‘Abortion Just One Facet Of Sexual Health’

Maltese Law Students Breakdown Their Ambitious Policy Paper

By Sam Vassallo
December 24, 2020

Whatever your opinion on abortion, there’s no doubt that the debate in Malta has developed immensely in the last two years. From a hushed topic at the dinner table to a wave of pro-choice groups spurring up, it’s no longer a topic we can sweep under the rug.

The latest group to give their take to the discussion is university law group GħSL, who have called for its decriminalisation, among a whole list of bold sexual health reforms for Malta’s decade-old policy.

Continued: https://lovinmalta.com/news/local/abortion-just-one-facet-of-sexual-health-maltese-law-students-breakdown-their-ambitious-policy-paper/

24.12.2020

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GħSL

Matthew Charles Zammit

Abortion in the Philippines: bill to decriminalise terminations would save women’s lives, its author says

Maro Enriquez
30 Nov, 2020

Filipino lawyer and human rights activist Clara Rita Padilla did not expect a photo she posted on Facebook in May would be so popular. In the picture, she looks sombre as she holds up a copy of a controversial proposed law she had drafted.

“Amid the Covid-19 havoc, here is the bill that I’m finalising to decriminalise abortion in the Philippines,” she wrote. “This bill, when passed into law, can save women’s lives.”

Continued: https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3111885/abortion-philippines-bill-decriminalise-terminations

South Australia moves to modernise abortion laws in the state

by Madeline Hislop
Oct 15, 2020

The South Australian parliament is moving to reform abortion laws in the state, having introduced a bill that would remove outdated provisions in the current system.

The proposed legislation would remove abortion entirely from criminal law, treating it only as a health issue. It would bring South Australian abortion laws into line with the rest of Australia.

Continued: https://womensagenda.com.au/life/health/south-australia-moves-to-modernise-abortion-laws-in-the-state/

15.10.2020

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Michelle Lensink

South Australian Law Reform Institute

Australia – Unique SA legal requirement adds hurdles for country women accessing abortions

By Evelyn Leckie and Georgia Roberts
Aug 8, 2020

Regional doctors in remote South Australia are joining lobbyists in Adelaide calling for abortion law reform to be pushed through Parliament urgently, saying the current laws are placing barriers to termination access, particularly for regional women.

Port Lincoln's Dr Anna Kearney is one of two GP registrars on the Eyre Peninsula who is qualified to prescribe the early medication 'abortion pill' RU486.

Continued: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-08/law-adds-hurdles-for-sa-women-accessing-abortions/12536186

Mexico’s activists brace for landmark supreme court abortion ruling

The ruling could set a precedent; in states that have restrictive regulations, injunctions could be granted to allow the procedure

David Agren in Mexico City
Published on Wed 29 Jul 2020

Activists on both sides of Mexico’s abortion debate are bracing for a potentially historic supreme court hearing on Wednesday, which could lead to decriminalisation across the country.

The case before the five judges of the high court’s first bench involves an injunction granted in the eastern state of Veracruz, which ordered the local legislature to remove articles from its criminal code pertaining to abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jul/29/mexico-abortion-activists-supreme-court

29.07.2020

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Andrés Manuel López Obrador

Catholic Church

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Belgium – Abortion rights law dragged into federal government negotiations

Friday, 03 July 2020

The decriminalisation of abortion in Belgium and a relaxation of rules to voluntarily terminate a pregnancy have been sucked into the ongoing negotiations for a federal government.

In a statement on Friday, the CD&V, Open Vld and MR, the three parties leading the negotiations to create a new federal government, announced that abortion rights would be part of the ongoing government negotiations.

Continued: https://www.brusselstimes.com/all-news/belgium-all-news/politics/119899/abortion-rights-law-dragged-into-federal-government-negotiations/

03.07.2020

decriminalisation of abortion

Guernsey abortion laws to be ‘modernised’ by States

Guernsey abortion laws to be 'modernised' by States

24 June 2020

Abortion in Guernsey is set to be "modernised", following the States approval of amending the law. The reforms to the 1997 law include extending gestational time limits and allowing one doctor to sign off an abortion.

The limit will double to 24 weeks and no limits will apply in case of "significant" foetal abnormalities. The changes also decriminalise terminating a pregnancy outside of a medical setting.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-guernsey-52996989

24.06.2020

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Guernsey Committee for Health and Social Care

Decriminalising abortion is a long road. Campaigners Vicky Spratt and Diane Munday would know.

Decriminalising abortion is a long road. Campaigners Vicky Spratt and Diane Munday would know.

By Rachel Thompson
Jun 18, 2020

Vicky Spratt and Diane Munday are campaigning to decriminalise abortion in England, Scotland, and Wales.

Diane Munday campaigned to legalise abortion in Britain in the 1960s. Her activism has not only changed women’s lives in this country — but saved them. Along with journalist Vicky Spratt, Munday is fighting for the decrimalisation of abortion in England and Wales. Spratt has also changed the law. Her #MakeRentingFair campaign resulted in the government banning letting agency fees for tenants.

Continued: https://mashable.com/article/vicky-spratt-diane-munday-history-becomes-her/

Northern Ireland’s new abortion guidelines are welcome but should have gone further

Northern Ireland’s new abortion guidelines are welcome but should have gone further

Posted: Fri, 27 Mar 2020
by Dr Antony Lempert

As the government publishes a framework for the extension of abortion rights in NI, Dr Antony Lempert welcomes politicians' belated willingness to defend women's right to choose but laments several missed opportunities.

On 23 February 2018 the UN committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) issued a damning verdict on the state of abortion in Northern Ireland. It concluded that women were subject to violence by virtue of the fact that nearly every woman or child who became pregnant had to carry the pregnancy to term. This was the case even where there was evidence that the foetus would not be viable and even in cases of incest or rape.

Continued: https://www.secularism.org.uk/opinion/2020/03/northern-irelands-new-abortion-guidelines-are-welcome-but-should-have-gone-further

Argentina set to become first major Latin American country to legalise abortion

Argentina set to become first major Latin American country to legalise abortion
President Alberto Fernández says he intends to put a bill before congress in next 10 days

Uki Goñi in Buenos Aires
Sun 1 Mar 2020

Argentina is on track to become the first major Latin American country to legalise abortion. Its president, Alberto Fernández, said on Sunday that he intends to send a legal abortion bill to congress in the next 10 days.

“The state must protect its citizens in general and women in particular,” he said in his first annual address to congress. “Society in the 21st century needs to respect the individual choice of its members to freely decide about their bodies.”

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/01/argentina-set-to-become-first-major-latin-american-country-to-legalise-abortion