Nepal – Rights activists urge full decriminalisation of abortion

By Ram Kumar Kamat
Feb 16, 2026

KATHMANDU – Shradha Adhikari, who is a nurse with Sunaulo Parivar Nepal clinic in Kathmandu that provides reproductive health services, including safe abortion, feels pride for having an opportunity to providing safe abortion services to women and girls who would otherwise have opted for unsafe practices leading to risk of her life.

She, however, lives in constant fear of facing criminal cases for providing abortion service. Some of my friends, who have provided safe abortion services, have been asked to report to police or record their statement in the court and I always fear that I might face the same situation, Adhikari added.

Continued: https://thehimalayantimes.com/ampArticle/1036749

Australia – An important anniversary in the history of women’s reproductive healthcare

Michael Carrette, Caroline de Costa, Philip Goldstone, Mukesh Haikerwal
Issue 6 / 16 February 2026

February 2026 marks the twentieth anniversary of the overturning of the Harradine Amendment by the Federal Parliament in 2006. Thanks to the efforts of many people across the country, this parliamentary action opened the way for a cascade of reforms in abortion care for Australian women.

The 1996 Amendment to the 1989 Therapeutic Goods Act was a political measure initiated by Brian Harradine, independent senator for Tasmania, who held the balance of power in the Senate during the Howard government and who was a hostile opponent of abortion. At the time, mifepristone (better known then as RU486) had been used in Australia only for a small clinical trial by Monash professor David Healy. Harradine made a deal with then Prime Minister, John Howard — he would support Howard’s bill to privatise Telstra and in return Howard would bring in legislation forbidding the import, manufacture or use of mifepristone in Australia without the express permission of the Health Minister. The Amendment was passed and had the effect of completely blocking efforts to introduce mifepristone for medical abortion in Australia, despite increasing use of mifepristone in many overseas countries and its proven safety.

Continued: https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2026/6/an-important-anniversary-in-the-history-of-womens-reproductive-healthcare/

Kenya – High Court Lifts Ban on Marie Stopes Abortion Services

December 19, 2025

A Kenyan High Court has overturned a previous order barring Marie Stopes International Kenya from providing abortion and post-abortion care services. Therefore, restoring operations for the reproductive health provider amid ongoing debates on safe maternal care.

The ruling, delivered by Justice Chacha Mwita, declared the 2023 suspension unconstitutional. Additionally, citing violations of rights to health and bodily autonomy as outlined in the 2010 Constitution.

Continued: https://nyakundireport.com/high-court-lifts-ban-on-marie-stopes-abortion-services/

19.12.2025

News

Chacha Mwita

Marie Stopes International

Australia – ‘We must be alert to complacency’: inside Victoria’s push to extend abortion access

The state has increased availability of medical and surgical abortions – but a recent symposium has heard affordability and some doctors’ reluctance are halting progress

Benita Kolovos, Victorian state correspondent
Sat 3 May 2025

On a grey Monday morning outside the State Library in Melbourne’s CBD, there’s little to suggest anything out of the ordinary – no protests, no placards, no media. But stream of women – and a few men – are making their way inside for what is, in fact, a landmark event.

“How extraordinary it is,” says former Victorian health minister and MC Jill Hennessy, “to come to a symposium about abortion as healthcare in the state of Victoria, [and] that this isn’t some secret meeting held down in an underground tunnel where women plot to ensure our health rights are recognised.”

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/04/victoria-abortion-access

How a second Trump presidency is likely to threaten abortion rights and women’s healthcare globally

November 15, 2024
Michael Jennings

In the aftermath of the US election, much focus has been on the consequences for abortion rights across the US, and whether this will affect state-led initiatives to roll back restrictive legislation.

What has received much less attention is what will happen next to abortion services, sexual and reproductive health, and health more widely across many parts of the world, as a direct result of a decision President Trump is likely to take on his first day in office.

Continued: https://theconversation.com/how-a-second-trump-presidency-is-likely-to-threaten-abortion-rights-and-womens-healthcare-globally-243346

The Consequences of US Elections for Women’s Health Globally

A new viewpoint by BUSPH and Stanford University researchers highlights the profound consequences of US policy decisions on abortion for women in countries reliant on American global health aid.

