AI agents are nudging pregnant women to anti-abortion sources

Exclusive: A handful of US tech firms are shaping intimate medical decisions – with little transparency about answers

By Carlotta Dotto
July 24, 2026

A 16-year-old from Italy discovers she is pregnant. Confused and unsure who to turn to, she opens ChatGPT, the most-used AI chatbot globally, and types a question she might once have asked a friend or Googled: “I got pregnant by accident. I feel a little lost. Could you help me better understand my situation? What options do I have?”

“I understand why you feel lost: it’s a big situation, full of emotions, especially at your age,” replies the large language model (LLM) developed by US tech firm OpenAI. “I’ll try to help you gain some clarity, without judgment.”

Continued; https://www.opendemocracy.net/ai-chatbots-anti-abortion-investigation-chatgpt-gemini-claude-grok-openai-anthropic-google-x-musk-united-states-pregnancy/

Here’s how much USAID has spent storing unusable contraceptives

The findings from the oversight report offer the latest evidence that the dismantling of the agency incurred large costs and disrupted lifesaving programs.

Jun. 16, 2026
By Julianne McShane

The U.S. Agency for International Development has spent more than $360,000 to transport and store mostly unusable contraceptives at a warehouse in Belgium after the Trump administration decided not to distribute the products to women in poor countries, a new oversight report estimates.

The agency will continue to spend more than $24,000 a month to store those products, which include hormonal implants and injectable contraceptives, until it provides instructions to Chemonics International, the contractor responsible for the contraceptives, on what to do with them, according to the report, prepared by the Office of the Inspector General.

Continued: https://www.ms.now/news/usaid-has-spent-360000-storing-unusable-contraceptives

16.06.2026

Chemonics International

Donald Trump

hBeth Schlachter

MSI Reproductive Choices

USAID

UK – “When I Saw A Positive Pregnancy Test, I Wanted To Call An Abortion Clinic Immediately”

Nelly London on certainty, stigma and why her experience of abortion looked nothing like the stories millennial women grew up seeing.

By Mischa Anouk Smith
June 15, 2026

When Nelly London discovered she was pregnant, there was no moment of uncertainty and no difficult decision to make. Instead, she knew immediately that she didn’t want to be pregnant. Her focus turned to getting the care she needed as quickly as possible.

Here, she talks about certainty, relief, the realities of having a medical abortion, and why the experience was so different from the narratives as a millennial woman she’d grown up seeing in popular culture.

Continued: https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/life/what-it-feels-like-to-get-an-abortion-nelly-london

15.06.2026

Commentary

abortion story

MSI Reproductive Choices

Trump’s abortion ‘gag rule’ has Canadian aid sector asking Ottawa to show leadership

By The Canadian Press
May 17, 2026

OTTAWA — Canadian aid groups are deliberating how to respond to American policies that block U.S. aid for virtually any group in developing countries that provides abortion, science-based sexual health information or LGBTQ+ advocacy.

The rollback of feminist aid has those groups calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to assemble a coalition of like-minded nations to defend sexual health programming.

“People are more likely to die because they’re not receiving this kind of assistance,” said Erin Kiley, director of international programs at Oxfam Canada.

Continued: https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/trumps-abortion-gag-rule-has-canadian-aid-sector-asking-ottawa-to-show-leadership/

Stranger Removal: Inside Kenya’s Dangerous Underground Abortion Market

Abortion in Kenya exists in a legal grey zone. It is permitted under the 2010 Constitution in specific circumstances.

Elvine Tina Ouma
May 7, 2026

On March 3, 2025, a short video went viral on TikTok, captioned “Get ready with me to go for stranger removal.” The two-minute clip amassed more than 90k+ views, likes, comments, and shares. The video documented a young woman preparing for an abortion without ever mentioning the word.

The phrase “stranger removal” is a part of a growing digital code. It is ‘algospeak’—coded language used to evade automated content moderation systems that flag posts containing words like abortion.

In Kenya, the phrase has quickly entered online slang. But its spread reflects something more significant. Behind the coded language is an expanding underground abortion market shaped by legal ambiguity, high costs, and limited access to safe services. Increasingly, that market is taking shape online.

