JANUARY 21, 2021
By Emma Batha
(Thomson Reuters Foundation) - President Joe Biden’s decision to scrap a “deadly” Trump-era policy banning funding for aid groups that discuss abortion could unleash billions in dollars for life-saving services in developing countries, women’s rights groups said on Thursday.
“It’s very, very good news. It sends a strong message that reproductive rights are human rights,” said Evelyne Opondo, Africa director at the Center for Reproductive Rights.
US medical adviser’s speech to WHO signals major turnaround on global health policy by Biden administration
Michael Safi, The Guardian
Thu 21 Jan 2021
The Biden administration will repeal anti-abortion restrictions on American aid and join the international vaccine-sharing scheme Covax, Anthony Fauci has announced in remarks signalling a major turnaround in US global health policy.
Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, announced the changes in a speech to the World Health Organization on Thursday morning after being chosen to head the US delegation to the global health group in one of the first acts of Joe Biden’s presidency.
Crown Princess Mary makes her first official appearance of 2021 with a searing message
The Danish royal is ready to tackle another year.
JAN 20, 2021
JESS PULLAR
Crown Princess Mary has kicked off the year with a stirring message for
followers of the Danish Royal Palace.
Sharing an image of Mary working from her residence in Denmark, our first
glimpse of Mary in 2021 proved just because she's not as publicly present these
days doesn't mean she's no less busy.
Continued: https://www.nowtolove.com.au/royals/international-royals/princess-mary-female-empowerment-66532
Muchaneta Chimuka
21 January 2021
Unsafe abortion cases are rife among youth
and adults in Zimbabwe owing to high medical costs, restrictive abortion laws
and lack of or inadequate youth friendly clinics that offers sexual
reproductive health services, negative attitudes by service providers towards
patients, lack of knowledge on how and where to seek services among others.
The 2020 #VoiceandChoice Barometer notes that 24 percent of all pregnancies in
Southern Africa end in abortion.
Continued: https://www.chronicle.co.zw/unsafe-abortions-a-major-public-health-concern/
By Reuters
Jan. 21, 2021
TEGUCIGALPA (REUTERS) - Members of the Honduran Congress voted on Thursday to amend the constitution making it much harder to reverse existing hard-line bans on abortion and same-sex marriage, as lawmakers double down on socially conservative priorities.
Lawmakers voted to require a three-quarters super-majority to change a constitutional article that gives a fetus the same legal status of a person, and another that states that civil marriage in the Central American nation can only be between a man and a woman.
A constitutional reform would require a three-quarters majority in congress to overturn Latin America’s most draconian ban
Jeff Ernst in Tegucigalpa
Thu 21 Jan 2021
Legislators in Honduras are pushing a constitutional reform through Congress that would make it virtually impossible to legalise abortion in the country – now or in the future.
The measure, called a “shield against abortion” by its proponents, comes in response to the feminist “green wave” movement sweeping across Latin America that recently achieved its biggest victory yet with the legalisation of abortion in Argentina.
CLAIRE SIMPSON
20 January, 2021
Westminster may intervene over the provision of abortion services in the north, the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has said.
Abortion up to 12 weeks into pregnancy has been legal in the north since last year.
MPs voted for a change in the law in 2019, during the hiatus at Stormont.
Government says further legislation could be proposed
Jonathan Bell
January 20 2021
An MP has claimed over 100 women in Northern Ireland have been refused an abortion with some turning to the internet for pills.
It comes as new Department of Health figures show there were 22 abortions carried out in Northern Ireland during the financial year of 2019/20.
The London government has warned that it may intervene directly if abortions are not made more freely available in Northern Ireland soon.
By Adam Kula
Wednesday, 20th January 2021
Robin Walker MP, the minister for state for Northern Ireland, made the comments in the House of Commons as he was quizzed about the current law in the Province.
The whole issue dates back to summer 2019.
At that time MPs in Westminster passed a law which said if the Northern Irish devolved government was not restored by late October, then the London government would act to change the law on terminations, bypassing the NI Assembly altogether – a move which outraged anti-abortion groups.
"We have a ton of work to do to undo the harm over the last four years," said Planned Parenthood President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson.
Jan. 18, 2021
By Chloe Atkins, NBC News
President-elect Joe Biden is poised to roll back several of the Trump administration's most restrictive sexual and reproductive health policies, including limits on abortion.
Reproductive rights advocates expect Biden to quickly overturn Trump-era rules, like banning federal funds for foreign and national health organizations that promote and provide abortion and giving employers more freedom to deny free contraceptive coverage for their workers.
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