Interpreting and Implementing Existing Abortion Laws in Africa 2013
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TA(2020)0336 Abortion Rights in Poland European Parliament Resolution of 26 November 2020 on the De Facto Ban on the Right to Abortion in Poland (2020/2876(RSP))
European Parliament 2019-2024 TEXTS ADOPTED P9_TA(2020)0336 Abortion rights in Poland European Parliament resolution of 26 November 2020 on the de facto ban on the right to abortion in Poland (2020/2876(RSP)) The European Parliament, – having regard to the Treaty on European Union (TEU), and in particular Articles 2 and 7(1) thereof, – having regard to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) of 4 November 1950 and the related case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), – having regard to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (‘the Charter’), – having regard to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, – having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 10 December 1948, – having regard to the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) of 16 December 1966 and the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) of 16 December 1966, – having regard to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women of 18 December 1979, – having regard to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment of 10 December 1984, – having regard to the UN Human Rights Committee’s concluding observations of 23 November 2016 on the seventh periodic report of Poland, – having regard to UNESCO’s International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education of 10 January 2018, – having regard to the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in 1994, its programme of -
Summaries of Jurisprudence Health and Reproductive
SUMMARIES OF JURISPRUDENCE Health and Reproductive Rights Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional Center for Justice and International Law Centro pela Justiça e o Direito Internacional Pemonton Kowantok Wacüpe Yuwanin Pataset Summaries of Jurisprudence / Health and Reproductive Rights Compiled by Liliana Tojo Center for Justice and International Law - CEJIL, 2012. 216 p.; 24 x 17 cm. The commercialization of this publication is prohibited. Reproduction of the contents is authorized, provided that the source is quoted. Compilation: Liliana Tojo Compilation Assistant: Pilar Elizalde Federico Taboada Translation Team (spanish edition): Ludmila Novotny (intern) María Pía Rebussone (intern) Edition, editorial and cover design: Folio Uno S.A. CEJIL´s Board of Directors: José Miguel Vivanco (President) Alejandro Garro (Vice-president) Helen Mack (Secretary) Mariclaire Acosta Urquidi Gastón Chillier Benjamín Cuellar Gustavo Gallón Sofía Macher Julieta Montaño SUMMARIES OF JURISPRUDENCE Health and Reproductive Rights CEJIL´S WORK IS POSSIBLE THANKS TO THE GENEROUS CONTRIBUTION OF THE FOLLOWING SUPPORTERS: Dan Church Aid Diakonia/European Union EED Embassy of Canada in Argentina Foundation to Promote Open Society (FOSI) HIVOS Loyola University MISEREOR National Endowment for Democracy Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Royal Embassy of Norway in Argentina The Ford Foundation The John D. and Catherine MacArthur Foundation The Netherlands Embassy in Costa Rica The Oak Foundation The Sigrid Rausing Trust UNHCR United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (UNVFVT) And individual and private donors who wish to remain anonymous. We are especially grateful to the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Argentina for the support they provided in the production of this book. IV PRESENTATION CEJIL is proud to present a new addition to the series: Tools for the Protection of Human Rights: Summaries of Jurisprudence. -
Globalisation and Transitions in Abortion Care in Ghana Patience Aniteye1 and Susannah H
Aniteye and Mayhew BMC Health Services Research (2019) 19:185 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4010-8 RESEARCHARTICLE Open Access Globalisation and transitions in abortion care in Ghana Patience Aniteye1 and Susannah H. Mayhew2* Abstract Background: Access to safe abortion is a globally contested policy and social justice issue – contested because of its religious and moral dimensions regarding the right to life and personhood of a foetus vs. the rights of women to make decisions about their own bodies. Many nations have agreed to address the health consequences of unsafe abortion, though stopped short of committing to providing comprehensive services. Ghana has a relatively liberal abortion law dating from 1985 and has ratified most international agreements on provision of care. Policy implementation has been very slow, but modest effortsarenowbeingmadetoreducematernalmortality caused by unsafe abortions. Understanding whether globalisation has played a role in this transition to practice is important to institutionalise the transition in Ghana and to learn lessons for other countries seeking to implement policies, but analysis is lacking. Methods: Drawing on 58 in-depth key informant interviews and policy document analysis we describe the development of de jure law and policies on comprehensive abortion care in Ghana, de facto interpretation and implementation of those policies, and assess what role globalization played in the transition in abortion care in Ghana. Results: We found that an accumulation of global influences has converged to start a transition in the culture of abortion care and service provision in Ghana, from a restrictive interpretation of the law to facilitating more widespread access to legal, safe abortion services through development of policies and guidelines and a slow change in attitudes and practices of health providers. -
