Texas – The girls of San Benito, the center where Trump sends pregnant migrant minors

The Department of Health is transferring them to Texas, where abortion is virtually banned, despite objections from officials at the federal agency responsible for them

Jesús Jank Curbelo
Houston - MAR 13, 2026

Since last July, the Trump administration has been sending all unaccompanied migrant girls who show up pregnant at the U.S. border to a single center located in San Benito, a small border town in South Texas, the state with one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. In recent months, more than a dozen girls have been transferred to this facility. At least half of them became pregnant as a result of rape. Some are 13 years old.

In theory, everyone who arrives at the San Benito center has the right to be informed of their options, including abortion, through a notification called a Garza notice. In practice, however, that right is in jeopardy, according to Sarah Corning, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). “We remain concerned that doctors will refuse to perform abortions for fear of prosecution, something we’ve seen happen far too often since the ban went into effect” in the state, she says.

Continued; https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-03-13/the-girls-of-san-benito-the-center-where-trump-sends-pregnant-migrant-minors.html


Could a registry of doctors who refuse abortions improve access in Spain?

By Léa Marchal, Brussels
13 March 2026
Podcast – 6 minutes, with transcript

In Spain, abortion is back in the political and legal spotlight.

A court ruling has just ordered the city of Madrid to create a registry of conscientious objectors. These are doctors in the region who refuse to perform abortion procedures.

A court ruling has just ordered the city of Madrid to create a registry of conscientious objectors. These are doctors in the region who refuse to perform abortion procedures.

Continued:  https://euobserver.com/206829/listen-could-a-registry-of-doctors-who-refuse-abortions-improve-access-in-spain/


Nigeria – FCE Stages Performance on Social Vices

13 March 2026
By Omolara Adasofunjo

The theatre community of the Federal College of Education, Osiele, Abeokuta, thrilled audiences with a compelling stage performance titled “Ajọṣe,” a play that highlights the importance of togetherness, empathy, and mutual understanding.

The stage performance titled “Ajose,” packaged by a non-governmental, NGO in partnership with the Federal College of Education, Abeokuta, told the story of family, rape, unsafe abortion, denied access to quality healthcare, and the communication gap between parents and children, featuring a talented cast.

Continued: https://radionigeriaibadan.gov.ng/2026/03/13/fce-stages-performance-on-social-vices/


Canada – N.B. launches abortion self-referral phone line

Bryan Tait
March 12, 2026

A new centralized phone service is up and running to support self-referral for abortion services in New Brunswick. Health Minister John Dornan said ensuring access to abortion services is a priority for the government.

“Previously, New Brunswickers would need to call individual family planning clinics or other providers to find out availability and book appointments,” Dornan said in a statement. “Now they will have one number to call to reach someone who can inform them of their options for medical and surgical abortion and help them secure a booking for the best appointment option.”

Continued: https://yoursaintjohn.ca/n-b-launches-abortion-self-referral-phone-line/


Russia tightens control over abortion in Ukraine’s occupied territories

March 12, 2026
by Yuliia Taradiuk, Kyiv Independent

Russian-controlled authorities in occupied Ukraine are increasing restrictions on women's reproductive rights, effectively preventing them from accessing abortions, according to the NGO East Human Rights Group.

"The (Russian) regime needs children to be born, even if the child is unwanted, without proper conditions to grow up in," Vera Iastrebova, the head of the East Human Rights Group, told the Kyiv Independent.

Continued: https://kyivindependent.com/russia-tightens-control-over-abortion-in-ukraines-occupied-territories/


Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Urges Poland to Guarantee Effective Access to Lawful Abortion Care – Statement

March 12, 2026
Center for Reproductive Rights

GENEVA—This week, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted a decision urging Poland to ensure effective access to lawful abortion without further delay. The Committee expressed continued concern that Poland has yet to fully comply with the European Court of Human Rights’ judgments in the cases of Tysiąc v. Poland, R.R. v. Poland, P. and S. v. Poland, and M.L. v. Poland, which require the authorities to ensure that access to lawful abortion is accessible in practice.

