Reproductive Health News and Research

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U.N. CSW adopts declaration urging end to violence against women, girls

"A United Nations policy-making body has agreed upon a declaration urging an end to violence against women and girls despite concerns from conservative Muslim countries and the Vatican about references to women's sexual and reproductive rights," Al Jazeera reports (3/16).

19 Mar 2013

Objections to sexual, reproductive rights language in CSW agreement are 'misguided'

"[W]hile sitting through events, debates and discussions in New York [at the Commission on the Status of Women meeting], my recurring thought was why, in 2013, are we still arguing over whether women should have ownership of their own bodies?" Liz Ford, deputy editor of the Guardian's global development website, asks in the newspaper's "Poverty Matters Blog."

13 Mar 2013

Unmet need for modern contraceptive methods projected to reach more than 230 million women worldwide by 2015

New research on contraceptive prevalence and unmet need for contraception in married or co-habiting women of reproductive age (15 – 49 years), based on data from 194 countries, suggests that although the proportion of women in this group using contraception has risen in the last two decades, and unmet need has fallen, 233 million married or co-habiting women are projected to have an unmet need for modern contraceptive methods by 2015.

12 Mar 2013

Examining importance of global health governance

In a New England Journal of Medicine review article, Julio Frenk and Suerie Moon of the Harvard School of Public Health write that the world faces "a trio of threats: first, the unfinished agenda of infections, undernutrition, and reproductive health problems; second, the rising global burden of non-communicable diseases and their associated risk factors, such as smoking and obesity; and third, the challenges arising from globalization itself, such as the health effects of climate change and trade policies, which demand engagement outside the traditional health sector."

12 Mar 2013

Health programs should address gender violence

Noting the potential "devastating and lasting" health impacts of physical and sexual violence on women and girls, Scott Radloff, director of USAID's Office of Population and Reproductive Health, writes in USAID's "IMPACTblog," "The health sector can play a vital role in preventing gender-based violence by helping to identify abuse early, providing victims with the necessary treatment, and referring women to appropriate and informed care."

11 Mar 2013

Health-related MDGs should 'remain at the heart' of post-2015 goals

Mark Suzman, managing director for International Policy, Programs & Advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes in the foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog about the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and how "there is a heightened sense of urgency to ensure we do everything possible to meet this ambitious deadline of 2015 -- and to make sure that a new set of goals are set that keep up the critical momentum."

11 Mar 2013

Guardian reports on discussion of Commission on the Status of Women outcome document

"The link between gender-based violence and HIV infections needs to be explicit in the outcome document of the Commission on the Status of Women [CSW], delegates said this week," the Guardian reports.

11 Mar 2013

Rural Latino men need better sexual health services: Study

A new study based on in-depth interviews of rural Latino men in western Oregon finds that these men need sexual health services designed for their needs, including more male health providers, more convenient clinic hours, and Spanish-speaking doctors.

8 Mar 2013

WomanCare Global, Evofem enter strategic alliance

Evofem announced today that it has entered into a strategic alliance with WomanCare Global. Through this alliance, WomanCare Global will provide sales, marketing and global distribution for a selection of Evofem's products, including Softcup and Amphora.

4 Mar 2013

Sole Miss. abortion clinic readies for license revocation hearing; N.Y. Gov.'s abortion bill criticized

Mississippi health department officials are challenging the license of the state's only abortion clinic, while critics of a proposal to expand abortion rights by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo say it would hurt women.

1 Mar 2013

IRIN examines access to reproductive health care in Uganda

"Boosting women's access to reproductive health care could significantly reduce both the number of unsafe abortions and the high cost of post-abortion medical care in Uganda, experts say," IRIN reports.

28 Feb 2013

IPS examines health implications of child marriage in Afghanistan

Inter Press Service examines the relationship between child marriage and the health of women and girls in Afghanistan. "In Afghanistan, the maternal mortality rate is on the rise; hospitals are filling up with anemic women and girls; and in over 200 districts, high schools are devoid of even a single female pupil," the news service writes, adding, "These issues are not unrelated -- they are all products of a grave social problem in this country of 35 million people: early child marriages."

28 Feb 2013

Blog posts examine different contraceptive methods

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog features an ongoing series titled "What's Your Method?" that provides posts about many of the contraceptive options for women and girls worldwide and how different organizations are working to ensure these methods become accessible options for women who want and need them.

24 Feb 2013

First Edition: February 19, 2013

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jay Hancock, working in collaboration with The Philadelphia Inquirer, reports: "Computer mistakes like the one that produced incorrect prescriptions for thousands of Rhode Island patients are probably far more common and dangerous than the Obama administration wants you to believe, says Drexel University's Dr. Scot Silverstein."

19 Feb 2013

Vaccine prices and availability: an interview with Kate Elder, Vaccines Policy Advisor for Médecins Sans Frontières's Access Campaign

One of the key reasons why children are missed by immunization programs, particularly in developing countries where Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) works, is that the products that we currently have in their present formulation are not well-suited to the places that have the most un-immunized children. These are the most challenging contexts to work in.

19 Feb 2013

Preventing deaths among women globally

In this audio report from United Nations Radio, Marleen Temmerman, head of the Department of Reproductive Health and Research at the WHO, talks to the U.N.'s Beng Poblete-Enriquez about preventable deaths among women globally.

6 Feb 2013

Demand for family planning services growing in Malawi despite challenges

IRIN examines access to family planning services in Malawi, where women have an average of 5.8 children and the population is expected to grow from 15 million in 2010 to 50 million in 2050, according to the news service.

6 Feb 2013

'Impatient Optimists' blog reflects on recent Global Maternal Health Conference

In this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Mariam Claeson, deputy director of maternal, newborn, and child health at the foundation; France Donnay, senior program officer for maternal, neonatal and child health at the foundation; and Melanie Walker, deputy director of global development special initiatives at the foundation, reflect on the Global Maternal Health Conference 2013, which took place recently in Arusha, Tanzania.

2 Feb 2013

African heads of state meet to address maternal mortality, MDG 5 goal

African "heads of state gathered in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa for the African Union Summit met at a side event on Sunday, Jan. 27 to renew their commitment to reducing the maternal mortality rate on the continent," Inter Press Service reports.

29 Jan 2013

Mary Ann Liebert to launch new LGBT Health journal

Over 4 million adults in the United States identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual and approximately 700,000 identify as transgender. An NIH-sponsored investigation by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded that the health status and healthcare needs of this sizable population are poorly understood and likely inadequately met. A journal is urgently needed to support, promote, and address the unique healthcare needs of each population that comprises the LGBT community, in the United States and worldwide.

29 Jan 2013