As the 2023 general election approaches, activists and members of civil society hope for policies that will ensure LGBTQ rights and gender equality for Thailand.

<p>Two years after Thailand passed an amendment to the Criminal Code legalising abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy, access to services remains difficult due to lack of information and facility and prejudice from medical personnel, while the Ministry of Public Health has refused to cover abortion fees for people not covered by the &ldquo;Gold Card&rdquo; universal healthcare scheme.</p>

<p>The new abortion law, in which abortion after the 12th week of pregnancy is still a criminal offence, does not respect international human rights principles, says a network of activists and civil society organisations who gathered in front of parliament on 25 January, when the bill was passed by the Senate.</p>

<p>The Thai parliament on 20 January passed a new bill allowing abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy. However, the bill does not decriminalize abortion,&nbsp;as abortion after the 12th week of pregnancy is still a criminal offense.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Wednesday (23 December), the Thai parliament voted to accept the first reading of two bills which amend Sections 301 &ndash; 305 of the Criminal Code, which currently criminalize abortion.</p>

<p>A network of civil society organisations have submitted an open letter to the Office of the Council of State, calling for the abolition of the law criminalizing abortion and an extension of the public consultation period for the amendment draft after a technical issue prevented citizens from participating in the survey.</p>

<p>The Women for Freedom and Democracy group has set up a station at today&#39;s protest at the Democracy Monument for people to sign their petition calling for the decriminalization of abortion.</p>