Attack on Abortion Law

[ALB]

I just checked and I see that the referendum mentioned in that 2002 article from the Socialist Standard was lost and that there's going to be another referendum in May:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/08/irelands-government-approves-bill-paving-way-for-abortion-referendumThe sort of referendum in which Socialist Party members in the Republic (and there are some) have a free hand?

[alanjjohnstone]

Mississippi’s governor has signed the nation’s tightest abortion restrictions into law.  It becomes law immediately and bans most abortions after 15 weeks’ gestation. The law’s only exceptions are if a fetus has health problems making it “incompatible with life” outside the womb at full term, or if a pregnant woman’s life or a “major bodily function” is threatened by pregnancy. Pregnancies resulting from rape and incest are not exempted.Abortion rights advocates are calling the law unconstitutional because it limits abortion before fetuses can live outside the womb. The owner of Mississippi’s only abortion clinic, Diane Derzis, opposes the law. Her clinic would be forced to turn away women who seek abortions after 15 weeks and refer them out of state, where the number of clinics is also dwindling in the face of legal and legislative challenges by a resurgent anti-abortion, religious right movement.The law, also known as the Gestational Age Act, also says a person found guilty of performing an abortion after 15 weeks of gestation will face a felony conviction and up to 10 years in prison and could have their medical license suspended or revoked.Mississippi, a relatively poor state, has the highest infant mortality rate and worst overall ranking in the nation for children and infant care.https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/mar/19/mississippi-abortion-law

[DJP]

Rusty Pigfumbler wrote:

These 'antiquated, offensive laws' save lives. The lives of the yet to be born.

Well then perhaps we so go for an absolute ban on all contraception? Think of all the lives of the yet to be born we would save!Every sperm is sacred after all!

[alanjjohnstone]

Rates of abortion have dropped significantly across the world in the past quarter-century, but the decline has been predominantly in the developed world, according to a report by the US-based Guttmacher Institute.

Quote:

“Legal restrictions do not eliminate abortion,” the report said. “Rather they increase the likelihood that abortions will be done unsafely, as they compel women to seek clandestine procedures. Indeed, abortion tends to be safer in countries where it is broadly legal and in countries with a high national income.”

Globally, the rate of abortion fell between 1990-94 and 2010-2014, from 46 to 27 per 1,000 women of reproductive age. But in developing countries, the abortion rates declined from 39 to just 36 in the same period. Globally, the rate of abortion fell between 1990-94 and 2010-2014, from 46 to 27 per 1,000 women of reproductive age. But in developing countries, the abortion rates declined from 39 to just 36 in the same period.“It is good news that the unplanned pregnancy rate has declined worldwide,” said Gilda Sedgh, one of the report’s authors. “But it is not good news that there are wide differences across the world between developing and developed countries.”

Quote:

Marjorie Newman-Williams, vice president for external affairs at Marie Stopes International, said: “At a time when we see several governments around the world trying to increase restrictions on women’s access to safe abortion, and in some cases even to contraception, this report is a beacon of common sense. Restricting abortion does not stop women from having them. All it does is drive women to desperate measures, putting their health and lives at risk. Every day, 130 women die as a result of an unsafe procedure. It is vital on this issue that governments are led by the evidence rather than resorting to well-trodden myths and prejudices. Giving people the power to decide the size of their family is an essential component of development, lifting families out of poverty and strengthening security and resilience. Countries can only benefit by accepting that this need exists and providing safe, quality services to meet it.”

In 2014, at least 22,800 women died from complications of unsafe terminations. Unsafe abortions occur in developing countries where restrictions are concentrated and also where there is inadequate provision, even when legal. As of 2017, 42% of women of reproductive age live in the 125 countries where abortion is highly restricted (either prohibited altogether or allowed only to save a woman’s life or protect her health). In the 14 developing countries where unsafe abortion is prevalent, 40% of women seeking a termination develop complications that require medical attention. As of 2017, 42% of women of reproductive age live in the 125 countries where abortion is highly restricted (either prohibited altogether or allowed only to save a woman’s life or protect her health).The report found that abortions occur as frequently in the two most restrictive categories of countries – such as Malta, where it is banned outright, or Ireland, where it is allowed only to save the woman’s life – as it does in the least restrictive category, where it is allowed no matter what the reason.“Improved contraception use and, in turn, declines in unintended pregnancy rates are the likely driver behind the worldwide decline in abortion rates,” said Susheela Singh, vice president for international research at the GI. “Most women who have an abortion do so because they did not intend to become pregnant in the first place. Meeting the need for contraception is critical to bringing down rates even further.”Of the 56 million abortions that occurred annually between 2010 and 2014, an estimated 55% were deemed “safe”: done by a trained practitioner and by a recommended method. Just over 30% were “less safe”, where only one of these conditions was met, and 14% were “least safe”, when neither was met, according to the report.The safety of abortion procedures has improved because of advances in clinical guidelines and broadening legality in a number of countries, the study said. In addition, where abortion laws are highly restrictive, the increased use of the drug misoprostol has also improved safety.It concluded: “Even when used by an untrained person, misoprostol is still safer than traditional methods of clandestine abortion that are considered the least safe, such as inserting sharp objects into the uterus or ingesting toxic substances.”Improved contraceptive use meant that across the world the number of unwanted pregnancies dropped substantially, it said.https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/mar/21/abortion-rates-drop-dramatically-rich-countries-terminations-study

