News Review – 22 December 2017
Contraception Communication
Trained and sensitized health care workers are essential to providing contraception to satisfy the needs of their various constituents. An interesting study in Global Health: Science and Practice looked at post-abortion contraception use in 10 Asian and sub-Saharan African countries and found that “77% of women left with a contraceptive method after receiving abortion care. While contraceptive uptake was high among all age groups, adolescents ages 15–19 were less likely to choose a method than women 25 years or older… Health systems and facilities should pay increased attention to meeting the contraceptive needs of young women and adolescents.” Another study looked at involving frontline health care workers in Ethiopia with Implanon insertion improved contraception access. An initiative in Ghana is encouraging health professionals to educate their clients about family planning, where there is a need to improve Reproductive Health Services for adolescent girls. In Rwanda, an SMS tool is brining sexual and reproductive health information to young people, yet it takes more than technology, as UNFPA notes that “cultural beliefs can be a barrier to family planning usage.”
Abortion Access
Counseling is one aspect, but real access to the full spectrum of choices requires action at many levels in society, as outlined by the International Center for Research on Women in its report about the importance of investing in international family planning. In South Africa, where the law allows for abortion, too many providers are refusing, making it difficult for women to access the services. The Daily Maverick calls for “going beyond lip service to protect and promote a woman’s right to choose.” Restricted access can have serious consequences, as experienced as a result of the Global Gag Rule at clinics in Kenya, which will lead to “an increased number of mortalities.”
Complete News Review Source References:
Academic
The Midwifery services framework: What is it, and why is it needed?, Midwifery, February 2018
Conceptions, with percentage leading to abortion, by month of conception and age group of mother in England and Wales, 1992 to 2003, Office for National Statistics (UK), 22 Dec 2017
What Factors Contribute to Postabortion Contraceptive Uptake By Young Women? A Program Evaluation in 10 Countries in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, Global Health: Science and Practice, December 2017
Harmonizing Methods for Estimating the Impact of Contraceptive Use on Unintended Pregnancy, Abortion, and Maternal Health, Global Health: Science and Practice, December 2017
Enjoining the contraception rules, The Incidental Economist, 18 Dec 2017
Burkina Faso
MABINGUÉ NGOM, DIRECTEUR RÉGIONAL DE L’UNFPA « Travailler avec le Partenariat de Ouagadougou pour accélérer la capture du Dividende Démographique », Ouagadougou Partnership, 17 Dec 2017
Cote d’Ivoire
Germany donates CFA12b to health system, APA News, 19 Dec 2017
Egypt
Egypt struggles against population explosion, AFP/New Vision, 21 Dec 2017
Ethiopia
Improving Contraceptive Access, Use, and Method Mix by Task Sharing Implanon Insertion to Frontline Health Workers: The Experience of the Integrated Family Health Program in Ethiopia, Global Health: Science and Practice, December 2017
Ghana
Journalists Sensitized On Reproductive Health, Modern Ghana, 19 Dec 2017
Health Professionals urged to educate prospective family planning clients, Ghana News Agency, 19 Dec 2017
The need to improve Reproductive Health Services for adolescent girls, Ghana News Agency, 18 Dec 2017
Kenya
Impact of ‘global gag rule’ goes beyond abortion for these health groups in Kenya, PBS NewsHour, 19 Dec 2017
Planned Parenthood Global’s move to Kenya, She-Files, 17 Dec 2017
Changing Face of Family Planning Funding in Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Two Urban Counties, African Journal of Reproductive Health, December 2017
Liberia
Multivariable regression analysis of list experiment data on abortion: results from a large, randomly-selected population based study in Liberia, Population Health Metrics, 21 Dec 2017
Malawi
Teenagers failing to heed warnings about under-age sex, unplanned pregnancies soars, Nyasa Times, 22 Dec 2017
PaMawa and Partners Excited to Gain New Skills on Bridging the Research-to-Policy Gap, PRB, 20 Dec 2017
Nigeria
Why Nigeria may miss out its family planning target, Nigerian Tribune, 21 Dec 2017
Nigeria Records 111 Maternal Deaths Daily, Says Pathfinder, This Day, 21 Dec 2017
Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (update), JHU CCP, 20 Dec 2017
Embrace Family Planning To Stay Alive, Salami Tasks Women, The Independent, 20 Dec 2017
Coalition unites to achieve SDG targets for reproductive, maternal, child health, Vanguard, 19 Dec 2017
Rwanda
SMS tool brings sexual, reproductive health information to Rwanda’s youth, UNFPA, 22 Dec 2017
Cultural beliefs a barrier to family planning use, UNFPA, 19 Dec 2017
South Africa
Going beyond lip service to protect and promote a woman’s right to choose, Daily Maverick, 20 Dec 2017
Abortion Under Apartheid: Nationalism, Sexuality, and Women’s Reproductive Rights in South Africa, Project Muse, November 2017
South Sudan
Refugees In Uganda Being Sensitized On Family Planning, Gurtong, 19 Dec 2017
Tanzania
