USA – A Reproductive-Rights Activist Explains the Realities of Abortion for Latina Women

“When you have to flee a country . . . it’s women who are being raped, sexually harassed, sexually assaulted,” Elizabeth Estrada, of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, said.

By Lizzie Widdicombe
January 26, 2022

With the Supreme Court seemingly inching closer to overturning Roe v. Wade, many Americans are trying to imagine a future in which abortion is a crime in roughly half the country. How will women cope with unwanted pregnancies? What will the public-health consequences be? All signs point to a fractured nation, in which barriers to abortion exacerbate existing inequities. But, if you talk to reproductive-rights advocates, they’ll tell you that, to some extent, that America already exists. While abortion is technically constitutionally protected, in practical terms, many women have a hard time accessing the procedure, owing to restrictive local laws, prohibitive costs, and social stigma. That’s especially true for immigrants, the poor, and those living in marginalized communities.

Continued: https://www.newyorker.com/news/as-told-to/a-reproductive-rights-activist-explains-the-realities-of-abortion-for-latina-women

USA – Failing to embed abortion care in mainstream medicine made it politically vulnerable

Actions by the medical profession in the 1970s still reverberate today

By Carole Joffe
Jan 11, 2022

Even before the expected June announcement by the Supreme Court of its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson — a decision many believe will overturn Roe v. Wade — abortion care in America is in trouble, marginalized from the rest of medicine.

Nearly 50 years after legalization nationwide, the majority of obstetrician gynecologists and primary-care doctors do not provide abortions — even though 1 out of 4 American women will have an abortion in her lifetime. Women in the “abortion deserts” of the South and Midwest are forced to travel many hours to reach a clinic. Only 4 percent of abortions take place in a hospital and only 1 percent of abortions take place in private doctors’ offices. The remaining 95 percent occur in free-standing clinics, which offer excellent care, but are largely isolated from other medical institutions. Over 1,000 restrictions, such as mandatory waiting periods, have been passed by state legislatures that make abortion care considerably more difficult for patients and providers alike.

Continued: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/01/11/failing-embed-abortion-care-mainstream-medicine-made-it-politically-vulnerable/

Abortion in Spain: Women struggle to access treatment despite it being legal

Video: 5:33 minutes
04/01/2022
By: Sarah MORRIS, Laura CAMBAUD, Armelle EXPOSITO - FRANCE 24

Some 100,000 abortions take place every year in Spain. In theory, terminations are a right under Spanish law but in practice, many women face obstacles when they choose to terminate a pregnancy. The medical establishment itself is often hostile to the prospect of performing abortions, and doctors working in the field say they are stigmatised by their pro-life colleagues. Our correspondents report.

Continued: https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/focus/20220104-abortion-in-spain-women-struggle-to-access-treatment-despite-it-being-legal

How the US abortion rights battle is affecting women across the world

US anti-choice groups are supporting local agencies in countries across Africa and are spreading stigma and false information about sexual and reproductive health, often putting women’s lives at risk

By Sarah Shaw
December 23, 2021

As the US Supreme Court prepares to rule on what would be the greatest abortion rights rollback since Roe v Wade enshrined access to terminations in law in 1973, the effect of its decision could send shockwaves across the world.

While the effect of US abortion policies overseas is not a new phenomenon, it’s likely that any move to constrain or repeal Roe v Wade would have an unprecedented chilling effect on abortion rights globally.

Continued: https://inews.co.uk/news/world/us-abortion-rights-battle-how-affect-woman-across-world-1365601

Kenya – I bled for three months after unsafe abortion using herbs

By MARION KITHI
Sat, Dec 18 2021

The number of women and girls from poor and marginalised communities seeking unsafe abortion services from traditional herbalists is on the rise in Kilifi.

According to the just-released report by The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), the use of traditional herbs for pregnancy termination has led to deaths among women and girls in the county.

Continued: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/health/article/2001432119/i-bled-for-three-months-after-unsafe-abortion-using-herbs

Poland – What it’s like to live in a country with a near total ban on abortion

As the US teeters on the brink of outlawing abortion, an expert from Poland explains the practical and emotional consequences of such a ban

Katarzyna Wężyk
7 December 2021

openDemocracy asked me, as a Pole and the author of a book about abortion, to describe what it's like to live in a country with restricted reproductive rights.

In short: it’s lonely, humiliating, dangerous to life and health, and it undermines the rule of law. And it’s expensive.

Continued: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/live-in-a-country-near-total-ban-abortion/

India – 16 Days Of Activism Against GBV: How Language & Media Shape Narratives Around Abortion, Contraception & Pregnancy

By Rangeen Khidki
December 6, 2021

In India and its patriarchal society, where power is usually vested in the hands of cis gender-heterosexual men, The languages are also shaped by the same patriarchal structure. The languages, which we usually use, stigmatise and perpetuate gender discrimination, bodily autonomy, and the choice and rights of marginalised genders. It is, therefore, important to look at how languages, which form an integral part of our socialisation process, are being shaped and reshaped by agents of socialisation and by those in power and control of resources and how these languages and media shape narratives around abortion.

The Brahmanical patriarchal structure in India controls every aspect of a woman’s life, putting the control of sexuality of women at the centre. One of the reasons why it is done is for the continuation of the male lineage. Therefore, when a woman gets pregnant, in a cis gender-heterosexual marriage bond, it is glorified.

Continued: https://feminisminindia.com/2021/12/06/16-days-of-activism-abortion-language-media/

06.12.2021

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South Africa – Call to remove stigma surrounding abortions for safe, legal procedure

By Goitsemang Tlhabye
Oct 1, 2021

Pretoria - Healthcare stakeholders have called on communities to rid themselves of the stigma that has continued to inhibit women’s access to safe and legal abortions.

Abortion consultant with Ipas South Africa, Dr Makgoale Magwentshu, also a senior capacity-building and policy adviser for sexual and reproductive health, said the stigma surrounding abortions had continued to act as a barrier to ensuring women had access to safe and legal abortions.

Continued: https://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/news/call-to-remove-stigma-surrounding-abortions-for-safe-legal-procedure-19e8b3e1-32f5-4495-925d-464cc3f282cb

Abortion stigma a possible death sentence for Kenyan women

Issued on: 01/10/2021

Victoria Atieno was waiting at a Nairobi bus stop when she felt blood gush from her body, the result of a secret, self-induced abortion -- a method used by thousands of Kenyan women, with potentially fatal consequences.

Kenya's constitution eased access to abortions in 2010 but entrenched stigma about the procedure means that many women resort to traditional practices or backstreet clinics which put their life in jeopardy.

Continued: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211001-abortion-stigma-a-possible-death-sentence-for-kenyan-women

Stigma is the main cause of unsafe abortions

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 27 2021
By Shabibah Nakirigya

Abortion in Uganda is still illegal unless performed by a licensed medical doctor and in a situation where the woman’s life is deemed to be at risk.

As the world marks the international Safe Abortion Day slated for Tuesday, September 28, health activists admit the continuous existence of the problem, calling for the urgent need to fight the vice especially among young girls and vulnerable women.

Continued: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/magazines/healthy-living/stigma-is-the-main-cause-of-unsafe-abortions-3564368