[alanjjohnstone]

In October, Scotland’s chief medical officer told Scottish health boards that the drug Misoprostal could be taken outside a clinical setting. The drug is the second of a two-drug combination used in early abortions. 

Quote:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misoprostol#AbortionMisoprostol is used for self-induced abortions in Brazil, where black market prices exceed US$100 per dose. Illegal medically unsupervised misoprostol abortions in Brazil are associated with a lower complication rate than other forms of illegal self-induced abortion, but are still associated with a higher complication rate than legal, medically supervised surgical and medical abortions. Failed misoprostol abortions are associated with birth defects in some cases. Low-income and immigrant populations in New York City have also been observed to use self-administered misoprostol to induce abortions, as this method is much cheaper than a surgical abortion (about $2 per dose) The drug is readily available in Mexico. Use of misoprostol has also increased in Texas in response to increased regulation of abortion providers

Women seeking abortions have been required to take both drug doses in a hospital or clinic.Pro-abortion rights groups backed the change, including Abortion Rights, the Family Planning Association and the Scottish Humanist Society. Jillian Merchant, vice-chair of the group Abortion Rights, said that the change would make Scottish practice reflect current practice in the U.S., France and Sweden. “Patients are not required to take pills in front of the prescribing clinician for any other condition. Abortion should be treated no differently,” said Merchant.Scottish bishops objected that “making abortion easier ignores the disturbing reality that an innocent human life is ended,” the U.K. newspaper The Catholic Herald reports.The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children Scotland will argue in court that the relevant legislation, the 1967 Abortion Act, did not intend to allow abortions at home. The legislation requires the presence of doctors, nurses or medical staff.  John Deighan, CEO of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children Scotland, argues, “Many vulnerable women who may be desperate about the situation they are in will be pushed towards what is seen as the easy option of being handed some drugs and sent home to stop being a problem for society.” He continued, “The move to trivialize abortion is one that harms women and creates an environment where some women are even urged to have an abortion because it does not suit others,” Deighan continued, saying the government plan amounts to approving “backstreet abortions.”https://cruxnow.com/church-in-uk-and-ireland/2018/03/21/in-scotland-pro-lifers-say-at-home-abortion-pill-could-pressure-women/

[alanjjohnstone]

http://www.dw.com/en/thousands-in-poland-protest-stricter-abortion-laws/a-43110497Poland still has some of the most stringent abortion laws in the European Union (EU). Currently, they allow abortion only in the case of risk to the mother's life or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Protesters spoke out in opposition to the proposed legislation changes, which would ban abortions for irreparably sick or impaired fetus, or those with Down Syndrome with some carrying signs reading, "I will not give birth to a dead baby.""Stop tightening abortion laws," read the signs as they marched through the streets of Warsaw and other Polish cities to protest the ruling conservative government's initiative to tighten the country's already strict laws against abortion.The Council of Europe's human rights commissioner, Nils Muiznieks, expressed his worries about the draft law and called on the parliament to reject the proposed changes. "Poland has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe," Muiznieks said in a statement posted to social media. "This step would be at variance with Poland's obligations under human rights law."Last year, the PiS government launched a campaign urging Poles to "breed like rabbits" in order to up the country's declining birth rate. Additionally, in a program called "Family 500+," the state pays out around 500 zloty (€118, $146) per child per month to families with two or more children. The government has also cut funding for in-vitro fertilization.

