Women This Week: British Vote to Expand Abortion Rights
First Change to British Abortion Law Since 1967
This week, British lawmakers voted to repeal a Victorian-era abortion law that criminalized abortion in certain circumstances. The legislation—which passed overwhelmingly in Britain’s lower House of Commons—bars the prosecution of women who terminate their own pregnancies for any reason and in any trimester. Previously, women who had abortions past twenty-four weeks or who terminated their pregnancies past ten weeks without the approval of two doctors could be prosecuted. Nicola Parker, who delivered a stillborn baby at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, was arrested, jailed, and ultimately acquitted for taking prescribed abortion medicine at twenty-six weeks pregnant. She said that she believed she was only six weeks pregnant at the time. “The new [law] is about recognizing that these women need care and support, and not criminalization,” said parliamentarian Tonia Antoniazzi, who authored an amendment to the law. The law remains limited in its scope as medical professionals can still be prosecuted for assisting in providing a late-term abortion. The legislation still needs to go to the upper House of Lords for final approval, but it is widely expected to pass.
UN Women Highlights Widening Gender Gap in Afghanistan
UN Women has found that Afghanistan has the second-widest gender gap in the world. According to the 2024 Afghanistan Gender Index report, a 76 percent disparity has grown between men and women in all sectors since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover. Alarming assessments reveal that zero women were reported in national or local decision-making positions and zero girls are projected to be enrolled in secondary education. Only 24 percent of women are in the labor force and men are nearly three times more likely to have a bank account. Still, Afghan women are actively seeking work in record numbers. Sofia Calltorp, chief of humanitarian action at UN Women said that “Overlapping economic, political, and humanitarian crises—all with women’s rights at their core—have pushed many households to the brink. In response – often out of sheer necessity—more women are entering the workforce.” Calltorp continued, “Since [2021], we have witnessed a deliberate and unprecedented assault on the rights, dignity and very existence of Afghan women and girls. And yet, despite near-total restrictions on their lives, Afghan women persevere.”
Lithuania to Increase Women’s Participation in the Military
This week, Lithuanian Minister of Defense Dovilė Šakalienė highlighted the importance of increasing the role of women in national defense. This stands in stark contrast to the United States, which recently ended efforts focused on women, peace and security. “Total defence does not come with an asterisk in the constitution saying ‘except for women’. If the whole society is needed for defence, then the role of women is not supplementary – it is essential,” she said at a parliamentary press conference. Šakalienė praised the role of women in Ukraine’s military and referenced Sweden’s decision to increase conscription for both genders, citing the benefits—increased public trust, stronger communication, and strengthened readiness—of having more women participate in the armed forces. Women currently make up about one-tenth of Lithuania’s armed forces, which is in line with NATO averages. The parliament recently approved reforms to increase the personnel to twenty thousand professional soldiers by 2038. “We are still a fairly patriarchal and stereotype-driven society. Greater visibility of women can help awaken some people to reality. We’re in a situation where all of us must take on responsibilities that we might not have even considered two or three years ago,” said Šakalienė.
