Pharmacological Abortion in a Pandemic: An Italian Medico-Legal Perspective

The limitations caused by the spread of the SARS-CoV2 virus have had repercussions on the voluntary termination of pregnancy. During the pandemic, Italy issued updated guidelines regarding voluntary termination of pregnancy by means of mifepristone and prostaglandin. This included news concerning the time limit and location in which this procedure could be accessed: updates partially recognize women’s needs, and they are into line with the European parliament’s recent exhortations. However, these updates do not change the previously provided responsibilities that lie with doctors. This article aimed to compare regulations concerning medical abortion in Italy and other countries, with a focus on recent Italian updates in the context of pandemic.

Determinants of contraceptive methods use after voluntary induced abortion at the Yaounde Central Hospital, Cameroon

Background: Abortion is the termination of pregnancy with expulsion of the product of conception before the age of fetal viability- 28 weeks. In Africa, 96% of abortions are unsafe and there is an estimated 1 death for 150 abortions. Few data are available in Cameroon on the determinants of contraception after a voluntary termination of pregnancy. The objective of this study to investigate the determinants of the use of contraceptive methods after a voluntary termination of pregnancy.Methods: The study was descriptive cross-sectional lasting 09 months in the gynecology and obstetrics unit of the Yaounde Central Hospital. We included women admitted to this unit who have already had at least one abortion. All women who did not give their consent were excluded. The data were entered and analyzed using the Epi-info software version 7.2.2.6. The tools used to express our results were the Student's and Whitney's test, the Wald test and the Odd ratios (OR) with their 95% confidence interval. The significance level was 5%.Results: Out of 139 participants, 86 (61.87%) had already used a modern contraceptive method after voluntary termination of pregnancy. The mean age was 27.13±6.16 years with extremes of 16 and 42 years. Being single and having unwanted pregnancies independently increased contraceptive method use after abortions.Conclusions: An intensification of campaigns for behaviour change and men's involvement would further improve the use of contraceptive methods after abortion.

Opinion, Attitudes and Level of Knowledge of Obstetrics and Childcare Students at the University of Antofagasta Regarding the Law on Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy

objetivo: Describir la opinión, actitudes y nivel de conocimiento que tienen los estudiantes de Obstetricia y Puericultura de una universidad pública frente a la Ley de Interrupción Voluntaria del Embarazo (IVE). material y método. 308 estudiantes de Obstetricia (Universidad de Antofagasta), a quienes se les solicitó opinión y se les midió conocimientos respecto de Ley IVE implementada recientemente en Chile. La información fue recolectada en cuestionario autoaplicado y procesada en una hoja de cálculo Excel. El resguardo ético se realizó a través de consentimiento informado. resultados. De 235 encuestas recibidas se pudo desprender lo siguiente: en relación con conocimientos sobre la Ley IVE, el total de encuestados sabe que en Chile el aborto es legal solamente en tres causales definidas por la ley y logra identificarlas correctamente. Un 18 % cree que las asignaturas de su carrera les proporcionaron información suficiente respecto de la Ley IVE, mientras que un 66 % dice haberse informado mediante la prensa. En relación con opinión y actitudes frente al aborto, un 42 % se declararía «absolutamente a favor». El 91 % de los encuestados opina que la ley IVE es un avance en políticas públicas para Chile. conclusiones. Estudiantes encuestados demuestran una actitud favorable hacia la interrupción del embarazo cuando concurre alguna de las tres causales. Si bien existen potenciales objetores frente a determinadas causales, la mayor parte del grupo de estudiantes tiene una actitud favorable frente a lo que consideran un avance en políticas públicas para el país.

Reflection article: Gender, sexuality and the Argentinian radical Jewish left

On 30 December 2020, amid the turmoil caused by the COVID pandemic, Argentina approved the Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy Law, which legalises abortion until the fourteenth week of pregnancy. In public hospitals, the procedure is now free of charge. Prior to this milestone, which was enacted on 14 January 2021, abortion was only permitted in cases of rape or when a pregnant woman's health was at risk. The law is the result of years of activism and protests against prevailing conservatism in a country heavily influenced by the Catholic Church, led by a grassroots women's movement, known as the 'green wave', which unites many different organisations that have been working towards the same goals.

