NGO’s push for extension of abortion term in Belgium

Sep 28, 2026

On Monday, a demonstration was held in front of the Palace of Justice in Brussels advocating for an extension of the legal abortion limit from 12 to 18 weeks. The action took place in connection with International Day for the Right to Abortion and was organised by Doctors of the World and the partner organisations of the campaign 'They Do It Anyway'.

Currently, in Belgium, abortion is permitted up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. An inter-university and multidisciplinary committee of more than 35 experts advised in 2023 to raise this limit to at least 18 weeks. The committee also called for the abolition of the mandatory waiting period and for abortion to be recognised as healthcare.

Continued: https://www.belganewsagency.eu/press-releases/36969/ngos-push-for-extension-of-abortion-term-in-belgium/

28.09.2026

pro-choice demonstration

Nigeria – Reform abortion laws to save women’s lives, group urges FG

September 28, 2026
By Chima Azubuike

The Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre has called for urgent reform of Nigeria’s abortion laws, saying criminalisation contributes to unsafe abortion and preventable maternal deaths.

WARDC made the call on Monday in a statement released to commemorate the 2026 International Safe Abortion Day, with the theme, “Solidarity in Action: Advance Reproductive Justice and Urgently Strengthen Health Systems for Comprehensive Abortion Care.”

The organisation said Nigeria could not effectively reduce maternal mortality while unsafe abortion remained a preventable cause of death and serious injury among women and girls.

Continued: https://punchng.com/reform-abortion-laws-to-save-womens-lives-group-urges-fg/

28.09.2026

News

Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi

abortion law reform

International Safe Abortion Day

maternal mortality

Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre

Netherlands – Pro files bill to take abortion out of Dutch Criminal Code

Monday, 28 September 2026

The opposition party Pro wants abortion removed from the Criminal Code and is planning on submitting an initiative bill, NOS reports. Lawmaker Lisa Vliegenthart says abortion should be placed in healthcare law. “As far as I am concerned, abortion is care, and care truly has no place in the Criminal Code."

Abortion is legal in the Netherlands. Article 296 makes abortion a criminal offense unless it is performed by a physician and meets the conditions of the Termination of Pregnancy Act. This does not make the pregnant woman herself punishable.

Continued: https://nltimes.nl/2026/09/28/pro-files-bill-take-abortion-dutch-criminal-code

28.09.2026

Termination of Pregnancy Act

Korea – Abortion pill approval moves forward, but legal gaps leave long road ahead

by Choi Eun-ji
Sept. 26, 2026

The government has officially announced plans to introduce mifepristone domestically in the first quarter of next year, accelerating its push to bring the drug into the regulated system. But seven years of legislative inaction have left a tangle of legal and medical obstacles that must be resolved before the drug can take hold in clinical practice.

The issues go well beyond a simple debate over whether to allow the drug. Critics say the National Assembly must urgently pass replacement legislation to address a web of structural questions: whether administrative approval without a legal amendment is lawful, whether in-clinic administration should be mandatory, how to protect physicians' right to decline on conscientious grounds, whether national health insurance should cover the drug, and how to handle the spousal consent provision still on the books.

Continued: https://mbiz.heraldcorp.com/article/10882966

26.09.2026

Commentary

abortion law reform

conscientious objection

Korean Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Maternal and Child Health Act

Why is Scotland the only part of the UK not to decriminalise abortion?

As women’s reproductive rights come under increasing attack from populists, our Writer at Large meets the campaigners demanding that the SNP modernise the law in Scotland

By Neil Mackay
Sep 6, 2026

Lucy Grieve has become one of the leading campaigners for women’s rights in Scotland – and she hasn’t hit 30 yet. She was a student when she set up Back Off Scotland, the campaign that led to the establishment of buffer zones outside abortion clinics to protect women and healthcare staff from religious protesters.

…Today, Grieve is at the heart of the Let’s Change The Act campaign, which aims to modernise and reform Scotland’s abortion laws. Campaigners says the law is outdated and discriminatory.

