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Protesters hold signs in front of the Supreme Court during the Women's March and Rally for Abortion Justice
Image: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty ImagesImage: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty Images

Abortion

The right to end an unwanted pregnancy is deeply disputed in many countries. Abortion rights are facing new legal and legislative challenges in countries around the world, including in the United States and Poland.

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All Content on this topic

voters using the chance to vote early

Five things to follow as the US election results come in

Five things to follow in a addition to whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris will end up in the White House.
PoliticsNovember 5, 202404:40 min
People attend the 50th annual March for Life rally on the National Mall on January 20, 2023 in Washington

Why abortion rights matter more in the 2024 US election

Abortion has been an ongoing debate in the US for decades, but a recent Supreme Court ruling has supercharged the issue.
PoliticsNovember 2, 2024
Against a backdrop of cheering supporters and large white letters reading "FREEDOM," US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris waves to supporters as she takes the stage on the Ellipse south of the White House in Washington, DC.

At Trump Jan. 6 site, Harris tells voters to 'turn the page'

Kamala Harris delivered a final pitch to US voters at the site of Donald Trump's January 6, 2021 speech.
PoliticsOctober 30, 202401:38 min
Musical artist Beyonce, right, and Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris

Harris torches Texas abortion ban at rally with Beyonce

Texas, which leans conservative, has a near-total ban on abortion.
PoliticsOctober 26, 2024
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in the September 10 debate

Harris vs. Trump on abortion, Israel and other key issues

US voters pick a new president on November 5. Where do both candidates stand on issues like abortion and the economy?
PoliticsOctober 15, 2024
A Pro-choice support from Florida among a crowd of people rallies for support of medical over the counter abortion pills outside the US Supreme Court. Archive image from March 2024.

US: Supreme Court throws out Texas emergency abortion appeal

The top court said it would not hear an appeal from the Biden administration on abortions in medical emergencies.
PoliticsOctober 7, 2024
A family pushing prams walking down a street

What's behind Russia's plan to ban 'child-free' ideology?

Russia's parliament is working on a "child-free" ideology ban. Is this another crackdown on women's rights?
PoliticsSeptember 28, 2024
People watch the ABC News presidential debate between Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump

US election: Harris puts Trump on defensive in fiery debate

Though Kamala Harris made a strong impression, analysts said it remains unclear how much it will change voters' minds.
PoliticsSeptember 11, 2024
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event

Trump says he would vote against Florida abortion amendment

Trump seemed to have changed his stance on the six-week abortion ban after backlash from anti-abortion groups.
PoliticsAugust 31, 2024
Polish women demonstrate in July 2024 against the still unreformed abortion law

Poland's new abortion rules 'not good enough,' activists say

Prime Minister Donald Tusk has resorted to stopgap measures to ease the country's restrictive abortion law.
PoliticsAugust 17, 2024
DW Podcast | Inside Europe

Inside Europe August 1 2024

France steps up security after the rail sabotage, our man in Paris reviews the Olympics' first week, swimming in the polluted Seine river and Turkey wants to cull millions of street dogs. Also: Belarus pardons a German man sentenced to death for terrorism, Italy's anti-abortion law riles rights groups, were the London 2012 Olympics value for money? And how Toledo is drawing crowds this summer.
PoliticsAugust 1, 202454:59 min
Pro-life-abortion and abortion rights demonstrators gather in front of the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, in June 2022

US: Strict Iowa abortion law comes into effect

A law that prohibits abortions once cardiac activity is detected, roughly at six weeks, was initially passed last year.
HealthJuly 29, 2024
DW Focus on Europe Sendungslogo

Focus on Europe - Spotlight on People

International drug smugglers are ever more frequently using Ireland as a back door into Europe.
SocietyJuly 25, 202426:04 min
Polen Demo für liberaleres Abtreibungsgesetz

New abortion law in Poland rejected

Poland's abortion laws are among the strictest in Europe. Many were hoping for a reform.
SocietyJuly 25, 202404:35 min
People hold up signs at a protest in Warsaw against the strict abortion law

Polish protesters angry over failure to ease abortion law

Hundreds protested in front of parliament after lawmakers rejected a bill aiming to soften Poland's strict abortion law.
PoliticsJuly 24, 202403:11 min
Kamala Harris at a podium looking serious with the US flag behind her

US: Where does Kamala Harris stand on abortion and Israel?

Can Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump if the Democrats pick her as their candidate? And where does she stand politically?
PoliticsJuly 23, 2024
Protesters in Sao Paulo against anti-abortion bill on June 15, 2024.