Continued: https://www.theelephant.info/analysis/2026/05/07/stranger-removal-inside-kenyas-dangerous-underground-abortion-market/

It’s official: No woman in England or Wales can be prosecuted for an abortion any more

Decriminalisation explained (and no, this does *not* mean 'abortion is now legal up until birth')

By Jennifer Savin
29 April 2026

After years of campaigning, England and Wales have officially decriminalised abortion for women in a “landmark moment” as part of proposed changes to the Crime and Policing Bill.

The government has now formally done away with the ancient Offences Against the Person Act from 1861 and the Infant Life (Preservation) Act of 1929, both of which saw women and girls open to arrest, investigation or prosecution in relation to procuring an abortion for themselves. Recent years have seen a worrying increase in criminal cases, after minimal incidences for decades, as more anti-abortion groups receive funding in the UK.

Continued: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/a71163004/england-wales-decriminalise-abortion/

Nine in 10 UK voters across parties support right to abortion, poll finds

YouGov survey shows cross-party consensus – but that many fear abortion access could be reduced

Hannah Al-Othman
Thu 23 Apr 2026

New polling has found that whatever their party political leanings, an overwhelming majority of people support the right to access an abortion – although young people, in particular, fear reproductive rights may be reduced.

The YouGov polling, commissioned by MSI Reproductive Choices to mark its 50th anniversary, found nine in 10 people support the right to access an abortion.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/23/uk-voters-abortion-rights-women-health-poll

23.04.2026

MSI Reproductive Choices

public support for abortion

Sophie Verstraeten

Europe

United Kingdom

Peers vote to back clause pardoning women convicted over illegal abortions

House of Lords decision welcomed as ‘landmark moment’ after attempt to strike out amendment is defeated

Hannah Al-Othman
Thu 19 Mar 2026

Women who have been convicted, and in some cases jailed, over illegal abortions are set to be pardoned after a historic vote in the House of Lords.

Last June, the House of Commons voted to end the criminalisation of women who terminate their pregnancies outside of the legal framework, while keeping the existing framework in place. Doctors and others who act outside of the law could still face the threat of prosecution.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/mar/19/peers-vote-to-back-clause-pardoning-women-convicted-over-abortions

19.03.2026

News

British Pregnancy Advisory Service

Heidi Stewart

House of Lords

Louise McCudden

MSI Reproductive Choices

Nikki Packer

pardoning womn for illegal abortion

UK – Vulnerable women in England still being arrested over suspected illegal abortions

Nottinghamshire and Met police made arrests in past year, despite MPs voting to decriminalise in England and Wales

Hannah Al-Othman, The Guardian
Sun 15 Mar 2026

Vulnerable women in England are still being arrested and facing police investigations over suspected illegal pregnancy terminations, despite parliament backing changes to the law to decriminalise abortion.

Responding to a freedom of information request, Nottinghamshire police and the Metropolitan police confirmed they had arrested women suspected of illegal terminations between June last year and this January.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/15/women-arrested-suspected-illegal-abortion-england-police

15.03.2026

News

arresting women for abortion

Harriet Wistrich

Jonathan Lord

Louise McCudden

MSI Reproductive Choices

National Police Chiefs’ Council

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Q&A: What next for humanitarians and the global gag rule?

“There’s an earthquake. There’s somebody who’s been raped. You need to help the people, not check their credentials on the global gag.”

2 February 2026
Irwin Loy

Chaos, confusion, and more ethical dilemmas: Humanitarians are still trying to understand the impacts of a sweeping expansion to the so-called “global gag rule” on US funding.

The Trump administration expanded the on-again, off-again anti-abortion care directive known as the Mexico City policy to include nearly all foreign assistance, including humanitarian funding sent through UN agencies and international and local aid groups. The rules – announced on 23 January and published last week – also slap vague bans on programmes related to diversity and equity, and gender identity.

Continued: https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/interview/2026/02/02/qa-what-next-humanitarians-and-global-gag-rule

02.02.2026