With US poised to restrict abortion, other countries ease access
2 years, 8 months ago

With US poised to restrict abortion, other countries ease access

Al Jazeera  

While US Supreme Court may overturn landmark abortion rights ruling, courts in other nations are moving to do the opposite. In February, Colombia’s Constitutional Court legalised abortion until the 24th week of pregnancy, part of a broader trend seen in parts of heavily Catholic Latin America. “It is an awful precedent for the coming years for the region and the world,” said Colombian Catalina Martinez Coral, Latin America and Caribbean director for the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights, which was among the groups that litigated the abortion case in Colombia’s high court. The decision fell short of advocates’ hopes for complete decriminalisation, but Martinez Coral said it still left Colombia with the “most progressive legal framework in Latin America”. But the expansion of abortion access has not extended to all of Latin America, with many countries restricting it to certain circumstances — such as Brazil, the region’s most populous nation, where it is permissible only in cases of rape, risk to the woman’s life and certified cases of the birth defect anencephaly.

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History of this topic

Abortions are up in the US. The data paints a complicated picture
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Abortions are up in the US. The data paints a complicated picture

Associated Press  

Abortion has become slightly more common despite bans or deep restrictions in most Republican-controlled states, and the legal and political fights over its future are not over yet. Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Overturning Roe and enforcing abortion bans has changed how woman obtain abortions in the U.S. “Abortion bans don’t actually …

US abortion numbers rise slightly since Roe was overturned, study finds
5 months, 1 week ago

US abortion numbers rise slightly since Roe was overturned, study finds

Associated Press  

The number of women getting abortions in the U.S. actually went up in the first three months of 2024 compared with before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, a report released Wednesday found, reflecting the lengths that Democratic-controlled states went to expand access. AP AUDIO: US abortion numbers have risen slightly since Roe was overturned, study finds AP correspondent …

Rise in pregnancy terminations in US after verdict favouring abortion overturned
5 months, 1 week ago

Rise in pregnancy terminations in US after verdict favouring abortion overturned

India Today  

The number of women getting abortions in the US actually went up in the first three months of 2024 compared with before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, a report released Wednesday found, reflecting the lengths that Democratic-controlled states went to expand access. In March, doctors in states with laws to protect medical providers used telemedicine to prescribe abortion …

Abortion laws aren’t working – women deserve the power to choose for themselves
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Abortion laws aren’t working – women deserve the power to choose for themselves

The Independent  

Abortion is ancient history – literally. One is that a young woman in England who was 19 years old at the time of her alleged illegal abortion currently faces a prison sentence, and the other is that our ability as a society to have meaningful discussions about the lived experience of abortion and to take care of women during the …

Abortions are legal in much of Africa. But few women may be aware, and providers don't advertise it
9 months, 1 week ago

Abortions are legal in much of Africa. But few women may be aware, and providers don't advertise it

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. More than 20 countries across Africa have loosened restrictions …

What does a total abortion ban look like in Dominican Republic?
1 year ago

What does a total abortion ban look like in Dominican Republic?

Associated Press  

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — The Dominican Republic is one of four Latin American nations that criminalizes abortion without exceptions. Abortion rights activists argue that the country’s total abortion ban not only restricts women’s reproductive choices but also puts their lives in danger. The country’s motto is “God, Country, Freedom,” and the government holds a concordat, or agreement, with the …

What does a total abortion ban look like in Dominican Republic?
1 year ago

What does a total abortion ban look like in Dominican Republic?

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. Abortion rights activists argue that the country’s total abortion …

Does India need to decriminalise abortion? | In Focus podcast
1 year, 2 months 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, …

Why are abortion laws in the spotlight again? | Explained
1 year, 3 months ago

Why are abortion laws in the spotlight again? | Explained

The Hindu  

The story so far: A married woman 26 weeks pregnant has approached the Supreme Court seeking to terminate her pregnancy citing inability to take care of the child due to post-partum depression and other health issues. The Supreme Court on October 9 agreed to her plea, but two days later, a two-judge Bench of Justices Hima Kohli and B.V. Nagarathna …

Brazil’s top court opens vote on decriminalizing abortion up to 12th week of pregnancy
1 year, 3 months ago

Brazil’s top court opens vote on decriminalizing abortion up to 12th week of pregnancy

