The trial of Kermit Gosnell, the abortion doctor accused of killing one woman and seven babies, has entered its second month.

This joint BPAS/Royal Society of Medicine conference, on 12 June in London, will address the impact of new developments in pregnancy testing for abortion care, miscarriage, fertility treatment and ectopic pregnancy; the role of fetal imaging in discussions about abortion and the regulation of pregnancy; the impact of policy debates about information, counselling and the abortion law; and the generational experiences of doctors working within the abortion service.

As the inquest begins into the death of Savita Halappanavar, Ann Furedi, writing in the Daily Telegraph, argues that before we can learn lessons from her death, we need to learn what truly happened.

An excellent article by Sam Rowlands, Lead Clinician for the Contraception and Sexual Health Service at Dorset HealthCare, reviews the rationale for the Care Quality Commission ‘swoop’ of 2012, and its impact on the abortion service.

Our new ‘Focus on…’ essays will examine the big issues relating to women’s reproductive choices in the 21st century. Here, Jennie Bristow reviews the historical controversy surrounding the decision over where, and how, it is best to give birth.

The Health Service Executive report on the death last year at Galway University Hospital of Savita Halappanavar has found there was an overemphasis by hospital staff on the welfare of Ms Halappanavar’s unviable fetus and an underemphasis on her deteriorating health, the Irish Times reports.

An interesting piece by Tim Wigmore in the Daily Telegraph argues that 'there is an interesting juxtaposition in American social values today: while attitudes to gay marriage are being liberalised, states are also tightening anti-abortion restrictions'.

The author notes that field of abortion counselling originated in the abortion rights movement of the 1970s. During its evolution to the present day, it has faced significant challenges, primarily arising from the increasing politicisation and stigmatisation of abortion since legalisation. From American Journal of Public Health.

An official consultation has found that most people would be happy to see the law changed to allow a radical form of gene therapy on the IVF embryos of women in danger of passing on mitochondrial disease to their babies – a potentially severe and fatal metabolic disorder.

From American Journal of Public Health.

Katherine O'Brien discusses the difficulties many women face when trying to access medical management of miscarriage.