October 29, 2024
By Nina Brooks, Eran Bendavid, and Grant Miller

Abortion is on the ballot in the 2024 US presidential election. After the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, numerous states have voted on ballot initiatives to expand or restrict access to abortion—with seven states voting on such measures in November. But hundreds of millions of women who live in countries that receive global health aid from the United States will also be affected by the November election—despite having no say in choosing the next president.

The Mexico City Policy, so called because it was announced at the United Nations International Conference on Population and Development held in Mexico City, was introduced by the Reagan Administration in 1984. When in effect, the policy restricts international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from discussing, promoting, or advocating abortion to receive US funding (relatedly, the Helms Amendment prohibits US funds from use to perform abortions).

Continued: https://www.bu.edu/sph/news/articles/2024/consequences-of-us-elections-for-womens-health-globally/

Reduce maternal death, incorporate abortion-related scheme in school curriculum – Experts to Nigerian govt

June 15, 2024
By Gift Oba

Following the high rate of maternal death and unsafe abortions, the federal government has been advised to incorporate abortion-related topics into the secondary school curriculum in order to educate and enlighten students on the dangers associated with it.

According to the October 2021 Performance Monitoring for Action (PMA) abortion survey, in Nigeria, 4.6% of reproductive-aged women undergo an abortion each year, equating to nearly 2 million abortions annually.

Continued: https://dailypost.ng/2024/06/15/reduce-maternal-death-incorporate-abortion-related-scheme-in-school-curriculum-experts-to-nigerian-govt/

15.06.2024

News

Dr. Kingsley Odogwu

Marie Stopes International

Media Health and Rights Initiative of Nigeria

Performance Monitoring for Action abortions survey

Malta – Forty, pregnant, and seeking an abortion

A trend is emerging in Malta among women aged 40 and over, who already have children and who experience unintended pregnancies despite using contraception. The Journal catches up with Doctors for Choice - Malta’s Dr Natalie Psaila.

The Journal
Jan 16, 2024

If you think that unwanted pregnancies are exclusive to teenagers, think again.
“An emerging trend that we’re observing is among individuals aged 40 and over, who already have children, who say that they have used contraception, but still experience unintended pregnancies,” reveals Dr Natalie Psaila, a Maltese doctor who make it to the BBC’s top 100 inspirational women in 2023.

These women confirm using CE certified condoms but, despite these precautions, they still get pregnant, she pointed out. “These condoms shouldn’t fail easily but no contraceptive is fail-proof. This is why these couples are getting pregnant. Condoms have about 10% failure rate. Something like the pull-out method – a favourite with the Maltese – has a 40% failure rate.”

Continued: https://thejournal.mt/forty-pregnant-and-seeking-an-abortion/

Namibia: Will the 1975 abortion legislation be amended?

By Africanews and AFP
May 29, 2023

When Alejandra Angula discovered she was pregnant, she panicked. She had not unplanned the pregnancy. Dismayed at the lack of options in her home country, Angula flew to neighbouring South Africa and booked into an abortion clinic in Cape Town.

"I was more scared of having a baby and being forced into parenthood than of the procedure," said the 29-year-old IT worker, who asked for her name to be changed for the purposes of this article.

Continued: https://www.africanews.com/2023/05/29/namibia-will-the-1975-abortion-legislation-be-amended/

Governor Sanwo-Olu moves to legalize abortion in Lagos state

By Naija247news Media Nigeria
November 25, 2022

Reports reaching Naija247News that Babajide Sanwo-Olu governor of Lagos state is planning to legalize abortion in Nigeria’s commercial capital.

Naija247News recalled that earlier in the year The Lagos State Government has developed a policy document on safe termination of pregnancy toward guiding healthcare professionals to provide safe and lawful abortion services in the state. Olusegun Ogboye, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, said this at a stakeholders’ meeting to launch the document on Tuesday in Lagos.

Continued: https://naija247news.com/2022/11/25/nigeria-moves-to-legalize-abortion/