IRELAND – Robust committee exchanges over three-day abortion wait period

Wednesday, 30 Sep 2026
By Juliette Gash

There have been robust exchanges at the Health Committee with disagreements between members and witnesses over the mandatory three-day waiting period under current abortion legislation.

Two pro-life GPs, who do not themselves provide abortion services, were called as witnesses today. Dr Andrew O'Regan told the committee that the three day wait "has given women time to reflect and draw on available supports."

Continued: https://www.rte.ie/news/2026/0930/1593490-robust-exchanges-abortion-wait/

30.09.2026

News

3-day waiting requirement

three-day waiting period

Women protest in defence of abortion rights in Colombia

Agence France-Presse . Bogota, Colombia

30 September, 2026

Hundreds of women wearing green bandanas demonstrated in favor of abortion rights in Colombia on Monday, as President Abelardo de la Espriella’s right-wing government calls for stricter laws.

Abortion was legalised up to 24 weeks of pregnancy in 2022, following a landmark ruling by Colombia’s Constitutional Court.

Continued: https://www.newagebd.net/post/latin-america/315922/women-protest-in-defence-of-abortion-rights-in-colombia

30.09.2026

News

Abelardo de la Espriella

Camila Tovar

Colombia Constitutional Court

green bandanas

International Safe Abortion Day

Malta – Don’t use disability to slam abortion, activist tells pro-lifers

‘Not in my name’: Lara Calleja challenges use of disability in arguments against abortion

30 September 2026
by Juliana Zammit

Author and activist Lara Calleja has called for disabled people to be included more in the abortion debate, saying disability is often used in arguments against abortion.

“Not in my name”, Calleja told MaltaToday, objecting to the use of disabled people as an argument against abortion.

She said people sought abortions for many different reasons and emphasised that disabled people needed to be part of that discussion themselves.

Continued: https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/144696/dont_use_disability_to_slam_abortion_activist_tells_prolifers

30.09.2026

News

disability and abortion

Joanna Delia

Lara Calleja

Voice for Choice Malta

Women deserve better – The Power of EU citizens to shape Women’s Rights Debate

Wednesday, September 30, 2026
National Women’s Council

NWC today (30th September) highlighted the power of EU citizens and civil society to shape EU policies on reproductive rights. Exploring the historic success of the European Citizens’ Initiative, My Voice, My Choice, NWC called on the Irish Government to use the EU Presidency as an opportunity to champion women’s health at EU level and address ongoing barriers to abortion care in Ireland.

The enormously successful European Citizens’ Initiative, My Voice, My Choice, which received over 1.2 million verified signatures, was one of the case studies discussed at the event Europe in Action: Citizen Participation & Women's Health in Trinity College Dublin to mark International Safe Abortion Day (28th September). My Voice, My choice served as a powerful campaigning tool to put issues around women’s health and access to abortion firmly on the agenda, not only at EU level but in the different member states.

Continued: https://www.nwci.ie/learn/press_release/women_deserve_better_the_power_of_eu_citizens_to_shape_womens_rights_debate

30.09.2026

Commentary

8th March Institute

Adriana Lamackova

Center for Reproductive Rights

International Safe Abortion Day

Maria Walsh

My Voice My Choice campaign

National Women’s Council

Nika Kovač

Paula Pinzón Hernández

Inside the Clandestine Network of Abortion-Pill Mules

“There may come a time where we are one of the only, if not the only, option for the nation.”

Rebecca Grant, Mother Jones
November+December 2026 Issue
(online Sep 30, 2026)

When Lena walks into the cafe near an airport somewhere outside the US, she looks like any other traveler grabbing a cup of coffee before a flight. She orders a drink and picks a table out of earshot of other patrons, keeping her suitcase close by her side.

In the clandestine world of underground abortion activists, Lena—not her real name—is a courier. The trips she takes abroad—we can’t say where—are supply runs to pick up generic versions of mifepristone and misoprostol, the two drugs that make up the standard medication abortion regimen. Soon, another traveler—her supplier—approaches her table, also dragging a suitcase.

