50 Years on, India’s Abortion Law Still Has Serious Gaps
3 years, 3 months ago

50 Years on, India’s Abortion Law Still Has Serious Gaps

The Diplomat  

In the 50 years of its existence, India’s Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act has been amended only twice; once in 2002 and now recently in 2021. Studies on the role of the judiciary in access to safe abortion done by Pratigya, a network of individuals and organizations working toward enhancing women’s access to safe abortion care in India, point to the failure of the legal system to address what is a matter of human rights. Similarly, the reports on availability of medical abortion drugs done by Pratigya Campaign in the past shows that unavailability of medical abortion pills legally in the market is doing much disservice to pregnant women. Women’s right and access to abortion, which the MTP Act enables, have somehow become entangled in the fight against gender-biased sex selection. There is an urgent need to clear the prevailing misunderstanding among drug regulators and health officials about medical abortion drugs and sex selection, so that abortion pills are treated just like any other Schedule-H drug and are not singled out for additional scrutiny.

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History of this topic

Why Record Numbers of People Who Aren’t Pregnant Are Ordering Abortion Medication
2 months ago

Why Record Numbers of People Who Aren’t Pregnant Are Ordering Abortion Medication

Slate  

Since the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022, a growing number of people in the United States are buying abortion pills and keeping them on hand just in case they need them in the future. Some states have been removing the “known pregnancy” requirements since Dobbs, potentially making it easier to prosecute advance provision, missed period pills, and other …

Coimbatore Drugs Control Dept. warns of severe action against pharmacies selling abortion pills over the counter
2 months, 4 weeks ago

Coimbatore Drugs Control Dept. warns of severe action against pharmacies selling abortion pills over the counter

The Hindu  

The Drugs Control Department in Coimbatore has warned of initiating severe action against pharmacies that sell abortion pills over the counter, without a valid prescription from a registered medical practitioner. A joint team comprising M. Gowri, Deputy Director of Medical and Rural Health Services and Family Welfare; S. Gurubharathi, Assistant Director of Drugs Control, Coimbatore zone; Dr. Saravana Prakash, Chief …

Editorial: Don’t be fooled by Trump’s and Republicans’ abortion myths
5 months ago

Editorial: Don’t be fooled by Trump’s and Republicans’ abortion myths

LA Times  

Community members gather to protest the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade and Kentucky’s trigger law to ban abortion at Circus Square Park in Bowling Green, Ky., in June 2022. In California, abortion is legal up to the point of the fetus’ viability to survive outside the uterus, which is around 24-25 weeks — or later if the …

The next Supreme Court abortion rights battle is coming for the most common form of care
8 months, 4 weeks ago

The next Supreme Court abortion rights battle is coming for the most common form of care

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Restricting abortion doesn’t make it less necessary.” Lawyers …

US women are stocking up on abortion pills, especially when there is news about restrictions
11 months, 3 weeks ago

US women are stocking up on abortion pills, especially when there is news about restrictions

Associated Press  

Thousands of women stocked up on abortion pills just in case they needed them, new research shows, with demand peaking in the past couple years at times when it looked like the medications might become harder to get. A research letter published Tuesday in JAMA Internal Medicine looked at requests for these pills from people who weren’t pregnant and sought …

Uncertainty around US abortion landscape drives surge in requests to stockpile abortion medication, research shows
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Uncertainty around US abortion landscape drives surge in requests to stockpile abortion medication, research shows

CNN  

CNN — Amid significant upheaval to the abortion landscape in the United States, thousands of women have preemptively requested medication abortion pills in case they need them in the future, new research shows. In the first eight months that Aid Access offered advance provision of medication abortion – from September 2021 through April 2022 – it received an average of …