[alanjjohnstone]

The death of a 14-year-old rape victim in Paraguay during childbirth has put the spotlight on the country's high levels of sexual violence against girls and its strict abortion law, campaigners said.A United Nations study raised the alarm about rising numbers of girls under 15 falling pregnant in the region, adding that complications during pregnancy and childbirth are a leading cause of death for teenage girls.In Paraguay, two births a day occur among girls aged 10 to 14 in the country of 6.8 million, and many are the result of sexual abuse by relatives. But abortion in the majority Catholic nation is only allowed when the mother's life is in danger otherwise it is a crime. Paraguay's stringent abortion law made world headlines in 2015 when authorities denied a pregnant 10-year-old an abortion after she was allegedly raped by her stepfather.Latin America and the Caribbean has some of the world's most restrictive abortion laws, including six countries that have an outright ban.http://news.trust.org/item/20180323140303-jsduj/

[Anonymous]

alanjjohnstone wrote:

The death of a 14-year-old rape victim in Paraguay during childbirth has put the spotlight on the country's high levels of sexual violence against girls and its strict abortion law, campaigners said.A United Nations study raised the alarm about rising numbers of girls under 15 falling pregnant in the region, adding that complications during pregnancy and childbirth are a leading cause of death for teenage girls.In Paraguay, two births a day occur among girls aged 10 to 14 in the country of 6.8 million, and many are the result of sexual abuse by relatives. But abortion in the majority Catholic nation is only allowed when the mother's life is in danger otherwise it is a crime. Paraguay's stringent abortion law made world headlines in 2015 when authorities denied a pregnant 10-year-old an abortion after she was allegedly raped by her stepfather.Latin America and the Caribbean has some of the world's most restrictive abortion laws, including six countries that have an outright ban.http://news.trust.org/item/20180323140303-jsduj/

And the highest rate of feminicide. The catholic church is holding by the balls all the goverment officials

[DJP]

Here's a good policy for saving the lives of the unborn:https://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/13/health/abortion-texas-lawmaker-trnd/index.html

[alanjjohnstone]

 Ireland's referendum on abortion will be held on Friday 25 May.I would expect every socialist with a vote to use it to end of the Irish Constitution's restrictions on abortion. As the Standard wrote: 

Quote:

"…ultimately it is for the individuals themselves to decide…."

So regardless of a member's individual view, they should support the repeal of the law to permit that exercise of that individual responsibility.

[alanjjohnstone]

http://news.trust.org/item/20180405202453-2crv3/The new law, allowing abortions when women's lives are in danger or if a fetus is unviable or the result of rape, was welcomed by rights groups in a region with some of the world's most restrictive abortion laws. It legalised abortion for the first time in Chile, one of several Latin American countries that had a total ban. Women and girls in Chile, including rape victims, will find it harder to access legal abortions as the government has started allowing clinics to deny services on moral grounds, campaigners said. Campaigners say the move, which has revived debate on abortion in the Catholic nation, marks a set back for women's reproductive rights as it places barriers in their way to receiving a legal abortion. women and girls in small communities where there are few healthcare providers will struggle to find services, said Lidia Casas, law professor at Chile's Diego Portales University.

[alanjjohnstone]

Ealing councillors voted unanimously to approve a “safe zone” to shield women from demonstrators at centre run by the charity Marie Stopes. It follows complaints that women using the west London centre were being harassed and intimidated by anti-abortion protesters, some brandishing large images of foetuses.https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ealing-council-abortion-clinic-ban-protests-marie-stopes-london-labour-party-a8298621.html

[alanjjohnstone]

More info on how some US states are endeavouring to restrict abortionshttps://www.alternet.org/human-rights/women-america-are-routinely-punished-abortions-arizona-just-latest-example

[alanjjohnstone]

El Salvador's lawmakers have "blood on their hands", rights campaigners said on Friday, after parliament failed to consider proposals that would have decriminalised abortion in some circumstances.Abortion is a crime in the Catholic-majority nation under strict laws that campaigners say put women's lives in danger. About a third of all pregnancies in El Salvador are among girls aged 10 to 18, with many the result of incest by a relative or rape at the hands of someone known to the girl.About 25 women are in prison accused of abortion-related crimes even though rights groups say they actually suffered miscarriages, stillbirths or pregnancy complications."El Salvador's lawmakers have blood on their hands after declining to even discuss the reform to decriminalize abortion," said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, in a statement on Friday. "This desperately needed bill would have saved the lives of countless women and girls who are needlessly put at risk by the total ban on abortion.""Lawmakers have failed to fulfil their obligations because they have not guaranteed the constitutional right to health and life of girls and women," local rights group, the Citizen Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion (CFDA) said. "The absolute criminalization of abortion causes unnecessary risks and injustices that affect especially the poorest women."Five other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean also have outright abortion bans.http://news.trust.org/item/20180427185247-lx2j7/

[alanjjohnstone]

 Iowa has approved  America's most restrictive abortion ban, outlawing most abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected, as early as six weeks.http://www.dw.com/en/iowa-approves-americas-toughest-abortion-law/a-43631392

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