Russia’s Stalin-admiring provincial leader waging an ultra-conservative crusade

An ex-kickboxer preaching Orthodox traditions who has effectively banned abortion and declared war on alcohol: ultra-conservative governor Georgy Filimonov is the face of Vladimir Putin's rule in Russia's Vologda region.

14/09/2026

Vologda (Russia) (AFP) – Accused of authoritarianism and trampling women's rights, Filimonov will represent the ruling United Russia party in this month's tightly-controlled parliamentary elections.

Some 450 kilometres (280 miles) north-west of Moscow, the 46-year-old nationalistic regional leader has built up a reputation for his outspoken views and made national headlines.

In the historic city of Vologda, 31-year-old worker Artyom told AFP a joke was circulating in the neighbouring Yaroslavl region: "When people from Vologda come to us, it's for alcohol, petrol or to get an abortion."

Continued: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260914-russia-s-stalin-admiring-provincial-leader-waging-an-ultra-conservative-crusade

14.09.2026

Emergency Contraceptive Stockpile Fund

US: Global Health Aid Tied to Harmful Conditions

Pacts Require Abortion Surveillance, Rights to Specimen Sharing, Data Access

June 8, 2026
Human Rights Watch

(Washington, DC) – The United States government is conditioning lifesaving health assistance on broad access to surveillance data and extractive rights to pathogen samples and data for pharmaceutical development, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch issued an assessment of seven bilateral health agreements signed in late 2025 with Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Liberia, and Uganda.

“The agreements show the US intends to condition vital health assistance for millions of people on acquiescence to troubling conditions,” said Julia Bleckner, senior health researcher at Human Rights Watch. “After the sudden and devastating pullback from US assistance in 2025, governments are now being pressured to accept agreements with contingencies that jeopardize human rights.”

Continued: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/06/08/us-global-health-aid-tied-to-harmful-conditions

08.06.2026

US Agency for International Development

Peru marks International Women’s Day with setbacks in the rights of girls and women

Within the context of March 8, recent political decisions and judicial rulings have reignited the debate over the effective protection of the autonomy and dignity of girls and women in the country.

Susana Reina
March 8, 2026

Recently, Peru has raised alarms across the region due to a convergence of political and judicial decisions that call into question the most basic rights of girls and women. On the eve of International Women’s Day, the outlook is particularly troubling: from the obstruction of access to legal abortion in cases of rape, to the judicial recognition of reproductive practices without clear regulation, all amid persistent physical violence and educational exclusion.

After years of political instability, successive presidential changes, and a deep crisis of representation, the current Congress has become a setting where conservative agendas have gained decisive influence. In this climate of institutional fragmentation and the weakening of public debate, policies related to gender and reproductive rights have become fertile ground for polarization.

Continued: https://latinoamerica21.com/en/peru-marks-international-womens-day-with-setbacks-in-the-rights-of-girls-and-women/

08.03.2026

International Woman's Day

Jailed for losing a pregnancy: how progress on El Salvador’s harsh anti-abortion law is unravelling

Years of campaigning led to the release of 81 women imprisoned under the country’s strict reproductive laws, but the suspension of civil rights by President Nayib Bukele is fuelling a new wave of criminalization

Harriet Barber
Mon 2 Mar 2026

Her ordeal began with stomach cramps; 19 years old and training to be a nurse, she knew something was wrong. At the hospital she waited for hours in the emergency department. She had suffered an obstetric emergency.

Under El Salvador’s legal framework, emergencies including miscarriages and stillbirths place women under criminal suspicion. She lost the baby and doctors alerted the police. She was arrested and handcuffed.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/mar/02/el-salvador-bukele-anti-abortion-laws-women-criminalised-obstetric-crisis-miscarriage-rights

Russia: Attacks on Abortion Undermine Women’s Rights

Shrinking Reproductive Options, Growing Pressure, Disinformation

Feb 19, 2026
Human Rights Watch

(Berlin) – Russian authorities are restricting access to safe abortion care and limiting the ability of women and girls to get accurate information about their reproductive choices, Human Rights Watch said today.

Authorities at all levels have openly pressured private clinics to stop performing abortions, toughened licensing requirements, revoked their licenses, and reclassified drugs used in medical abortion as controlled substances, making them harder to access. The Health Ministry’s 2025 guidelines for medical professionals, applicable to both public and private facilities, pressure women seeking an abortion to continue the pregnancy.

Continued: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/02/19/russia-attacks-on-abortion-undermine-womens-rights

19.02.2026

Commentary

child-free propaganda

Fyodor Lukyanov

Holly Cartner

Human Rights Watch

International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights

mandatory waiting periods

Russian Orthodox Church

USA – Whose Abortion Is It?

