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Split reflects GOP’s identity crisis, as Republican politicians struggle to talk about increasingly toxic issue for themRepublicans are nearly evenly divided over the Arizona supreme court’s decision to uphold an 1864 law that would ban almost all abortions, new polling shows.Forty-nine per cent of Republicans strongly or somewhat disapprove of the decision, while 46% of Republicans strongly or somewhat approve of it, according to...

Most cases of abortion are illegal in Germany, which report is expected to say is not compatible with international standardsAbortions in Germany should be legalised within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, a government-appointed commission is expected to recommend on Monday.While abortion is rarely punished, it remains illegal in Germany, except for specific circumstances including when a woman’s life is in danger, or she...

Focus on reproductive rights has yielded big wins and Democrats hope threat of more Republican bans will mobilize votersKamala Harris’s Friday visit to Arizona was planned before the state’s top court upheld a 160-year-old law that bans almost all abortions. But the news galvanized the vice-president’s message, one that has already yielded stunning victories for liberals since Roe v Wade fell nearly two years...

‘They’ve turned the clock to the 1800s’, said the US vice-president as she excoriated ex-president as ‘architect of healthcare crisis’Kamala Harris pinned the blame for Arizona’s abortion ban squarely on Donald Trump, who she described as the “architect of this healthcare crisis” in a speech at a campaign event in Tucson on Friday.The state was left reeling after the Arizona supreme court ruled earlier...

Amendment tabled by cross-party group including Stella Creasy is latest plan to modernise abortion law in England and WalesStella Creasy: No watering down, no new red tape – it’s time to fully decriminalise abortion in England and WalesA cross-party group of MPs is proposing to make abortion access a human right in England and Wales, putting forward legislation that would decriminalise abortion up to...

MPs due to have free vote on proposal but some in party have privately expressed concerns it goes too farPolice have demanded records from UK abortion provider 32 times since 2020Senior Labour figures want to water down proposed legislation to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales ahead of a historic Commons debate on the issue.Later this spring, MPs are due to have a free...

British Pregnancy Advisory Service says there is ‘genuine concern’ over rising number of investigationsSenior Labour figures seeking to water down plans to decriminalise abortionA leading provider of abortion services has received more than 30 demands to hand over medical records of women to police in the past four years, increasing to an average of one a month since October.Rachael Clarke, the chief of staff...

US president makes last State of the Union address of this presidential term, with much at stake as he heads into re-election fight against TrumpFor some reason, expelled former Republican congressman George Santos has returned to watch the State of the Union from the House floor:Axios reports he wanted to hang out with the lawmakers who voted to remove him from office last year...

Nurses and midwives will be allowed to dispense MS-2 Step as state grapples with ‘postcode lottery’ for women’s healthcareFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastLaws allowing nurses to provide pregnancy termination medication have passed parliament despite strong opposition from Queensland’s Liberal National party.Nurses and midwives will be allowed to dispense...

Eiffel Tower lit up to mark change, seen as way of protecting law that decriminalised abortion in 1975The French parliament has enshrined abortion as a constitutional right at a historic joint session at the Palace of Versailles.Out of 925 MPs and senators eligible to vote, 780 supported the amendment, which will give women the “guaranteed freedom” to choose an abortion. Continue reading...

Prime minister says France ‘stands up’ to defend women as rights are attacked around the worldFrance is preparing to enshrine abortion as a constitutional right at a joint session of parliament next week, after the senate voted in favour on Wednesday night.France would write into its constitution the “guaranteed freedom” of women to choose an abortion. Continue reading...

Series of new advertisements target Republican efforts to criminalize abortions and a ‘war on travel’ for reproductive careCalifornia’s governor, Gavin Newsom, is launching a series of new advertisements in Republican states targeting Republican efforts to criminalize having an abortion and “a war on travel” for reproductive care.The first advertisement by Campaign for Democracy, Newsom’s political action committee (Pac), will air this week in Tennessee,...