Associated Press  

SAO PAULO — Brazil’s top court opened a session Friday that will decide whether abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy will be decriminalized nationwide. The Supreme Court’s Chief Justice Rosa Weber put the issue forward in an online session Friday and cast her vote in favor of the action. Weber said in her decision that Brazil’s standing on …

Mexico decriminalizes abortion, extending Latin American trend of widening access to procedure
1 year, 4 months ago

Mexico decriminalizes abortion, extending Latin American trend of widening access to procedure

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s Supreme Court threw out all federal criminal penalties for abortion Wednesday, ruling that national laws prohibiting the procedure are unconstitutional and violate women’s rights in a sweeping decision that extended Latin American’s trend of widening abortion access. After 40 years, the Supreme Court reversed its abortion decision, and we’re not going to stop until Mexico guarantees …

Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalizes abortion nationwide
1 year, 4 months ago

Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalizes abortion nationwide

LA Times  

A woman holds a banner that says “Legal, safe, and free abortion” as abortion rights protesters demonstrate in front of Congress in 2020. Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalized abortion nationwide Wednesday, two years after ruling that abortion was not a crime in one northern state. Wednesday’s sweeping court decision comes amid a trend in Latin America of loosening restrictions on abortion, …

One year later, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on right to abortion is both scorned and praised
1 year, 6 months ago

One year later, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on right to abortion is both scorned and praised

The Hindu  

Activists and politicians are marking the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned a nationwide right to abortion with a range of reactions that vary from praise and protests. “I’m absolutely livid that people think that they can interfere with medical decisions between a woman and her doctor,” said Lynn Rust, of Silver Springs, Maryland, at a …

Florida's Republican-led Senate passes six-week abortion ban
1 year, 9 months ago

Florida's Republican-led Senate passes six-week abortion ban

India Today  

Florida's Republican-led Senate passed a bill on Monday to outlaw most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, bringing the state a step closer to joining others across the U.S. South in banning almost all abortions. Republicans in the state House of Representatives and Senate filed concurrent bills last month to restrict the procedure further, starting at six weeks of pregnancy. …

DC Edit | Landmark abortion ruling expands women’s rights
2 years, 3 months ago

DC Edit | Landmark abortion ruling expands women’s rights

Deccan Chronicle  

It was blindingly obvious that there should be no distinction between married and unmarried women when it comes to having an abortion any time up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. The abortion ruling goes well beyond religion and other impediments like single women not being allowed to seek abortion after 20 weeks. The sweep of the judgment is truly remarkable …

Supreme Court ruling will help promote safe abortions, say medical experts
2 years, 3 months ago

Supreme Court ruling will help promote safe abortions, say medical experts

Hindustan Times  

The Supreme Court’s ruling that unmarried women are also entitled to seek termination of 24 weeks of pregnancy arising out of a consensual relationship is a “progressive” judgment and will help promote safe abortion practices, medical practitioners and women rights activists said on Thursday. In a significant ruling on Thursday, the Supreme Court declared that even an unmarried woman can …

Op-Ed: Abortion ban ‘exceptions’ cannot protect life
2 years, 6 months ago

Op-Ed: Abortion ban ‘exceptions’ cannot protect life

LA Times  

Dr. Blair Cushing, left, consults with a patient who will have a medication abortion at Whole Woman’s Health of McAllen in Texas, where lawmakers are seeking to ban abortion. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade has already set into motion legal processes to criminalize abortion in at least 15 states, with immediate and catastrophic health consequences for …

Latin America can now lead the way on abortion rights
2 years, 6 months ago

Latin America can now lead the way on abortion rights

Al Jazeera  

After the overturning of Roe v Wade in the United States, Argentina’s Green Wave may serve as a blueprint for feminist and trans-feminist movements across the world. While in the second half of the 20th century the global North was at the forefront of abortion law reform, with the US among its leading exponents, today it is feminist and trans-feminist …

Latin American activists undeterred despite US abortion rollback
2 years, 6 months ago

Latin American activists undeterred despite US abortion rollback

Al Jazeera  

Women’s rights advocates across Americas region say their struggle goes on after top US court overturns Roe v Wade. So when the United States Supreme Court decision that upended the right to an abortion in the country became official last week, the blow was personal across North and South America. “Now they have really left things in our hands – …

U.S. Supreme Court decision could stigmatise abortion globally, says Population Foundation of India
2 years, 6 months ago

U.S. Supreme Court decision could stigmatise abortion globally, says Population Foundation of India