Continued: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/09/underground-abortion-activists-mifepristone-misoprostol-medical/

Hungary – Momentum calls for repeal of Orbán-era abortion law

30 September 2026
ALDE Party, Aoife Devereux

After this year’s general election ended Viktor Orbán’s long period of sole rule, ALDE Party’s Hungarian member Momentum is pushing to overturn one of the most controversial policies of the Orbán era: the so-called “heartbeat decree”.

Introduced in 2022, the decree requires women seeking an abortion to receive medical confirmation of the foetus' vital functions before undergoing the procedure. The measure is widely known as the “heartbeat decree” because, in practice, this has generally meant being shown the foetal heartbeat.

Continued: https://www.aldeparty.eu/blog/news-11/momentum-calls-for-repeal-of-orban-era-abortion-law-598

30.09.2026

Polish Activists Open First Abortion Pill Locker In Warsaw

By Katarzyna SKIBA
Sept 30, 2026

Polish activists have opened the country's first-ever abortion locker, allowing women to access pregnancy-terminating pills anonymously and immediately in the country with some of Europe's strictest abortion laws, an AFP photographer confirmed Wednesday.

The small, colourfully painted locker, which activists call an "abortomat", consists of 22 compartments containing envelopes with medications allowing them to carry out medical abortions.

"It's a feminist intervention meant to show just how upside‑down things are," Kinga Jelinska, director of the Women Help Women Foundation and co-founder of the Abortion Dream Team, told AFP.

Continued; https://www.barrons.com/news/polish-activists-opens-first-abortion-pill-locker-in-warsaw-bac65e4e

30.09.2026

Abortion Dream Team

abortion pills in vending machines

KENYA – Rights groups urge government to decriminalise safe abortion

By KNA
September 30, 2026

Reproductive Health Human Rights Lobby Groups in Nakuru have petitioned the government to decriminalise safe abortion in Kenya, citing rising numbers of unsafe procedures and maternal deaths.

The civil society organisations, including the Reproductive Health Champions Organisation (RHCO), the Nakuru Reproductive Health Network (NRHN), and the Hope in Life Society (HILS), made the call during this year’s International Safe Abortion Day on Monday.

Continued: https://www.kbc.co.ke/rights-groups-urge-government-to-decriminalise-safe-abortion/

Venezuela: Feminist Collectives Rally to Demand Abortion Decriminalization

Activist María Alejandra Reyes warned that the growing influence of the religious right stands in the way of expanding women’s rights.

Ricardo Vaz
September 30, 2026

Caracas – Venezuelan feminist organizations protested on Monday to mark International Safe Abortion Day and demand reforms to advance sexual and reproductive rights in the Caribbean nation.

Around 100 activists gathered in Plaza Venezuela, Caracas, to debate the conditions facing working-class women and urge responses from Venezuelan authorities.

“We are here to protest against the absence of inclusive public policies,” Jackeline López, spokesperson for the Clara Zetkin Women’s Movement, told press. “Abortion remains a taboo subject for Venezuelan authorities, whose response is to criminalize it.”

Continued: https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/venezuela-feminist-collectives-rally-to-demand-abortion-decriminalization/

Europe – Recap: International Safe Abortion Day 2026

Center for Reproductive Rights
September 29, 2026

This International Safe Abortion Day, prominent landmarks across Europe lit up green in support of safe and legal abortion access.

…To commemorate International Safe Abortion Day this year, the Center for Reproductive Rights Europe worked with 60 organizations and multiple municipal governments to lead a coordinated demonstration in support of abortion rights. Across Europe, landmarks and buildings lit up green at dusk on 28 September, proudly displaying the color of the international abortion rights movement. This was an important moment of solidarity, unity, and joy in support of abortion as a human right.

Check out the illuminations below.

Continued; https://reproductiverights.org/news/recap-international-safe-abortion-day-2026/

29.09.2026