Abortion rights & access

Faroe Islands town

The Faroe Islands legalizes abortion

By / / Good News For Humankind

In a landmark victory for reproductive freedom, the Faroe Islands parliament has voted to legalize abortion, ending one of Europe’s most restrictive bans. The new law allows for abortion on demand up to the 12th week of pregnancy, aligning the archipelago with its Nordic neighbors. This historic change removes the need for women to travel to Denmark for care, ensuring access to essential medical services at home. The decision is a triumph for grassroots activists who campaigned for years to modernize the nation’s healthcare laws.

Boston skyline with Fenway Park in foreground

Massachusetts governor signs new shield law for abortion & trans health care

By / / Good News For Humankind

A new shield law in Massachusetts, signed by Governor Maura Healey, has created a legal sanctuary for reproductive and gender-affirming care. The law protects patients and providers from out-of-state legal attacks, including subpoenas and lawsuits. It builds on previous protections for abortion and now extends the same legal safeguards to transgender healthcare. This measure reinforces the state’s commitment to protecting essential, evidence-based medical care in the face of national legislative challenges.

Reproductive rights protesters

Wisconsin Supreme Court strikes down state’s 1849 near-total abortion ban

By / / Good News For Humankind

In a 4-3 decision, the court’s liberal majority affirmed a lower court ruling that overturned the 176-year-old ban and left in place a more recent law in Wisconsin allowing most abortions until about the 20th week of pregnancy. As was the case in many states with similar older laws, or newer so-called trigger laws, the ban came back into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade in 2022. In short order, the decision prompted Planned Parenthood’s Wisconsin operations to suspend abortion services in the state.

International court rules against El Salvador in key abortion rights case

By / / Good news links

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has ruled that El Salvador violated the human rights of a woman who was denied an abortion despite her high-risk pregnancy in 2013. The court has ordered the Central American country to adopt “all necessary regulatory measures” so that doctors are authorized to terminate “pregnancies that pose a risk to the woman’s life and health.” The country has one of the world’s most restrictive anti-abortion laws: the procedure is prohibited under all circumstances, and women can even be charged with aggravated homicide, carrying sentences of 30 to 50 years in prison.