The Hindu  

The United States Supreme Court’s decision to overturn its own landmark 1973 judgment in Roe Vs. Wade that made abortion a constitutional right in the country could stigmatise abortion worldwide, according to the Population Foundation of India. “Given the global influence of the U.S. across every sphere, this is likely to stigmatise reproductive health worldwide, affecting millions, if not billions …

Abortion access threatened in these US states after Supreme Court ruling
2 years, 6 months ago

Abortion access threatened in these US states after Supreme Court ruling

Hindustan Times  

The US Supreme Court's overturning of America's constitutional right to abortion gives all 50 states the freedom to ban the procedure, with nearly half expected to do so in some form. Anti-abortion demonstrators celebrate outside the US Supreme Court as the court rules in the Dobbs v Women’s Health Organization abortion case. Missouri's attorney general Eric Schmitt tweeted a photo …

Abortion laws in Colombia are now among the most liberal in the Americas
2 years, 8 months ago

Abortion laws in Colombia are now among the most liberal in the Americas

NPR  

Abortion laws in Colombia are now among the most liberal in the Americas Enlarge this image toggle caption Chepa Beltran/Long Visual Press/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Chepa Beltran/Long Visual Press/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Editor's note: This story was updated on July 13, 2022. "Colombia now is the country with the most progressive abortion laws in Latin America …

As U.S. Poised To Restrict Abortion, Other Nations Ease Access
2 years, 8 months ago

As U.S. Poised To Restrict Abortion, Other Nations Ease Access

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING 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. Natacha Pisarenko via AP “It is an awful precedent for the coming years for the region and the world,” said …

As US poised to restrict abortion, other nations ease access
2 years, 8 months ago

As US poised to restrict abortion, other nations ease access

India TV News  

Highlights Ruling on abortion in US is discouraging sign and a reminder that hard-won gains can be impermanent Mexico's Supreme Court held last year that it was unconstitutional to punish abortion Most European countries have legalized abortion, including predominantly Catholic ones Abortion news: As women in the United States find themselves on the verge of possibly losing the constitutional right …

As US poised to restrict abortion, other nations ease access
2 years, 8 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 …

Roe v Wade and state abortion policies: By the numbers
2 years, 8 months ago

Roe v Wade and state abortion policies: By the numbers

Al Jazeera  

Several US states have abortion bans and restrictions that could go into effect if the landmark 1973 ruling is reversed. A leaked United States Supreme Court draft majority opinion that would strike down the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling, which made abortion legal nationwide, has raised the prospect of abortions again becoming illegal across swathes of the country. Overturning the …

A look at some of the world’s toughest abortion laws
2 years, 8 months ago

A look at some of the world’s toughest abortion laws

Al Jazeera  

New limits on abortion rights are being pursued in the US and other countries. Amnesty International has “fervently” called on United States authorities to protect the right of abortion as the country’s top court appears set to vote to overturn the Roe v Wade decision that legalised abortion nationwide, according to a leaked initial draft majority opinion published by Politico …

Abortion ruling eliminates hurdles for Colombian women
2 years, 10 months ago

Abortion ruling eliminates hurdles for Colombian women

Associated Press  

BOGOTA, Colombia — From the first day of her pregnancy, the Colombian woman was fainting. Colombia’s Constitutional Court this week ruled that women can get abortions until the 24th week of their pregnancy without any permits from lawyers or doctors, removing almost insurmountable hurdles for getting the procedure legally. It said the decision to give birth or not is “a …

Explained: Why Colombia’s abortion law is a historic moment for women in Latin America and where do other countries stand
2 years, 10 months ago

Explained: Why Colombia’s abortion law is a historic moment for women in Latin America and where do other countries stand

Firstpost  

Colombia’s constitutional court decriminalised abortions within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, making it the fifth country in the region to make the practice more accessible and safer “We celebrate this ruling as a historic victory for the women’s movement in Colombia that has fought for decades for the recognition of their rights.” Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, …

Colombia decriminalises abortion following regional ‘green wave’
2 years, 10 months ago

Colombia decriminalises abortion following regional ‘green wave’

Al Jazeera  

Following a trend across Latin America, Colombia decriminalises abortion – making it legal up to 24 weeks. “There’s not a single woman in Colombia who doesn’t know someone who has had to get a clandestine abortion,” said 29-year-old Marisol Rivera, who stood outside the court building Monday with a green handkerchief symbolising the pro-abortion rights movement. “But little-by-little, we’re changing …

