USA – The Abortion Pill Is Safe. Scientists Fear an FDA Investigation Will Ignore Science

Some scientists are concerned that the Trump administration will use “junk science” when reviewing mifepristone’s safety record

October 30, 2025
By Liz Szabo

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., recently announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will launch a review of the safety of the abortion pill, mifepristone. Health researchers say they’re concerned that the review will be politicized and based on flawed reports. More than 100 studies published over the past few decades have shown that the drug, which was approved by the FDA in 2000, is safe and effective at ending a pregnancy.

Given Kennedy’s history of misrepresenting scientific evidence about vaccines, autism and Tylenol, some scientists say they worry that the health secretary will base the FDA report on unreliable sources.

Continued: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fda-is-investigating-the-abortion-pill-mifepristone-despite-decades-of/

Behind the curtains: Inside Nigeria’s shadow network of abortion care

October 26, 2025
BY AYOMIDE LADIPO

The World Health Organisation recognises abortion as an essential health service to meet the global sustainable development goals. However, in 74 countries across the world, including Nigeria, abortion is illegal, with varying levels of punishment, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. Abortion is completely prohibited in 24 countries, while in 50 others, termination of pregnancy is only permitted when the woman’s health is at risk.

In Nigeria, abortion is illegal and carries a jail sentence of up to 14 years, unless done to save the life of the pregnant woman, which means post-abortion care is legal. In the Constitution, the Criminal Code Sections 228-230 and Penal Code Sections 232 & 233 criminalise abortion for all parties involved, including the medical personnel, with a jail time of up to 14 years, while Section 297 of the Criminal Code allows for abortion to be done to preserve the mother’s life.

Continued: https://www.thecable.ng/behind-the-curtains-inside-nigerias-shadow-network-of-abortion-care/

From Amsterdam to Valletta: Mapping the EU’s liberal and restrictive abortion regimes

Few things stir as many controversial debates as women’s rights to their own bodies when it comes to abortion. From enshrined rights in the constitution to near total bans, the EU mirrors these divisions.

by enr with AFP, Agerpres, ANSA, BTA, dpa, EFE, Europa Press, FENA, HINA, PAP, STA
21.Oct 2025

Abortion legislation across the European Union is highly diverse, ranging from some of the world’s most liberal frameworks to some of the most strict. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) advocacy group, only 34 percent of women of reproductive age live in countries (77) where abortion is available to them. It says backstreet abortions lead to 39,000 deaths per year.

The European Parliament has called for abortion rights to be included in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, but this remains under debate and would require unanimous agreement.

Continued: https://europeannewsroom.com/from-amsterdam-to-valletta-mapping-the-eus-liberal-and-restrictive-abortion-regimes/

21.10.2025

Commentary

Center for Reproductive Rights

My Voice My Choice campaign

Partido Popular

registry of conscientious objectors

Sarajevo Open Centre

Europe

Law

Joint Statement: Kenyan Civil Society Organizations Celebrate Court Decision Striking Down Restrictive Clause on Abortion and Prioritizing Women’s Reproductive Health

Oct 9, 2025
Center for Reproductive Rights

On October 2, 2025, the High Court of Kenya struck down Paragraph 12 of Clause 3.4.1 of the National Reproductive Health Policy 2022–2032, which sought to limit access to safe and legal abortion by requiring, in addition to the health and life of the mother, that the highest attainable standard of health of the foetus be prioritised before services can be provided. The court found that the clause contradicts Article 26(4) of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 and would put women and girls in need of reproductive health services at risk.

The judgment confirms that access to safe and legal abortion is a constitutional right when, in the opinion of a trained health care professional, there is need for emergency treatment, where the life or health (including physical, mental and social well-being) of the pregnant woman is in danger, or when permitted by any written law. This means that the health of the foetus cannot be independently prioritized over the life or health of the pregnant woman. This judgment centers on the reproductive health and dignity of women and girls and speaks to the lived realities and needs of those who seek safe and legal abortion services.

Continued: https://reproductiverights.org/joint-statement-kenyan-civil-society-organizations-celebrate-court-decision-striking-down-restrictive-clause-on-abortion-and-prioritizing-womens-reproductive-health/

NIGERIA – As Abuja court affirms right to safe abortion for sexual violence survivors

As Abuja court affirms right to safe abortion for sexual violence survivors

By Caroline Wambui
September 29, 2025

For far too long, survivors of rape and incest in Nigeria have faced significant challenges, second trauma: being forced by law and stigma to carry unwanted pregnancies.

A Federal High Court judgement in Abuja may finally begin to change that reality. In June 2025, Hon. Justice Olotu delivered a groundbreaking judgment affirming that when a woman or girl is impregnated through sexual violence, forcing her to continue the pregnancy violates her fundamental rights.

