London play paused after theatregoers felt faint during abortion scene

Mainly male audience members had to step out of preview performance of The Years after graphic scene

Nadia Khomami
Wed 31 Jul 2024

An award-winning play premiering in London had to be stopped for 10 minutes during a preview performance on Monday after several mainly male audience members called for medical assistance after a graphic abortion scene.

The Years, directed by Eline Arbo, is about one woman’s personal and political story, set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing postwar Europe – from advances in reproductive rights to setbacks such as sexism in the workplace.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/article/2024/jul/31/london-play-the-years-paused-after-theatregoers-felt-faint-during-abortion-scene

31.07.2024

Femicide and Reproductive Violence Harm African Women, Girls

Betty Kabari, Researcher, Women's Rights Division - Human Rights Watch
July 31, 2024

International African Women’s Day on July 31 recognizes the contribution of African women toward political, social, and economic freedom on the continent. But gender equality is still not a reality for most African women.

Many countries still have regressive laws, and even the more progressive laws in other countries are often poorly carried out. There is a lack of supportive frameworks to promote and safeguard women and girls’ equality, such as research into rights violations and public education on gender equality and women and girls’ rights.

Continued; https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/31/femicide-and-reproductive-violence-harm-african-women-girls

‘Ready or Not’ campaign aims to improve dialogue on safe abortions

By David Njaaga
Jul 30, 2024

A leading healthcare company has launched a new campaign to break the silence on transforming the narrative around women's healthcare including pregnancy termination.

The "Ready or Not" campaign, initiated by VIYA Health, seeks to dismantle taboos and promote open dialogue about this crucial aspect of women's reproductive health.

Continued: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/sports/health-science/article/2001499974/ready-or-not-campaign-aims-to-improve-dialogue-on-safe-abortions

30.07.2024

News

Kenya Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society

Maureen Ondego

Ready or Not campaign

More US women have tried to induce their own abortion since fall of Roe – report

Roughly 7% of reproductive-aged women have attempted to induce own abortion, up from 5% before fall of Roe

Carter Sherman
Tue 30 Jul 2024

Roughly 7% of women of reproductive age in the US have attempted to induce their own abortions outside the formal healthcare system, a new study has found, up from 5% before Roe v Wade fell in 2022.

The study, published on Tuesday in the Jama medical journal, determined how many people reported ever “self-managing” their own abortion in 2021 and again in 2023 – a timeline that allowed researchers to examine how Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the supreme court case that overturned Roe, has affected self-managed abortions. People of color and LGBTQ+ people were more likely to report having ever attempted to end their own pregnancies.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/30/us-women-self-managed-abortion-pill

30.07.2024

Research

Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization

Lauren Ralph

mifepristone

misoprostol

self-managed abortions

Inside the Supreme Court’s negotiations and compromise on Idaho’s abortion ban

By Joan Biskupic, CNN Chief Supreme Court Analyst
Mon July 29, 2024

The Supreme Court began the year poised to build on its 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade and to deliver a new blow to abortion access.

In January, the court took the extraordinary step of letting Idaho enforce its ban on abortion with an exception only to prevent the death of a pregnant woman, despite an ongoing challenge from the Biden administration arguing that it intruded on federal protections for emergency room care.

Continued: https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/29/politics/supreme-court-idaho-abortion-emtala-biskupic/index.html

Iran steps up war on abortion with anti-abortion centers in 250 cities

July 29, 2024

Iran has established anti-abortion centers in 250 cities, preventing 4,700 abortions, according to a Health Ministry official.

In an interview with the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) on Saturday, Saber Jabbari-Farouji, head of Iran’s Health Ministry's Population Youth Department, disclosed that the centers are part of the "Nafas" intervention group.

The group operates in locations frequently visited by pregnant women contemplating abortion and collaborates with the likes of pregnancy diagnosis labs, gynecologists' offices, midwives, general practitioners, and the national health network, including hospitals, to deter a woman considering an abortion.

Continued: https://www.iranintl.com/en/202407278721

29.07.2024

Ali Khamenei

anti-abortion centers

anti-abortion patrols

Center for Strategic Research on Population

Family Protection and Youth Population Law

gender apartheid

Health Ministry's Population Youth Department

Saber Jabbari-Farouji

How an extreme president is trying to undermine abortion rights in Latin America

BY MARIELA BELSKI
JULY 29, 2024

The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, often states that abortion amounts to “aggravated homicide” due to “familial bond” and it’s part of a “bloody agenda.”

He also describes the wearers of green handkerchiefs — a symbol of Argentina’s pro-abortion movement — as murderers. True to his style, Milei complains about a right enshrined in national law since 2020. These provocative statements and attitudes are not just words. They also have real consequences aimed at preventing thousands from accessing their right to legal abortion.

Continued: https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/article290533684.html

29.07.2024

News

Agustín Laje

Amnesty International

Argentina’s Law 27.610

green handkerchiefs

Integral Sex Education Law

Abortion-ban exceptions won’t provide much relief for Iowa women. Here’s why.

The bigger picture won’t change unless a reconstituted Iowa Legislature repeals this law, which offends human rights and, as measured by polls, the wishes of Iowans.

The Register's editorial, Des Moines Register
July 28, 2024

Six years of trying will pay off Monday for Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Republicans: A law that bans almost all abortions will take effect.

And “almost all” means “almost all.” Tying the abortion prohibition to the detection of cardiac activity means many girls and women won’t realize they are pregnant before it’s too late to seek care.

Continued: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/editorials/2024/07/28/iowa-abortion-ban-exceptions-provide-little-relief-rape-incest-emergency/74534809007/

29.07.2024

Iowans for Health Liberty

Kamala Harris’ call for ‘reproductive freedom’ means restoring Roe

The position aligns with President Joe Biden but clashes with some abortion-rights activists championing her White House bid.

By MEGAN MESSERLY and ALICE MIRANDA OLLSTEIN
07/29/2024

Kamala Harris jumped into the presidential race with a broad pledge to “restore reproductive freedom.” The Harris campaign specified Monday that she’s calling for restoring Roe v. Wade.

While many abortion-rights groups are championing her bid for the White House, some activists are frustrated with her position on the issue and plan to keep pushing to go further than President Joe Biden.

Continued: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/29/kamala-harris-abortion-restoring-roe-00171657

Tracking abortion laws across the United States

Abortion is now banned in 14 states, while four have banned the procedure past roughly six weeks of pregnancy

Carter Sherman and Andrew Witherspoon, with additional reporting by Jessica Glenza and Poppy Noor
Mon 29 Jul 2024

The US supreme court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade may have abolished the national right to abortion, but the state-by-state battle for abortion rights is far from over.

Since Roe was overturned in 2022, 14 states have enacted near-total abortion bans, while four states – Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and Iowa – have banned abortion past roughly six weeks of pregnancy. Other states have enacted laws or held ballot referendums to protect abortion rights.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2024/jul/29/abortion-laws-bans-by-state

29.07.2024