IPS: Women Activists Escalate Demand for “Bodily Autonomy” as 19 Nations Dissent “The United States and 18 other U.N. member states have come under fire for denying a woman’s legitimate right to ‘bodily autonomy’ — the right to self-governance over one’s own body without coercion or external pressure. The Executive…

HHS: Secretary Azar Hosts Foreign Officials to Reaffirm Trump Administration’s Support for Protecting Life in Global Health Policy “[Thursday], January 16, 2020, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar hosted ambassadors and high level officials from more than 30 countries representing more than 1.7 billion people at the Blair…

Washington Times: HHS Secretary Alex Azar says ‘no international right to abortion’ “Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar spoke to representatives from more than 30 nations Thursday morning in Washington, promoting a ‘positive vision for women’s health’ that, he added, doesn’t include abortions. … In Thursday’s speech, Mr. Azar…

Washington Post: So much for Trump’s pro-life legacy Robert Gebelhoff, assistant editor and opinions contributor at the Washington Post “For the better part of a century, scientists have used fetal tissue for biomedical research. They used it to develop the polio vaccine. They used it to develop treatments to help…

Reuters: Argentina’s new government moves to guarantee access to abortion in rape cases “Women and girls in Argentina seeking to end pregnancies caused by rape will be guaranteed access to abortion under a protocol announced on Thursday aimed at reducing the latitude hospitals have in deciding whether or not to…

Reuters: Costa Rica’s president says therapeutic abortions will be allowed “Costa Rica’s President Carlos Alvarado on Thursday issued a technical decree that will allow for therapeutic abortions in the Central American nation, despite opposition from religious and conservative political groups. On paper, a 50-year-old law allows a pregnancy to be…

Thomson Reuters Foundation: OPINION: It’s time to legalize abortion in Argentina Jessie Clyde, director of grantmaking and international partnerships at the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC) “As Argentina’s new president takes office this week, he will be met with hope and high expectations. For many, Alberto Fernandez holds the promise…

Ms. Magazine: The Persistent Danger of Trump’s Definition of ‘Unalienable Rights’ Elena Sarver, legal adviser at the Global Justice Center “The State Department’s newly formed Unalienable Rights Commission held its third public meeting [Wednesday]. It’s been six months since the commission was first announced in July 2019 by Secretary of…

Newsweek: The Trump Administration’s Grades for Sexual and Reproductive Rights Are In Bergen Cooper, director of policy research at CHANGE — Center for Health and Gender Equity “When it comes to protecting women’s human rights globally, along with sexual and reproductive rights, the U.S. government under President Donald Trump and…

Planned Parenthood Global/Medium: A Catch-22 for Women and Girls: How the Global Gag Rule Attacks the HIV/AIDS Response In this post, Chloë Cooney, senior director of strategy and programs for Planned Parenthood Global, and Caitlin Horrigan, director of global advocacy for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, discuss the impact of…