Continued: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/09/as-abuja-court-affirms-right-to-safe-abortion-for-sexual-violence-survivors/

EUROPE – Geneva Shines Green for International Safe Abortion Day

Center for Reproductive Rights
Sep 26, 2025

This year, Geneva—the global centre of human rights diplomacy and home to the Center for Reproductive Rights’ Europe office—is shining green in recognition of International Safe Abortion Day (28 September).

From 26–28 September, flags carrying the message “Reproductive rights are human rights” and “Les droits reproductifs sont des droits humains” will line the Mont-Blanc Bridge. On 28 September, the city’s emblematic Jet d’Eau will be illuminated in green, the colour of the global abortion rights movement. These powerful public displays, made possible with the support of the City of Geneva, send a clear message of solidarity in support of reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy.

Continued: https://reproductiverights.org/geneva-shines-green-international-safe-abortion-day/

26.09.2025

Events/Campaigns

Center for Reproductive Rights

Europe Abortion Laws 2025: Policies

International Safe Abortion Day

Progress and Challenges

Five Wins to Celebrate this International Safe Abortion Day

September 28 is International Safe Abortion Day, a chance to shine a light on the crucial role that accessible, quality abortion care plays in global health. These five wins for abortion rights are proof that a better future is not only possible—it’s already in the making.

Center for Reproductive Rights
09.26.2025

Abortion is one of the world’s most common health care services. It’s considered an essential service by the World Health Organization—and when carried out properly, it’s also a safe and simple one.

Almost 30% of all pregnancies end in abortions, and they happen all around the world: in places where they’re legal, restricted, and altogether banned. In fact, the legal status of abortion makes little difference in overall abortion rates.

Continued: https://reproductiverights.org/five-wins-international-safe-abortion-day-2025/

Europe Continues to Advance on Abortion Rights, but Access Barriers Remain

Center for Reproductive Rights
Sep 23, 2025

GENEVA —New analysis from the Center for Reproductive Rights highlights a trend of ongoing progress on abortion law across Europe, with an increasing number of countries reforming legal frameworks to expand access and move laws into line with international human rights and public health standards. Yet despite progress, harmful barriers to care persist in many countries across the region, while a handful of outliers continue to enforce highly restrictive laws.

Published ahead of International Safe Abortion Day, Europe Abortion Laws 2025: Policies, Progress and Challenges provides a comprehensive, data-driven overview of abortion law and policy in 49 European countries. It showcases recent reforms and legislative trends, and highlights ongoing legal gaps that undermine access to care across the region.

https://reproductiverights.org/europe-continues-to-advance-on-abortion-rights-but-access-barriers-remain/

23.09.2025

Commentary

Center for Reproductive Rights

Europe Abortion Laws 2025: Policies Progress and Challenges

International Safe Abortion Day

Malawi High Court Affirms Center’s Position as Leading Reproductive Rights Expert in Groundbreaking Abortion Case

The Center for Reproductive Rights was admitted as Amicus Curiae in a groundbreaking Malawi case that could expand abortion access for survivors of sexual violence.

Aug 11, 2025

January 2025 marked a milestone for the Center for Reproductive Rights’ Africa Program when Malawi’s High Court accepted it as Amicus Curiae, or “friend of the court” in a groundbreaking case on safe abortion access. The Center provided legal expertise supporting the rights of sexual assault survivors.

The case, AC & Others v. Jenala Solomon & Others (Civil Cause No. 162 of 2023), was brought on behalf of a 13-year-old girl who became pregnant after being sexually assaulted. When AC sought care at a health facility, the attending health officer—despite confirming the pregnancy and the clear risks it posed to her health—refused to provide an abortion. A gynecologist later confirmed that continuing the pregnancy would severely endanger her life, and it was ultimately terminated after unnecessary delay and distress.

Continued: https://reproductiverights.org/malawi-high-court-affirms-centers-position-reproductive-rights-expert-groundbreaking-abortion-case/

11.08.2025

News

AC & Others v. Jenala Solomon & Others

Center for Reproductive Rights

The Struggle for Abortion Rights Among Colombia’s Afro and Indigenous Women

By Natalia Falah
July 22, 2025

In Colombia, legal access to abortion services remains a deeply uneven in practice, especially for many indigenous, Afro-Colombian, and migrant woman. While abortion was decriminalized under certain conditions by the Constitutional Court in 2006 and later fully decriminalized up to 24th week of pregnancy in 2022, the right to terminate a pregnancy exists only on paper for these communities. On the ground, what prevails–revealed in a recent report published by local newspaper El Espectador–is a geography of silence, one marked by systemic barriers, cultural stigma, geographic isolation, and institutional racism.

While Colombia’s progressive abortion rulings have been hailed globally as landmark victories for reproductive rights, their implementation has been uneven. In urban centers like Bogota or Medellin, women with access to information and healthcare can often exercise their rights with relative ease. But in rural, indigenous, and Afro-descendant territories, or in urban peripheries where migrants settle, access is obstructed by multiple overlapping forms of exclusion.

Continued: https://colombiaone.com/2025/07/22/colombia-afro-indigenous-women-abortion/