Canada – Study finds northern prisons lack abortion and contraception policies

Women and gender-diverse people the fastest growing demographic in Canada’s prisons, researchers say

Caitrin Pilkington · CBC News
Jan 31, 2025

Northern governments say all inmates have the opportunity to access reproductive health services, but some researchers and advocates say clearer policies are needed to reduce barriers.

Researchers with the University of New Brunswick conducted a systematic review of abortion and contraception policies across the country. The study, which was published in The Prison Journal last November, found many Canadian correctional facilities don't have a formal mandate to ensure access to these services.

The study found northern institutions have few policies in place that address reproductive health care.

Continued: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/study-finds-northern-prisons-lack-abortion-and-contraception-policies-1.7446420


Arrest warrant issued for New York doctor indicted in Louisiana for prescribing abortion pill

By  SARA CLINE and GEOFF MULVIHILL
January 31, 2025

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — An arrest warrant has been issued for a New York doctor indicted on Friday by a Louisiana grand jury for allegedly prescribing abortion pills online to a pregnant minor in the Deep South state, which has one of the strictest near-total abortion bans in the country.

Grand jurors at the District Court for the Parish of West Baton Rouge unanimously issued an indictment against Dr. Margaret Carpenter; her company, Nightingale Medical, PC; and the minor’s mother. All three were charged with criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs, a felony.

Continued: https://apnews.com/article/abortion-indictment-lousiana-new-york-doctor-63ff4d9da8a9b592a7ca4ec7ba538cd3


Manitoba law that restricts protests near abortion clinics comes into effect

The Canadian Press
January 31, 2025

A new Manitoba law restricting protests near clinics and hospitals where abortions are performed is to take effect Saturday.

The NDP government introduced a bill last year that creates buffer zones of between 50 and 150 metres around such health facilities, as well as the homes of abortion providers.

Inside those zones, people are not allowed to block access, attempt to dissuade people from getting an abortion or harass or intimidate individuals.

Canada: https://globalnews.ca/news/10992639/manitoba-law-that-restricts-protests-near-abortion-clinics-comes-into-effect/


Costa Rica Seeks Tougher Abortion Penalties

Tico Times
January 30, 2025

The Costa Rican government, led by President Rodrigo Chaves, has announced its intention to introduce a bill that would significantly increase prison sentences for those involved in abortions. The proposed reform to the Penal Code seeks to align the country’s criminal legislation with a more restrictive stance on abortion, prioritizing the protection of life from conception.

“We must punish with greater force those who attempt against the lives of human beings in a state of defenselessness, such as unborn children,” stated Minister of the Presidency, Laura Fernandez.

Continued: https://ticotimes.net/2025/01/30/costa-rica-seeks-tougher-abortion-penalties


Planning for the Worst in Trump’s Next Term: Prepare, Don’t Panic, and Don’t Comply in Advance

Amy Hagstrom Miller championed abortion rights in Texas, and she’s ready for the next fight.

Mary Tuma
January 30, 2025

In the frenetic days following the November election, longtime abortion provider Amy Hagstrom Miller spent a lot of time in meetings—some in person, some on Zoom—rallying her troops. As one of the most prominent and tenacious independent abortion providers in the country, with six Whole Woman’s Health clinics in four states, it was a safe bet that she and her staff of 125 would find themselves in the crosshairs of a Donald Trump presidency and the anti-abortion extremists his second term will empower.

Hagstrom Miller could feel the alarm and dread that washed over some of her employees as they contemplated an America in which the 1873 Comstock Act might be enforced to institute a national abortion ban, the abortion pill would come under myriad other relentless attacks, federal appointees would use their bureaucratic powers to target providers in states where abortion remains legal, and patients would face new risks to their physical safety and constitutional rights.

Continued: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/01/trump-amy-hagstrom-miller-championed-abortion-rights-in-texas-and-amy-hagstrom-miller-is-ready-for-the-next-fight/


Nigeria – FG launches MAMII Project To Halt Maternal, Neonatal Mortality in Kano

Thursday, 30 January 2025
By Victor Christopher

As part of halting avoidable death, the federal government says efforts are underway to improve access to healthcare services for pregnant women and reduce maternal mortality.

The coordinating minister of health, Professor Ali Pate disclosed this at the launch of the Maternal & Neonatal Mortality Innovative Initiative MAMII in Kano.

Continued: https://www.nigeriainfo.fm/news/homepagelagos/fg-launches-mamii-project-to-halt-maternal-neonatal-mortality-in-kano/


Polish appeals court to rule next month in abortion case which activists say could set a precedent

By The Associated Press
Jan 30, 2025

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — An appeals court in Poland said Thursday that it would rule next month in the case of a women’s rights activist convicted in 2023 of providing another woman with abortion pills.

The three-judge panel concluded that the case was complicated and adjourned the verdict until Feb. 13.

The activist, Justyna Wydrzynska, was convicted in March 2023 and sentenced to eight months of community service for having sent pills to a woman seeking abortion. Helping a woman have an abortion is illegal in Poland and can result in up to three years in prison

Continued; https://halifax.citynews.ca/2025/01/30/polish-appeals-court-to-rule-next-month-in-abortion-case-which-activists-say-could-set-a-precedent/


Poland: Unjust conviction of activist accused of aiding an abortion must be overturned

January 30, 2025
Amnesty International

Following today’s Court of Appeal announcement that a verdict in the appeal hearing of Justyna Wydrzyńska, a human rights defender convicted in 2023 for helping a woman in an abusive relationship access a safe abortion, will be handed down on 13 February, Monica Costa Riba, Amnesty International’s Women’s Rights Senior Campaigner, said:

“Justyna Wydrzyńska should have never been prosecuted let alone convicted and no one should be criminalized for helping pregnant people access essential health care. 

Continued; https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/01/poland-unjust-conviction-of-activist-accused-of-aiding-an-abortion-must-be-overturned/


United States Blocks Global Funding for Sexual and Reproductive Rights. Again.

Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
Jan 27, 2025

In his first week in office, Donald Trump reinstated the Global Gag Rule, re-igniting a crisis for global health and reproductive rights. This policy restricts non-US organizations from receiving US international assistance if they provide, educate, refer or advocate for safe abortion, even with resources from other donors. 

First introduced in 1984 under President Ronald Reagan, the Global Gag Rule is a policy that has been repeatedly repealed and reinstated depending on the U.S. administration. Research shows that this policy increases maternal mortality, reduces access to contraception, and pushes people toward unsafe abortions.

Continued: https://www.actioncanadashr.org/news/2025-01-27-united-states-blocks-global-funding-sexual-and-reproductive-rights-again


Nigeria – How Unsafe Abortion Causes Life-Threatening Complications For Women – LIFE

Taiwo Jimoh 
January 29, 2025

Unsafe abortion is a significant contributor to maternal deaths in Nigeria, with estimates ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 deaths annually. This high mortality rate is primarily due to restrictive abortion laws, which drive women to seek unsafe procedures from unqualified practitioners majority of maternal deaths in Nigeria are linked to unsafe abortions.

According to a recent study carried out by the Leadership Initiative For Youth Empowerment (LIFE), unsafe abortion is still a major public health concern in Nigeria and a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in the country.

Continued: https://newtelegraphng.com/how-unsafe-abortion-causes-life-threatening-complications-for-women-life/#google_vignette