelyne Opondo, Africa director at the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Continued: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-aid-women-abortion/biden-to-end-trump-era-anti-abortion-global-gag-rule-idUSKBN29Q2UF


Abortion provider changes name over controversial figure’s views on eugenics

By Bianka Farmakis
Nov 16, 2020

A leading global abortion provider has changed it's name in the UK in an effort to distance itself from Marie Stopes, claiming her views on eugenics are in "stark contrast" to the charity's values.

The provider, Marie Stopes International, will be known as MSI Reproductive Choices, severing its connection to the woman who paved the way for family planning.

While the move will occur Tuesday in the UK, the name change will ripple across the 37 countries the charity is located in world wide.

Continued: https://honey.nine.com.au/latest/marie-stopes-abortion-clinic-changes-name-over-eugenics-views/9255ba40-4a84-42a8-9651-6ce6c1831b37


Abortion provider changes name over Marie Stopes eugenics link

Nov 16, 2020

A leading abortion provider has changed its name to break ties with Marie Stopes, the controversial birth control pioneer who believed in the creation of a super race.

Marie Stopes International, which provides contraception and abortions to women and girls in 37 countries, is now known as MSI Reproductive Choices.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-54970977


OPINION: Midwives are more important now than ever – let’s help them help us

OPINION: Midwives are more important now than ever – let’s help them help us

by Simon Cooke and Sylvia Hamata | Marie Stopes International
Tuesday, 5 May 2020

Delivering a baby is just one part of being a midwife. This International Day of the Midwife, we want to highlight the least talked about aspect of midwifery: providing safe abortion and post-abortion care.

The meaning of midwife is ‘with woman’. By providing information and services, midwives are essential in enabling women to exercise their reproductive and sexual rights and choices. In some cases, this will mean assisting a woman with the birth of their first child. In others, it will mean supporting a woman to end a pregnancy or providing a woman with life-saving post-abortion care following an unsafe abortion.

Continued: https://news.trust.org/item/20200504144142-5hqkl


Declare abortion a public health issue during pandemic, WHO urged

Declare abortion a public health issue during pandemic, WHO urged
Charities press World Health Organization to ensure women can get contraception and safe abortions during crisis

Liz Ford
Fri 10 Apr 2020

The World Health Organization is being urged to declare abortion an essential health service during the coronavirus pandemic.

In guidance notes issued last week, the WHO advised all governments to identify and prioritise the health services each believed essential, listing reproductive health services as an example.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/apr/10/declare-abortion-a-public-health-issue-during-pandemic-who-urged


EXPERT VIEWS: How coronavirus is affecting abortion access

EXPERT VIEWS: How coronavirus is affecting abortion access
What experts from sexual health organisations and rights groups are saying about how COVID-19 is affecting sexual healthcare - and what should be done about it

by Sonia Elks | @SoniaElks | Thomson Reuters Foundation
Sunday, 5 April 2020

Women from Nepal to the United States are struggling to get abortions during the COVID-19 outbreak as lockdowns and medical shortages create barriers to care.

Sexual health organisations and women's rights groups have called on authorities to recognise access to abortion as a human right that must be protected during the pandemic.

Continued: https://news.trust.org/item/20200405091127-tf0kq


Marie Stopes lauds Ghana for efforts to curb unsafe abortion

Marie Stopes lauds Ghana for efforts to curb unsafe abortion

Date: May 15, 2018
Author: Graphic.com.gh

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Marie Stopes International, Mr Simon Cooke, has lauded Ghana for the country's initiative to curb unsafe abortion.

He, however, called on the government to make more services for safe abortion available and accessible to the youth in order to reduce maternal deaths.

According to him, pregnant women were engaging in unsafe abortion because they were not getting the correct services.

Continued: https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/marie-stopes-lauds-ghana-for-efforts-to-curb-unsafe-abortion.html