Voluntary Termination of Limited Property Rights to Residential Premises

The article describes the voluntary termination of property rights to residential premises. These are the features common to all restricted property rights to residential premises that determine the qualification of actions to waive these rights. Attention is drawn to the almost complete legislative regulation procedure absence for renouncing these rights, as well as the legal consequences that it entails. The authors conclude that the absence of provisions on refusal in the housing and civil legislation calls into question the fact that the will of the owner of a limited property right leads to its termination. The article analyzes the arguments expressed in the legal literature in favor of the need to obtain the consent of the owner to waive the limited property rights, justifies the inadmissibility of their use in relation to the limited property rights to residential premises, and illustrate the approach of the enforcement authorities, allowing the analogy of the law in waiving the right of a family member of the owner of the premises and of the legatee of the dwelling. According to the authors` opinion at the present time there is the lack of sufficient judicial practice on refusal in relation to the rent recipient. The authors criticize the application of Article 83 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, which regulates relations arising from the contract of residential premises social rental to relations in the sphere of limited property rights to residential premises. Attention is drawn to a small number of court decisions on the refusal of the annuity recipient`s subjective right.

Rate of Voluntary Termination of Unwanted Pregnancy among Undergraduate Students in a Tertiary Institution in North Central, Nigeria

Termination of unwanted pregnancies especially if unsafely procured contributes significantly to maternal deaths. This study was designed to determine the rate of voluntary termination of unwanted pregnancies among undergraduate students. It was a cross-sectional study of female university undergraduates. A self administered pre-tested questionnaire was used to elicit information on socio-demographic variables, sexual activities, unwanted pregnancies and voluntary termination. SPSS software version 25.0 was used for analysis. Frequency tables were generated and Chi square was used as a test of statistics. Four hundred and thirty one respondents were studied out of which 304(70.5%) of them have been sexually exposed. The modal age of initiation of sexual intercourse was 20 years. Most 177(58.2%) has had one sexual partner while 127(41.8%) had multiple sexual partners. The major motivation for sexual activity was found to be pleasure 60.5%, financial reasons 18.1%, peer pressure 9.2 %, and 12.2% gave no reason. At least one-third 119(39.1%) has had an unwanted pregnant in the past and 63(52.9%) were induced. Among the induced abortions most 32(50.8%) had termination done more than once while 31(49.2%) had it done once. As high as 96.1% were aware of contraceptives and 69.6% had ever used a method in the past .There was statistically significant relationship between unwanted pregnancy and contraceptive usage (p=0.001).The rate of voluntary termination of unwanted pregnancies (52.9%) was high with associated low contraceptive usage. Unrestricted reproductive health information and care should be made accessible and available to these young people.

Late Termination of Pregnancy in Belgium: Exploring Its Legality and Scope

Termination of pregnancy when the foetus is considered viable remains a legal and ethical challenge for lawmakers and society. In Belgium, the lawfulness of late termination of pregnancy is contested by legal scholars up until today. Through statutory interpretation, this analysis demonstrates that this controversy is unwarranted and that termination of pregnancy for particularly severe and incurable foetal abnormality or for serious threats to the health of the pregnant person is also permitted after foetal viability. Nonetheless, by using open terms the Belgian Act on the Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy creates considerable legal uncertainty. Drawing on a comparison with the regulatory frameworks of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, this article underlines the need for increased multidisciplinary debate, medical guidance, and scientific research on late termination of pregnancy in Belgium.

Self-Immolation in Early Indian Buddhism

Self-immolation refers to ascetic Buddhist practices that include the voluntary termination of one’s life or the offering of parts of one’s body usually by setting oneself ablaze. In both the Northern (Mahāyāna) and Southern (Theravāda) Buddhist traditions, self-immolation has been considered a heroic bodhisattva act to end one’s life with a spiritual motivation and strong sense of determination. In modern times, self-immolation is often used as an extreme form of protest or an act of martyrdom. In early Indian Buddhism, self-immolation was not justifiable for the following reasons: First, self-immolation cuts short one’s opportunity to attain liberation before having made proper use of one’s life to its fullest potential. Second, self-immolation is a form of self-modification or severe asceticism because it causes extreme physical pain and may lead to death. Third, self-immolation is an act motivated by a craving for non-existence (vibhava-taṇhā) and is rooted in the “personality-view” (sakkāya-diṭṭhi) or “ego-view” (atta-diṭṭhi). Lastly, self-immolation goes against the concept of “self-love” (attā-piya) or “self-affection” (atta-kāma), which is considered a necessary prerequisite for expressing “loving-kindness” (mettā) toward other beings. Thus, I can safely say that self-immolation is not in keeping with the original teachings of the Buddha and that self-immolation cannot in any way be recognized as heroic or noble.