More than 18 years after the first of these landmark judgments became final, systemic barriers remain. Poland’s highly restrictive abortion law and the criminalisation of abortion continue to have a chilling effect on the provision of lawful abortion care. Combined with regulatory gaps, ineffective complaint procedures, frequent refusals of care based on the “conscience clause,” and the stigma surrounding abortion, these barriers leave many women who are legally entitled to abortion unable to access these services in practice. The situation deteriorated further following the regressive Constitutional Tribunal’s ruling in 2020, which effectively imposed a near-total ban on abortion.

Continued: https://reproductiverights.org/news/coe-committee-of-ministers-poland-access-abortion-care/


Jersey – New abortion law to allow 22-week terminations

March 12, 2026
Ammar Ebrahim, Jersey political reporter

Jersey politicians have passed a new termination of pregnancy law that allows abortions before 22 weeks.

The current law does not allow abortions beyond 12 weeks unless there is a severe foetal anomaly.

Assistant Health Minister Andy Howell, who brought the law to the assembly, said: "I think it just gives women longer to think about the decision they have got to make.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cnv6ly58y9go


European rights body says abortion refusal complaints in Poland have ceased

By Reuters
March 12, 2026

WARSAW, March 12 (Reuters) - The number of ‌legal abortions in Poland doubled in 2024, while complaints to Polish authorities over conscience clause refusals in the country have ceased, the Council of Europe said on Thursday.

Poland, a predominantly Catholic country, introduced a near-total ​abortion ban in 2021 under the previous nationalist government after pregnancy termination due ​to foetal abnormalities was ruled unconstitutional.

Continued: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/european-rights-body-says-abortion-refusal-complaints-poland-have-ceased-2026-03-12/


Abortion Nonprofit Claims Artwork in Malta Biennale Was Censored

By Harrison Jacobs
March 11, 2026

The second edition of the Malta Biennale opened in previews this week, and it was not without controversy. Women on Waves, a nonprofit that provides information on safe abortion in restrictive settings, accused the Biennale’s organizers of “censoring” an artwork by the organization just before the opening on Tuesday.

The work originally featured a banner reading Need Abortion Pills? in English and Maltese. According to a press release from Women on Waves, the banner was altered, at the Biennale’s request, to read Do You Need a Safe Abortion?, with the word Pills crossed out. The nonprofit said organizers then informed them that these changes were “not suitable” and that a new banner would need to be produced. The following day, Women on Waves said they were told the artwork would be removed because it did not meet “minimum aesthetic quality standards to be shown in an international biennale.”

Continued:  https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/abortion-nonprofit-claims-artwork-in-malta-biennale-was-censored-1234777129/


Most Malawians support girls’ re-enrolment after pregnancy and women’s reproductive decision making, but oppose abortion

Views are mixed on whether to make contraceptives available regardless of people’s age and marital status.

Witness Tapani Alfonso and Dennis Samuel Chikoko
11 Mar 2026

Malawi has made significant strides in promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and improving maternal health (Ibrahim-Nyirenda, 2024; United Nations Population  Fund, 2024). For example, according to the National Statistical Office (2024), modern  contraceptive use increased (from 53% to 66% for married women aged 15-49) between  2016 and 2024, and maternal mortality declined from 439 to 224 deaths per 100,000 live  births. The fertility rate among women aged 15-49 dropped from 4.4 to 3.7 children per  woman over the same period.

Despite these achievements, Malawi continues to grapple with significant SRHR issues, especially among the youth. Challenges range from early sexual debut and early marriage to gender-based violence and high rates of teenage pregnancy, school leaving, and  abortion complications leading to maternal deaths (Latif, 2020). Among female and male  adolescents who are sexually active, only 15% and 31%, respectively, use contraceptive  methods (Alan Guttmacher Institute, 2005), and about one-third (32%) of young women  aged 15-19 have had a pregnancy, an increase from 29% in 2016 (National Statistical Office,  2024).

Continued:  https://www.afrobarometer.org/publication/ad1147-most-malawians-support-girls-re-enrolment-after-pregnancy-and-womens-reproductive-decision-making-but-oppose-abortion/