Polish woman’s quest for abortion exposes conflicted society

By Alicja Ptak
OCTOBER 19, 2020

WARSAW (Reuters) - In April, in the midst of a nationwide coronavirus lockdown in Poland, Katarzyna found out that the baby she was carrying had a severe genetic disorder and would probably die before birth or shortly after.

She immediately decided to terminate the pregnancy. When she finally managed to, five weeks later and after meeting some 10 doctors, securing a fallback plan in Germany and researching home methods, she knew she would not try to get pregnant again.

Continued: https://ca.reuters.com/article/idCAKBN27429N

Malawi – Religious leaders express support for abortion bill

Sep 22, 2020
Malawi24 Reporter

Religious leaders under the Religious Network for Choice (RNC) in Malawi have expressed support for the Termination of Pregnancy Bill and have condemned assertions that those who support the bill are evil.

At a press conference in Blantyre today, the RNC members said individual faith leaders and religious mother bodies that are against the bill want to portray those that are supporting the bill as evil people who do not care about the unborn babies and their rights.

Continued: https://malawi24.com/2020/09/22/religious-leaders-support-abortion-bill/

Malta – Sant on abortion debate: ‘shaming of pro choice voices must stop’

Labour MEP Alfred Sant, who scorned 2005 bid to entrench abortion crime in Constitution, calls for open
debate

20 September 2020
by Karl Azzopardi

Labour MEP Alfred Sant has welcomed the growing debate on abortion, stating the time of shaming people who are pro-choice must stop.

“It’s useless for those who are against abortion to present people who are in favour of abortion as outsiders or heartless people,” Sant said.

Continued: https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/104811/labour_mep_alfred_sant_insists_on_open_abortion_debate_#.X2fCN2hKhPY

20.09.2020

anti-choice hypocrisy

USA – How Anti-Abortion Advocates Are Co-opting and Twisting Calls for Racial Justice

“It’s like the anti-abortion movement
out-pivoted the reproductive rights movement on race.”

Aug 14, 2020
Becca Andrews

The argument seemed reasonable in theory: “We are pleased that our state values
life no matter an individual’s potential disability, gender, or race.”

In reality, it wasn’t.

Back in March 2016, Mike Fichter, the president and chief executive of Indiana
Right to Life, was talking about the law then-Gov. Mike Pence just signed that
would bar “the knowing provision of sex-, race-, or disability-selective
abortions by abortion providers.” The bill was not nearly as innocuous as
Fichter and his ideological peers in state government made it seem. In fact,
the legislation, colloquially known as a “reasons ban,” operates very much on
racist and ableist assumptions—and has the power to inflict acute harm on
pregnant individuals.

Continued: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/08/abortion-reasons-ban-race-justice-language/

14.08.2020

Commentary

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American Birth Control League

Anti-Abortion Crusaders: Inside the African-American Abortion Battle

anti-choice deception

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anti-choice racism

anti-choice restrictions

Ben Carson

Black Lives Matter

Box v. Planned Parenthood

Indiana Right to Life

Justice Clarence Thomas

Kristan Hawkins

Margaret Sanger

Marjorie Dannenfelser

Planned Parenthood of Greater New York

race-selective abortion

reasons ban

Rev. Clenard Childress Jr.

Star Parker

Students for Life of America

USA Study: Most Anti-Abortion States Offer Least Support for Women and Families

By Val Wilde
August 5, 2020

It’s common knowledge in pro-choice circles that the anti-abortion movement as a whole stops caring about babies’ precious lives as soon as they’ve passed through the birth canal.

For all the emphasis on stopping an abortion from taking place, there’s precious little concern for the real-world problems that may have made abortion seem like a necessity: poverty, food insecurity, housing insecurity, unemployment, lack of access to education, lack of health care, etc.

Continued: https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/08/05/study-most-anti-abortion-states-offer-least-support-for-women-and-families/

06.08.2020

anti-choice cruelty

anti-choice hypocrisy

anti-choice misogyny

Center for Reproductive Rights

Elisabeth Smith

Ibis Reproductive Health

TRAP laws

In ‘Personhood,’ Seattle filmmakers document the human cost of giving legal rights to embryos

Aug. 5, 2020
By Megan Burbank, Seattle Times features reporter

“Did you feel they treated you like a person?” The question is posed near the end of the new documentary “Personhood” to Tamara Loertscher, a Wisconsin woman who was imprisoned in 2014 while pregnant after disclosing prior drug use to her doctor; tests showed traces of methamphetamine in her body.

