Human rights organizations call for better protection of sexual and reproductive rights in Latin America

Helena Tian | UCL Faculty of Laws, GB/CN
January 20, 2025

Human rights organizations in Latin America issued a joint statement on Friday, expressing deep concerns about the systematic non-compliance of several Latin American states with international human rights, sexual rights, and reproductive rights (SRHR) obligations.

SRHR are fundamental rights protected by a range of international and regional human rights treaties and in national laws and constitutions … [but] legal and socioeconomic barriers in Latin America are currently undermining the ability to exercise self-determination and bodily autonomy free from discrimination, coercion and violence. The statement underlined several overriding issues, including the criminalization of abortion, the lack of access to comprehensive and quality sexual and reproductive health services, institutional gynaecological and obstetric violence, the misuse of conscientious objection, and a lack of implementation of decisions from international and regional human rights institutions.

Continued: https://www.jurist.org/news/2025/01/human-rights-organizations-call-for-better-sexual-and-reproductive-rights-in-latin-america/

‘Gagging’ Abortion Access: The Global Threat of Trump’s Second Term to Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare

Ahead of Trump’s second term, 100+ international civil society organizations have joined together to demand the permanent repeal of the global gag rule.

1/20/2025
by Shoshanna Ehrlich

On the first anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Trump proclaimed he was “proud to be the most pro-life president in U.S history.” As he boasted on social media, this self-conferred accolade undoubtedly reflected his greatest antiabortion ‘accomplishment’—namely, that “50 years of failure, with nobody coming even close, I was able to kill Roe v. Wade … and for the first time put the Pro Life movement in a strong negotiating position over the Radicals that are willing to kill babies even into their 9th month, and beyond.”

As well documented by the media, Trump’s second term presents a grave domestic threat to essential sexual and reproductive healthcare, which has already been decimated across wide swaths of the country. Considerably less attention, however, has been paid to the devastation his presidency will unleash worldwide when he undoubtedly reinstates the global gag rule, as it is anticipated he will do as a “day one” priority.

Continued: https://msmagazine.com/2025/01/20/trump-mexico-city-policy-global-gag-rule-abortion-us-foreign-aid/

20.01.2025

Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance

What to expect from Trump 2.0: The anti-rights brigade are now in power

We're hurtling into a dark period for abortion rights and beyond. Get out your flashlights

Dr Anu Kumar
20 January 2025

With Trump 2.0, the US enters a new era – one where people’s rights, particularly those of women and girls, LGBTQIA+ people, Black or brown people, or immigrants, are ignored, or worse, violated. Climate change is not a concern. Disinformation is rampant. Reproductive freedom, particularly the access to abortion, is radically curtailed, despite broad voter support.

Most of us are familiar with (and frankly, are already experiencing) the Project 2025 playbook, which calls for dismantling democratic norms in the US, unitary executive power, harsh Christian nationalism, a punitive approach to foreign assistance and multilateralism, and violations of human rights. We're hurtling into a dark period. Get out your flashlights.

Continued: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/trump-project-2025-abortion-rights-inauguration/

Rwanda and Nigeria Still Struggle with Abortion Stigma, Despite Laws

Nigeria Health Watch
Jan 20, 2025

When Francine Nyiramahirwe, 22, decided to consult a health professional to terminate her pregnancy at a private clinic in Nyanza, a district in Southern Rwanda, she was immediately arrested and charged with murder. In 2015 Nyiramahirwe was indicted and sentenced to 15 years in jail after taking the drug Misoprostol at 18 weeks of pregnancy.

Misoprostol is known to be an effective pill for terminating a pregnancy, with a success rate of over 80% for women who are between 10 to 13 weeks pregnant,

Continued: https://nigeriahealthwatch.medium.com/rwanda-and-nigeria-still-struggle-with-abortion-stigma-despite-laws-197a4441d2f3

Guyana Proves Legal Abortion Protects Life

By Fred Nunes
January 20, 2025

In 1995, Guyana became the first country on the South American continent to make abortion legal.

