Australia – Saving women? Spare me. This is hatred of women at its heart

June 22, 2026
by Ebony Bennett

The far right often cloaks itself as a movement to save women and girls, while doing the exact opposite.

So, it’s no surprise that as the far right seeks to stoke hatred against immigrants and the queer community, Australia is also experiencing co-ordinated efforts across three states to wind back women’s access to abortion.

The far right is a place of differing grievances and conspiracies, including neo-Nazis and incels but there’s plenty of evidence to suggest a hatred of women sits at the centre of their toxic overlapping interests. “Misogyny isn’t just a side issue: it connects everyday violence with radicalisation.”

Continued: https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/saving-women-spare-me-this-is-hatred-of-women-at-its-heart/

22.06.2026

Far-right activist sentenced in Poland over abortion protest clash

Stanisław Kaleta
29.05.2026

A prominent far-right activist has been sentenced to 10 months of unpaid community service for manhandling a protester during mass demonstrations triggered by a tightening of Poland’s abortion laws.

A Warsaw court ruled on Friday that Robert Bąkiewicz must carry out 30 hours of supervised community work per month and pay 5,000 zloty (around €1,200) in compensation to women’s rights activist Angelika Domańska.

Continued: https://tvpworld.com/93542894/bakiewicz-polish-far-right-activist-sentenced-over-abortion-protest-clash

29.05.2026

anti-choice terrorism

anti-choice violence

Catholic Church

National Women’s Strike

Through the looking glass: how pro-family discourse weaponises anti-colonialism to restrict women’s rights

27 May 2026
Ayesha Khan, Claire Carson

This year the United Nations (UN) hosted the 70th Commission on the Status of Women conference, a gathering of dignitaries, diplomats and civil society leaders who annually take stock of progress towards gender equality.

Its successes have been praised by women leaders, notably the vote for the agreed conclusions despite opposition from the United States (US), and the fact that thousands of civil society representatives from all over the world overcame visa, travel and funding restrictions to participate in person. Traditionally, the civil society organisations that participate are progressive, setting a feminist agenda that expands gender equality.

But now, an alternative civil society gathering is attempting something altogether different.

Continued: https://odi.org/en/insights/through-the-looking-glass-how-pro-family-discourse-weaponises-anti-colonialism-to-restrict-womens-rights/

Australia – Image of ‘twin babies’ used by anti-abortion activist appears to show sugar gliders

Joanna Howe says the image was sent to her by a woman ashamed of her abortion, and used it to support ‘rally for Emma and Ruth’ in favour of NSW bill

Tory Shepherd
Tue 26 May 2026

An image posted by anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe claiming to show aborted twin girls called “Ruth and Emma” appears to be a picture of newborn sugar gliders.

The two little pink bodies are displayed on a clean white background and experts say the image does not look at all like the product of an abortion.

Analysis from a digital forensics expert, commissioned by Guardian Australia, found the image was most likely a sugar glider joey (Petaurus breviceps), or possibly another marsupial such as an opossum.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/27/anti-abortion-activist-joanna-howe-twin-babies-image-likely-to-show-sugar-gliders-ntwnfb

26.05.2026

Abolish Abortion Australia

anti-choice bullshit

anti-choice lies

anti-choice misinformation

anti-choice misogyny

anti-choice propaganda

anti-choice stupidity

Jeremy Thompson

Joanna Howe

Nisha Khot

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

SA Abortion Action Coalition

Abortion trauma is a myth. Irish women don’t need laws to make them ‘reflect’ on their choices

More people regret knee surgery than abortion. So why is the patriarchy still scaring us with lifelong torment?

Roe McDermott, The Guardian
Tue 26 May 2026

Ireland’s parliament, the Dáil, voted down a reproductive rights amendment bill this month that would have abolished the country’s mandatory three-day waiting period for access to an abortion. Supporters of the unsuccessful reform bill, tabled by the Social Democrats, argued that the delay serves no medical purpose.