What the Supreme Court’s Decision Means for Abortion Pills
1 year ago

What the Supreme Court’s Decision Means for Abortion Pills

Live Mint  

The Supreme Court said on Dec. 13 that it would weigh whether to limit access to mifepristone, a pill used in most abortions in the U.S. Medication abortion, also known as medical abortion or plan C, involves the administration of so-called abortion pills to terminate a pregnancy. In 2020, about 98% of medication abortions in the U.S. used the two-medication …

Supreme Court agrees to rule on FDA’s approval of abortion pills sent by mail
1 year ago

Supreme Court agrees to rule on FDA’s approval of abortion pills sent by mail

LA Times  

Boxes of the drug mifepristone sit on a shelf at the West Alabama Women’s Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in March 2022. “Telehealth for medication abortion is safe and effective and helps people overcome barriers to care, whether it be long travel distances or getting time off from work or school.” It’s not clear, however, whether a Supreme Court ruling upholding …

Abortion restrictions in Russia spark outrage as the country takes a conservative turn
1 year, 1 month ago

Abortion restrictions in Russia spark outrage as the country takes a conservative turn

LA Times  

Russian President Vladimir Putin stands behind Russian girls at a midnight Mass in the village of Turginovo. “They don’t understand the point.” State clinics in one region referred women to a priest before getting an abortion. To Irina Volynets, an abortion opponent and children’s rights ombudswoman in the Tatarstan region, “it gives hope that this procedure will be taken out …

Abortion restrictions in Russia spark outrage as the country takes a conservative turn
1 year, 1 month ago

Abortion restrictions in Russia spark outrage as the country takes a conservative turn

Associated Press  

TALLINN, Estonia — Despite its last-minute scheduling, the meeting at a bookstore in Russia’s westernmost city of Kaliningrad still drew about 60 people, with many outraged by a lawmaker’s efforts to ban abortions in local private clinics. “They don’t understand the point.” State clinics in one region referred women to a priest before getting an abortion. To Irina Volynets, an …

Abortion restrictions in Russia spark outrage as the country takes a conservative turn
1 year, 1 month ago

Abortion restrictions in Russia spark outrage as the country takes a conservative turn

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Health authorities have introduced an online “motivational questionnaire” outlining …

Does India need to decriminalise abortion? | In Focus podcast
1 year, 1 month ago

Does India need to decriminalise abortion? | In Focus podcast

The Hindu  

Earlier this month, a married woman, who was 26 weeks pregnant, approached the Supreme Court, asking to be allowed to terminate her pregnancy. But subsequently, following a hospital report that said the foetus was viable and had a heartbeat, and a medical board report that said the pregnancy was not causing an immediate danger to the woman or foetus’s life, …

CJI says India’s abortion law is liberal, pro-choice and far ahead of other countries
1 year, 2 months ago

CJI says India’s abortion law is liberal, pro-choice and far ahead of other countries

The Hindu  

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on October 13 said India’s abortion law was liberal, pro-choice and far ahead of other countries while hearing the case of a married woman who wants to medically terminate her 26-week pregnancy. The remarks by Chief Justice Chandrachud was in reference to submissions led by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati that the provisions in …

Editorial: The only thing certain about medication abortion is the confusion over how to get it
1 year, 8 months ago

Editorial: The only thing certain about medication abortion is the confusion over how to get it

LA Times  

A federal appeals court has ruled that mifepristone, one of two drugs used in medication abortion, can remain on the market as a court case over whether it was properly approved by the FDA continues. But when mifepristone was first authorized in 2000, medication abortion pills could be dispensed only by a doctor in a clinic after three in-person medical …

Medication abortions are under fire: Here’s how they work
1 year, 9 months ago

Medication abortions are under fire: Here’s how they work

Associated Press  

Medication abortions became the preferred method for ending pregnancy in the U.S. even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. “In the short term, those states that ban abortion are going to assume that their bans also include medication abortion and that will be prohibited,” said Greer Donley, a professor specializing in reproductive health care at the University of …

