Connecticut lawmakers pass bill to protect abortion seekers and providers from out-of-state lawsuits

By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN
Sat April 30, 2022

(CNN) Connecticut lawmakers on Friday passed a bill designed to protect people who provide an abortion or receive support to obtain the procedure in Connecticut and are then sued in another state.

House Bill 5414, sponsored by state Democratic lawmakers, would enable a person or corporation who "has had a judgment entered" against them in another state for receiving, providing or helping a person obtain legal abortion services in Connecticut to sue for damages. Supporters of the bill say it would protect women from other states who travel to Connecticut to receive abortions, as well as the physicians who provide them.

Continued: https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/30/politics/connecticut-abortion-legislation/index.html

India – Illegal abortion centre unearthed in Jalna, seven booked

Seven people were booked after an illegal abortion centre was unearthed in Jalna district of Maharashtra, officials said on Saturday.

30 APR 2022

In the raid that was carried out by a team led by the civil surgeon and police on Friday night in Dhawaleshwar area here, a female fetus, medicines, abortion kits, a register were seized, they said.

"A woman who was present at the centre to undergo medical termination of a female fetus has been shifted to a nearby hospital. The main accused is a BAMS doctor who ran away with a sonography machine while the raid was underway," an official said.

Continued: https://www.outlookindia.com/national/maha-illegal-abortion-centre-unearthed-in-jalna-seven-booked-news-194193

30.04.2022

Medical Termination Of Pregnancy (MTP) Act

USA – As more states restrict reproductive rights, abortion options dwindle

April 29, 2022
(4 minute podcast with transcript)

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to legal historian Mary Ziegler about red state abortion restrictions ahead of an upcoming Supreme Court ruling that could erode the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The state of Oklahoma is banning abortion again and again and again. Two separate bills have made it through the state legislature this week. Both allow lawsuits against people involved in abortions in the style of a recent Texas law. Weeks ago, Republican Governor Kevin Stitt signed a different bill that makes abortion a felony. Oklahoma is not waiting for a Supreme Court ruling on abortion that's expected later this year. So how much do these and other bills around the country matter?

https://www.npr.org/2022/04/29/1095444454/as-more-states-restrict-reproductive-rights-abortion-options-dwindle

Strategizing to accelerate the reduction of maternal mortality in the African Region

World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa
29 April 2022

Johannesburg – The African Region accounted for 66% of the 303,000 maternal deaths recorded globally in 2017. To address this situation, WHO in collaboration with UNFPA, UNICEF and partners supports Member States to ensure that all women and girls have access to quality and timely health services, particularly during pregnancy, childbirth, and after delivery, leaving no one behind.

« Most maternal deaths in the Region are attributable to five main causes: haemorrhage, pregnancy-related hypertensive disorders, unsafe abortion, infection, and obstructed labour. Of these, complications of haemorrhage and hypertension account for almost 50% of deaths," said Dr. Owen Kaluwa, WHO Representative in South Africa.

Continued: https://www.afro.who.int/news/strategizing-accelerate-reduction-maternal-mortality-african-region

How Latin American women are winning the battle for abortion rights

Argentina, Colombia and Mexico have recently legalised or decriminalised abortion. Could Chile be next?

Diana Cariboni
29 April 2022

It was inconceivable, just five years ago, that ultra-conservative Colombia would decriminalise abortion, or that Catholic, neoliberal Chile would be gearing up to vote on a new constitution that enshrines sexual and reproductive rights, including on-request abortion.

Yet in February, Colombia’s constitutional court removed abortion (up to 24 weeks) from the criminal code in response to a court case brought by Causa Justa – the spearhead of a wide-ranging social and legal campaign of more than 120 groups and thousands of activists.

Continued: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/women-latin-america-winning-abortion-rights/

Ukraine war: Volunteers deliver emergency contraception pills

By Annabel Rackham, BBC News
Apr 29, 2022

Charities are working to deliver emergency contraception into Ukrainian hospitals as reports of rape rise.

Nearly 3,000 packets of morning-after pills have been sent to areas of the country most affected by the Russian invasion.

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) has provided the pills, which volunteers are delivering.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-61269792

Many Residents Won’t Get Abortion Training if Roe Is Overturned

45% of OB-GYN Residency Programs Are in States Where Abortion is Likely to Be Banned

April 28, 2022
By Laura Kurtzman

Nearly half of obstetrics and gynecology residency programs in the U.S. may lack abortion training if Roe v. Wade is overturned in an upcoming Supreme Court decision, according to a new study by UC San Francisco and UCLA.

Researchers mapped OB-GYN residency programs across the U.S. and highlighted those in the 26 states that are expected to ban abortion if the Supreme Court overturns Roe in its ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which is expected by the end of June.

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2022/04/422741/many-residents-wont-get-abortion-training-if-roe-overturned

28.04.2022

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Planned Parenthood Has Quietly Stopped Providing Abortions in Georgia and Alabama

Independent clinics have been "deeply impacted" by the move in a region with already dwindling access to reproductive health care.

By Susan Rinkunas
Apr 28, 2022

Planned Parenthood quietly stopped scheduling abortions this month at its clinics in Georgia and Alabama and canceled some existing appointments, due to what it said were staffing issues at its Southeast affiliate. The organization said the change is temporary, but did not say when it would resume care. In the meantime, the clinics are referring people to other providers.

“We have elected to scale back some of our services across the affiliate while we onboard new staff at our health centers and at the executive level,” the spokesperson said in response to questions from Jezebel. “This is a temporary change, and we expect to again be operating at full capacity by the end of the month.” There are two days left in the month and it does not appear that abortions will resume in that time frame.

Continued: https://jezebel.com/planned-parenthood-has-quietly-stopped-providing-aborti-1848856363

Oklahoma approves two laws that could immediately end all in-state abortion access

Gov. Kevin Stitt has indicated that he plans to sign both bills, which would end abortion services at clinics in the state and add to a growing abortion desert.

Shefali Luthra, Health Reporter
April 28, 2022

Oklahoma’s legislature has passed two Texas-inspired laws that would allow civil lawsuits against anyone who might “aid or abet” any abortion. Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, has indicated he plans to sign both bills, which would take effect immediately.

One bill, House Bill 4327, would outlaw virtually all abortions, with an exception if the pregnant person’s life were in immediate danger; pregnancy resulting from rape or incest is only an exception if it has been reported to law enforcement. After amendments were added to it, HB 4327 will go back to the House, which has already passed a version of the bill. The other bill, Senate Bill 1503, would create penalties for abortions done after six weeks of pregnancy.

https://19thnews.org/2022/04/oklahoma-abortion-bans-texas-style/

USA – Abortion Fight Could Upend Women’s Health Care. Many Are Worried It Could Limit Their Access to Birth Control

Survey shows most women get contraception at doctor’s office, don’t have copays

BY GABY GALVIN
April 28, 2022

If the Supreme Court weakens federal abortion protections this summer, nearly half of women under age 45 say they would be worried about their ability to access another form of reproductive health care: birth control.

Some states are already taking steps to restrict abortion, and clinicians and advocates have warned the high court’s decision will cause ripple effects across the women’s health landscape. Clinics serving low-income patients, for example, may struggle to continue offering other services such as testing and birth control. Meanwhile, legal protections for abortion and contraception are connected through court precedent establishing privacy rights.

https://morningconsult.com/2022/04/28/birth-control-survey-data-roe-v-wade/