Availability, Accessibility and Utilization of Post-Abortion Care in Sub-Saharan Africa: a Systematic Review
HEALTH CARE FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL https://doi.org/10.1080/07399332.2019.1703991 REVIEW ARTICLE Availability, accessibility and utilization of post-abortion care in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review Chimaraoke Izugbaraa, Frederick Murunga Wekesahb , Meroji Sebanya, Elizabeth Echokac, Joshua Amo-Adjeid, and Winstoun Mugab aInternational Center for Research on Women, Washington, D.C, USA; bAfrican Population & Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya; cCentre for Public Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute - KEMRI, Nairobi, Kenya; dDepartment of Population and Health, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY At the 1994 ICPD, sub-Saharan African (SSA) states pledged, Received 28 June 2019 inter alia, to guarantee quality post-abortion care (PAC) serv- Accepted 9 December 2019 ices. We synthesized existing research on PAC services provi- sion, utilization and access in SSA since the 1994 ICPD. Generally, evidence on PAC is only available in a few countries in the sub-region. The available evidence however suggests that PAC constitutes a significant financial burden on public health systems in SSA; that accessibility, utilization and avail- ability of PAC services have expanded during the period; and that worrying inequities characterize PAC services. Manual and electrical vacuum aspiration and medication abortion drugs are increasingly common PAC methods in SSA, but poor-qual- ity treatment methods persist in many contexts. Complex socio-economic, infrastructural, cultural and political factors mediate the availability, accessibility and utilization of PAC services in SSA. Interventions that have been implemented to improve different aspects of PAC in the sub-region have had variable levels of success. Underexplored themes in the exist- ing literature include the individual and household level costs of PAC; the quality of PAC services; the provision of non-abor- tion reproductive health services in the context of PAC; and health care provider-community partnerships. -
Introduction of Medical Abortion in Ghana
Population Council Knowledge Commons Reproductive Health Social and Behavioral Science Research (SBSR) 2011 Introduction of medical abortion in Ghana Emmanuel Kuffour Population Council Selina F. Esantsi Population Council Placide Tapsoba Population Council Gloria Quansah Asare Ian Askew Population Council Follow this and additional works at: https://knowledgecommons.popcouncil.org/departments_sbsr-rh Part of the Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Health Policy Commons, International Public Health Commons, Obstetrics and Gynecology Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons, and the Women's Health Commons How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! Recommended Citation Kuffour, Emmanuel, Selina F. Esantsi, Placide Tapsoba, Gloria Quansah Asare, and Ian Askew. 2011. "Introduction of medical abortion in Ghana." Accra: Population Council. This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Population Council. INTRODUCTION OF MEDICAL ABORTION IN GHANA Emmanuel Osei Kuffour1 , Selina F. Esantsi1, Placide Tapsoba1, Gloria Quansah- Asare2, Ian Askew3 Emmanuel Osei Kuffour PhD (abd); M&E Advisor, Population Council, Ghana, Selina F. Esantsi, MA; Program Officer, Population Council, Ghana Placide Tapsoba, MD, MPH; Director, Population Council, Ghana Gloria Quansah-Asare, MD, PhD; Director of Family Health Division, Ghana Health Service Ian Askew Ph.D; Director, Reproductive Health Services and Research, Population Council i INTRODUCTION OF MEDICAL ABORTION IN GHANA Emmanuel Osei Kuffour1, Selina F. Esantsi1, Placide Tapsoba1, Gloria Quansah-Asare2, Saumya RamaRao3 The Population Council is an international, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that seeks to improve the well-being and reproductive health of current and future generations around the world and to help achieve a humane, equitable, and sustainable balance between people and resources. -
Unusual Presentation of Phaechromocytoma in a Child- A
September 2006 Volume 40, Number 3 GHANA MEDICAL JOURNAL OVERVIEW OF THE LAW AND AVAILABILITY OF ABORTION SERVICES IN GHANA R.A.S MORHEE AND *E.S.K. MORHEE1 Faculty of Law, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana and 1De- partment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana. SUMMARY this form of behaviour with the aim of preventing Introduction: In Ghana unsafe abortion remains a its occurrence and to deter people with like minds major public health problem despite apparent lib- from indulging in such a practice. History how- eralization of the law on abortion over two dec- ever, shows that abortion is a fundamental human ades. The contention is that the current law on behaviour that has been practiced in all cultural abortion makes enforceability difficult and leaves settings and that no level of restrictive laws has 1,2 room for untrained personnel to engage in danger- succeeded in controlling it. Thus when a woman ous abortion procedures and that there is need for decides to end an unwanted pregnancy she will law reform. often go to extreme length to do so, regardless of Objectives: To bring into focus how the current whether the procedure is safe or legal and as long law affects the availability of safe abortion service as there is unwanted pregnancy abortion will be a in Ghana and to bring out suggestions that may be fact of life. Unsafe abortion accounts for at least useful in future amendment of the law. 13% of global maternal mortality that is dispropor- 3,4 Methods: Using the information gathered from tionately high in Africa Most of these deaths as literature review the current law on abortion in well as the long-term complications of unsafe Ghana and relevant sections of the criminal code abortion are preventable through improved access were critically analyzed from medico-legal per- to effective family planning methods and contra- spective. -
