Indian Cabinet approves extending abortion deadline from 20 to 24 weeks
In a boost to female reproductive rights, India's Cabinet on Wednesday backed giving women more time to seek an abortion in a bill aimed at helping the young, disadvantaged and the raped. The government said the Cabinet had approved extending the abortion deadline to 24 ...
China's birthrate sank to lowest level ever recorded last year
China's birthrate last year dropped to the lowest level since at least 1949 and the labor force continued to shrink, the latest sign of slowing growth prospects for the world's second-largest economy. The number of births per 1,000 people declined to 10.48, the lowest level ...
Kenya hosts global sexual health summit amid protests from Catholics and pro-life groups
The United Nations and Kenyan government on Monday came under fire on the eve a global conference on sexual and reproductive health with Christian groups claiming hosting the event was promoting abortion and homosexuality in the East African nation. More than 6,000 participants — including ...
Four medical facilities have provided assisted reproductive treatment for lesbian and transgender couples against the guidelines set by the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a survey showed Sunday. Two medical facilities have used sperm from a third person to artificially inseminate lesbian couples, while ...
Japanese fathers spend more time playing with kids, but mothers want more: survey
About half of all parents in Japan raising children think today's young fathers spend more time playing with their kids than their own fathers did, according to a survey by an educational toy maker. Although the survey revealed that fathers are taking a more active ...
Only for 'naughty girls': Stigma lingers after South Korea abortion ban overturned
South Korea is set to legalize abortion after a decadeslong ban was struck down, but women's rights campaigners have warned those who undergo the procedure will still be "punished in the eyes of society." In a landmark verdict last week, a South Korean court ruled ...
China lawmakers urge easing of family planning curbs to 'liberate fertility' as birth rates plunge
Delegates to China's parliament are urging the overhaul or even scrapping of controversial family planning rules and say radical steps are needed to "liberate fertility" and reverse a decline in births and a rapidly shrinking workforce. With its population aging as a result of longer ...
As population zooms toward 100 million, Egypt tells poor families 'Two is Enough'
Nesma Ghanem is hoping for a fourth child even though her doctor says her body can't handle a pregnancy at the moment. She has three daughters and would like them to have a brother. "In the future he could support his father and the girls," ...
U.S. Supreme Court blocks restrictive Louisiana abortion law while litigation continues
A divided U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday stopped a Louisiana law imposing strict regulations on abortion clinics from going into effect in its first major test on abortion since the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy last summer. The court on a 5-4 vote granted an ...
Concerned by high cost of raising children, many South Koreans opt to dote on pets
Kang Sung-il buys Sancho, his Pomeranian, a toy every business trip and will dress it up in a new $50 suit when he visits his mother this Lunar New Year holiday. Kang and his wife say children are too expensive and bring too much pressure. ...
With plan to show women more respect, South Korea tries to fix its demographic crisis
In just over a decade, South Korea has spent the equivalent of a small European economy trying to fix its demographic crisis, yet birthrates have dropped to the lowest in the world. This year, President Moon Jae-in, who describes himself as a feminist president, is ...
In sign of further easing of childbirth controls, China shuts family planning offices
China's health commission is getting rid of three offices that were previously dedicated to family planning, it announced late on Sunday, the latest signal that Beijing may further reduce restrictions on childbirth to combat an aging population. State-media has hinted in recent weeks that China, ...
