Afghan women sing out against the Taliban

MEXICO — The Mexican state of Puebla has updated its criminal code to allow abortion up to 12 weeks. The state Congress voted 29-7 in favour of the reform. In doing so, Puebla became the 14th Mexican state to legalise or decriminalise abortion – the most recent development in the “green wave” of abortion rights that has swept the country since supreme court rulings declared the penalisation of abortion was unconstitutional in 2021 and 2023. Before Puebla, Aguascalientes was the latest Mexican state to legalise abortion, in December 2023. But the new law was modified in August, reducing the legal abortion limit from 12 weeks to six, before many pregnancies are detected. “The six-week ban contradicts Mexico’s supreme court precedents, and the World Health Organization has recommended avoiding the enactment of laws prohibiting abortion based on gestational age limits,” Human Rights Watch warned.

AFGHANISTAN — Afghan women have shared videos of themselves singing in defiance of a Taliban ban on women’s voices. The new law was passed by the ministry for the “propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice” in August and provides for official warnings and even arrest for women who speak or show their faces in public places. Under Article 13, a woman is required to cover her body and face with a veil at all times in public, nor may she sing, recite or read aloud in public, as the female voice is considered “intimate”. Women are also forbidden from looking at or mixing with men who are not relatives or husbands and using public transport alone. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan three years ago, they have issued more than 70 edicts, directives, and decrees denying women and girls their basic rights, including the right to attend school, work, or travel without a male guardian. UN Women “is deeply concerned about the recent enactment of a morality law by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan, which imposes extensive restrictions on personal behaviour, effectively erasing women from public life and granting broad enforcement powers to the morality police,” the organisation said in a public statement.

US — At least ten US states will put abortion rights on the ballot in November’s general election, which could see the election of the country’s first woman president if Kamala Harris defeats Donald Trump. Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York and South Dakota will ask people to vote on enshrining abortion as a constitutional or fundamental human right. Nebraska is the only state with two proposed contradictory amendments. The first would establish that “all persons shall have a fundamental right to abortion until foetal viability, or when needed to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient”. The second prohibits abortion in the second and third trimester, except in cases of medical emergency, rape or incest. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the landmark US Supreme Court ruling that had legalised abortion nationwide for nearly 50 years, in June 2022, several states have pushed or enacted their own abortion legislation. California, Michigan, Vermont, Kentucky, and Montana all passed ballot box measures recognising abortion rights in midterm elections the same year. Ohio enshrined abortion access in its constitution in 2023.

POLAND — The Polish government issued new guidelines on August 30 to reaffirm the legality of the procedure in cases where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or risk to the patient’s life. The guidelines are intended to encourage doctors to carry out terminations when they are legally permitted to do so. Under the previous far-right government, doctors could go to jail if they were accused of performing an abortion without complying with the law. This resulted in a near-total abortion ban as medical professionals were reluctant to carry out the procedure even in cases when it was technically legal, for fear of prosecution. According to the UN human rights office, Poland’s restrictive laws have forced many women to carry unwanted pregnancies to term, travel abroad for legal abortions or resort to unsafe private procedures. It is estimated that at least six women have died due to the effective ban on abortion since 2021. Earlier this year, prime minister Donald Tusk’s government introduced a bill to legalise abortion up to 12 weeks, but it was rejected by parliament. “If we won’t change the law, we will change the reality,” he said, after admitting that it is unlikely that a new law can be passed.

BULGARIA — Bulgaria has officially published an anti-LGBTQIA+ law in schools, which entered into force on August 16. The amendment to the education code bans « propaganda, promotion or incitement in any way, directly or indirectly, in the education system of ideas and views related to non-traditional sexual orientation and/or gender identity other than the biological one ». Introduced by the far-right Vazrajdane party and inspired by a Russian law passed last November, the bill was backed by a large majority in parliament. Thousands of people took to the streets during August to denounce the law as a violation of human rights and urge the European Union to consider sanctions. Bulgaria is the lowest-ranked EU country in the Equality Index, which measures the state of LGBTQIA+ rights and freedoms around the world.

SOUTH KOREA — The South Korean supreme court has ruled that same-sex couples are entitled to the same national health insurance coverage as heterosexual couples and can enrol their partners as dependents. The court found that denying couples these rights would constitute serious discrimination against citizens’ “dignity and values, their rights to pursue happiness, their freedom of privacy and their rights to be equally treated by the law.” The plaintiff was So Seong-wook, a man who wanted to register his partner as a dependent. The case was rejected in lower courts and appealed to the supreme court, which ruled that same-sex couples formed an “economic cohabitation” similar to married and common-law couples. It is hoped the decision will pave the way for same-sex marriage in the country.

KENYA — Ugandan runner Rebecca Cheptegei died on Thursday in Kenya after her ex-boyfriend set her on fire. The 33-year-old died of severe burns from the attack, which took place last Sunday. Cheptegei lived and trained in Kenya, and had competed in the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. Her ex-partner attacked her when she was returning home from attending a mass with her children. This is the third femicide of a track athlete in Kenya in recent years. Runners Agnes Tirop and Damaris Mutua were murdered by their partners in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Earlier this year, Kenya was the scene of multiple protests against gender-based violence and femicides. It is estimated that over 30% of Kenyan women have experienced physical violence during their lives, while the NGO Femicide Count Kenya reported 150 femicides last year alone.

IRAQ — In early August, Iraqi MP Ra’ad al-Maliki, with the support of the ruling conservative Shia parties, proposed an amendment to the 1959 Personal Status Law, which could legalise the marriage of girls as young as nine. The bill enshrines sectarianism in family relations and removes protections for women in divorce, child custody and inheritance. According to the bill, “adult Muslims” who wish to marry will be able to choose between Shia Sharia, Sunni Sharia or state family law rules on issues such as inheritance, divorce, child custody and marriage. The bill passed its first reading, and will need two more readings before it is voted on by parliament. Thousands of activists protested the amendment, saying it would be a major setback for girls’ and women’s rights, meanwhile, 15 women MPs have come together to oppose the proposed reform.

GAMBIA — The Gambian National Assembly has rejected a law that would have reversed the 2015 ban on female genital mutilation (FGM), despite pressure from religious groups to repeal the landmark legislation. In April, a majority of representatives in parliament voted in favour of reversing the ban. But after a long debate in committees, the assembly finally endorsed a report recommending the ban be maintained. FGM comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The practice can cause severe bleeding and problems with urination and sex, as well as infections, complications in childbirth and risk of newborn deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

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