Brazil: Thousands protest bill tightening abortion ban

Thousands of women demonstrated against a bill that would classify abortion as homicide after 22 weeks of pregnancy.
PoliticsJune 16, 2024
In this 2018 photo, mifepristone and misoprostol pills are provided at a Carafem clinic for medication abortions in Skokie, Illinois.

US: Supreme Court maintains access to abortion pill

Anti-abortion groups had presented the bid to restrict access to mifepristone, used in most abortions.
SocietyJune 13, 2024
DW Podcast | Inside Europe | provisorisch f ROAD

Inside Europe 23 May 2024

Europe, Israel and the ICC, Britain's tainted blood scandal and Turkey's nuclear connections. Also: shoring up European reproductive rights, a Russian propaganda film in Italy, Czechia remembers Roma victims of the Holocaust and Serbia's Ministry of Space.
PoliticsMay 23, 202454:59 min
Democratic Arizona state senators hug after a their vote, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at the Capitol in Phoenix.

US: Arizona Senate votes to repeal 1864 abortion ban

Legislators have been scrambling to repeal the law since a 2022 Supreme Court ruling paved the way for its return.
PoliticsMay 1, 2024
Parliamentarian Anna Maria Zukowska and Katarzyna Kotula with a receipt for what they call the country's abortion debt in the debate on April 11

Poland's abortion law bickering plagues Tusk coalition

Polish Prime Minister Tusk promised the liberalization of abortion rights. But it's a tough issue for his coalition.
PoliticsApril 15, 2024
"My body belongs to me" - a protester in Munich, 2022

German commission recommends officially legalizing abortion

A commission appointed by the German government has recommended legalizing abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
PoliticsApril 15, 2024
People protesting against Poland's strict abortion law on June 14, 2023

Poland: Lawmakers send forward bill to ease abortion law

A long-awaited parliamentary discussion on Poland's restrictive abortion laws saw heated debate.
PoliticsApril 12, 2024
Arizona Republic Abortion rights activists attend a news conference addressing the Arizona Supreme Court's ruling to uphold a 160-year-old near-total abortion ban at the Arizona state.

Arizona court rules in favor of 19th century abortion law

An Arizona court has ruled in favor of a 1864 law that would ban abortions almost entirely in the southwestern US state.
Human RightsApril 10, 202401:46 min
Right to abortion activists in Phoenix, Arizona

US: Arizona to enforce 19th century abortion ban

Arizona's Supreme Court has upheld a law from 1864 that opens the door to prosecuting doctors who perform abortions.
PoliticsApril 9, 2024
File picture of an abortion rights protesters in Miami from 2022

Florida: Six-week abortion ban to take effect

Abortion after 15 weeks was already banned in Florida, with the state's top court ruling that it was constitutional.
Human RightsApril 1, 2024
Polish President Andrzej Duda

Polish president vetoes bill to provide morning-after pill

Poland's government has since announced a workaround that would allow pharmacists to directly prescribe the pill.
PoliticsMarch 29, 2024
protestors demonstrating for the right to choose

US Supreme Court unlikely to limit access to abortion pill

US Supreme Court justices hear first abortion-related case since Roe vs. Wade was overturned.
Human RightsMarch 26, 202402:09 min
A crowd of people holding Polish flags and a protest placard with a silhouette of Donald Tusk and the word Dicktator

Still divided? Poland under new management

Poland may have voted out a right-wing populist government, but has society really come together?
PoliticsMarch 16, 202412:36 min
Demonstrators holding up placards rally in support of abortion rights at the US Supreme Court in Washington DC (2023 file photo)

Abortion rights increase globally — with exceptions

DW takes a look at some of the countries where women have restricted access to abortion.
Law and JusticeMarch 8, 202402:19 min
DW Podcast | Inside Europe | provisorisch f ROAD

Inside Europe - 7 March 2024

An International Women's Day Special, featuring the voices of Russian opposition figurehead Yulia Navalnaya, female NATO recruits as they take to the skies, and a French abortion activist celebrating a constitutional victory. Also in the show: pioneering business anchor Karen Tso, the only female watchmaker in Bosnia, Spanish football players and Estonia's Smoke Sauna Sisterhood.
PoliticsMarch 7, 202455:00 min
People stand in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris and wave flags to celebrate the vote to include abortion in the constitution.

France: First to enshrine abortion rights in constitution

Women's rights groups celebrate as France's parliament voted to guarantee women's freedom to abort in the constitution.
Law and JusticeMarch 5, 202402:23 min
French activists dressed in white, protesting.

