After one year of new government, anger in Poland over broken abortion promises

Dec 13, 2024
By Alicja Ptak and Christiaan Paauwe, Notes from Poland

Poland’s government came to power last year on a pledge to end the country’s near-total abortion ban. But one year after taking office, that promise remains unfulfilled, leaving many women disillusioned and doubtful of politicians’ commitment to changing the law.

Katarzyna had hoped that Poland’s 2023 parliamentary elections would usher in change. Opposition leader Donald Tusk had promised to end Poland’s near-total abortion ban and introduce abortion on demand within his first 100 days of office. He called women’s rights the “number one issue”.

Continued: https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/12/13/after-one-year-of-new-government-anger-in-poland-over-broken-abortion-promises/

Rights experts reveal impact of Poland’s restrictive abortion laws on women

United Nations
26 August 2024

The rights of women in Poland are currently being violated due to restrictive abortion laws that have contributed to “several preventable deaths,” according to independent rights experts on Monday.

These restrictive laws have forced many women to carry unwanted pregnancies to term, travel abroad to have legal abortions or seek private unsafe procedures, based on information from the UN human rights office (OHCHR).

The report from the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) published on Monday, found that most abortions in Poland are being carried out illegally and in unsafe conditions as it is illegal to assist women in getting abortions, with minimal legal exceptions, and services are often inaccessible.

Continued: https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/08/1153591

26.08.2024

Research

CEDAW

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

Genoveva Tisheva

UN Human Rights Council

‘No update since 2019’: Korea’s inaction on abortion issue leaves women in limbo

July 7, 2024

It was November 2021 when Kim, a woman in her 30s living in one of the seven largest cities in Korea, terminated her pregnancy at four weeks. She first took pills that she does not remember the name of after being prescribed them at a nearby hospital, but she ended up revisiting a gynecology doctor she had been seeing for a long time after the pills didn’t work.

“I asked for an operation and the doctor suddenly turned cold, so I had to look for another hospital,” she said. “She only told me to come back with ‘a guardian,’ and I didn’t get the information that I needed about the operation. I regretted having gone to such a doctor for so long.”

Continued: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-07-07/culture/features/No-update-since-2019-Koreas-inaction-on-abortion-issue-leaves-women-in-limbo-/2084041

Andorra – This tiny country is home to Europe’s toughest abortion ban

The micronation of Andorra, located in the mountains between Spain and France, takes a hard-line stance against abortion because its head-of-state is a Catholic bishop. But some Andorrans say it’s time for change.

The World
November 6, 2023

The principality of Andorra, located in the Pyrenees mountains between Spain and France, is one of the smallest, least-populated countries in Europe.

It’s also the only one with a total ban on abortions. Not only are abortions in Andorra illegal, but also a taboo, said Sandra, an Andorran who asked for anonymity due to fear of public exposure.

Continued: https://theworld.org/stories/2023-11-06/tiny-country-home-europe-s-toughest-abortion-ban

N. Ireland – Abortion access lessons to be compulsory in post-primary schools in NI

June 6, 2023
By Robbie Meredith, BBC News NI education correspondent

It will be compulsory for all post-primary schools in Northern Ireland to teach pupils about access to abortion and prevention of early pregnancy.

It comes after Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris laid new regulations in Parliament, covering relationships and sex education (RSE). In a written statement, he said he had a legal duty to act on recommendations made in a United Nations (UN) report.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-65824502

06.06.2023

CEDAW Report

Chris Heaton-Harris

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

comprehensive sex education

Dr John Kirkpatrick

Executive Formation Act

Natalie Whelehan

Relationships and Sex Education

US abortion debate: Rights experts urge lawmakers to adhere to women’s convention

1 July 2022
United Nations

A week since the US Supreme Court overturned a landmark, 50-year-old judgement guaranteeing access to abortion, top UN-appointed independent experts urged United States lawmakers on Friday to adhere to international law that protects women’s right to sexual and reproductive health.

The UN women’s rights committee said that the US is one of only seven countries throughout the world that is not party to the international convention that protects women’s human rights, including their right to sexual and reproductive health.

Continued: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/07/1121862

01.07.2022

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

Women in Northern Ireland Still Struggle to Access Abortion More Than 2 Years After Decriminalization

BY KRISTEN CHICK/BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND
JUNE 30, 2022

When Katie Boyd decided to have an abortion in November, she thought the process would be smooth. She had celebrated when abortion was decriminalized in Northern Ireland two years earlier, in October 2019, and two years on, it seemed logical that abortion care would now be readily available.

Boyd, 40, called a hotline intended to connect those seeking abortion with care, and was told she’d receive a call within five days from a clinic that could provide an early medication abortion. But five days went by with no call. Her follow-up calls begging for direct contact information for the clinic got her nowhere. As the days turned into weeks, Boyd began to panic.

Continued: https://time.com/6192022/northern-ireland-abortion-access/

In Japan, abortion is legal — but most women need their husbands’ consent

Japan’s male-dominated society has been slow to grant women the reproductive rights taken for granted in many other developed countries

By Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Julia Mio Inuma
June 14, 2022

KUMAMOTO, Japan — The discreet path to a safe space for women with unwanted pregnancies is marked with an unassuming sign: two smiling storks, carrying a clover leaf and a smiling baby in a basket.

Here, at Japan’s only “baby hatch,” women can anonymously leave their babies at Jikei Hospital to be put up for adoption. It’s a last resort for those who are unable or unwilling to raise a baby, with some women coming from across the country because they have nowhere and no one else to turn to.

Continued, unblocked: https://wapo.st/3xPPEK5
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/06/14/japan-abortion-pill-women-reproductive-rights/

Legalising abortion pill only half the battle for women in Japan

Akanksha Khullar
5 Jun, 2022

More than three decades after the abortion pill first became available, legislation to approve the drug is winding its way through Japan’s parliament. The move follows an application last year by British pharmaceutical company Linepharma International to market medication for terminating pregnancies in the country.

An important question needs to be raised here: to what extent can Japan’s new legislation – which is likely to be approved by the end of the year – be described as a laudable step towards improving women's’ rights in the country?

Continued: https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3180280/legalising-abortion-pill-only-half-battle-women-japan

Protecting the lives of our women and girls

Tuesday May 31 2022
Rida Tahir

There has recently been a significant debate on unsafe abortions and their consequences throughout the world since a document of the draft judgement by the Supreme Court of the United States overturning Roe v. Wade (410 U.S. 113) was leaked. Roe v Wade is a landmark US case. The verdict, which came out on January 22, 1973, said that states can't put too many restrictions on abortion.

Due to restrictive laws and policies, many women and girls (survivors/victims of child marriage, etc.) are forced to seek unsafe abortions, unavailability of safe abortion services, the high financial cost of accessing safe abortion services, and societal attitudes towards abortion and gender inequality. The WHO has revealed that: "Unsafe abortion is a leading cause of maternal deaths and morbidities. It can lead to physical and mental health complications and social and financial burdens for women, communities, and health systems."

Continued: https://www.geo.tv/latest/419958-headline-protecting-the-lives-of-our-women-and-girls

31.05.2022