Loertscher and her attorneys have maintained that she stopped using drugs when she found out she was pregnant, but as the case unfolded, her history of drug use and Wisconsin’s “Unborn Child Protection Act” became the state’s justification for giving her fetus more legal rights than she had. Loertscher’s fetus was appointed an attorney; she, initially, was not. When Loertscher refused drug treatment, she was jailed, which effectively cut off the prenatal care she had sought.

Continued: https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/in-personhood-seattle-filmmakers-document-the-human-cost-of-giving-legal-rights-to-embryos/

Texas 5th Circuit abortion ruling reveals how GOP using coronavirus to oppress women

Texas 5th Circuit abortion ruling reveals how GOP using coronavirus to oppress women
Because what better time is there to force pregnant people to give birth than during an unprecedented public health emergency.

April 1, 2020
By Danielle Campoamor

Yesterday, in New York City, one person died every four minutes from the coronavirus that has now killed more Americans than the 9/11 terrorist attacks. As of Wednesday, there have been more than 190,000 confirmed cases in the United States, and health officials estimate as many as 200,000 people could perish. A reported 265 million Americans in 30 states have been ordered to shelter-in-place, school is closed for 30 million children, as many as 47 million Americans could lose their jobs, and the apex of infection is nowhere in sight.

Some in the so-called “pro-life” party of “family values” are using this crisis to limit access to abortion.

continued: https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/texas-5th-circuit-abortion-ruling-reveals-how-gop-using-coronavirus-ncna1173996

USA – Priest says ‘pedophilia doesn’t kill anyone’ but abortion does, in defense of denying communion to lawmakers

Priest says ‘pedophilia doesn’t kill anyone’ but abortion does, in defense of denying communion to lawmakers

By Kim Bellware
Feb. 11, 2020

A Rhode Island priest is doubling down on his recent call to deny Communion to lawmakers who voted in favor of an abortion rights bill.

After the Rev. Richard Bucci of Sacred Heart Church in West Warwick, R.I., drew a backlash with his initial announcement two weeks ago, the 72-year-old priest dug in, telling Rhode Island’s NBC 10 in an interview over the weekend, “We are not talking about any other moral issue, where some may make it a comparison between pedophilia and abortion."

Continued: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/02/11/priest-lawmakers-abortion-pedophilia/

The US health secretary is making anti-abortion speak official government language

The US health secretary is making anti-abortion speak official government language

By Annalisa Merelli
January 24, 2020

The mission of the US Department of Health & Human Services is “to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans,” according to its website. Yet its leader, Alex Azar, seems to believe the mission is to promote anti-abortion values and actions within the health system.

Today, Donald Trump became the first sitting president ever to attend the March for Life — a large anti-abortion gathering that has occurred annually for 47 years — just after his health secretary made a remark that equally showed the government’s commitment to oppose full reproductive rights. In a statement published last night, Azar, who also participated in the event, proudly shared all the moves made by his department to restrict access to abortion, including curtailing Title X funds and pushing back against the provisions of an international right to safe abortion.

Continued: https://qz.com/1790503/the-us-health-secretary-is-making-anti-abortion-speak-official-government-language/

24.01.2020

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USA – Calling Out Anti-Abortion Hypocrisy During “Respect Life” Month

Calling Out Anti-Abortion Hypocrisy During “Respect Life” Month

10/21/2019
by Rashmi Narayan

As a practicing pediatrician, I care for children from birth until adulthood—focusing on their health, happiness and safety throughout their young lives. My focus is always on the child, and how we can help them to thrive and succeed. But according to the anti-abortion movement and the Trump administration, this makes me neither “pro-life” or “pro-family.”

Just last month, the Trump administration declared that the topics of sexual and reproductive health and rights are “ambiguous terms and expressions,” and said that supporting these concepts can “undermine the critical role of the family.” On behalf of only 19 other nations, out of a total of more than 75, the current administration doubled down on its anti-choice stance and took the position that “there is no international right to an abortion” but that “the family is the foundational institution of society and thus should be supported and strengthened.”

Continued: https://msmagazine.com/2019/10/21/calling-out-anti-abortion-hypocrisy-during-respect-life-month/

21.10.2019