For that time, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1995 (MTOP) was landmark legislation and made huge advances on the 1983 Barbados law. It allowed access without the burden of reason for the first eight weeks of pregnancy, permitted access to girls without need of parental consent, and permitted midlevel healthcare professionals to perform non-surgical abortions in early pregnancy. The vote for this intensely controversial Bill was the first vote of conscience in the National Assembly. Minister of Health Gail Teixeira championed the campaign. Minister of Human Services and Social Security Indranie Chandarpal chaired the Special Select Committee and the late Dr. Faith Harding, the Shadow Minister of Health in the Opposition, were pivotal players in garnering support. There has not been another vote of conscience since then.
Continued: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2025/01/20/features/in-the-diaspora/guyana-proves-legal-abortion-protects-life/

Philippines – WGNRR calls for urgent passage of prevention of adolescent pregnancy bill

January 20, 2025

The Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) and partners stand in strong solidarity with advocates, civil society organizations, stakeholders, and policymakers in the Philippines in supporting the passage of Senate Bill No. 1979, also known as the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Bill (PAP Bill).

We are deeply concerned that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has announced his intention to veto Senate Bill 1979 in ‘its current form,’ just days after emphasizing that ‘the teaching of sex education in our schools is very, very, very important.’ This contradiction to his position is disheartening, especially given the severity of the adolescent pregnancy crisis in the Philippines. Moreover, it is alarming that his decision seems to have been influenced by the spread of misinformation and disinformation about the bill.

Continued: https://wgnrr.org/wgnrr-calls-for-urgent-passage-of-prevention-of-adolescent-pregnancy-bill/

Australia – Doctors outraged by abortion ban at Orange hospital take complaint to ICAC

ABC News / By national regional affairs reporter Lucy Barbour
Sunday 19 January

Doctors "heartbroken and incensed" by last year's abortion ban at a regional New South Wales hospital say they have taken their concerns to the state's independent corruption watchdog.

In November, the ABC revealed that staff at Orange hospital in central west NSW had been directed to stop providing abortions to patients who did not have medical reasons for a termination of pregnancy.

Continued: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-20/doctors-complain-to-corruption-watchdog-over-abortion-ban/104820934

19.01.2025

Trump expected to quickly revive ‘global gag rule’ on abortion

by Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech
01/19/25

President-elect Trump is expected to reinstate a controversial policy soon after taking office that would further bar foreign nongovernmental organizations that perform, counsel on or provide information on abortions abroad from receiving U.S. funding.

The Mexico City Policy, referred to as the global gag rule by its opponents, was first introduced during the second Reagan administration and has been rescinded by every Democratic president and reinstated by every Republican president since then. Trump previously restored the policy four days into his first term before President Biden rescinded it again a week into his own.

Continued: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5092735-trump-abortion-mexico-city-policy/

USA – Reproductive rights and justice groups plan for Trump’s return

By: Sofia Resnick
January 18, 2025

In the days following President-elect Donald Trump’s win last November, a national abortion-assistance hotline was being inundated with calls. “They were confused about whether abortion was even still legal in the country, because they have heard the rhetoric around Trump’s position on abortion,” said Brittany Fonteno, the president and CEO of the National Abortion Federation.

The association of abortion providers runs what Fonteno says is the largest financial assistance program for people seeking abortions and is among the many groups preparing for another potentially destabilizing shift in U.S. reproductive health policy after Trump takes office Monday.

Continued: https://lailluminator.com/2025/01/18/abortion-trump-2/

France urged to exonerate women convicted under old abortion laws

As France commemorates 50 years since the law decriminalising abortion came into effect, prominent figures in politics and the arts are urging the government to exonerate women convicted for abortions before 1975.

Jan 17, 2025

We, activists, researchers, elected officials, demand the rehabilitation of women unjustly convicted of abortion,” they wrote in a petition published on the Libération website.

The law, first debated by MPs in 1974, was championed by health minister Simone Veil and adopted for a trial period of five years before being made permanent in 1979.

Continued: https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20250117-france-urged-to-exonerate-women-convicted-under-old-abortion-laws

18.01.2025