Federation for Women and Family Planning Ul. Nowolipie 13/15 00-150, Warsaw, Poland [email protected]
Federation for Women and Family Planning Ul. Nowolipie 13/15 00-150, Warsaw, Poland [email protected] Warsaw, 16 June 2021 Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Health - The right to sexual and reproductive health – Challenges and Possibilities during COVID-19 1. About the Federation The Federation for Women and Family Planning is a non-governmental organization based in Poland that works locally, regionally and internationally on advancement of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) through monitoring, advocacy and educational activities as well as strategic litigation before domestic and international courts. In 1999 the Federation was awarded the Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) and conducts SRHR advocacy at the United Nations, Council of Europe and European Union. 2. Introduction This submission illustrates how Polish state instrumentalised Covid-19 measures to restrict access to SRHR with the particular focus on access to abortion. It outlines main events in the field of SRHR that has happened during Covid-19, and challenges faced especially by women in Poland who are making or living their reproductive choices. Unfortunately, for the scarcity thereof, only small part of the submission is dedicated to the opportunities created by the pandemic crisis. Poland was the only country at the EU where access to abortion have been drastically restricted and the conditions created by the Covid-19 crisis have facilitated for the Polish authorities the processes leading to the change in laws. It needs to be noted that even before the pandemic, pursuant to the Family Planning Act of 1993, access to abortion was limited to the grounds of severe and irreversible fetal defect or incurable illness of the fetus, rape, incest, and danger to mother’s health. -
Abortion Care in Ghana: a Critical Review of the Literature
Rominski & Lori Abortion care in Ghana Abortion care in Ghana REVIEW ARTICLE Abortion Care in Ghana: A Critical Review of the Literature Sarah D Rominski1* and Jody R Lori2 1Global REACH, University of Michigan Medical School; 2School of Nursing, University of Michigan. * For Correspondence: E-mail: [email protected], Phone: 001-734-717-5930. Abstract The Government of Ghana has taken important steps to mitigate the impact of unsafe abortion. However, the expected decline in maternal deaths is yet to be realized. This literature review aims to present findings from empirical research directly related to abortion provision in Ghana and identify gaps for future research. A total of four (4) databases were searched with the keywords “Ghana and abortion” and hand review of reference lists was conducted. All abstracts were reviewed. The final include sample was 39 articles. Abortion-related complications represent a large component of admissions to gynecological wards in hospitals in Ghana as well as a large contributor to maternal mortality. Almost half of the included studies were hospital-based, mainly chart reviews. This review has identified gaps in the literature including: interviewing women who have sought unsafe abortions and with healthcare providers who may act as gatekeepers to women wishing to access safe abortion services. (Afr J Reprod Health 2014; 18[3]: 17-35) Keywords: Abortion, Ghana, Review Résumé Le gouvernement du Ghana a pris des mesures importantes pour atténuer l'impact de l'avortement à risque. Cependant, la baisse attendue de la mortalité maternelle est encore à réaliser. Cette revue de la documentation a pour but de présenter les résultats de recherches empiriques directement liés à la prestation de l'avortement au Ghana et d'identifier les lacunes de la recherche future. -
Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Submission to the Citizens’ Assembly in Its Consideration of Article 40.3.3° of the Irish Constitution
Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Submission to the Citizens’ Assembly in its consideration of Article 40.3.3° of the Irish Constitution 16 December 2016 1 Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3 Purpose and Outline of the Submission ................................................................................................. 4 Domestic Legal Framework ..................................................................................................................... 6 Obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights & Revised European Social Charter . 10 Obligations under United Nations Human Rights Treaties ................................................................... 16 Summary of Gaps in Protection as identified by International Bodies ................................................. 27 Recommendations of the Commission ................................................................................................. 30 2 Introduction The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (‘the Commission’) is both the national human rights institution and the national equality body for Ireland, established under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 (‘2014 Act’). The 2014 Act provided for the merging of the former Irish Human Rights Commission and the former Equality Authority into an enhanced body. The new Commission enjoys increased institutional accountability to the -
Incidence of Abortion and Provision of Abortion-Related Services in Ghana
