July 26, 2021
BY MICHELLE RIMMER
A ‘pro-life’ colouring competition for children and teenagers in Poland has received the most entries ever. The record comes in a year when thousands of Poles took to the streets to call for wider abortion rights.
Poland is one of the most religious countries in Europe, with around 87 per cent of the population identifying as Roman-Catholic.
The practice of conscientious objection means doctors can refuse or deflect requests for a variety of services, including abortion—and in many provinces, they're not even obligated to provide a referral.
Tracey Lindeman
Updated July 22, 2021
Chantal had already performed all the mental gymnastics.
About eight years ago, the then-23-year-old woman from southern Alberta had accidentally become pregnant, and weighed her options. She settled on having an abortion, the best choice for her in that moment of her life. She booked an appointment with her doctor, one of only a small handful in her community, to request a referral—a requirement in Alberta then. When the time came to meet, she sat in his office and laid her cards out.
Continued: https://www.chatelaine.com/opinion/canadian-doctors-deny-access-to-abortion/
Some bishops think America's second Catholic president should be denied the Eucharist. Are Biden's faith and job title an unworkable mix?
By Tara McKelvey, BBC White House reporter
July 13, 2021
On the matter of faith, President Joe Biden is not shy.
Each weekend that he is in town, he goes to
Mass in Washington. A motorcade takes him on Saturday evenings or Sunday
mornings to Holy Trinity, the church where President Kennedy, the only other
Catholic US president, used to attend services. He makes the sign of the cross
at public events, and his Catholicism is woven into his speeches and policies.
Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57825309
Church leaders are challenging Biden's stance on abortion, but people of faith say his views jibe with religion
By Kylie Cheung, Salon
June 30, 2021
CoWanda Rusk was weeks away from graduating from her Texas high school, and preparing for college, when she learned she was pregnant. "I immediately knew I didn't want to be pregnant," she recounted to Salon.
Rusk had grown up a part of the church where her father was a youth pastor, and she remains a person of faith to this day. "I always rely on my faith for everything, even small decisions — what colors to wear today, what will align with the universe today," she said.
Continued: https://www.salon.com/2021/06/30/religion-abortion-biden-catholic-church/
June 27, 2021
By Garry Wills
What is the worst crime a society can commit? Some people (I among them) would say the Holocaust, the cold methodical murder of six million people just for being Jews.
But some Catholics and evangelicals say they know of an even greater crime — the deliberate killing of untold millions of unborn babies by abortion. They have determined that a fetus is a person and abortion is therefore murder. This is a crime of such magnitude that some Catholic bishops are trying to deny the reception of Holy Communion by the president of the United States for not working to prevent it.
Continued: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/27/opinion/biden-bishops-communion-abortion.html
Decision comes despite appeals from Vatican for more collegial approach on issue
The Associated Press
Posted: Jun 18, 2021
U.S. Catholic bishops overwhelmingly approved the drafting of a "teaching document" that many of them hope will rebuke Catholic politicians, including President Joe Biden, who continue to receive Communion despite their support for abortion rights.
The decision, vehemently opposed by a minority of bishops, came despite appeals from the Vatican for a more cautious and collegial approach to the divisive issue. And it raises questions about how closely the bishops will be able to co-operate with the Biden administration on issues such as immigration and racial injustice.
Continued: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/teaching-document-catholics-bishops-biden-1.6071845
May 27, 2021
By Jamie Manson
Last summer, after years of excruciating menstrual pain and anemia caused by excessive bleeding, I saw a gynecological specialist. He ordered an M.R.I., suspecting the cause was endometriosis. I instinctively grab my rosary when I’m anxious. For days after the test, I moved bead to bead, praying that the radiologist would find signs of disease so that I could find appropriate treatment. But the test showed a perfectly healthy uterus.
Normal or not, my symptoms continued to worsen, to the point that the doctor agreed that the answer to ending my pain was a hysterectomy. I was 43 years old. As a longtime advocate for women’s equality and reproductive freedom, I was surprised not to encounter the resistance so many women face from the medical community and society when I made this choice. Women are often told that they will regret losing their ability to have children. My doctor understood I knew what was right for my life, my body and my health. It felt like a miracle.
Continued: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/27/opinion/catholic-church-abortion.html
While terminating a pregnancy is legal in Croatia, access to abortion is becoming increasingly challenging.
By Amanda Coakley
27 May 2021
Zagreb, Croatia – Zorana did not expect the call to come so soon.
Two weeks earlier, she had signed up online to be a Brave Sister and was still considering the level of involvement she wanted with the new initiative.
The mother-of-two was keen to help, but was nervous about the social implications of being associated with such a group.
Pro-choice activists fear mandatory counselling may be added to abortion law
Sun, May 23, 2021
Amanda Coakley in Zagreb
In August, Karla, a 37-year-old mother of two, found herself in a worrisome situation. She was pregnant and was struggling to find a licensed clinic to perform a medical abortion in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.
According to her doctor she had been one of the small percentage of women for whom the morning-after pill was ineffective. One private clinic told her it could only do a surgical abortion due to the coronavirus pandemic. A public hospital told her doctor its internal politics wouldn’t allow the procedure to be performed.
May 20, 2021
Mary Louise Kelly
4-Minute Podcast
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with sociologist and lawyer Ana Cristina Vera about what Ecuador's recent expansion of abortion decriminalization means for reproductive rights in South America.
Transcript
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Now on to South America and specifically to Ecuador, where the country's highest court has eased restrictions on abortion in cases of rape.
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