Unsafe Abortion – Time to Step-Up Family Planning Services in Nigeria

8 AUGUST 2021
Leadership (Abuja)

Unplanned pregnancy and unsafe abortion is still a problem in some societies despite the increase in effective and safe methods of contraception and the distribution of information about these methods. Unsafe abortion constitutes a major threat to the health and lives of women and children.

Unsafe abortions carry a high risk of
maternal mortality and morbidity, accounting for more than 80,000 maternal
deaths per year. Although many countries do not keep statistics on abortions,
there is evidence that millions of "legal" and illegal abortions take
place in the world every year.

Continued: https://allafrica.com/stories/202108090108.html

Lessons for health workers and advocates on how we can leverage Argentina’s ‘green wave’ to strengthen access to safe abortion

3 August 2021
FIGO Advocating for Safe Abortion Project

Riding on the green wave of civil society’s victory in Argentina to achieve the legalisation of abortion upon request up to 14 weeks of pregnancy, FIGO’s Advocating for Safe Abortion Project (ASAP) organised a live-broadcast discussion with OBGYNs and human rights advocates. The discussion unpacked the lessons of how the change in law was achieved and the impact of the law in Argentina and across Latin America.

Argentina’s abortion law is a ground-breaking step in eliminating discrimination against women and girls, and in addressing the scale of unsafe abortion – a public health crisis in Argentina. It is estimated that 500,000 abortions occur every year in Argentina, representing 40% of all pregnancies. Annually, unsafe abortion accounts for 18% of pregnancy-related deaths and more than 50,000 preventable hospitalisations in Argentina.

Continued: https://www.figo.org/news/lessons-health-workers-and-advocates-how-we-can-leverage-argentinas-green-wave-strengthen

Uganda – COVID-19 affects maternal health care

PATRICIA AKANKWATSA, The Independent
July 23, 2021

Uganda’s response to COVID-19 has negatively impacted maternal, child and neonatal health, accord[1]ing to data by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The UNFPA says the biggest and longest lasting impact is seen in complications of pregnancy, stillbirths and low-birth weight infants likely due to delayed care-seeking behaviour.

Continued: https://www.independent.co.ug/covid-19-affects-maternal-health-care/

African states, donors launch initiative to boost access to contraceptives

Source: Xinhua
2021-07-05

NAIROBI, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Three African countries including Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Uganda on Monday joined hands with international donors to launch an initiative aimed at improving access to reproductive health services including contraceptives.

Senior policymakers said the launch of Shaping Equitable Market Access (SEMA) for Reproductive Health initiative will help reduce unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions among women and girls in Africa and other low-income countries.

Continued: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2021-07/06/c_1310044494.htm

‘A perilous future’: UK aid budget cuts will ‘cause’ 23,500 maternal deaths

Exclusive: Cuts will leave extra 6.5 million people unable to get contraception

Maya Oppenheim, Women’s Correspondent
June 7, 2021

The UK’s cuts to the aid budget will result in 23,500 women dying while pregnant, during childbirth or from unsafe abortions which go wrong, experts have warned.

MSI Reproductive Choices, a leading reproductive health charity, estimates the maternal deaths will be the result of cuts to its services, leaving an extra 6.5 million people in the most “marginalised, remote” areas not able to get the contraception they “desperately” require.

Continued: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-aid-budget-cuts-maternal-deaths-b1861066.html

UK accused of ‘Trump tactics’ after ‘devastating’ £131m cut to family planning aid

Millions of the world’s poorest women and girls will ‘pay the price’ of the UK government reneging on its commitments, say aid workers

Kerry Cullinan
30 April 2021

The UK government has been accused of “using tactics reminiscent of the Trump era” after cutting millions in aid for family planning.

Boris Johnson’s government is set to slash its commitment to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) by 85% – from an expected contribution of £154m to just £23m – in an enormous blow for women and girls in the poorest countries where health services have already been decimated by COVID-19.

Continued: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/uk-accused-of-trump-tactics-after-devastating-131m-cut-to-family-planning-aid/

Abortion and the right to choice: Is MTP (Amendment) Act 2021 a breakthrough for India?

Gayatri Vinayak
Mon., April 5, 2021

Rajya Sabha recently passed a bill to allow abortions of up to 24 weeks for special categories of women, up from the existing 20 weeks gestation period.

Under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill 2021, which amends the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, special categories of women, including victims of incest, rape victims, minors and differently-abled women, will be allowed to undergo abortion till 24 weeks.

Continued: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/abortion-and-the-right-to-choice-is-mtp-amendment-act-2021-a-breakthrough-for-india-112220154.html

The pandemic has caused as many as 1.4 million unintended pregnancies. Here’s how that impacts women’s lives.

Abigail Higgins, The Lily
Mar. 22, 2021

When the world ground to a halt a year ago, millions of women saw their contraceptive supplies dry up and their routes to replenish them cut off.

New research by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) found that 12 million women couldn’t get the family planning services they needed, leading to an estimated 1.4 million unintended pregnancies.

Continued: https://www.thelily.com/the-pandemic-has-caused-as-many-as-14-million-unintended-pregnancies-heres-how-that-impacts-womens-lives/

Southeast Asia – Less Contraception Use In A Pandemic?

Athira Nortajuddin
15 March 2021

Just last year when over half of humanity was confined to their homes due to COVID-19 preventive measures, Karex, a Malaysian contraceptives manufacturer predicted a global condom shortage as the pandemic shuttered factories and disrupted supply chains.

This came as Malaysia, one of the world’s top rubber producers and a major source of condoms, imposed a nationwide lockdown – known locally as the Movement Control Order (MCO). The MCO was implemented sometime in mid-March 2020 for several months.

Continued: https://theaseanpost.com/article/less-contraception-use-pandemic

Argentina’s Abortion Legislation Sparks Hope in Caribbean

February 14, 2021
By Kate Chappell (IPS)

HAVANA TIMES – It was a joyful, tearful celebration in the early morning hours of Dec. 30, 2020 for countless Argentinians when they heard the news: the senate had legalized terminations up to 14 weeks of pregnancy. Prior to this, activists have said that more than 3,000 women died of botched, illegal abortions since 1983. And across the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region, this renewed sense of optimism was compounded after President Joe Biden rescinded what is known as the “global gag rule,” which essentially denied funding to international non-profit organizations that provided abortion counseling or referrals.

Now, women and campaigners across LAC are hopeful that these developments will spur lawmakers to consider decriminalizing abortion in their countries, sparing women their lives, economic well-being, dignity and access to a range of options to make the best choice for their reproductive and overall health.

Continued: https://havanatimes.org/features/argentinas-abortion-legislation-sparks-hope-in-caribbean/