# Abortion
Last month
October 2023
Macron vows to enshrine rights to abortion in French constitution by next year
The French president said it will make the rights “irreversible”.
Safe access zone law could be 'made a mockery of' if gardaí can't log warnings, TDs say
The Oireachtas Health Committee has warned Stephen Donnelly about potential loopholes in the planned legislation.
Some doctors 'actively obstruct' women from getting abortions, committee hears
The Oireachtas Health Committee is discussing recommendations to change Ireland’s abortion legislation.
Britney Spears says she had abortion while dating Justin Timberlake
According to the memoir, Timberlake “definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy.”
This year
2023
Donald Trump labels Florida governor’s abortion ban a ‘terrible mistake’
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called the legislation “noble and just”.
Top Mexican court decriminalises abortion nationwide
Previously abortion had been decriminalised in a dozen of Mexico’s 32 states, starting with Mexico City in 2007.
Debunked: Are a Senator’s maps showing potential Safe Access Zones around hospitals accurate?
A bill aims to outlaw anti-abortion campaigning within 100 metres of some healthcare centres.
Cabinet approves legislation for safe acces zones around abortion providers
Government has approved the Safe Access Zones Bill, and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly plans to initiate the Bill ‘as soon as possible’.
Biden vows to fight Republicans' 'extreme' anti-abortion agenda
20 states, mostly in the South and Midwest, have prohibited abortion outright or severely restricted access.
FactCheck: Abortion bill still many stages away from passing into law
The lengthy passage from bill to law has led to confusion.
Mother-of-three jailed in UK for illegally obtaining abortion pills too late into pregnancy
She was given a 28-month extended sentence for illegally procuring her own abortion when she was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant
Despite a free vote, no FF TDs and just one FG TD voted in favour of PBP's abortion bill
The spotlight will be on the soldiers of destiny as to whether they have learned lessons from the past.
Taoiseach suggests Dáil vote for PBP abortion bill could speed up legal changes
The bill, which seeks wider access to abortion services, passed second stage in the Dáil last night.
Ivana Bacik: How abortion campaign went from 'desperately lonely' to 'tremendously positive'
On a political level, there was very little to cling to as an abortion activist in the 80s and 90s, she says, and religion of course played a large part in that.
'This is a sensitive issue': Tánaiste defends Govt approach in dealing with abortion law review
The abortion law review will go to the Oireachtas Health Committee for further scrutiny.
The long road to Repeal, a timeline of abortion law in Ireland
Looking back at the key moments in Ireland’s abortion law history that brought us to where we are today.
Ireland voted for Repeal five years ago, where are we now with abortion services?
Campaigners told The Journal that recommendations made in a recent review of the legislation must be acted upon swiftly.
Holly Cairns: 'Our healthcare shouldn't be informed by Leo saying he feels uncomfortable'
The SocDems leader says Ireland is still exporting the care of some pregnant women.
US Republicans fret over abortion as states balk at bans
Reproductive rights are set to take center stage in the 2024 election in the US.
Five years on: First review of Ireland's abortion laws recommends significant changes
The review recommends 10 changes to current legislation and 60 operational changes in relation to termination services and laws.
The review recommends that the required three-day waiting period to access a termination should no longer be mandatory and should instead be at the woman's own discretion.
It also found that there is an "uneven geographic coverage" of service providers across the country, which requires some women to travel for longer periods at significant cost.
Cabinet has agreed to refer the recommendations to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health for consideration.
US Supreme Court preserves women's access to abortion drug
The drug has been approved for use in the US since 2000.
Varadkar 'reluctant' to make changes after review of state's abortion laws seeks end to three-day wait
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will bring a memo to Cabinet on Tuesday on the report’s recommendations.
US Supreme Court to deliver ruling on abortion pill access
Mifepristone was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2000 and accounts for more than half of all abortions in the US.
Govt summer priorities: Renters' rights, safe access zones, vaping rules and late-night pubs
A new pension system and a ban on conversion therapy are other issues to be addressed.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis signs bill banning abortion after six weeks
The state’s Republican-dominated legislature passed the text hours earlier with 70 votes to 40.
US Justice Dept takes abortion pill fight to Supreme Court
Late last night, the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals said mifepristone should remain available for now.
Access to abortion pill in the US plunged into uncertainty following conflicting rulings
Two separate rulings were issued just minutes apart by federal judges in Texas and Washington.
Review of abortion services to go to Cabinet in coming weeks
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the review was ‘about improving access to services’.
'Enormous burden': Labour call for removal of wait period for abortion care
Labour Senator Annie Hoey said women are “more than able” to make their own decisions around abortion.
Five women sue the state of Texas after they were denied abortions
The women all wanted to carry their pregnancies to term but discovered they were not viable.
Still no timeline for safe access zone bill, deemed a 'priority' by Government in 2021
The legislation was meant to be published last March.
Last year
2022
Full abortion services to be commissioned in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s abortion laws were liberalised in 2019, but the Department of Health never centrally commissioned the rollout of full services due to a political impasse at Stormont.
Abortion services ‘will be commissioned in Northern Ireland’, UK minister tells MPs
A Labour MP urged the UK Government to act, warning that for three years ‘abortion might be legal, it is not accessible’.
Judge overturns US state of Georgia’s ban on abortion after six weeks
Judge McBurney’s ruling came in a lawsuit that sought to strike down the ban on multiple grounds.
Abortion on the ballot: Three US states vote to strengthen abortion rights
The states of Montana, Kentucky, California, Michigan and Vermont were all asked to vote on their state’s current abortion rules.
Gardaí outline concerns about abortion safe access zone law
Gardaí have said it has a number of concerns from a policing perspective about the legislation around exclusion zones.
Anti-abortion group to launch legal challenge to Northern Ireland legislation
The UK Government is set to step in to introduce full abortion services in Northern Ireland.
Opinion: We've tracked Ireland's road to repeal - it would be foolish to believe the struggle is over
Therese Caherty and Pauline Conroy, alongside photographer Derek Speirs, are the editors of a new book about Ireland’s road to repeal – here they take us through their work on it.
Less than half of adults in Northern Ireland realise abortion is lawful in region
Only 10% of women in Northern Ireland know how to access abortion, according to a new poll.