As the bill moved through political debate and media coverage, those defending the requirement to wait three days from the time of requesting an abortion before care can be accessed barely attempted to argue otherwise, instead structuring their opposition to reform around the idea that women cannot be trusted to know what they want. The waiting period, which is not required in most European countries, was repeatedly described as “a cooling off” period; time to “reflect”, “reconsider”, “rethink”. Supporters of the status quo spoke extensively of wanting to save women from feelings of regret.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/26/abortion-trauma-myth-irish-women-patriarchy

USA — The war against women’s rights

Documentary film: 1 hour 16 minutes
Deutsche Welle
April 28, 2026

The situation of women’s rights in the USA is increasingly dramatic. Radical abortion bans and unequal treatment in the justice system are leading to significant restrictions on fundamental rights.

The documentary reports from the USA, a country where women go to prison for the crimes of their husbands, and a man is allowed to marry a ten-year-old girl. Abortions are illegal even in cases of rape and incest. The documentary sheds light on the mechanisms behind Trump's freedom-restricting policies. The rise of the conservative-puritanical ideology of Christian nationalism has led to a massive restriction of the fundamental rights of US citizens in the USA. In many places, women are dying because of a lack of gynecological care. In states with radical abortion bans, more than 100,000 women have already been forced to give birth to a child after being raped. Since Donald Trump's return as US president, the future for women in the US looks bleak. The documentary looks at the machinations of anti-abortion centers. Through interviews, it reveals how these freedom-restricting and backward-looking policies work. But the film also shows resistance, led by those who refuse to accept these developments.

Continued: https://amp.dw.com/en/usa-the-war-against-womens-rights/video-76966507

Kenyan Court Strikes Down Ruling Protecting Right to Abortion

The decision, in a country where thousands of women die yearly from unsafe abortions, held that abortions deprive unborn children of the “right to life.”

By Pranav Baskar
April 24, 2026

A court of appeal in Kenya on Friday struck down a ruling that had affirmed the right to an abortion, dealing a blow to reproductive rights in a country where thousands of women die each year from unsafe abortions.
The decision, which is likely to be appealed to Kenya’s supreme court, holds that abortions deprive unborn children of the “right to life,” which it said begins at conception. “Abortion is not a fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution,” the judges wrote in their ruling.

Continued: https://archive.is/A1a7J
(https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/24/world/africa/kenya-court-abortion-ruling.html)

24.04.2026

Center for Reproductive Rights

Kenyan appeal court overturns ruling that affirmed the right to abortion

By Evelyne Musambi, The Associated Press|
Apr 24, 2026

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A court of appeal in Kenya Friday overturned a ruling that affirmed the right to access abortion, setting up a legal clash that is likely to be appealed again to the Kenyan Supreme Court.

The appeal was based on the 2022 case of a teenager who went to the hospital with pregnancy complications. A doctor who examined her determined she had lost the pregnancy, and provided emergency post-abortion care. They were acquitted by the high court.

Continued: https://halifax.citynews.ca/2026/04/24/kenyan-appeal-court-overturns-ruling-that-affirmed-the-right-to-abortion/

A Public Health Emergency: How Abortion Bans Are Fueling Maternal Deaths in America

People living in states that have banned abortion are nearly twice as likely to die during pregnancy, childbirth, or soon after compared with those in states where abortion remains legal and accessible.

Sylvia Ghazarian, Common Dreams
Apr 10, 2026

The maternal mortality crisis in the United States is a national embarrassment, and it’s unfolding in real time. The US continues to have one of the highest maternal death rates among high-income countries, and the situation is getting worse, not better. Behind this trend is a growing body of research showing that state abortion bans directly contribute to increased maternal mortality, especially in communities already burdened by systemic inequities.

Continued: https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/abortion-bans-public-health

Zero Sum Game—Trump Budget Request Proposes Zeroing Out Family Planning Funds and Continues to Starve Global Health Programs

April 10, 2026
PAI

On April 3rd, the White House released its “skinny” budget for fiscal year (FY) 2027, proposing a massive $16.2 billion in cuts to the diplomatic and foreign assistance activities of the U.S. government, while making note that the administration does not believe U.S. foreign assistance funding should support “unfettered access to birth control.” The proposed cuts to the State Department and other international affairs agencies and programs reduce funding by nearly a one-third from the FY 2026 enacted level. Although a figure of “0” does not appear next to an international family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) line-item in any of the budget documents released so far, it is a virtual certainty that the Trump regime will not request any bilateral or multilateral funding for these programs for the second year in a row.

Continued: https://pai.org/resources/trump-fy-2027-budget-request/

10.04.2026