Trump’s Return Invigorates Global Anti-Abortion Drive

Not everything termed ‘Geneva’ advances human rights

Jan 06, 2025
Asia Sentinel

The global movement to undermine and restrict access to safe abortion, which went relatively dormant during the Biden interregnum that began in 2020, looks likely to return along with Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency. Although the returning president shied away from the anti-abortion crusade as a political liability during his 2024 campaign and may well remain silent domestically, internationally it is likely to return in the form of the regressive Geneva Consensus Declaration.

The Declaration was introduced two weeks before Trump left office in 2020 by his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and adopted by 39 countries under the pretext of “promoting women’s health and strengthening the family.” The Biden administration immediately took the US out of the Declaration upon taking office. Having frustrated the anti-abortion forces in the US during his campaign, Trump is likely to make up to them on the international front, according to the medical anthropologist Lynn Morgan in a telephone conversation from Mount Holyoke College, a private women's liberal arts school in Massachusetts.

Continued: https://www.asiasentinel.com/p/trump-return-invigorate-global-anti-abortion-drive

Abortion seekers in India battle social stigma, poor medical facilities despite its legal status

A 2019 study published in the British medical journal BMJ Global Health unveiled that approximately two-thirds of abortions in India are categorised as unsafe.

Written by Sushmita Panda
October 18, 2023

The Supreme Court on Monday denied giving permission to a married woman who wanted to terminate her over 26-week pregnancy. According to the apex court, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Medical Board had found “no substantial foetal abnormalities” and a pre-term delivery carried the risk of being born with physical and mental deformities.

Reportedly, the woman had approached the top court seeking permission to terminate her pregnancy due to her inability to take care of the child due to post-partum psychosis and other health issues.

Continued: https://www.financialexpress.com/healthcare/news-healthcare/abortion-seekers-in-india-battle-social-stigma-poor-medical-facilities-despite-its-legal-status/3276184/

Abortion rights: Are women aware of legal status of MTP in India

As a result, their health issues are often ignored or dismissed, leading to inadequate or delayed treatment.

March 29, 2023

By Debanjana Choudhuri

Imagine being a woman in India, trapped in an unwanted pregnancy but clueless about your legal rights. Sadly, this is a common reality as health of women is viewed with indifference in our country. Millions of women, especially in rural India, lack access to accurate information on abortion and are oblivious to the legal status of Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP). This is a pressing issue that gravely affects the health and wellbeing of women.

Despite the legality of abortion, women’s reproductive rights are constantly besieged by regressive laws and societal stigmas. To make matters worse, many women are denied access to safe abortion services due to a lack of education and awareness on the subject. The patriarchal societal structure, which shames and stigmatizes women seeking abortion, is a significant obstacle to women’s rights. Let’s face it, the battle for abortion rights is not merely about reproductive healthcare, but also about ensuring gender equality and justice for women.

Continued: https://www.financialexpress.com/healthcare/wellness/abortion-rights-are-women-aware-of-legal-status-of-mtp-in-india/3024932/

29.03.2023

Commentary

Debanjana Choudhuri

Foundation for Reproductive Health Services

Guttmacher Institute

Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill 2021

Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act

MTP Act

patriachy

United Nations Population Fund

The need for abortion to be a part of Universal Health Coverage

International Safe Abortion Day came to light in support of women across the world for the right to safe and legal abortion practices.

Written by Sushmita Panda / Debanjana Choudhuri
September 28, 2022

As technology advances, healthcare laws, particularly concerning women are becoming regressive world over. And way things are moving, with increased restrictions to women accessing a basic right to health like that of access to safe abortions is becoming a Herculean task.

It is time that abortions are treated as a critical healthcare service which should be made available to every woman in a timely fashion and in a dignified, non-judgmental environment.

Continued: https://www.financialexpress.com/healthcare/news-healthcare/the-need-for-abortion-to-be-a-part-of-universal-health-coverage/2693027/

28.09.2022

Featured

Opinion

Debanjana Choudhuri

International Safe Abortion Day

Sushmita Panda

universal health coverage

Global

Health

Human Rights

When People Don’t Say ‘Abortion’: How News Media Shapes Public Perception

Representation in the media can make or break the fight for safe abortions. Here’s how to do it right.

ANOUSHKA RAJESH
28 Sep 2022

“Where I am from, people don’t even say the word 'abortion'," says Meenakshi Saxena, who works with the Foundation for Reproductive Health Services India. She goes on to explain how instead they use 'MTP' as a verb.

MTP refers to the celebrated Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, the law that protects abortion rights in India.

Continued: https://www.thequint.com/fit/her-health/international-safe-abortion-day-news-media-public-perception-guidelines

US court strikes down right to abortion; what’s the scene in India?

Indian law permits abortion up to 20 weeks of pregnancy and up to 24 weeks in special cases. However, unsafe abortions are the third leading cause of maternal mortality in India, and close to eight women die from causes related to unsafe abortions every day, according to a UN agency report

SUMI SUKANYA DUTTA
JUNE 28, 2022

On June 24, 2022, the United States Supreme Court overturned its landmark 1973 judgment in the Roe Vs Wade case that had made abortion a constitutional right in the country.

The decision, which led to a furore, is slated to have a major impact on the lives of American women, with possibly a near-total ban on abortion in roughly half of the country’s 50 states.

Continued: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/health-trends/analysis-i-us-court-strikes-down-right-to-abortion-whats-the-scene-in-india-8748251.html

Unsafe abortions is a critical reproductive health issue in India that needs attention : Debanjana Choudhuri

Pratigya Campaign is focusing on addressing the serious issue of gender-biased sex selection while protecting women’s right to safe and legal abortion services in India.

Written by Shardul Nautiyal
January 17, 2022

In India, the conversation on abortion is riddled by social stigma, lack of registered MTP providers and lack of awareness on laws.

Pratigya Campaign has attempted to bridge the gap by populating a database of approved Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) providers so that pregnant women can connect to a verified provider. Since its inception in late 2020, the database of Pratigya Campaign has been accessed by over 2,000 people.

Continued: https://www.financialexpress.com/healthcare/diagnostic/unsafe-abortions-is-a-critical-reproductive-health-issue-in-india-that-needs-attention-debanjana-choudhuri/2408789/