Nora Sullivan, M.P.A

This week the Ohio House of Representative passed landmark adoption reform legislation with a significant bipartisan majority vote. The legislation will now head to the Ohio State Senate.  The ultimate passage of this legislation will make adoption a much more accessible and affordable choice for Ohio families.  Additionally, these reforms will streamline and safeguard the adoption process.

Last Wednesday marked the 41st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade.  This monumental Supreme Court decision was commemorated, as it has been every year since, by tens of thousands of Americans marching along the National Mall to the steps of the Supreme Court, this year trudging through arctic conditions. The annual March for Life stands out in the minds of those who have witnessed it on account of the sheer size of the crowd that comes every year as well as their youth and vitality.

On November 29, the day after Thanksgiving, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released their 2010 Abortion Surveillance report to the public.  The annual report is composed of statistical data and analysis documenting induced abortions in the States.  The report revealed that there was a total of 765,651 abortions in 2010 - a 3% decrease from the figure CDC reported in 2009. This number also represents the lowest abortion total reported by the CDC since 2001.

On Thursday, the Belgian Parliament voted by a significant majority to legalize euthanasia for terminally ill children.  The new legislation will extend the existing euthanasia law in Belgium which decriminalized the practice for adults. The law will also legalize the practice to adults suffering from dementia.

This Tuesday, December 10, which is interestingly enough Human Rights Day, the European Parliament once again voted on the controversial Report on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, which would classify abortion as a fundamental human right.  Despite the intense lobbying of the proposed legislation’s supporters, the measure was once again rejected by Members of the European Parliament (MEP’s).

A new report out of the United Kingdom reveals that illegal, sex-selective abortions have potentially reduced the female population of the UK by between 1,500 to 4,700 girls.

Last week the Chinese government announced that a series of changes would be made in China’s social policy.  The reported reforms include the abolition of the much-criticized forced labor camps used for prisoners as well as the relaxation of China’s infamous one-child policy.

Last week an Iowa district court agreed to temporarily suspend the ban on tele-med abortions, allowing abortion mega-provider Planned Parenthood to continue to distribute abortion inducing drugs while the organization challenges the ban on the practice in court.

Last week Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng released an article on Public Discourse where he discusses the next human rights revolution- writing on the abuses taking place in China.  His article highlights how China’s barbaric violations of human dignity threaten justice not only in China but across the world.

On Tuesday of this week, the European Parliament will vote on a measure that classifies abortion as a fundamental human right. The measure was scheduled for a vote after the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality issued a draft report last month discussing sexual and reproductive health and rights.