Colombia’s highest court legalizes abortion up to 24 weeks
2 years, 10 months ago

Colombia’s highest court legalizes abortion up to 24 weeks

India TV News  

Highlights Pro-choice groups had been pushing for abortion to be completely decriminalized in Colombia Earlier, Colombia allowed abortions only when a woman’s life was in danger Earlier law allowed abortion only if a fetus had malformations or a pregnancy resulted from rape Colombia became the latest country in Latin America to expand access to abortion Monday as the nation’s Constitutional …

Colombia's highest court legalizes abortion up to 24 weeks
2 years, 10 months ago

Colombia's highest court legalizes abortion up to 24 weeks

NPR  

Colombia's highest court legalizes abortion up to 24 weeks Enlarge this image toggle caption Fernando Vergara/AP Fernando Vergara/AP BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia became the latest country in Latin America to expand access to abortion Monday as the nation's Constitutional Court voted to legalize the procedure until the 24th week of pregnancy. But it was nevertheless described as a historic event …

Argentina: Shadows over abortion a year after legalization
3 years ago

Argentina: Shadows over abortion a year after legalization

Associated Press  

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Every week of late, more than 20 women with unwanted pregnancies come to Dr. Miranda Ruiz, one of the few physicians who perform free abortions in northern Argentina’s Salta province — many under a year-old law that legalized elective abortion to the 14th week of gestation. “There are spaces where abortion is guaranteed,” but in others …

Abortion ban: El Salvador frees women jailed after miscarriages
3 years ago

Abortion ban: El Salvador frees women jailed after miscarriages

Al Jazeera  

The women had been jailed for terms ranging from six to 13 years under some of the region’s harshest anti-abortion laws. Authorities in El Salvador have freed three women who spent between six and 13 years in jail under the country’s harsh anti-abortion laws after suffering miscarriages, a rights group has reported. The women had lost their fetuses due to …

2021 Notebook: In 2021, the US right to abortion is in peril
3 years ago

2021 Notebook: In 2021, the US right to abortion is in peril

Associated Press  

THE BACKGROUND: As 2021 comes to a close, Roe v. Wade — the historic 1973 Supreme Court ruling establishing a nationwide right to abortion — is imperiled as never before. The conservative-leaning Supreme Court indicated in arguments that it would uphold Mississippi’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, and may even overturn the nationwide right that has existed …

US Supreme Court to hear challenge to Mississippi abortion law
3 years, 1 month ago

US Supreme Court to hear challenge to Mississippi abortion law

Raw Story  

A US Supreme Court shifted to the right by Donald Trump is to hear a case this week that may roll back 50 years of abortion rights. The Supreme Court's rulings did not put an end, however, to conservative and religious opposition to abortion, and anti-abortion activists believe their moment may have finally arrived after years of political and legal …

Chile: Congress takes step toward abortion decriminalization
3 years, 3 months ago

Chile: Congress takes step toward abortion decriminalization

Associated Press  

SANTIAGO, Chile — The lower house of Chile’s Congress took a step toward decriminalizing abortion in most cases Tuesday, voting to craft a law barring prosecution of women who get abortions in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. Decriminalization of abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy would protect women from seeking the procedure in possibly unsafe conditions, said …

Chile takes ‘first step’ towards decriminalising abortion
3 years, 3 months ago

Chile takes ‘first step’ towards decriminalising abortion

Al Jazeera  

Proposed bill to legalise abortion up to 14 weeks hailed by Chilean legislator as ‘tremendous’ step for women’s rights. Chile’s lower house of Congress has approved a plan to debate a bill that would expand women’s access to legal abortions, a “first step” that could see the country join a small but growing list of Latin American countries that are …

Across Latin America, abortion restrictions are being loosened
3 years, 4 months ago

Across Latin America, abortion restrictions are being loosened

LA Times  

Thousands of pro-choice activists, including feminist groups from the U.S. and Chile, wave their iconic green handkerchiefs outside Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Feb. 19, 2020. A historic ruling by Mexico’s Supreme Court last week is the latest in a series of victories for abortion rights advocates in Latin America, a largely Roman Catholic region that has long had …

