‘I’m an abortion nurse – I hold out hope UK won’t follow America’s draconian path’

At a time of progression and regression in the field of women's reproductive rights, abortion clinic nurse Kendall Robbins has shed light on what goes into her daily work, including the challenges and misconceptions she's come up against

Julia Banim
28 Jun 2025

Last week, Adriana Smith, a brain-dead woman whose decomposing body was kept alive so her baby could be born, was finally taken off life support. The newborn, named Chance, weighed just 1 lb 13oz. It was a case that has shocked those already repulsed by the controversial reversal of Roe vs Wade in the US, a move that has already resulted in women dying after being denied life-saving care.

…But could we see such horror stories unfolding in the UK in the not-too-distant future? Advanced practice development nurse Kendall Robbins, who deals with the realities of terminations on a daily basis, thinks not.

Continued: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/im-abortion-nurse-hold-out-35449310


UK – I had an abortion as a teen. I hope this historic law change makes that decision feel lighter for women

Women across the UK finally, truly have the right to choose.

By Glamour
23 June 2025

Evelyn* had a medical abortion (also known as the abortion pill) at age 19 after unexpectedly falling pregnant. Had her termination not been deemed necessary by two doctors who “authorised” the procedure, she could have found herself facing prosecution with a maximum penalty of life in prison. Read her story, in her own words, below.

Seven years ago, I was enjoying my final few weeks of the summer before packing up and moving away for my first year of university. In what seemed like a cruel turn of events, it was at one of my university send-off parties that I found out I was pregnant.

My then-boyfriend and I were sexually active at the time, and we were using barrier methods to prevent pregnancy. Suffice it to say, one of the condoms must have failed.

Continued: https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/abortion-law-change-teenage-abortion-experience


Abortion remains a criminal offence in the UK because of the left’s timidity. We must learn from that – and fast

Tuesday’s vote in parliament was a missed opportunity – and proof that progressives are allowing the right to shape the key debates

Stella Creasy
Wed 18 Jun 2025

Around the world, the antis are joining forces. Whether anti-abortion, anti-transgender, anti-immigrant, anti-human rights or just anti anyone who doesn’t look like them, they are collaborating; amplifying one another and sharing their political and cultural successes. Their rhetoric now dominates our discussions, and increasingly our ballot boxes. In response, some argue caution or even capitulation – as if we can stop the public being dragged to the extremes if we speak in hushed tones or water down our ambitions for social justice. As we witness the consequences of this, it is time to speak up for those values that drive us to show that another future is possible.

On Tuesday, parliament had the opportunity to set abortion in England and Wales on the same modern, regulated footing as it is in Northern Ireland: as a human right. Instead, a vote on this was explicitly blocked by the providers of this service and their supporters, telling MPs to back another amendment, to get a single exemption from prosecution for women “over the line” instead. That is what happened. In contrast, my proposed amendment would have gone further, offering “protection to all those involved in ensuring that women can access safe and legal abortions”.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/18/abortion-criminal-offence-uk-parliament-progressives


UK – In 1961, my abortion was unmentionable; why next week’s vote is important.

Diane Munday had an abortion in 1961. Here she explains to Sofia Fenton why she dedicated her life to reforming the law.

By Sofia Fenton and Diane Munday
16 June 2025

When the 1967 Abortion Act passed, I sat on the terrace of the House of Commons with my fellow campaigners and marked the moment with half a glass of champagne. Half because it was only a partial victory – I felt it was a necessary compromise but that the job was far from finished.

One in three women will have an abortion in her lifetime. Yet abortion has not been decriminalised. A woman must get the sign-off of two doctors. Two doctors who have likely never seen her before nor will they see her again but are strangers making one of the most important decisions of someone’s life. It was a requirement I opposed even in the 1960s – but it was the price of getting the bill through Parliament.

Continued: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/lifestyle/a65075635/diane-munday-abortion-bill/


UK – Anti-choice groups and some MPs want to end pills-by-post abortions that help thousands of women a year

It would be a huge blow to women's rights and hit those in vulnerable situations especially hard

By Jennifer Savin
13 June 2025

A group of cross-party MPs, including Reform's Richard Tice and Caroline Johnson of the Conservative Party, backed by ardent anti-choice groups with religious affiliations, are hoping to push forward an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill next week which would see the end of telemedicine (pills-by-post) abortions.

