Choice Ireland

By Genevra Pittman
NEW YORK, Jan 23, 2012

(Reuters Health) - Getting a legal abortion is much safer than giving birth, suggests a new U.S. study published Monday.

Researchers found that women were about 14 times more likely to die during or after giving birth to a live baby than to die from complications of an abortion.

Experts say the findings, though not unexpected, contradict some state laws that suggest abortions are high-risk procedures.

A rising proportion of abortions worldwide are putting women's health at risk, researchers say.

The World Health Organization study suggests global abortion rates are steady, at 28 per 1,000 women a year.

However, the proportion of the total carried out without trained clinical help rose from 44% in 1995 to 49% in 2008.

The Lancet, which carried the report, said the figures were "deeply disturbing".

NIALL BEHAN

Tue, Jan 17, 2012

OPINION: ON FRIDAY, the Government published the terms of reference and named the expert group tasked with addressing the outcome of the A, B & C v Ireland ruling at the European Court of Human Rights. The ruling in December 2010 reaffirmed the Supreme Court X Case judgment of 1992.

The new expert group must now propose concrete measures to implement the ruling of the court and to comply with the wishes of the people as expressed in the 1992 and 2002 constitutional referendums.

New York Times
January 11, 2012
By MARTIN JAY

CASABLANCA — Less than two months after winning power in Morocco’s elections, the moderate Islamic party of Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane is surprising opponents by moving to relax the country’s strict abortion laws.

In an interview last week, a top aide to Mr. Benkirane, Mustapha Khalifi, speaking in a personal capacity, confirmed media reports that the prime minister would support an initiative to allow abortions in cases of rape and incest.

05 January, 2012
Vanguard (Nigeria)

Members of Young Lawyers Forum have said that the inability of Nigerian women to exercise their reproductive rights was endangering their lives. Chairman of the Forum, Ilofuan Igbuan, who made the observation in Abuja, said: "Women reproductive rights are issues endangering the lives of our women folk and making Nigeria to lose respect in the comity of nations when reproductive rights are being addressed."

By Colette Browne
Wednesday, December 14, 2011

FINALLY the lie, that those who opt to terminate their pregnancies are more susceptible to mental illness, has been nailed.

"The best current evidence suggests that it makes no difference to a woman’s mental health whether she chooses to have an abortion or to continue with the pregnancy," concluded the biggest worldwide study of the relationship between termination and mental wellbeing, the results of which were published on Friday.

12 December 2011
Patricia Nkhoma
The Daily Times

Experts have called for the review of Malawi's abortion laws, saying current laws are contributing towards high unsafe abortion rates and preventable deaths among resource- poor women.

This was disclosed last Wednesday at a two-day sexual reproductive health meeting held in Zomba.

Denis Campbell, health correspondent
The Guardian, Friday 9 December 2011

Having an abortion does not increase a woman's chance of developing mental health problems, according to a large study that challenges anti-abortion groups' claims that termination causes trauma and depression.

The research, commissioned by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and funded by the Department of Health, should reassure women that they are at no greater risk than if they give birth, the authors said.

24 November, 2011
Deutsche Welle Asia

Daily Times
Blantyre
17 November 2011
Suzgo Khunga & Travis Lupick

A recent study conducted by the Ministry of Health’s Reproductive Health Unit (RHU) and NGOs such as the World Health Organization (WHO) has called attention to the dangers of unsafe abortion, describing the practice as a “leading cause of maternal death in Malawi.”