Continued: https://archive.is/jdJxc
(https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26525203.scotland-part-uk-not-decriminalise-abortion/)

Liechtenstein’s parliament backs abortion initiative

AFP
Wed, 2 September 2026

Liechtenstein's parliament voted by the narrowest possible margin Wednesday to accept a citizens' initiative to legalise abortion in the Alpine microstate.

However, the country's regent Hereditary Prince Alois, who has the power to veto, has made clear his opposition to the initiative.

Abortion is currently illegal in Liechtenstein except for specific circumstances, such as when the mother's life is at risk or if the pregnancy resulted from rape.

Continued: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/liechtensteins-parliament-backs-abortion-initiative-204655971.html

02.09.2026

Nigeria – Ogun Assembly reviews safe termination bill to reduce preventable maternal deaths

By : Segun Ayinde
5 August 2026

Ogun State House of Assembly has begun reviewing the proposed Safe Termination of Pregnancy Bill following it’s public hearing, as legislators and maternal health advocates emphasize the importance of enacting a law that will help to curb preventable maternal deaths and strengthen access to reproductive healthcare across the state.

The review meeting, organised in collaboration with the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Gender Development Initiative (GENDI), Centre for Community Development Health and Family Enhancement Initiatives, Centre for Reproductive Rights, IPAS Nigeria Health Foundation and Amplify Change, brought together lawmakers, health professionals, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.

Continued: https://guardian.ng/news/ogun-assembly-reviews-safe-termination-bill-to-reduce-preventable-maternal-deaths/

Changes to the law on abortion in England and Wales

An overview of how the law on abortion in England and Wales has changed following the assent of the Crime and Policing Act 2026.

Wednesday, 22 July, 2026
Elizabeth Rough

The purpose of this briefing is to provide an overview of how the law on abortion in England and Wales has changed following the assent of the Crime and Policing Act 2026. It does not comment on, or add to, the debate on the ethics of abortion.

Abortion is a medical intervention through which a pregnancy is ended and does not result in a live birth. It is sometimes referred to as a ‘termination of a pregnancy’. Abortion is lawful in England and Wales provided the criteria in the Abortion Act 1967 are met. The 1967 act provides that abortions carried out in accordance with the conditions in the act will not be criminal offences under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929.

Continued: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10970/

22.07.2026

Research

Abortion Act 1967

abortion law reform

Crime and Policing Act

Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929

Offence Against the Person Act

DOMINICA – Abortion, the high court, and health service

Dominica News Online
Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Dear Editor:
The High Court heard the constitutional challenge to the abortion law on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. The court normally aims to make decisions within six months.

We have now had a gestation period of a full nine months. So, delivery is due. And the court’s term ends in a few days on July 31.

But there should be no rush for the court to make its decision, since the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Dominica-China Friendship Hospital, most professional health bodies have done nothing to prepare for what could be a disruptive outcome.

Continued: https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/letter-to-the-editor-abortion-the-high-court-and-health-service/

22.07.2026

Opinion

abortion law reform

Aspire

ASPIRE Center for Sexual and Reproductive Health

Dominica Nurses’ Association

Spain – ‘Trumpian politics’: Abortion battle flares over law pushed by Madrid conservatives

Critics say an expansion of benefit entitlements pushed by Spain’s People’s Party could open the door to restrictions on terminations.

July 14, 2026
By Guy Hedgecoe

MADRID — A push by Spain's conservatives to encourage families to have more children has thrust abortion back into the national political arena.

At the center of the fight is a new law introduced by the regional People's Party government in Madrid that allows families to claim certain benefits linked to family size before a child is born. The PP says the measure is a "sensible, useful and necessary" response to Spain's slumping birth rate — one of the lowest in Europe — and has promised to implement it nationally if it returns to power next year.

Continued: https://www.politico.eu/article/spain-abortion-peoples-party-law/