This method of ending a pregnancy is a preferred choice for thousands of women every year, particularly those who live in remote areas and who cannot easily access a clinic in person, and those in vulnerable situations, such as an abusive relationship.

Continued: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/body/health/a65057077/telemedicine-abortion-amendment/


MPs set to vote on decriminalising abortion in England and Wales

June 10, 2025
Brian Wheeler, Nick Triggle

Women would no longer be prosecuted for terminating a pregnancy in England and Wales under a proposed shake-up of abortion laws.

MPs are set to get a free vote next week - meaning they will not be told how to vote by their party - on a change to the law.

It comes amid concern more women are being investigated by police on suspicion of illegally ending a pregnancy.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg5v900v1y6o


Botswana – Abortion numbers remain high despite its illegality

Health professionals calls for an end on legalisation debate

3 Jun 2025
Mpho Mokwape

Debate on abortion has been a long standing issue with seemingly no end to the discourse whilst termination numbers reportedly continue to be high prompting health professionals to call for its legalisation.

Whilst Botswana legally permits feticide in certain circumstances within the first 16 weeks of pregnancy, unsafe abortions reportedly remain a threat to the mortality rate in the country, highlighting the need for improved access to safer abortion services.

Continued: https://www.pressreader.com/botswana/the-monitor-4753/20250603/281621016273483


Call made for Grenada to legalise abortion under all circumstances

Friday | May 9, 2025

GENEVA, CMC – Grenada is being urged to amend its Criminal Code to legalise abortion under all circumstances, which is among the 171 recommendations suggested to the Caribbean island during its 2025 Universal Periodic Review held in Geneva, Switzerland, earlier this week.

Section 234 of the Criminal Code states “whoever intentionally and unlawfully causes abortion, or miscarriage shall be liable to imprisonment for ten years”.

Continued;  https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/world-news/20250509/call-made-grenada-legalise-abortion-under-all-circumstances#google_vignette


The fight for abortion rights in Sri Lanka

A proposed amendment to the British colonial-era abortion laws is far too narrow

by Mia Abeyawardene, GroundViews
Posted 14 April 2025

In a country where abortion remains criminalised under colonial-era laws dating back to 1883, Sri Lanka has long denied women the fundamental right to make decisions about their own bodies. The recent proposal to amend these laws, allowing for pregnancy termination in cases of unviable fetal abnormalities, has been welcomed by many, including the Sri Lanka Safe Abortion Coalition (SLSAC). However, this limited reform is far from sufficient, and it exposes deeper systemic issues: the exclusion of women from decision making, the medicalisation of a fundamentally human rights issue and the persistent stigma and patriarchal control over women’s reproductive choices.

The SLSAC has cautiously welcomed the proposal, recognising it as a potential first step toward a more just and compassionate legal framework. Yet the coalition is clear in its stance: the proposed amendment is far too narrow. Limiting access to abortion solely on the grounds of fatal fetal abnormalities does not address the broader reality of why women seek abortions, including cases of rape, incest, lack of access to contraception, economic hardship or simply the choice not to continue a pregnancy.

Continued: https://groundviews.org/2025/04/14/the-fight-for-abortion-rights-in-sri-lanka/


Breaking the Silence: Abortion Rights in Kenya – BBC Africa Eye documentary

BBC News Africa
Nov 26, 2023
Film:  45 minutes

Across the world, debates are raging about access to safe abortion. Complications from unsafe, backstreet procedures are a leading cause of maternal death in developing countries. In Kenya, where almost two-thirds of pregnancies are unintended, unregulated terminations are estimated to claim the lives of over 2,000 women every year.

BBC Africa Eye reporter Linda Ngari investigates a hidden crisis that has led to an estimated seven Kenyan women dying from unsafe abortions every day, with many more facing life-altering complications.

Continued: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI3AKMFgVKQ