Caribbean: The Reverend fighting to bring abortion out of the darkness

Aug 22, 2024
Gemma Handy, St John’s, Antigua

The death of a mother-of-six from a botched abortion at an unlicensed clinic 10 years ago is one Reverend Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth will never forget.

It had been almost two decades since Guyana passed ground-breaking abortion reform legislation, yet no public hospitals offered terminations and doctors were not licensed to carry them out.

Women were still dying of abortions gone wrong,” Patricia tells the BBC. “They were using home remedies, bush medicine, unlicensed doctors. The law may have been passed but it took many years for it to be implemented. For me, it was an urgent cause.”

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93pqgvr0gwo


Guyana – The cost of unsafe abortions

By Akola Thompson
July 1, 2022

If you are interested in world affairs, you might be familiar with the saying, “when America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold.” The reality of this will be felt as the US moves forward with abortion rights being repealed in states across the country. Restrictions to abortion rights in the US has already had an impact in Guyana over the years, through restrictions of services and funding that have sought to expand abortion access in Guyana. Restricting access to abortions however, does not stop abortions, but drives it underground, making it unsafe.

Continued: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2022/07/01/features/the-minority-report/the-cost-of-unsafe-abortions-2/


Guyana – The cost of unsafe abortions

The cost of unsafe abortions

Akola Thompson
Jun 21, 2019
The Minority Report, Stabroek News

A few weeks ago, I participated in a Safe Abortions Advocacy session held by the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association. Led by Sherlina Nageer, I found the session particularly informative on the various ways unsafe abortions are promoted due to dangerous cultural attitudes, economic circumstances and limited to no access to services and information.

Abortion has been legal in Guyana since 1995 with the passing of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act. The Act permits abortion for any reason during the first eight weeks of pregnancy once done by a licensed medical practitioner.

Continued: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2019/features/06/21/the-cost-of-unsafe-abortions/


Latin America’s fight to legalise abortion: the key battlegrounds

Latin America's fight to legalise abortion: the key battlegrounds
After Argentina rejected a bill to allow abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, hopes of reform now rest elsewhere

Annie Kelly
Thu 9 Aug 2018

An estimated 6.5 million abortions take place across Latin America each year. Three-quarters of these procedures are unlawful, often performed in unsafe illegal clinics or at home.

Of 33 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, only Cuba, Uruguay and Guyana permit elective abortions. Women also have the right to choose in Mexico City. Elsewhere, however, the right to an abortion is severely restricted, with terminations often permitted in cases of rape, or if the pregnancy will endanger the life of the mother. Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Suriname all have a complete ban on abortion.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/aug/09/latin-america-fight-to-legalise-abortion-argentina-brazil-chile-venezuela-uruguay-colombia-el-salvador-peru