Care, Rights of Abortion Survivors
1 year, 9 months ago

Care, Rights of Abortion Survivors

Live Law  

The Indian Judiciary in accord to ascertain women’s rights or equality rights strives to locate the possibilityof abortion even after the gestation limit of 24 weeks under section 3 of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 2021. Even lately, while adjudicating a plea of abortion by an unmarried 20-year-old B.Tech student, the Supreme Court prospected the probability and had consulted …

Reversing abortion drug's approval would harm public interest, U.S. FDA says
1 year, 11 months ago

Reversing abortion drug's approval would harm public interest, U.S. FDA says

The Hindu  

President Joe Biden's administration is urging a judge to reject a request by abortion opponents for a court order withdrawing federal approval for the drug used in medication abortions - which account for more than half of U.S. abortions - citing potential dangers to women seeking to end their pregnancies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's filing to U.S. District …

Abortion pill access: Letting pharmacies dispense medication abortion isn't enough.
54 years, 11 months ago

Abortion pill access: Letting pharmacies dispense medication abortion isn't enough.

Slate  

On Tuesday, the FDA announced the process by which retail pharmacies could become certified to dispense mifepristone, the first drug in the medication abortion regimen. Lifting the in-person dispensing requirement in 2021 was a game changer: For the first time, online clinics could offer virtual services and mail medication abortion to the states where it is legal. The suit also …

US FDA allows sale of abortion pills at pharmacies for first time
1 year, 11 months ago

US FDA allows sale of abortion pills at pharmacies for first time

Al Jazeera  

Regulatory change to expand abortion access comes after more than a dozen states banned abortion. The US Food and Drug Administration will allow retail pharmacies to offer abortion pills in the United States for the first time, the agency has said, even as more states seek to ban medication abortion. “Under the Mifepristone REMS Program, as modified, Mifeprex and its …

Why India’s landmark abortion ruling could echo around the world
2 years, 2 months ago

Why India’s landmark abortion ruling could echo around the world

Al Jazeera  

On September 29, the Indian Supreme Court delivered a crucial decision which holds the promise of actually leading to the reproductive autonomy of Indian women, in particular through access to abortion. While the core issue before the court was whether unmarried women could seek an abortion under the law – the judges confirmed that they can – the decision also …

Supreme Court ruling on abortion comes as a ‘ray of hope’, say activists
2 years, 2 months ago

Supreme Court ruling on abortion comes as a ‘ray of hope’, say activists

The Hindu  

The historic judgment of the Supreme Court Bench led by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud that unmarried women in a consensual relationship are also entitled to safe and legal abortion along with its strong emphasis on women’s right to bodily autonomy without the need for authorisation from a third-party to access abortion was welcomed as “progressive” and a “ray of hope” at …

Supreme Court says all women are entitled to safe abortions even as unsafe terminations prevail
2 years, 2 months ago

Supreme Court says all women are entitled to safe abortions even as unsafe terminations prevail

India Today  

In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 50-year-old Roe v Wade judgment, making abortion a federal issue, and leading to widespread abortion curbs all over the country. As per the National Family Health Survey-5, released earlier this year, nearly three per cent of all pregnancies in the country resulted in abortion. Safety — or the lack thereof According …

Opinion: These are the gray areas for women’s privacy now in a post-Roe world
2 years, 4 months ago

Opinion: These are the gray areas for women’s privacy now in a post-Roe world

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Aziza Ahmed is a professor of law at Boston University School of Law and the author of the forthcoming book “Feminism’s Medicine: Law, Science, and Social Movements in the AIDS Response.” Ji Seon Song is an assistant professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. Ji Seon Song Courtesy Ji Seon Song Despite the Food and …

Senate Democrats To Introduce Bill To Give DOJ Power To Fight Medication Abortion Bans
2 years, 4 months ago

Senate Democrats To Introduce Bill To Give DOJ Power To Fight Medication Abortion Bans

