right to bodily autonomy

Ministerial Order No. 002/MoH/2019 of April 8, 2019 determining the conditions under which a physician may perform an abortion, Rwanda, entered into force on April 8, 2019

Ministerial Order No. 002/MoH/2019, enacted under Law No. 68/2018, sets the conditions under which a physician may perform an abortion. Abortion is permitted in the following circumstances:

This report highlights the global resurgence of challenges to women’s and LGBTQI+ rights, documenting instances where progress toward gender equality is being undermined.

Baek, Chung-Ah; Chopra, Deepta; Edström, Jerker; Lewin, Tessa; Metcalfe, Steve; Mushtaq, Samreen; et al. (2024). Building Solidarities: Gender Justice in a Time of Backlash. The Institute of Development Studies and Partner Organisations. Report. https://doi.org/10.19088/IDS.2024.041 
 

In Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany v. Serio, 7 N.Y.3d 510 (2006), a group of religiously affiliated organizations challenged a New York statute that required health insurance plans covering prescription drugs to include contraceptive coverage under the Women’s Health and Wellness Act (NY Insurance Law § 3221(16) and § 4303(cc)).

Parts IV, V, VI, and VIII of the Children Act of Trinidad and Tobago address child protection from sexual abuse, exploitation, and harmful practices. The law prohibits sexual offences against children, including child prostitution, sexual penetration, and child pornography. Causing or encouraging a child to engage in such acts can result in life imprisonment. Possession or creation of child pornography carries a sentence of up to 20 years. The Act also prohibits female genital mutilation (FGM). This includes any cutting or removal of parts of a child’s genitalia.

Health insurance carriers are barred from discriminating against individuals based on gender identity or transgender status in the provision of health coverage. Health plans must cover services without imposing restrictions, additional costs, or exclusions that treat transgender individuals differently from others. Carriers are required to treat covered persons consistent with their gender identity and may not deny coverage for health services ordinarily available to one sex simply because an individual’s gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth.

The Guatemalan Penal Code criminalizes abortion for both the woman and the person performing it in most circumstances. Article 134 provides that a woman who seeks her own abortion may be sentenced to one to three years in prison, although the penalty may be reduced to six months to two years if the act is motivated by mental health issues directly related to the pregnancy.

Article 167 defines rape as carnal access to another person or the insertion of any object into their body without consent. Rape can occur through violence, intimidation, threats, deception, or when the victim is unable to resist due to disability, illness, unconsciousness, or the use of substances. The penalty is 8 to 12 years in prison. Article 172 addresses sexual abuse, defined as sexual acts against another person without consent, in cases not involving carnal access or penetration. This includes touching, obscene exposure, and similar conduct.

This law amends §§3216 ,3221, and 4303 of NYS Insurance Law, and amends §365-a of NYS Social Services Law to require that health insurance policies in New York State provide comprehensive contraceptive coverage. It mandates coverage of all FDA-approved contraceptive methods, including over-the-counter options when permitted by law.

Repealed  * Division 10 of the Crimes Act prohibited and defined sexual violence against adults and children. Division 10 stated that a person consents to sexual intercourse if the person freely and voluntarily agrees (§ 61HE(2)). As provided in section 61HE(3), a perpetrator was deemed to know that the other person does not consent if they have actual knowledge, are reckless as to consent, or had no reasonable belief that the other person consented.

Abortion is generally illegal in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, but is allowed under limited circumstances. Under Section 149(1), it is a criminal offence to unlawfully use any means to procure a miscarriage, whether or not the woman is pregnant. This carries a penalty of up to 14 years in prison.