Self-care note: This wrap-up includes discussion of HIV, cancer, anti-LGBTQIA+ policies and behaviours, gender based violence, and more. If you find this distressing or triggering, remember to take it at your own pace. You may prefer to read small sections, wait until you feel ready to read it all, or choose not to read it at all.
1. Scottish Government announces new measures to tackle violence against women and girls 🚨
First Minister John Swinney has pledged to make tackling violence against women and girls a priority for his government, announcing a package of prevention, support and justice measures in a speech to the Scottish Parliament.
Plans include a multi-year public health campaign aimed at boys and young men to challenge misogyny and harmful behaviours, continued investment in school programmes focused on healthy and consensual relationships, and a new multi-year fund for services supporting women affected by violence. The £2 million Fund to Leave, which provides financial and practical support to women and children leaving abusive partners, will also be made permanent.
The government also plans to introduce a Misogyny Bill and a Violence Against Women and Girls Protections Bill, while a pilot using GPS monitoring for some people on bail, including those suspected of domestic abuse, is expected to begin next year in Tayside, Central and Fife. Swinney also called for stronger regulation of online platforms, arguing that misogynistic content and parts of the online “manosphere” are contributing to harmful attitudes towards women and girls.
Source: Scottish Government
2. Scottish Labour councillor failed to declare company behind trade union legal challenge ⚖️
A Scottish Labour councillor failed to list her directorship of a company involved in a legal challenge against her trade union on her register of interests, according to an investigation by QueerAF.
Renfrewshire councillor Alison Ann-Dowling has been a director of Adult Female Trade Unionists Ltd since October 2025. QueerAF reported that the position had not been added to her council register despite rules requiring councillors to register relevant non-financial interests. Ann-Dowling told the publication she is an unpaid director and is now in the process of updating her register. Renfrewshire Council declined to comment.
The company is involved in a judicial review challenging the Community trade union’s gender equality policy, including its references to women and non-binary people. The case is scheduled for a substantive hearing at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on 25 September.
Source: QueerAF
3. Gonorrhoea and syphilis diagnoses fall in England 📉
Diagnoses of gonorrhoea and infectious syphilis have fallen in England, according to the latest provisional figures from the UK Health Security Agency.
Between January and March 2026, sexual health services recorded 13,529 gonorrhoea diagnoses, down from 15,942 in the previous three months. Infectious syphilis diagnoses fell from 1,975 to 1,721 over the same period. Gonorrhoea diagnoses have been declining among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men since mid-2025, and among other groups since early 2023.
The figures come as newer STI prevention measures are being rolled out in England. Between January and March, sexual health services reporting data recorded more than 14,000 consultations involving doxyPEP, while almost 12,000 first doses of the 4CMenB vaccine were given for gonorrhoea prevention. UKHSA says the latest figures are provisional and likely to rise as delayed data is submitted.
Source: UK Health Security Agency
4. Twenty women underwent unnecessary mastectomies at NHS trust 🏥
Twenty women had their breasts removed unnecessarily while receiving breast cancer treatment at an NHS trust in north-east England, the trust has confirmed.
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is reviewing breast cancer care following serious concerns about its breast unit. Of 514 cases reviewed so far, 315 patients were found to have suffered harm, including 77 who experienced significant harm. The review has also identified cases where cancer diagnoses were missed or delayed, with some patients later experiencing cancer spread.
The trust is considering expanding its review to as many as 10,000 cases dating back to 2015. The National Crime Agency is also working with Durham Police to investigate allegations from former patients and determine whether any criminal offences have taken place, while a group of affected women and their families is calling for a public inquiry.
Source: BBC News
5. Life-extending breast cancer drug approved for NHS use in England 💊
Around 1,000 women a year in England with HER2-low advanced breast cancer will be able to access the drug Enhertu on the NHS after an agreement was reached over its cost.
Clinical trials found that Enhertu extended median progression-free survival from 5.1 months with standard chemotherapy to 9.9 months, while median overall survival increased from 16.8 to 23.4 months. The targeted treatment works by delivering chemotherapy directly to cancer cells.
NICE had previously rejected the drug for routine NHS use in England in 2024 because of its cost, prompting a two-year campaign for access. The decision brings England into line with Scotland, where Enhertu has been available since December 2023.
Source: The Guardian
6. Anti-abortion exhibition sparks row at European Parliament 🏛️
An exhibition about embryonic and fetal development hosted inside the European Parliament in Strasbourg has prompted criticism from MEPs over its anti-abortion message.
“Just EUman – How a European Citizen is Born” was organised by Italian MEP Paolo Inselvini of the European Conservatives and Reformists group in collaboration with the anti-abortion organisation Pro Vita & Famiglia. The exhibition featured 14 panels depicting development from fertilisation to birth alongside a video called “Baby Oliver.”
MEPs from The Left, Italy’s Democratic Party and Five Star Movement criticised the exhibition and questioned its presence within the Parliament. Organisers defended the event, saying its purpose was to show human development from fertilisation and inform those involved in making legislation.
Source: Associated Medias
7. US environmental agency to test drinking water for abortion drugs 💧
The US Environmental Protection Agency is launching a study that will screen drinking water for more than 1,000 potential contaminants, including mifepristone and misoprostol, drugs used in medication abortion.
The study will collect samples from several metropolitan areas and use a screening method capable of detecting a wide range of pharmaceuticals and chemicals. However, the testing will identify whether substances are present rather than determine their concentration or whether they pose a risk to human health or the environment.
The inclusion of abortion medications follows lobbying from anti-abortion groups and Republican state attorneys general, with some campaigners hoping environmental regulation could ultimately be used to restrict access to the drugs. The EPA study itself does not introduce new restrictions or regulations.
Source: Politico
8. Fiji declares national HIV emergency as cases surge 🚨
Fiji has declared HIV a national emergency following a sharp rise in cases, with around one in 60 adults now living with the virus compared with around one in 167 five years ago.
The country recorded 2,016 new HIV diagnoses in 2025. Of the estimated 9,100 people living with HIV that year, just 39 per cent knew their status and 22 per cent were receiving antiretroviral treatment, compared with 78 per cent accessing treatment globally.
The government is expanding HIV testing, treatment and prevention services and plans to introduce a needle and syringe programme. Health experts have linked the growing epidemic to factors including unsafe sex, shared injecting equipment and “bluetoothing”, a practice in which people inject blood from someone who has already taken drugs intravenously.
Source: BBC News
9. Nine in ten LGBTQ+ organisations report funding cuts worldwide 🏳️🌈
LGBTQ+ and intersex organisations around the world are scaling back services, cutting staff and, in some cases, closing altogether as international funding dries up, according to a new report from Outright International.
The LGBTIQ human rights non-governmental organization (NGO) surveyed 229 groups across 94 countries and found that 90 per cent had experienced funding cuts since the beginning of 2025. Nearly half had lost more than half of their total budgets, while three-quarters had lost at least a quarter. Cuts connected to US government programmes were the most commonly reported, affecting organisations that had relied on funding from sources including USAID, PEPFAR and the US State Department.
The impact is being felt across services including HIV prevention, emergency relocation, healthcare and community support. Organisations in countries including Iraq, Uganda, Ecuador and Ukraine reported closing spaces, reducing staff and programmes, or being unable to provide the same level of support to people at risk.
Source: Scene Magazine
Main image: Scottish Parliament TV