Huff Post  

Sen. Cory Booker has teamed up with Sen. Tina Smith to introduce legislation aimed at protecting access to medication used for abortion and miscarriage. Tom Williams via Getty Images Two Senate Democrats are hoping to protect access to medication abortion by codifying the Food and Drug Administration’s authority over reproductive health care products as several red states look into usurping …

Biden Admin: Pharmacists Cannot Refuse Prescriptions Similar To Medication Abortion
2 years, 5 months ago

Biden Admin: Pharmacists Cannot Refuse Prescriptions Similar To Medication Abortion

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING In the weeks since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, pharmacies across the country have refused to fill certain prescriptions that are the same as or similar to the drugs used in medication abortion. The Department of Health and Human Services issued a memo on Wednesday in which it reminded pharmacists at the 60,000 pharmacies that …

Medication abortion is common. Here’s how it works
2 years, 5 months ago

Medication abortion is common. Here’s how it works

LA Times  

Boxes of the drug mifepristone line a shelf at the West Alabama Women’s Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Medication abortions were already the preferred method for ending pregnancy in the U.S. even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. Medication abortions became the preferred method for ending pregnancy in the U.S. even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. …

Editorial: States can ban abortion, but they can’t stop the mail
2 years, 5 months ago

Editorial: States can ban abortion, but they can’t stop the mail

LA Times  

In these grim post-Roe days, more than half the states in the country are in the process of banning or severely curtailing access to abortion. In every state that outright bans abortion, that prohibition extends to medication abortion — a simple and safe two-pill regimen that has been available for more than two decades. It’s time for the federal government …

Explained | What do Indian laws say about Abortion?
2 years, 5 months ago

Explained | What do Indian laws say about Abortion?

The Hindu  

The story so far: In a significant step backwards for women’s rights in the U.S., the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade judgement of 1973, which gave women in America the right to have an abortion before the foetus is viable outside the womb or before the 24-28 week mark. The 2021 Act increased the upper limit of …

Abortion in India: This vintage ad from 70s was ahead of its time
2 years, 5 months ago

Abortion in India: This vintage ad from 70s was ahead of its time

Live Mint  

Since the US Supreme Court ended the right to abortion, it has sparked discussions on one of the most divisive and bitterly fought issues in American political life. Abortion is a simple procedure if you contact your doctor early.” The vintage ad says: “Abortion is legal. Abortion is a simple procedure if you contact your doctor early.” One Twitter user …

Why abortion should be a part of Universal Health Coverage
2 years, 7 months ago

Why abortion should be a part of Universal Health Coverage

Hindustan Times  

Access to abortion is an unconditional human right and should be entitled as a basic health care service delivered as a part of Universal Health Coverage. These various components of disparities have led to the gross neglect of women’s health, and the most overlooked is the Sexual and Reproductive Health Right, which is essential to the fulfillment of universal health …

There’s Already a Revolution in Abortions Happening—and the Supreme Court Can’t Touch It
2 years, 7 months ago

There’s Already a Revolution in Abortions Happening—and the Supreme Court Can’t Touch It

Slate  

In the year 2000, it looked like a bright new day for abortion rights. The FDA was set to approve the first medication specifically designed for terminating a pregnancy: The “French abortion pill,” as it was called—the name, a nod to the drug’s origins, also happened to convey a whiff of the laissez-faire—was about to come to America. Newspaper reports …

Next battle over access to abortion will focus on pills
2 years, 7 months ago

Next battle over access to abortion will focus on pills

Associated Press  

— It took two trips over state lines, navigating icy roads and a patchwork of state laws, for a 32-year-old South Dakota woman to get abortion pills last year. It’s going to be much harder for states to control abortion access,” she said, adding, “The question is how is it going to be enforced?” Abortion law experts say it’s an …

Abortion pills: A post-Roe game changer — and the next battleground
2 years, 7 months ago

Abortion pills: A post-Roe game changer — and the next battleground

LA Times  

Hundreds rally in downtown Los Angeles after news that the Supreme Court appears ready to overturn Roe vs. Wade. methods of unsafe abortion or methods that people might have used on their own in the 1960s.” But just as abortion rights supporters look to shore up access to medication abortion, antiabortion groups are focusing on enacting additional state restrictions on …

