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 Campaigners says the law is outdated and discriminatory.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/)

South Korea: Appeal decision for abortion case exposes legal vacuum

23 July 2026
Amnesty International

Responding to today’s appeal decision overturning the murder conviction of a woman who had a later abortion while reducing the sentences of medical staff, Amnesty International Korea’s Executive Director HeeKyoung Cho said:

“While we welcome the court’s decision to acquit the woman who sought abortion, the court’s decision to uphold the convictions of medical staff exposes structural loopholes in access to essential healthcare in South Korea.

“The National Assembly’s failure to amend the abortion law has left pregnant people without clear legal protections and access to essential reproductive healthcare. People’s ability to exercise their reproductive autonomy, control their reproductive lives and decide if, when and how to have children is essential to the full realization of human rights, dignity, and bodily integrity. Moreover, the ability to make decisions about one’s body, sexuality and reproduction is at the core of gender, economic and social justice.

Continued: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/07/south-korea-appeal-decision-for-abortion-case-exposes-legal-vacuum/

23.07.2026

Commentary

Amnesty International

Amnesty International Korea

HeeKyoung Cho

Mother and Child Health Act

prosecuting women for abortion

AI & Abortion Care: How people are using AI to find abortion care, and how this might be dangerous

22 June 2026
Chloe Hanse, Amnesty Feminist Network Committee Member

Abortion is a common healthcare procedure in the UK: 1 in 3 women will have one in their lifetime.[1] Despite this prevalence, it remains a heavily stigmatised and taboo topic. That gap, between how routine it is and how shameful it's made to feel, might explain why so many people now turn to Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots when they need information.

AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, Meta AI, and Grok have become a new way that people find information about abortion care.[2] These tools are fast, available at any hour, and they feel private [3]. You don't have to sift through pages of search results. For many people, asking a chatbot about abortion probably feels emotionally easier than calling a clinic. There is no receptionist, no unknown of how whoever picks up a helpline will react, no worry about ‘burdening’ a healthcare provider with questions. You just ask a question, and something answers, and it does so in a confident, authoritative tone that can make it easy to take the information at face value.

Continued: https://www.amnesty.org.uk/get-involved/join-the-movement/join-a-group-or-network/amnesty-feminists/blog/ai-abortion-care-how-people-are-using-ai-to-find-abortion-care-and-how-this-might-be-dangerous/

‘Reproductive genocide’: Rapid decline in birth rates, rise in abortions amid Israel’s war on Gaza

High rates of malnutrition, the spread of disease, and pollution from toxic gases have all contributed to a dramatic fall in births in Gaza

Nadda Osman
20 June, 2026

New data from Gaza has revealed that Israel’s war on the enclave has caused a sharp decline in birth rates and a rise in abortions, with experts decrying this as "reproductive genocide".

Gaza’s Ministry of Health revealed that only 2,004 births were registered in April 2026, compared to 6,076 births in November 2025, a decrease of around 67 per cent.

…There has also been a marked increase in abortions, with 921 documented in April alone, equating to one abortion for every two births.

Continued: https://www.newarab.com/news/rapid-decline-birth-rates-amid-israels-ongoing-war-gaza?amp

20.06.2026

Amnesty International

reproductive genocide

Shaimaa Mohammed

Zaher al-Wahidi

Middle East

Faith and Body: New Battle Over Abortion in Argentina

Reproductive rights in Argentina face increased obstacles as the administration of Javier Milei emboldens anti-rights groups and politicians.

Ella Fernández
March 10, 2026

On September 25, 2025, as Argentine actress Camila Plaate took the stage after receiving the award for Best Supporting Actress for Belén at the 73rd San Sebastián International Film Festival, she asked, “Who is Belén? I am Belén.”

Belén, the Argentine film directed by Dolores Fonzi, focuses on the true case of a young woman from Tucumán who was imprisoned in 2014 after suffering a miscarriage in a hospital bathroom. She spent 29 months in prison, accused of aggravated homicide.