Proposed bill that could see prison sentences of up to 15 years for breaching rules moves forward in state legislature Tennessee state legislators moved on Tuesday to advance a bill that would ban people from taking minors for an abortion without parental permission – an act that the bill has dubbed “abortion trafficking”.If someone illegally “recruits, harbors, or transports a pregnant unemancipated minor” for...

Constitutional change could face fight in Senate after national assembly approves measure by 493 votes to 30France’s lower house of parliament has overwhelmingly approved a measure to inscribe abortion as a “guaranteed freedom” in the constitution, a pledge made by the president, Emmanuel Macron, last year.But the controversial plan now goes to the upper-house Senate, where it faces resistance from the conservative Republicans and...

Supreme court rules lower court must hear case arguing decades-old law barring coverage for procedure should be overturnedPennsylvania’s supreme court ruled on Monday that a lower court must hear a case challenging a ban on the use of government-funded healthcare to pay for abortions, raising hopes among reproductive rights advocates for an expansion of abortion access in the state and the establishment of a...

Women losing ‘everything’ after being accused of illegal abortion in England and Wales, even if not charged, says Dr Jonathan LordWomen in England and Wales accused of having illegal abortions have been held in custody after pregnancy loss, had their children taken into care and been saddled with debt, an expert has said.Dr Jonathan Lord, a co-chair of the Royal College of Obstetricians and...

Impetus for change was US supreme court overturning Roe v Wade, while Germany passes law banning harassment of women at abortion clinicsThe French parliament has begun debating moves for France to become the first country in the world to enshrine abortion as a constitutional right, guaranteeing women access to the means to end a pregnancy voluntarily.The justice minister, Éric Dupond-Moretti, told the lower house...

In today’s newsletter: As more women in the UK are facing prosecution, RCOG has released new guidance cautioning against reporting – could it shift the debate about decriminalisation?• Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.Between 1861 and 2022 only three women were prosecuted and convicted in the UK for illegal abortions. Over the last two years, six women have been taken...

Royal college voices concern at rise in number of prosecutions of ‘deeply traumatised’ womenMedical staff in the UK should not report women to the police if they believe their patients may have illegally ended their own pregnancy, a professional body has said.The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has said it is never in the public interest to report women who have abortions...

Campaign ad, titled Forced, is designed to tie Donald Trump directly to the abortion issueThe Biden re-election campaign rolled out a new campaign ad Sunday, signaling a shift in emphasis to reproductive rights that the White House hopes will carry and define Democrats through the 2024 election cycle.The campaign ad, titled Forced, is designed to tie Donald Trump directly to the abortion issue almost...

Abortion opponents are emboldened by the fall of Roe, but many states have enacted protections after rulingMike Pence had a message: always vote against abortion rights – even if, he suggested, that means voting for Donald Trump.“That’s why we have primaries. We sort ’em out at every level. But after the primary’s over, you vote pro-life,” the former Republican vice-president to Trump told a...

On the 51st anniversary of Roe v Wade, a sparse crowd of activists brave snow on March for Life in Washington DCWhile Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are planning a cascade of ads and events to coincide with the 51st anniversary of Roe v Wade, hundreds of anti-abortion activists gathered on the National Mall in Washington DC on Friday in hopes of re-energizing a...

Ex-president tries to walk fine line on issue, saying Republicans with extreme positions have been ‘decimated’ in electionsDonald Trump, the former US president, boasted about the “miracle” of ending the constitutional right to abortion but warned that Republicans who tout extreme bans are being “decimated” in elections.Trump was put on the spot on Wednesday during a Fox News town hall in Des Moines, Iowa,...

The ruling by a unanimous panel of fifth US circuit court of appeals comes amid a wave of lawsuits focusing on abortion exceptions The US government cannot enforce federal guidance in Texas requiring emergency room doctors to perform abortions if necessary to stabilize emergency room patients, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday, siding with the state in a lawsuit accusing Joe Biden’s administration...