Shutting down dialogue about abortion is contrary to women’s welfare and freedom of expression
Last month, the Northern Ireland Assembly passed a bill making it a criminal offence for anyone to engage in “influencing” women inside “safe access zones” (100m) around abortion clinics. The bill targets those who protest against abortion or attempt to assist pregnant women outside such clinics, in order to “protect” women from “harassment”.
Read moreIs abortion really the only choice for women?
Following the recent decriminalisation of abortion laws in some jurisdictions across Australia, the focus of abortion advocates has now turned to the issue of “equality of access”. There are calls for public funding and support to enable women who need to travel long distances to access abortions, particularly for women who don’t have the means to pay for interstate travel or whose personal situations make it difficult for them to leave home or miss work in order to attend clinics some distance away.
Read moreWho loses out when abortion data is suppressed?
Concerns have been raised by women’s advocacy groups in South Australia following the release of new draft regulations which require comprehensive data to be provided by doctors regarding all abortions that are performed in the state.
Read moreNT’s late-term abortion law does women no favours
The Northern Territory parliament has recently passed a bill which amends the Termination of Pregnancy Law Reform Act 2017, making it easier for women to access late-term abortions. But do these amendments genuinely improve Territorian women’s options and circumstances?
Read moreThousands of women hospitalised in UK following DIY home abortions
In Australia, the relatively recent phenomenon of ‘tele-abortions’ is being promoted to women as a safe and affordable alternative to surgical abortion, especially for women who live in regional or remote parts of the country. Women are able to access online telehealth consultations with physicians, obtain referrals for ultrasounds and blood tests if required, and then receive the required medications by way of courier to their home or pharmacies in close proximity to where they live.
Read moreAustralia’s funding of foreign abortions: compassionate or coercive?
Australia funds foreign abortions through its long-standing partnerships with leading sexual and reproductive health organisations, including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and Marie Stopes International Australia (MSIA). In November 2020, an e-petition (which garnered only two signatures) requested the Australian government to “substantially increase foreign aid to reputable family planning organisations”.
Read morePolish woman’s tragic death does not support greater access to abortion
The tragic death of a 30-year-old woman in Poland has sparked protests and calls for a review of the country’s strict abortion laws, which were tightened earlier this year.
Read moreVictims of forced sterilisation deserve a more convincing advocate
Jamal Hakim, Managing Director of Marie Stopes Australia, has called for redress for women who were sterilised without their consent because of a disability. The call is prompted by revelations from the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with a Disability which, according to Hakim’s information, heard “that children as young as seven were sterilised because of their disability, such as having vision impairments”.
Read moreNetflix Star says he would abort his next child if it is a girl
Comments made by Taiwanese Netflix star Mike He made in a 2020 interview have surfaced causing a backlash online.
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