As US poised to restrict abortion, other nations ease access
2 years, 7 months ago

As US poised to restrict abortion, other nations ease access

Associated Press  

BOGOTA, Colombia — As women in the United States find themselves on the verge of possibly losing the constitutional right to abortion, courts in many other parts of the world have been moving in the opposite direction. “It is an awful precedent for the coming years for the region and the world,” said Colombian Catalina Martínez Coral, Latin America and …

Explained: Abortion, its Side Effects and the Law in India
3 years, 7 months ago

Explained: Abortion, its Side Effects and the Law in India

News 18  

An abortion is a procedure to end pregnancy. Pregnancy can be terminated at two stages: a) If pregnancy is under 20 weeks, then it can be terminated by single medical practitioner. b) If pregnancy exceeds 20 weeks but does not exceed 24 weeks, then minimum 2 medical practitioners are required to terminate pregnancy. Law says if the continuance of the …

A small step: The Hindu Editorial on medical termination of pregnancy law amendments
3 years, 8 months ago

A small step: The Hindu Editorial on medical termination of pregnancy law amendments

The Hindu  

Emancipation is seldom a linear progression to the finish; the hurdles are many, some entrenched in the mind. The passing of amendments to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act in India recently is a step forward in recognising the rights of women, but is no giant leap. It does push the envelope way past how far the now antediluvian MTP …

Reducing unwanted pregnancies during COVID-19: Rights-based, system-level response need of the hour
4 years ago

Reducing unwanted pregnancies during COVID-19: Rights-based, system-level response need of the hour

Firstpost  

The access, availability and affordability of contraceptive and abortion services in India have been negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, exacerbating existing issues. Contraceptive methods may fail and are not always available, and so safe abortion services ensure that women can terminate unwanted pregnancies. Women looking to terminate an unwanted pregnancy may be forced to use unsafe methods if they …

Women, uninterrupted: The Hindu Editorial on access to contraception and abortion services
4 years, 4 months ago

Women, uninterrupted: The Hindu Editorial on access to contraception and abortion services

The Hindu  

August 24, 2020 12:02 am | Updated 12:31 am IST Among the more serious ramifications of the pandemic has been the rather extensive, even if unintended, disruption of health-care services. The scale of the impact on women’s lives is only now being recognised, as global reports of inability to access contraceptives and abortion services during the long lockdown warn of …

Over-regulation of drugs impeding access to safe abortion, finds survey
4 years, 4 months ago

Over-regulation of drugs impeding access to safe abortion, finds survey

The Hindu  

Over-regulation of drugs to curb gender-biased sex selection such as through government programmes like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ has hindered access to safe, legal and cost-effective abortion, according to a survey across six States which found an “overwhelming shortage” of abortion pills or medical abortion drugs. A study conducted among 1,500 chemists in six States by Foundation for Reproductive Health …

Several states face shortage of medical abortion pills
4 years, 4 months ago

Several states face shortage of medical abortion pills

Live Mint  

New Delhi: There is an overwhelming shortage of medical abortion pills in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Delhi, according to a study conducted by Foundation for Reproductive Health Services India, an affiliate of Marie Stopes International that provides women and girls personalized contraception and safe abortion services in 37 countries. The study conducted among 1,500 chemists in six …

Why Is The Choice Of Abortion Not ‘Equal’ For All Women In India?
4 years, 5 months ago

Why Is The Choice Of Abortion Not ‘Equal’ For All Women In India?

The Quint  

I bought the test only because I was out of other explanations. Due to a lifetime of gynaecological issues I had been on the pill since I was thirteen to regulate my periods – it seemed extremely unlikely that I was pregnant. Yet I could not deny that obnoxious second pink line that appeared on one home pregnancy test after …

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