Continued: https://nacla.org/faith-and-body-new-battle-over-abortion-in-argentina/

“We will continue to move forward. There is no turning back”

By Guillermina Edith Juárez Leyva, human rights defender from Oaxaca, Mexico
6 March 2026
(for Amnesty International)

My name is Guillermina Edith Juárez Leyva and I am a Zapotec woman from Oaxaca, Mexico. I am the founder and legal representative of Mano Vuelta AC, an organization of indigenous and Afro-Mexican women who work for human rights from an anti-racist and intercultural perspective.

The name of our organization, Mano Vuelta, is inspired by an ancestral form of community organization that promotes work and sharing for the common good. If I plant corn and need help, I can ask for it and then in return I help others with my work. These practices have sustained the lives of our communities since ancient times. This is also how we see the work of providing access to abortion.

Continued: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2026/03/we-will-continue-to-move-forward-there-is-no-turning-back

Tunisia – “My message is: keep going, there’s no other way”

By Selma Hajri, doctor and human rights defender from Tunisia.
5 March 2026
Amnesty International

Ahead of International Women’s Day, we spoke with five courageous activists from Tunisia, Mexico, Burkina Faso, Poland and the United States who shared their strategies to protect access to abortion, their hopes for the future and the reasons why they believe that, despite the many increasing challenges, humanity must always win.

My name is Selma Hajri, I’m 71 and I am Tunisian. I am a doctor and a feminist. About fifteen years ago, I was the founder of an association dedicated to sexual and reproductive rights: the TAWHIDA Ben Cheikh Group. I am an endocrinologist specialising in reproductive health, and I am still the General Secretary of this association.

A few years ago, I created a regional network of activists and health professionals for abortion rights and access. This network focuses on the southern Mediterranean region, but with a view to exchange experiences with the northern mediterranean region more. I am very proud because it is the first and only network in this region that directly addresses abortion rights.

Continued: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2026/03/my-message-is-keep-going-theres-no-other-way/

05.03.2026

Interviews/Podcasts

Amnesty International

Selma Hajri

TAWHIDA Ben Cheikh Group

South Korea: Conviction of woman seeking abortion exposes government failure to guarantee access to vital healthcare

4 March 2026
Amnesty International

Responding to today’s conviction of a woman who had an abortion later in pregnancy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said:

“Abortion is essential healthcare and a human right under international human rights law and standards – it is not a crime. Today’s ruling highlights the impossible position pregnant people and medical providers are placed in due to the ongoing legal vacuum surrounding abortion in South Korea.

Continued: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/03/south-korea-conviction-of-woman-seeking-abortion-exposes-government-failure-to-guarantee-access-to-vital-healthcare/

04.03.2026

Commentary

Amnesty International

Mother and Child Health Act

USA: Expansion of Global Gag Rule will threaten lives and rights of millions worldwide

23 January 2026
Amnesty International

In response to the expected announcement by the Trump administration on Friday of an expansion of the Global Gag Rule blocking US international aid to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counselling or information, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy Policy & Campaigns, Erika Guevara-Rosas, said:

“The expansion of the Global Gag Rule is an assault on human rights. By targeting organizations that support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and recognize gender diversity, the Trump administration is deliberately deepening inequality and putting the lives of millions around the world at risk.

Continued; https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/01/usa-expansion-of-global-gag-rule-will-threaten-lives-and-rights-of-millions-worldwide/

23.01.2026

Commentary

Amnesty International

‘Trojan horse moment’: anti-rights groups seize chance to fill void left by US aid cuts

Ultra-conservative Christian organisations look to reshape global health landscape as new aid agreements open door to demands restricting family planning services

Isabel Choat
Wed 17 Dec 2025

The sudden stop work order on USAID in January 2025 sent shock waves around the world. Many health clinics were immediately shut down, leaving millions without access to vital medicines and facilities, with potentially deadly consequences, especially for HIV patients, children, and women and adolescent girls.

To many, the subsequent axing of 83% of USAID programmes seemed like pure nihilism, engineered by ideologues who wanted to kill off the agency. But there was a long-term vision behind the destruction. The gutting of USAID has cleared a path for the next phase of a plan to reshape the global health landscape, say reproductive justice campaigners.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/17/trojan-horse-moment-anti-rights-groups-fill-void-us-aid-cuts