Proposals to ban abortion in Turkey provoke protests

Abortion could soon be illegal in Turkey as prime minister Tayyip Erdogan has announced plans to withdraw a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy.

Erdogan’s two speeches, delivered last month at the International Parliamentarians’ Conference on Population and Development, have provoked a strong reaction. A draft bill outlining what changes to the law will be made, either restricting abortion after 4 weeks’ gestation or banning it completely, is due to be completed and announced next month.

In Istanbul between 3000 and 4000 protesters, mostly women, went on to the streets carrying banners entitled …