Challenges of dealing with molar pregnancy in Tanzania, The Citizen, 19 Dec 2017
Uganda
200 million condoms consumed annually in Uganda, KFM, 21 Dec 2017
Expanding The Possible: Innovations at UNFPA Uganda, UNFPA, December 2017
Global/General
Contraceptive implant brings comfort and joy to Myanmar women, UNFPA, 22 Dec 2017
Wolf vetoes controversial abortion bill, Pocono Record, 22 Dec 2017
Severe Complications for Women During Childbirth Are Skyrocketing — and Could Often Be Prevented, ProPublica, 22 Dec 2017
Why medical students are practicing abortions on papayas, The Guardian, 22 Dec 2017
Prenatal Testing: Facts and Fears, Abortion Rights Campaign, 22 Dec 2017
Do Hormonal Contraceptives Increase Breast Cancer Risk?, Medscape, 22 Dec 2017
Moments of Hope, Inspiration During Trump’s First Year, Rewire, 21 Dec 2017
Trump’s War on Refugee Women, Bright magazine, 21 Dec 2017
Irish People Flying Home For Christmas Are Sharing An Important Message About Abortion, BuzzFeed, 21 Dec 2017
Here’s what happened when one woman emailed the White House about birth control, Vox, 21 Dec 2017
Guatemala Supreme Court Strikes Down UNFPA Pro-Abortion Manual, Center for Family and Human Rights, 21 Dec 2017
Why invest in international family planning?, International Center for Research on Women, 21 Dec 2017
Family planning kick-starts prosperity, Sightline Institute, 21 Dec 2017
Planned Parenthood asks Supreme Court to restore injunction on medical abortion, Arkansas Times, 21 Dec 2017
Unseen and Unsung, Appalachia Is Fighting for Our Future, Rewire, 21 Dec 2017
What Happens During a Self-Managed Abortion?, Women Help Women, 21 Dec 2017
The White House Thinks Birth Control & Abortion Are The Same — Here’s Why That’s Dangerous, Bustle, 20 Dec 2017
For Foster Teens, Accessing Birth Control Is an Uphill Battle, Rewire, 20 Dec 2017
3 ways medical professionals can approach sexual health issues sensitively, The Future of Things, 20 Dec 2017
The Traveling Abortion Doctor, The Atlantic, 20 Dec 2017
Here’s How Many Women Could Lose Access To Maternity Care Under The Tax Bill, Romper, 20 Dec 2017
US drops effort to block young immigrant from getting abortion, CNN, 20 Dec 2017
State hosts NE workshop on family planning, Eastern Mirror (India), 20 Dec 2017
Do Minors Need Parental Involvement For An Abortion? These Laws Can Present Barriers, Elite Daily, 20 Dec 2017
8 Women Share What It’s Like to Have Sex Again After an Abortion, Self, 19 Dec 2017
Janet Benshoof, lawyer who pursued abortion rights for women, dies at 70, Washington Post, 19 Dec 2017
A New Flushable Pregnancy Test Could Help Women in Abusive Relationships, 19 Dec 2017
City Kids: The Sexual, Reproductive, and Maternal Health of Urban Adolescents, New Security Beat, 19 Dec 2017
Abortion doulas: The quiet foot soldiers in the fight for reproductive rights, Mic, 19 Dec 2017
Governor vetoes abortion measure, The Herald, 19 Dec 2017
The crusade against contraceptives and reproductive rights, GMA News (Philippines), 19 Dec 2017
Birth Control Access Controversy: Educate Yourself on the Law, Contraception, and Insurance Coverage, Everyday Health, 19 Dec 2017
Extra Obamacare subsidies renew battle over taxpayer funding of abortion, Washington Post, 19 Dec 2017
Top 10 moments for women’s rights in 2017, Global Fund for Women, 19 Dec 2017
‘Everything was clouded by Trump in 2017’: a gruelling year for poor nations – podcast, The Guardian, 19 Dec 2017
Thirty Years of the Safe Motherhood Initiative: Celebrating Progress and Charting the Way Forward, MHTF, 19 Dec 2017
Meet Bolivia’s champions for abortion rights, IPAS, 19 Dec 2017
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to block abortion for immigrant teen, Politico, 19 Dec 2017
Info on contraceptives ban was confusing and hard to obtain, GMA News (Philippines), 19 Dec 2017
The Trump administration’s Orwellian plan to gut Roe v. Wade, Think Progress, 18 Dec 2017
House Republicans Push Symbolic Nonsense Abortion Bill, Reason.com, 18 Dec 2017
Children Missing Out on Sex Education, Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, 18 Dec 2017
Two more pregnant immigrant teens in custody ask judge to allow abortions, Washington Post, 18 Dec 2017
More than 3,000 British abortions for women from Republic, Irish Times, 18 Dec 2017
Scotland’s top doctor given three weeks to stop allowing abortion pills at home or face legal action, The Telegraph, 18 Dec 2017
Analysis: PA Abortion Issue Plays To Both Parties’ Bases, CBS Local, 17 Dec 2017
Paying it forward, The Times, 17 Dec 2017
Faith and planning in the Sahel: tensions and cooperation, Huffington Post, 17 Dec 2017
UnityPoint tests ban under family planning law, The Gazette, 17 Dec 2017
‘Ban on condom ads on TV would undo decades of progress’, Press Trust of India, 17 Dec 2017
Irish Women Are Sharing Their Stories Of Travelling To Get Abortions As Part Of A New Exhibition, BuzzFeed, 16 Dec 2017
Needless deaths, Samaa TV (Pakistan), 16 Dec 2017
A Woman’s Voice for Women at the UN Agency for Reproductive Rights, The New York Times, 16 Dec 2017
The males don’t participate actively in the National Family Planning Programme: Dr Asha Advani, Economic Times (India), 16 Dec 2017
After Alabama, abortion may be backseat issue in 2018 races, Fox News/AP, 16 Dec 2017
Continuing saga and relevance of RH and family planning, Manila Standard, 16 Dec 2017
