Poland – ‘Women’s rights are being trampled’

Voices from a protest march in Warsaw over Poland's near-total abortion ban

By Kuba Kaminski, Antonia Mortensen and Laura Smith-Spark, CNN Sun January 31, 2021

Warsaw, Poland — The protesters who marched through the Polish capital's icy streets on Friday night had a clear message for the government over its imposition this week of a near-total ban on abortions: We will stand up for women's rights.

It was the third day of protests since the ruling came into effect -- and marked 100 days of protests since Poland's constitutional tribunal court first handed down its controversial ruling, sparking weeks of mass demonstrations.

Continued: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/31/europe/poland-abortion-law-protests-intl/index.html

USA – Why we might soon see a surge in antiabortion violence

By ROBIN ABCARIAN, COLUMNIST

JAN. 31, 2021

In 2009, four months after Barack Obama, who supported abortion rights, was
sworn in as president and Democrats controlled both houses of Congress, a
religious zealot murdered the late-term abortion doctor George Tiller in the
vestibule of Tiller’s church.

I have always believed those two things were related.

Continued: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-01-31/column-why-we-might-soon-see-a-spike-in-antiabortion-violence

India – Medical board on abortion ‘unfeasible’, says study

82% of obstetrics-gynaecology, paediatric and other specialist posts vacant

Jagriti Chandra
JANUARY 31, 2021

A panel of doctors to decide on termination of pregnancy beyond 24 weeks as proposed in the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Amendment Bill, 2020, is “unfeasible” as 82% of these posts are lying vacant in the country, finds a new study.

The MTP Bill was passed in Lok Sabha in March 2020, and is likely to be brought before Rajya Sabha during the ongoing Budget Session.

Continued: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/medical-board-on-abortion-unfeasible-says-study/article33711124.ece

How lawmakers made it nearly impossible to legalize abortion in Honduras

By Tatiana Arias, CNN
Sun January 31, 2021

(CNN)This week, lawmakers in Honduras changed the country's constitution to make it virtually impossible to legalize abortion in the future -- an extreme election-year move that critics warn will further endanger women's health.

On Thursday, the country's Congress ratified a January 21 amendment to constitutional Article 67, which now specifically prohibits any "interruption of life" to a fetus, "whose life must be respected from the moment of conception."

Continued: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/31/americas/honduras-abortion-ban-ratified-intl/index.html

31.01.2021

anti-choice ignorance

anti-choice misogyny

Catholic Church

clandestine abortion

constitutional amendment to ban abortion

Doctors Without Borders

emergency contraception

evangelicals and abortion

Gloria Bonilla

Human Rights Watch

Juan Orlando Hernandez

Margaret Wurth

Merly Eguigure

Movimiento de Mujeres por La Paz

Neesa Medina

Oswaldo Canales

religion and abortion

sexual violence

Shield Against Abortion in Honduras

United Nations Population Fund

Visitación Padilla

Women's Rights Center

Jamaica – Millions for illegal abortions

Millions for illegal abortions - Taxpayers fork out US$1.4 million annually for thousands of abortion complications; poorest families suffer most, CAPRI study finds

Sunday | January 31, 2021
Corey Robinson - Senior Staff Reporter, Jamaica Gleaner

Some 22,000 pregnancies are aborted annually in Jamaica, and this is only a
rough estimate from research done by the Caribbean Policy Research Institute
(CAPRI), which believes that the figures for the clandestine, criminal acts
could be more.

The data further revealed that Jamaican taxpayers fork out approximately US$1.4
million each year to fund the country’s healthcare system’s struggle with
complications caused from unsafe abortions islandwide.

Continued: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20210131/millions-illegal-abortions-taxpayers-fork-out-us14-million-annually

Gagged No More: Joe Biden rescinds Mexico City Policy, boosting global women’s empowerment movement

January 30, 2021
Rudroneel Ghosh

In a landmark move, US President Joe Biden signed an executive memorandum to immediately rescind the Mexico City Policy – also known as the global gag rule – that barred international non-profits from receiving US funding if they provide abortion counselling or referrals. It will be recalled that the Mexico City Policy has been around for decades, being first implemented in 1985 during the second Reagan administration. Since then it has been implemented during all Republican administrations and rescinded during all Democratic administrations. Therefore, while it was rescinded during the Obama administration, it was brought back in the Trump administration.

But under Trump the policy was expanded further to ban all US health funding to even those foreign NGOs that in turn fund other groups that support abortion services.

Continued: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/talkingturkey/gagged-no-more-joe-biden-rescinds-mexico-city-policy-boosting-global-womens-empowerment-movement/

‘You can’t just remove the damage of the last four years’

Reproductive rights groups cautiously welcome Biden's reversal of Trump's abortion access restrictions

By Kara Fox and Nicole Gaouette, CNN
Sat January 30, 2021

For more than four years, countries that rely on American foreign aid have been reeling from the profound impact that Donald Trump's reinstatement of the Mexico City policy has had on women.

The policy, known as the "global gag rule" among opponents, prevents non-government organizations that provide abortions, give counseling about abortions, or advocate for safe access to abortion from receiving US funding.

Continued: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/30/world/biden-abortion-mexico-city-policy-intl/index.html

Protests against new abortion law continue across Poland

By Mark Armstrong with AP
Updated: 30/01/2021

Protesters took the streets of cities across Poland on Friday for the third consecutive night of rallies against the introduction of strict abortion laws.

The legislation that came into force on Wednesday makes it almost impossible to terminate a pregnancy legally except in cases of incest, rape, or when the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother.

Continued: https://www.euronews.com/2021/01/30/protests-against-new-abortion-law-continue-across-poland

30.01.2021

Featured

News

Klementyna Suchanow

Law and Justice party

Thousands march on third night of protest against Poland’s abortion restrictions

Issued on: 30/01/2021
France24

Several thousand people marched through cities across Poland on Friday in a third night of protests against a near-total ban on abortion since it was put into effect by the conservative government earlier this week.

Defying coronavirus restrictions, hundreds gathered in central Warsaw, chanting "freedom, equality, abortion on demand". Some carried placards that said "I am afraid to live here" and "Banning abortion discriminates against the poor"

Continued: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210130-thousands-march-on-third-night-of-protest-against-poland-s-abortion-restrictions

30.01.2021

Law and Justice party

Why South Carolina’s first female sheriff is calling the state’s antiabortion bill ‘absolute insanity’

A provision exempting rape and incest survivors will actually do more to harm them, experts say

Anne Branigin, The Lily
Jan. 30, 2021

Mere weeks into her tenure, South Carolina’s first elected female sheriff, Kristin Graziano, has made clear that she is not one to back down from a fight. Especially not against the state’s male-dominated legislature.

On Wednesday night, Graziano, who is also South Carolina’s first openly gay sheriff, publicly challenged a new amendment to an abortion bill widely expected to pass the state legislature and be signed into law in the next few weeks. The amendment would outlaw most abortions, but provides an exception for survivors of rape and incest. In these cases, however, health-care providers would be required to report the name of the victim to police.

Continued: https://www.thelily.com/why-south-carolinas-first-female-sheriff-is-calling-the-states-antiabortion-bill-absolute-insanity/