Mexico’s Supreme Court rules that abortion is not a crime
3 years, 4 months ago

Mexico’s Supreme Court rules that abortion is not a crime

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that it is unconstitutional to punish abortion, unanimously annulling several provisions of a law from Coahuila — a state on the Texas border — that had made abortion a criminal act. “From now on you will not be able to, without violating the court’s criteria and the constitution, charge any woman who …

Mexico Supreme Court says criminalising abortion unconstitutional
3 years, 4 months ago

Mexico Supreme Court says criminalising abortion unconstitutional

Al Jazeera  

‘This is a historic step,’ Supreme Court justice says of ruling hailed as a major victory for women’s rights. Mexico’s Supreme Court has ruled that it is unconstitutional to penalise abortion, a major victory for women’s health and reproductive rights that comes amid a “green wave” of abortion decriminalisation in Latin America. The Mexican court’s decision on Tuesday follows moves …

Mexico Supreme Court rules abortion is not a crime
3 years, 4 months ago

Mexico Supreme Court rules abortion is not a crime

LA Times  

A woman holds a banner that says, in part, in Spanish, “Abortion Safe and Legal” during a demonstration in Mexico City. “From now on, you will not be able to, without violating the court’s criteria and the constitution, charge any woman who aborts under the circumstances this court has ruled as valid.” Those circumstances will be clarified when the decision …

The struggle to secure access to abortion in Argentina goes on
3 years, 5 months ago

The struggle to secure access to abortion in Argentina goes on

Al Jazeera  

In recent months, Argentinians have had access to legal abortion for the first time. In December, Argentina became the fourth in Latin America to legalise abortion after the National Congress passed the Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy Law Securing this right for women and pregnant persons was a milestone achievement and the culmination of decades of struggle, setbacks and progress. Now, …

Full federal appeals court to consider Missouri abortion law
3 years, 5 months ago

Full federal appeals court to consider Missouri abortion law

Associated Press  

— A full federal appeals court has decided to rehear a case over a sweeping Missouri abortion law that would ban the procedures at or around the eighth week of a pregnancy. “The Eighth Circuit’s sudden change to reconsider Missouri’s sweeping abortion ban — one the court said was unconstitutional — is just another troubling signal in a long line …

Ecuador at critical crossroads in push for abortion rights
3 years, 5 months ago

Ecuador at critical crossroads in push for abortion rights

Al Jazeera  

In the largely conservative nation, women can be sentenced to up to two years in prison for having an abortion. Ban on abortion Carla’s story mirrors many contained in a report released last week by Human Rights Watch that exposes the effect of Ecuador’s abortion ban, one of the harshest in Latin America. “The criminalisation of abortion has a devastating …

Federal appeals court blocks Missouri ban on abortions after 8 weeks
3 years, 7 months ago

Federal appeals court blocks Missouri ban on abortions after 8 weeks

The Hindu  

A panel of federal appeals court judges blocked a Missouri law on Wednesday that banned abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy, saying the provisions of the law violated the constitutional right of women to end their pregnancies. The law is among more than a dozen gestational age abortion bans that have been passed in recent years by Republican-led legislatures and …

Salvadoran woman jailed for suspected abortion released
3 years, 7 months ago

Salvadoran woman jailed for suspected abortion released

Al Jazeera  

Sara Rogel had been sentenced to a 30-year jail term for an abortion-related crime in El Salvador. Women’s rights advocates have welcomed the release of a woman in El Salvador who was sentenced to a lengthy prison term for a suspected abortion, in a case that has drawn international attention to the South American nation’s strict abortion ban. “If El …

Ecuador court decriminalises abortion in rape cases
3 years, 8 months ago

Ecuador court decriminalises abortion in rape cases

Al Jazeera  

In Ecuador, a woman risks up to three years in prison for having an abortion, with few exceptions. Ecuador’s Constitutional Court has decriminalised abortion in cases of rape, the country’s human rights ombudsman announced, a significant step in Catholic-majority Latin America where termination of pregnancy is largely taboo. Ombudsman Freddy Carrion announced the court’s decision on Twitter, and said the …

International court could press El Salvador to change abortion ban
3 years, 8 months ago

International court could press El Salvador to change abortion ban

LA Times  

About seven months into her pregnancy, Manuela passed out at her family home in a rural part of Morozán in northeast El Salvador. Some banners at events like International Women’s Day say “Manuela justicia y esperanza” — Manuela justice and hope. The documents detailing Manuela’s sentencing stated that she had the “ability to choose between having, taking care of it …

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