A UN human rights committee denounced the Vatican on Wednesday for adopting policies that allowed priests to rape and molest tens of thousands of children over decades, and urged it to open its files on the pedophiles and the churchmen who concealed their crimes.

Source: The Times of India
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Abortion procedures in the U.S. dropped 13 per cent during 2008-11, to their lowest level since they were legalised in 1973, according to a study by the Guttmacher Institute, which supports legal access to abortion. The study found that 16.9 abortions were carried out per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44 in 2011, or 1.1 million in absolute terms, and it also said that the decline was due more to the increased use of contraception than increased restrictions on access to abortions.

Source: The Hindu 
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In the UK, it has reduced the female population by between 1,500 and 4,700 according to an investigation by The Independent., which follows the original Telegraph investigation that exposed the issue last year. Jasvinder Saghera, who founded charity Karma Nirvana, said gender-based abortions are happening within the South Asian population in Britain. The practice has been seen amongst British Indians and Pakistanis who believe sons will continue on the family line, and are economically preferable as they do not require dowries.   
Source: The Telegraph 
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The Spanish government has approved a new abortion law which will make it much more difficult for women to be able get an abortion in the country.

The new law, which is almost certain to be passed in the Congress given that the ruling right Popular Party has a comfortable majority, ends women's rights to ask for an abortion in the first 14 weeks of their pregnancy, Xinhua reported citing Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz Gallardon who confirmed it after a cabinet press conference.

Source: The Times of India
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A recent statement by a US Ambassador demonstrates the wide gulf that exists at the UN on the question of abortion.

Ambassador Elizabeth Cousens told the executive board of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) that a series of recent meetings have “helped strengthen our collective understanding of reproductive rights.” It would likely surprise people on both side of the UN abortion debate that there is anything resembling a collective understanding. It remains one of the most disputed terms at the world body

Source: www.lifesitnews.com
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Every day, 165 foetuses are aborted in Tamil Nadu, making it one of the states with the highest number of medically terminated pregnancies in the country. However, data from the last six years show that the official number has stayed fairly steady, which hints at gross under-reporting, because private practitioners say there has been a spike in people demanding abortions.

As per statistics provided by the state's family welfare department, Tamil Nadu recorded 59,470 medically terminated pregnancies (MTP) in 2012-13, the fourth highest in the country after Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Maharashtra.

Source: The Times of India
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With the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act coming into effect in 1972, India conveyed a strong message that it cared for the health of pregnant women who wanted to safely terminate their pregnancies. Yet, even four decades later, many women are still unaware that abortion is legal. Even access to safe abortion centres is severely restricted, especially in rural areas. As a result, there is a great mismatch between the number of abortion seekers and MTP-certified providers and centres. According to a 2008 study in Contraception journal, nearly three-quarters of abortion-certified facilities are in the private sector. Add to this the stigma and discrimination that women seeking abortion face, and it is not surprising that a large number of women still turn to unskilled providers to perform abortions using unsafe methods in unsuitable settings. In 2010-11, over six lakh abortions took place in government-approved institutions. The number of unsafe abortions taking place every year is not known. According to a 2008 WHO report, about “two thirds of all abortions” that take place in the country are outside authorised health facilities. As a result, abortions cause an estimated eight per cent of maternal deaths in India — a majority of which are due to unsafe procedures — according to the Registrar General of India’s data.

Source: The Hindu
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This situation has adversely impacted women who need an abortion.There is a significant decrease in access to abortion drugs since the middle of 2012 following the 2011 Census results that created a nationwide alarm by revealing the worst-ever child sex ratio. Unsafe abortion is the third leading cause of maternal deaths in India, contributing to eight per cent of all maternal deaths annually — morbidity attributable to unsafe abortions is much more.

Source: The Hindu
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Abortion data in India is a curious case. Even as the Central Health Management and Information System of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) recorded 11.06 lakh abortions in India in 2008-09, there is no official data available on unsafe abortions in the country. This, when the Registrar General of India — Sample Registration System (RGI-SRS) — estimates that 8 per cent of maternal deaths in India are attributed to abortions — a majority of these to unsafe procedures.

Source: The Hindu
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The Health Department, in a report sent to the Union Ministry of Health on Tuesday, has noted a steep rise in the number of abortion cases among tribal women in the Attappady settlements in Palakkad district.
The report said “during the last 20 days 10 abortion cases were recorded among tribal women in Attappady.” Eight cases were reported in July, 2013, seven in June, and 11 in May.

Source: The Hindu
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