USA – Abortion Issue May Be Mobilizing Democrats Ahead of Midterms

Abortion Issue May Be Mobilizing Democrats Ahead of Midterms

By Jeffrey Rodack
Wednesday, 31 October 2018

The issue of abortion could be a major factor in mobilizing Democrats to vote in the midterm elections, says FiveThirtyEight.

The website pointed to recent polls which indicate a shift in how important the issue is to Democrats and Republicans.

Continued: https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/abortion-democrats-midterms/2018/10/31/id/888793/


Nigeria – Group Drum Support Against Teenage Pregnancy, Unsafe Abortion

Group Drum Support Against Teenage Pregnancy, Unsafe Abortion

October 31, 2018
By Obinna Ogbonnaya Abakaliki

A Coalition of Eastern Non-Governmental Orgaizations Ebonyi state chapter, Wednesday advocated for concerted efforts to end teenage pregnancies and unsafe abortions especially among young girls in the state.

The NGO noted that if teenage pregnancy is reduced among young girls, it will help the state to develop the more with its lean resources managed properly.

Continued: https://leadership.ng/2018/10/31/group-drum-support-against-teenage-pregnancy-unsafe-abortion/


Ireland – GPs sign petition calling for meeting over abortion legislation

GPs sign petition calling for meeting over abortion legislation
Some GPs are critical of the Government for not considering 'genuine concerns' over freedom of conscience

Wednesday, 31 Oct 2018
By Ailbhe Conneely, RTÉ News Political reporter

Hundreds of GPs have signed a petition calling on the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting to ensure that all views are reflected in discussions around abortion legislation.

Committee stage of the Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Bill will begin in the Oireachtas next week, when amendments will be discussed.

Continued: https://www.rte.ie/news/health/2018/1031/1007823-abortion/


Ireland – Frame abortion law in terms of access, not criminality

Frame abortion law in terms of access, not criminality
It is no answer to say that good faith healthcare providers have nothing to fear, when they are still potentially exposed to criminal investigation, says Maeve Taylor.

Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Maeve Taylor

The Eighth Amendment has been excised from the Constitution and is no longer part of Irish law.

Following the referendum, Minister for Health Simon Harris published the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill. When enacted, it will influence not only how women access care and how healthcare providers deliver it, but also how society thinks about abortion.

Continued: https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/views/analysis/frame-abortion-law-in-terms-of-access-not-criminality-882168.html


Canada – Priest charged in abortion bubble-zone flap to mount ‘free speech’ defence

Priest charged in abortion bubble-zone flap to mount 'free speech' defence

Kelly Egan
October 31, 2018

A Roman Catholic priest charged under Ontario’s new “bubble zone” law protecting abortion clinics is vowing to challenge the accusation as a violation of his constitutional right to freedom of expression.

Father Anthony Van Hee, 83, a fixture on Parliament Hill for his anti-abortion protests, moved his silent demonstration across the street from the Morgentaler Clinic, on Bank Street near Sparks, on Oct. 24.

Continued: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/priest-charged-in-abortion-bubble-zone-flap-to-mount-free-speech-defence


New Zealand – Government set to reform abortion law after 40 years

Government set to reform abortion law after 40 years

Oct 31, 2018
Tova O'Brien

Newshub can reveal Parliament looks set to vote to reform abortion law - removing it from the Crimes Act and treating it as a health issue.

Newshub asked all 121 MPs which way they would vote on abortion law - and although a lot haven't yet decided, the vast majority who have made up their minds will vote for change.

Continued: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/10/government-set-to-reform-abortion-law-after-40-years.html


Unsafe Abortions Soar…In Ghana

Unsafe Abortions Soar…In Ghana

31-Oct-2018

Medical doctors in Ghana are worried over increasing unsafe abortion cases in the country.

About 45 per cent of abortions in Ghana remain unsafe.

Continued: http://www.peacefmonline.com/pages/local/social/201810/366699.php


USA – Women Who Face Prosecution for Home Abortions Finally Have a Number to Call

Women Who Face Prosecution for Home Abortions Finally Have a Number to Call
“Folks need to know there are lawyers who respect their dignity and will back them up.”

Nina Liss-Schultz
October 30, 2018

During his campaign for president, Donald Trump told voters he believed that women who end their pregnancies should face “some form of punishment.” He soon walked back his remarks, but the statement, along with his promise (since fulfilled) to put anti-abortion justices on the Supreme Court, sent a message: Women should no longer assume that abortion will remain a legal option.

In some circles, at least, the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court has raised concerns about a future America in which extra-clinical abortions are the new normal—and criminal.

Continued: https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2018/10/self-induced-abortion-diy-home-prosecution-legal-help-1/


New Zealand – MPs tread cautiously around abortion legislation

MPs tread cautiously around abortion legislation

Radio New Zealand Wednesday
31 October 2018
Jo Moir, Political Reporter

The Law Commission has reported back on ways to modernise abortion legislation - all of which would decriminalise it - but MPs are taking their time to make up their minds.

In February, Justice Minister Andrew Little asked for advice on how to take abortion out of the Crimes Act and make it a health matter.

Continued: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1810/S00152/mps-tread-cautiously-around-abortion-legislation.htm


New Zealand – Abortion law change at last in sight

Abortion law change at last in sight

by Liz Beddoe
Oct 30, 2018

In her second opinion piece on the need for change to New Zealand’s abortion law, Associate Professor Liz Beddoe talks through the options proposed in the Law Commission’s briefing paper, Alternative Approaches to Abortion Law, released last Friday.

After many decades of calls for reform of our outdated abortion law, change is finally in our sights. The Law Commission’s briefing paper Alternative Approaches to Abortion Law, commissioned by Justice Minister Andrew Little in February, provides three alternative legal models for consideration.

Continued: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/10/29/297669/abortion-law-change-at-last-in-sight