Uganda – Women’s Day: Allow women to choose when to have children and with whom! AWAC wants restrictive abortion laws revised

BY NELSON MANDELA | PML DAILY REPORTER 
March 9, 2023

KAMPALA – Alliance of Women Advocating for Change (AWAC), a Civil Society Organistion that works with female sex workers has challenged the government to loosen up the abortion laws to enable women and girls to access safe abortion services at any point needed.

AWAC had joined the rest of the world to commemorate International Women’s Day. They celebrated the day with less-privileged women and girls of Katanga suburb, one of the slum areas of Kampala.

Continued: https://www.pmldaily.com/news/2023/03/womens-day-allow-women-to-choose-when-to-have-children-and-with-whom-awac-wants-restrictive-abortion-laws-revised.html


Texas – Lawmakers hold press conference to unveil ‘Rosie’s Law’ abortion legislation

by Jessica Taylor
Mon, March 6th 2023

AUSTIN, Texas — A new bill is bringing abortion access and emergency contraception back into the spotlight. State Senator Sarah Eckhardt (D-Austin) is one of the lawmakers supporting the bill called Rosie’s Law.

Rosie’s Law is named after a McAllen, Texas mother who died from an unsafe abortion in 1977. Organizers say that Medicaid would not cover her care at her local clinic.

Continued: https://cbsaustin.com/newsletter-daily/lawmakers-hold-press-conference-to-unveil-rosies-law-abortion-legislation-texas-austin-medicaid-coverage-family-planning


Spain approves menstrual leave, teen abortion and trans laws

BY JENNIFER O’MAHONY AND CIARÁN GILES, ASSOCIATED PRESS
MARCH 1, 2023

MADRID —  The Spanish parliament on Thursday approved legislation expanding abortion and transgender rights for teenagers, while making Spain the first country in Europe that will entitle workers to paid menstrual leave.

The driving force behind the two laws was Equality Minister Irene Montero of United We Can, the junior party in Spain’s left-wing coalition government.

Continued: https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-03-01/spain-approves-menstrual-leave-teen-abortion-trans-laws


Japan moves toward approving abortion pill in major shift

KATHLEEN BENOZA
Feb 27, 2023

Japan is moving closer to approving an abortion pill for the first time, a step that could offer women more options amid calls for progress in gender equality, with a secondary panel at the health ministry expected to make a decision as early as March.

In January, an initial advisory panel at the health ministry approved the production and sale of the drug, Mefeego. It still needs approval from a separate panel at the ministry as it collects public comments online until Tuesday, with the final decision to be made by the health minister.

Continued: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/02/27/national/japan-abortion-pill-debate/


Germany’s coalition intends to liberalise abortion legislation

Abortion opponents want to protest for 40 days in front of abortion clinics. Germany’s Family minister wants to stop this and secure access to abortion counselling by law.

27-02-2023
CNE.news

Every year, the action group ’40 days for life’ organises protests across Europe around Lent. This year is no different in Germany. The demonstrations, modelled on the similar-named international Christian movement from the United States, aim to close down abortion centres through vigils, prayer and fasting.

The actions come as the centre-left German coalition government moves forward with its plans to decriminalise abortion — a plan set out at the beginning of its term. Family Minister Lisa Paus announced a law to give pregnant women who want to have an abortion unrestricted access to relevant counselling centres and medical practices. “Women must have unimpeded access to counselling centres and facilities that carry out abortions,” Paus told the editorial network Germany (RND). “Vigils in front of these institutions are border crossings and unacceptable interference in women’s highly personal decisions. The federal government will counteract this with legal measures.”

Continued: https://cne.news/article/2637-germanys-coalition-intends-to-liberalise-abortion-legislation


Morocco – PJD Rebukes Justice Minister Over Decriminalization of Abortion, Sex Outside Marriage

The Islamist party argues that Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouhabi’s announcement of reform to Morocco’s Penal Code is an attack on Moroccan values.

Safaa Kasraoui
Feb. 21, 2023

Rabat - Morocco’s opposition Justice and Development Party (PJD) has accused Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi of trying to provoke sedition with his announcement that the country’s Penal Code is in need of reforms.

PJD issued its press release on Monday, saying that it strongly condemns Ouhabi’s attempts to “stir sedition” by adopting “trends” that are against “Islamic and national constants.”

Continued: https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2023/02/354139/pjd-rebukes-justice-minister-over-decriminalization-of-abortion-sex-outside-marriage


Spain approves menstrual leave, teen abortion and trans laws

Measures allow workers suffering period pain to take paid time off, as right to abortions in state hospitals is enshrined.

16 Feb 2023

Madrid has approved legislation expanding abortion and transgender rights for teenagers, while making Spain the first country in Europe that will entitle workers to paid menstrual leave.

The driving force behind the two laws was equality minister Irene Montero, who belongs to the junior member in Spain’s left-wing coalition government, the “United We Can” Party.

Continued: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/16/spain-approves-menstrual-leave-teen-abortion-and-trans-laws


The State of Reproductive Rights in the Americas

By Mariel Yacolca Maguina
Feb 11, 2023

Until 2019, abortions weren’t widely legal anywhere in Latin America except for Cuba and Uruguay; whereas, in the United States, Roe v. Wade widely legalized abortions throughout the country in 1973. Within the last two years, however, countries in Latin America made advances in reproductive rights while the U.S. became increasingly restrictive and finally overturned Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs v. Jackson case. How have the United States and Latin America diverged in their approach to reproductive rights?

In 2015, Argentinian feminists marched with the slogan #NiUnaMenos [“Not one (woman) less”] and started demanding action against gender-based violence and for the end to abortion restrictions. In order to obtain support from the population, #NiUnaMenos framed the issue of abortion as a social justice problem that disproportionally affected low-income women who could not afford safe illegal abortions and often died during clandestine procedures. According to The Economist, upper and middle-class women could get safe illegal abortions by taking misoprostol, which cost about 112 USD, or a surgical abortion which cost 1000 USD. If there were complications, wealthy women could access private healthcare; whereas, low-income women had to seek aid at public hospitals, where the staff was likely to report them.

Continued: https://www.mironline.ca/the-state-of-reproductive-rights-in-the-americas/


France a step closer to adding abortion rights to constitution

Issued on: 02/02/2023
Text by: RFI

The French Senate has voted to include the right to abortion in the constitution, allowing the process to continue, though the path to a constitutional amendment is long.

After much debate, the Senate voted on Wednesday in favour of including the right to abortion in the constitution. With 166 votes for and 152 against, the chamber approved a bill introduced by lawmakers in the National Assembly from the hard-left France Unbowed, with support from the presidential majority.

Continued: https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20230202-france-moves-closer-to-adding-abortion-rights-in-constitution-after-senate-approves-text


Spanish region’s anti-abortion measures spark dispute with Madrid

Initiative includes making it obligatory for clinics to offer pregnant women chance to listen to foetus’s heartbeat

Guy Hedgecoe in Madrid
Mon Jan 16 2023

A contentious policy announcement on abortion by a regional wing of Spain’s far-right Vox party has led to it being overruled by its coalition partner after being threatened with legal action by the central government.

Last week, Vox’s vice-president of the Castilla y León region, Juan García-Gallardo, unveiled an initiative which would make it obligatory for clinics to offer women the chance to listen to their unborn baby’s heartbeat or see a scan before proceeding with a termination.

Continued: https://www.irishtimes.com/world/europe/2023/01/16/spanish-regions-anti-abortion-measures-spark-dispute-with-madrid/