FACT SHEET Incidence of Abortion and Provision of Abortion-Related Services in Ghana In Ghana, abortion is highly Incidence of unintended pregnancy over 327,600 abortions annually in stigmatized, despite relatively liberal and abortion Ghana. laws. As a result, many abortions • Nationally in 2017, the estimated • Mean abortion rates varied among are not captured in official records, pregnancy rate was 194 the three ecological zones, from and accurate information on pregnancies per 1,000 women 24 for the Northern zone to 51 for abortion incidence and unintended aged 15–49, and the unintended the Middle zone and 45 for the pregnancy—information that is pregnancy rate was 103 per 1,000. Coastal zone. essential to planning reproductive health services—has been lacking. • The unintended pregnancy rate Provision of abortion and This fact sheet presents new varied widely across the country’s postabortion care estimates of unintended pregnancy three ecological zones—from 50 and abortion rates, as well as in the Northern zone to 94 in • Among a nationally representative the availability of abortion and the Coastal zone and 131 in the sample of all health facilities postabortion services in Ghana. Middle zone. providing either abortion or postabortion care in 2017, 63% • About half (53%) of all pregnancies Legal status of abortion in Ghana had postabortion care services nationally were unintended, available and 22% had safe • According to Ghanaian law, abor- ranging from 23% in the Northern abortion services available. A small tions are legal in cases of rape, zone to 51% in the Coastal zone proportion of these facilities did incest, fetal abnormality or disease, and 66% in the Middle zone. -
Abortions in Ghana: Experiences of University Students
VOLUME 8 (2014),ISSUE 4 HEALTH SCIENCE JOURNAL RESEARCH ARTICLE (26.1%) of students. Conclusions: Abortions, mostly unsafe, are Abortions in Ghana: common experiences among students. Immediate sensitization and education on the experiences of university alternatives to abortions; unsafe abortions; students contraception; and counselling and family planning services is necessary among students. Nana Nimo Appiah-Agyekum Male partners play a significant role in the decision to abort, choice of method and also Department of Public Administration and provide support during the abortion procedures; Health Services Management, University of and must be actively involved in all abortion Ghana Business School, Accra-Ghana interventions among students. Particular attention and the necessary research by both Abstract state and non-state stakeholders on abortion Background: Students in Ghana and other must focus on the activities of quack abortion developing countries remain the major providers, self-induced abortions among vulnerable group most likely to have abortions students as well as reasons for the low utilization and suffer abortion stigma. However there is a of safe abortion services among students in spite dearth of empirical information on the of their knowledge of and access to these experiences of Higher Education students on services . abortion needed for evidence based policies and interventions. Keywords: Abortion, unsafe, experiences, self- Aim: The aim of the present study was to explore induced, students, Ghana some of the key experiences of University students on abortion in Ghana so as to provide Corresponding author: Nana Nimo Appiah-Agyekum, Department of Public Administration and Health Services information for evidence based interventions. Management, University of Ghana Business School, P O Box Methods: Data was collected from 142 students LG 78, Legon, Accra, Ghana, Email: nappiah- of the University of Ghana through 18 focus [email protected] group discussions [FGDs]. -
Dishonourable Disobedience’’ — Why
+Model WOMAN-2; No. of Pages 12 ARTICLE IN PRESS Woman - Psychosomatic Gynaecology and Obstetrics (2014) xxx, xxx—xxx Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect j ournal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/woman ‘‘Dishonourable disobedience’’ — Why refusal to treat in reproductive healthcare is not conscientious objection a,∗ b Christian Fiala , Joyce H. Arthur a Gynmed Ambulatorium, Mariahilferguertel 37, 1150 Vienna, Austria b Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, POB 2663, Station Main, Vancouver, Canada V6B 3W3 Received 30 January 2014; accepted 16 March 2014 KEYWORDS Summary In medicine, the vast majority of conscientious objection (CO) is exercised within Abortion; the reproductive healthcare field — particularly for abortion and contraception. Current laws Contraception; and practices in various countries around CO in reproductive healthcare show that it is unwork- Conscientious able and frequently abused, with harmful impacts on women’s healthcare and rights. CO in objection; medicine is supposedly analogous to CO in the military, but in fact the two have little in common. Dishonourable This paper argues that CO in reproductive health is not actually Conscientious Objection, disobedience; but Dishonourable Disobedience (DD) to laws and ethical codes. Healthcare professionals who exercise CO are using their position of trust and authority to impose their personal beliefs Reproductive health; on patients, who are completely dependent on them for essential healthcare. Health systems Refusal to treat and institutions that prohibit staff from providing abortion or contraception services are being discriminatory by systematically denying healthcare services to a vulnerable population and disregarding conscience rights for abortion providers. CO in reproductive healthcare should be dealt with like any other failure to perform one’s professional duty, through enforcement and disciplinary measures.