Polish woman’s quest for abortion exposes conflicted society

By Alicja Ptak
OCTOBER 19, 2020

WARSAW (Reuters) - In April, in the midst of a nationwide coronavirus lockdown in Poland, Katarzyna found out that the baby she was carrying had a severe genetic disorder and would probably die before birth or shortly after.

She immediately decided to terminate the pregnancy. When she finally managed to, five weeks later and after meeting some 10 doctors, securing a fallback plan in Germany and researching home methods, she knew she would not try to get pregnant again.

Continued: https://ca.reuters.com/article/idCAKBN27429N

’Let down’: calls for Gibraltar’s Covid-delayed abortion vote to take place

Pro-choice activists demand decriminalisation referendum happen despite conservative opposition

Darcy Jimenez
Tue 29 Sep 2020

Earlier this year, pro-choice activists in Gibraltar were hopeful that their territory’s abortion laws – the harshest in Europe – could soon be overturned.

Terminations are banned in the tiny British territory, even in the cases of rape, incest, or foetal abnormality where the foetus will not survive. Abortions are punishable by life imprisonment, except when the woman’s life is in danger.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/29/the-gibraltarians-demanding-covid-delayed-abortion-vote-takes-place

An Abortion Doula On Canada’s Problematic Lack Of Access

Sarah Ratchford
Last Updated July 28, 2020

As an abortion doula, Shannon Hardy spends her days driving people to appointments or taking care of them afterwards. That all changed when the pandemic started. Sharing a car with a stranger, not to mention helping them convalesce, has been out of the question since COVID-19, leaving many without access to this crucial healthcare service.

Getting an abortion in Atlantic Canada, where Hardy lives, was a challenge even before coronavirus. Though abortions have been decriminalized in Canada since 1988, provinces have jurisdiction over access. As a result, where and at what point in a pregnancy you can get an abortion is influenced by the local political climate, and varies widely. Mifegymiso, the pill that induces what's called a medical abortion, is available and covered by provincial healthcare, but not every doctor will prescribe it. In some places, there's access to surgical abortions, but parts or all of it are not covered or you have to pay up front and seek reimbursement afterward.

Continued: https://www.refinery29.com/en-ca/abortion-doula-canada-access

28.07.2020

abortion doulas

Abortion Support Services Atlantic

barriers to abortion access

Blaine Higgs

conscientious objection

Covid-19 and abortion

medical abortion

Mifegymiso

Shannon Hardy

travelling for abortion

‘Like Ireland on steroids’: Malta’s abortion taboo leaves women in despair

'Like Ireland on steroids': Malta's abortion taboo leaves women in despair
Border closures have trapped women seeking safe terminations and exposed the plight of those who cannot afford to travel

Megan Clement and Bertrand Borg in Valetta
Thu 11 Jun 2020

The nurse who told Marija she was still pregnant thought she was giving her patient good news. She chided Marija, who was seven weeks along, for not starting her vitamins sooner and sent her home.

But Marija (not her real name) was devastated. Six days earlier, she had tried to terminate the pregnancy with abortion pills she ordered online. But she had experienced terrible morning sickness throughout her pregnancy, and had thrown up after taking the first of the two pills. She was worried the medication had not had time to work before she vomited. After taking the second pill and bleeding for a few days, she went to the hospital to find out if she had miscarried.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/11/like-ireland-on-steroids-maltas-abortion-taboo-leaves-women-in-despair

Australia – Getting an abortion just got harder, thanks to the coronavirus. Here’s what we can do better

Getting an abortion just got harder, thanks to the coronavirus. Here’s what we can do better

May 11, 2020
Erica Millar, Lecturer, La Trobe University

The COVID-19 crisis has starkly revealed the patchy and precarious provision of abortion in Australia, deepening existing inequalities in access.

What was already an expensive procedure may be even less attainable for many women facing financial strain during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, a shortage of staff and resources is likely to be affecting access for many women seeking an abortion – particularly those in regional and rural areas.

Continued: https://theconversation.com/getting-an-abortion-just-got-harder-thanks-to-the-coronavirus-heres-what-we-can-do-better-138110

11.05.2020

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Opinion

abortion access during pandemic

Covid-19 and abortion

Marie Stopes Australia

personal protective equipment

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

telehealth

travelling for abortion

In Poland, Abortion Access Worsens Amid Pandemic

In Poland, Abortion Access Worsens Amid Pandemic
Abortions were already difficult to obtain and then came the coronavirus.

By Jessica Bateman, Marta Kasztelan
May 1, 2020

The woman was 21 weeks pregnant when she contacted Abortion Without Borders (AWB), a network of activist groups that advises Polish women on how to access safe terminations. Normally, it would have been relatively simple to book a flight to the United Kingdom, where she could legally access a second-trimester abortion. But the coronavirus outbreak changed everything.

“We got her an appointment, but travel was a different matter,” said Mara Clarke, the founder of Abortion Support Network (ASN), which is part of AWB and helps women obtain abortions overseas. Poland closed its borders and grounded all flights and cross-border public transportation on March 15, meaning the woman would have had to travel to the German border, cross it, and take a train to one of Berlin’s airports.

Continued: https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/05/01/poland-abortion-access-worsens-coronavirus-pandemic/

Abortion providers take private flights to regional Queensland as coronavirus triggers industry collapse

Abortion providers take private flights to regional Queensland as coronavirus triggers industry collapse

By Emilie Gramenz
May 1, 2020

Family planning clinicians have had to charter private planes to deliver surgical abortion services in central and north Queensland, as the collapse of the domestic travel industry bites.

The only surgical abortion provider in Rockhampton and Townsville — Marie Stopes — runs clinics once a week, using a mixture of local staff and clinicians from Brisbane or elsewhere.

Continued: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-02/abortion-providers-take-private-flights-during-coronavirus/12181846

01.05.2020

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News

abortion access during pandemic

Catriona Melville

coronavirus

Covid-19 and abortion

Marie Stopes

travelling for abortion

Abortion: New laws come into force in Northern Ireland

Abortion: New laws come into force in Northern Ireland
Significant changes to NI's abortion laws have come into force.

Mar 31, 2020

Terminations can be carried out in all circumstances in the first 12 weeks of a pregnancy.

After that abortions are legal in some cases - for example, there is no term limit in cases of fatal fetal abnormalities.

Robin Swann is "urgently reviewing" arrangements to allow women to access free abortion services in England, in light of the Covid-19 crisis.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-politics-52068193

31.03.2020

Covid-19 and abortion

Northern Ireland Office

Robin Swann

travelling for abortion

travelling to England

N. Ireland – Abortion: Health bodies want laws for ‘safe and compassionate’ care

Abortion: Health bodies want laws for 'safe and compassionate' care

By Marie-Louise Connolly, BBC News NI Health Correspondent
Feb 5, 2029

Health bodies have recommended a legal framework be set up to "prioritise safe and compassionate abortion care" in NI.

They include the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the Royal College of Midwives and the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare.

The groups agree there should be no abortion restrictions up to 24 weeks.

Continued: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-51379331

05.02.2020

Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare

Karen Murray

RCOG

Royal College of Midwives

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

travelling for abortion

NI women awarded compensation over abortion trip costs

NI women awarded compensation over abortion trip costs

By Staff Reporter
December 20 2019

A mother and daughter from Northern Ireland who were forced to raise funds to travel to a private clinic in England for an abortion are to be compensated by the Government.

Known only as A and B, the two women began legal proceedings seven years ago after they were forced to raise £900 to make the trip for A to have the abortion.

Continued: https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/ni-women-awarded-compensation-over-abortion-trip-costs-38800722.html

20.12.2019