Why France enshrined abortion rights in its constitution

By including the freedom of abortion in the constitution, French lawmakers want to ensure it cannot be reversed.
SocietyMarch 4, 2024
A woman stands behind a banner reading 'Women decide' during a rally to support women's right to abortion on the occasion of the International Safe Abortion Day

France makes abortion a constitutional right

French lawmakers have approved a historic bill that would enshrine a woman's right to an abortion in the constitution.
PoliticsMarch 4, 2024
CVS Health Corp., store seen here, is the nation’s largest drugstore chain, with some 9,400 locations

US pharmacy giants to start selling abortion pill

Mifepristone will soon be available in leading drugstores, in a major development surrounding abortion rights.
HealthMarch 2, 2024
DW Podcast | Inside Europe | provisorisch f ROAD

Inside Europe - 29 February 2024

NATO membership and the shift in the Swedish psyche, Russian fishing vessels in Norwegian ports, and refugee-led mental health interventions in Prague. Also: quantifying extremism in Germany's AfD, enshrining abortion in the French constitution, dealing with the aftermath of ISIS terror in Turkey and bringing refugee children and their peers together through music.
PoliticsFebruary 29, 202455:00 min
A woman stands behind a banner reading "Women decide" during a rally to support women's right to abortion on the occasion of the International Safe Abortion Day in Paris

French lawmakers vote to enshrine abortion in constitution

President Emmanuel Macron has promised to enshrine a woman's right to abortion in the French constitution.
Human RightsJanuary 31, 2024
February 25, 2020, Munich, Bavaria, Germany: A group of Christian fundamentalists headed by Wolfgang Hering protested the Profamila family planning offices

Germany steps up crackdown on anti-abortion protests

Protests outside abortion clinics and family planning centers are to be banned in Germany.
SocietyJanuary 24, 2024
A pregnant woman holding up an ultrasound photo next to her stomach

Pregnancy sickness: Major discovery offers hope for cure

The discovery could lead to better treatment of "underdiagnosed and undertreated" forms of severe pregnancy sickness.
ScienceDecember 15, 2023
Anti-abortion demonstrators carry banners and placards outside the US Supreme Court

US Supreme Court to rule on January 6 riot, abortion in 2024

The court's decision could have consequences for hundreds of cases and limit abortion access for millions of women.
Rule of LawDecember 13, 2023
An abortion rights protester holds up a sign saying "Abortion saves lives"

US: Texas woman forced to leave state for emergency abortion

Doctors have said an abortion is necessary to prevent a risk to the mother's life.
HealthDecember 11, 2023
Kamerun "International Rural Women's Day" Feier in Nguibassal

Who are the women working for change and peace in Cameroon?

1st National Women's Convention for Peace in Cameroon represents 77 women's organizations countrywide.
SocietyNovember 30, 2023
A pregnant women during an ultrasound examination

Russia: What's behind the anti-abortion push?

Russian lawmakers are looking into banning abortions in private clinics, and many fear that a total ban might be coming.
SocietyNovember 22, 2023
Voters cast their ballots at a polling station on Election Day in Falls Church, Virginia

Democrats, abortion rights advocates win in US elections

An abortion vote in Ohio and wins in Kentucky and Virginia have bolstered the Democrats ahead of the 2024 US elections.
PoliticsNovember 8, 2023
Pictures of mifepristone and misoprostal

Poland: A hunt for traces of abortion pills in women's blood

How researchers test for traces of the two drugs used in medication abortions in women who have had a miscarriage.
ScienceNovember 6, 2023
Women hold a banner reading "Abortion is a fundamental right" during a rally to support women's right to abortion on the occasion of the International Safe Abortion Day in Paris

France: Macron promises to make abortion rights irreversible

A woman's right to abortion will be enshrined in the French constitution by next year, President Emmanuel Macron vowed.
Law and JusticeOctober 29, 2023
DW "Global Us" Sendungslogo Composite

Japan's military build-up hampered by lack of recruits

Why young people in Japan don’t want to join the army, and what needs to be done to tackle the global water shortage.
SocietyOctober 27, 202326:06 min
Women wear bright orange wigs at a Civic Coalition rally

Were women key to voting out Poland's ruling conservatives?

Poland's restrictive abortion law and a bid to strengthen women's rights likely swayed many voters.
PoliticsOctober 25, 2023
An election poster of Jaroslaw Kaczynski - the leader of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party - is seen in Kielce, southern Poland.

Poland votes in elections key to future direction

Voting has begun in Poland's elections, in which the ruling Law and Justice party is hoping to secure a third term.
PoliticsOctober 15, 202302:44 min
A hand makes the peace sign in front of a Polish flag during a protest to express support for and solidarity with judge Igor Tuleya, Krakow, Poland, June 6, 2020

Poland: Taking stock after eight years of PiS government

Polish voters will elect a new parliament in mid-October. After eight years of PiS rule, the country is polarized.
PoliticsSeptember 27, 2023