Abortion for Life: Decriminalize, Destigmatize, Demystify

By Stabroek News
July 14, 2025

By Fred Nunes

On June 14, 1995, President Dr. Cheddi Jagan quietly signed the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill into law. That was just five weeks after Hon. Gail Teixeira, Minister of Health, had guided it through the National Assembly. I recall no headlines or fanfare. It simply appeared in the Gazette.

That was a bold step. He replaced the criminal law with legal access to abortion. This took real courage, since he knew he was up against the wrath of almost all religious bodies.

Continued: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2025/07/14/features/in-the-diaspora/abortion-for-life-decriminalize-destigmatize-demystify/

14.07.2025

Commentary

decriminalization of abortion

Dr. Cheddi Jagan

Fred Nunes

Gail Teixeira

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill

Guyana – Legal abortion yields 97% decline in complications

By Fred Nunes, Stabroek News
May 12, 2025

Since the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1995 (MTOPA), Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has experienced a 97% decline in admission for complications arising from unsafe abortion.

In 1991, there were 1,828 admissions to GPHC for complications resulting from unsafe abortions. That placed septic abortion as the third highest cause of admission and incomplete abortion as the eighth.

Continued: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2025/05/12/features/in-the-diaspora/legal-abortion-yields-97-decline-in-complications/

12.05.2025

Commentary

Advocates for Safe Parenthood: Improving Reproductive Equity

Anibal Faundes

Aspire

Fred Nunes

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1995

Guyana – Thirty years after landmark legislation, abortion services still inaccessible in some areas – activists

By Telesha Ramnarine
May 11, 2025

On the 30th anniversary of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTOP) Act, which legalised abortion in Guyana, activists, healthcare professionals, and community leaders gathered to commemorate the historic legislation and reflect on its limited impact, particularly in rural and hinterland regions.

The event, spearheaded by the 30 for 30 Guyana campaign led by independent sexual and reproductive health rights advocate Sherlina Nageer, was held on Friday at the University of Guyana’s Education Lecture Theatre, Turkeyen.

Continued: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2025/05/11/news/guyana/thirty-years-after-landmark-legislation-abortion-services-still-inaccessible-in-some-areas-activists/

11.05.2025

News

Bread Fruit Collective

Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTOP) Act

Guyana Proves Legal Abortion Protects Life

By Fred Nunes
January 20, 2025

In 1995, Guyana became the first country on the South American continent to make abortion legal.

For that time, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1995 (MTOP) was landmark legislation and made huge advances on the 1983 Barbados law. It allowed access without the burden of reason for the first eight weeks of pregnancy, permitted access to girls without need of parental consent, and permitted midlevel healthcare professionals to perform non-surgical abortions in early pregnancy. The vote for this intensely controversial Bill was the first vote of conscience in the National Assembly. Minister of Health Gail Teixeira championed the campaign. Minister of Human Services and Social Security Indranie Chandarpal chaired the Special Select Committee and the late Dr. Faith Harding, the Shadow Minister of Health in the Opposition, were pivotal players in garnering support. There has not been another vote of conscience since then.
Continued: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2025/01/20/features/in-the-diaspora/guyana-proves-legal-abortion-protects-life/

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

22.08.2024

Offences Against the Person Act

Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth

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/

01.07.2022

Featured

Opinion

Akola Thompson

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Ac

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