The Harms of State-Mandated Parental Notification for Abortion and Judicial Bypass in the United States

Oct 29, 2025
Human Rights Watch

Years ago, Angela, now a staff member at an abortion clinic in the United States, became pregnant unexpectedly at age 16. She accessed abortion care with support from the person she trusted most: her mother. “I had an extremely supportive mother who helped me through that process,” she said. Angela’s experience shaped her commitment to defend everyone’s right to confidential reproductive health care with support from those they trust: “This is no one else’s choice and no one else’s business.” She began working for an abortion clinic a decade ago. “This was always what I wanted to do.” In July 2022, just after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade and eliminated the constitutional right to abortion, Angela and her family moved from a state that banned abortion to a state that protected access so that she could continue working in abortion care. Now she supports young people under 18 who need abortion care.

Continued: https://www.hrw.org/report/2025/10/29/whose-abortion-is-it/the-harms-of-state-mandated-parental-notification-for

Reproductive Rights, Abortion Access Under Threat in Argentina

Rollback of Abortion and Reproductive Health Programs Undermines Women’s and Girls’ Rights

September 26, 2025
Stephanie Lustig, Research Assistant, Women’s Rights Division – Human Rights Watch

Since taking office in December 2023, Argentina’s President Javier Milei and his government have dismantled key sexual and reproductive health protections.

A report published this week by the Center for State and Society Studies (CEDES) shows that harmful rhetoric from Milei on abortion creates “a climate of risk and uncertainty,” causing misinformation and confusion for pregnant people on whether they can access abortion services, disrupting care, and affecting health professionals’ safety.

Continued: https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/09/26/reproductive-rights-abortion-access-under-threat-in-argentina

USA – Mapping the Margins: The Internet’s Invisible Hand in Reproductive Care

When abortion and broadband deserts collide, they can exact a devastating toll on women's lives.

Cierra Noffke
July 19, 2025

We don’t often think about the internet as being good for our health. In fact, “internet” and “health” are primarily related in a negative context in online spaces -- we’re getting too much screen time, we’re “chronically” online, etc.

It may come as a surprise, but access to the internet is commonly recognized as a "super" determinant of health. Limited internet access has been linked to high mortality rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, and having the internet in easy reach means we can stay informed about our health, order our prescriptions with a tap, consult with doctors and get access to pregnancy and reproductive care.

Continued: https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/mapping-the-margins-the-internets-invisible-hand-in-reproductive-care/

19.07.2025

Commentary

Human Rights Watch

Internet access and abortion

Lexi Rummel

National Women’s Law Center

United States

Human Rights

‘Care Is a Political Act’: MADRE’s Global Legacy of Organizing and Solidarity

4/18/2025
by Eleanor J. Bader

In the mid-1980s, neither Amnesty International nor Human Rights Watch considered rape a weapon of war or categorized sexual assault as a violation of human rights. But MADRE did. The 40-year-old, U.S.-based global feminist organization helped correct these egregious omissions.

The group’s legacy includes numerous other accomplishments: MADRE was one of the first domestic organizations to partner with international LGBTQ+ and Indigenous activists and was one of the first to analyze foreign policy through a feminist lens.

Continued; https://msmagazine.com/2025/04/18/care-is-a-political-act-madres-global-legacy-of-organizing-and-solidarity/

Interview with a Midwife: In Romania, Abortion Care Access is Slipping Away

“Anytime a woman comes for health services there are huge barriers.”

Song Ah Lee, Heather Barr
April 7, 2025

Romania has a deeply disturbing history of interfering with women’s reproductive rights. Behind the Iron Curtain, abortion as well as birth control was deeply restricted from 1966 until the government fell – with the USSR – in 1989. During this time, roughly 10,000 women and girls died after they were forced to resort to unsafe abortion; some experts believe the real figure is much higher.

Today, on paper at least, abortion in Romania is legal until the 14th week of pregnancy and in certain other cases. But in reality, it’s shockingly and increasingly hard for women to access health care services to end unwanted pregnancies. While government officials pay lip service to protecting women’s rights, behind the scenes they are often doing whatever they can to make abortion inaccessible, including partnering with “crisis pregnancy centers” that pressure women and girls to continue pregnancies, often through deceptive and other abusive means. A new Human Rights Watch report, “It’s Happening Even Without You Noticing”, documents this alarming trend. Human Rights Watch’s former researcher Song Ah speaks with Romanian midwife and activist Irina Mateescu about her work to defend the sexual and reproductive health rights of women and girls.

Continued: https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/04/07/interview-midwife-romania-abortion-care-access-slipping-away