News Review – 9 June 2017 | Center for International Reproductive Health Training

The family planning and reproductive health world mourned the unexpected death of UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, who called himself an ‘Honorary Woman’ and insisted that “family planning is not a privilege but a right.” He will be remembered for his work on behalf of girls and youth worldwide.

The Maternal Health Task Force highlights “Ending ‘Preventable’ Maternal Deaths with Limited Resources: Learning from Successful Country Programs” – Rwanda and Ethiopia among them. Leadership, national government commitment, data-informed decision-making, financing innovation, strengthening health systems and collaboration with related sectors are all factors. And Guatemala offers another example: by empowering women environmentally, they have taken control of their reproductive health as well.

Other positive news reported from across Africa: reduced fertility and maternal mortality rates in Angola and provinces of Ghana and Zimbabwe, and increased funding for FP and RH programs in Kenya, Namibia, and Nigeria.

Limits on US international FP funding have repercussions for peace-building efforts in Colombia, and in Ghana will “will pose a major barrier to women’s comprehensive reproductive health rights.” The LA Times reports that domestic restrictions in El Salvador have given the country “the highest rate of femicide in the world.” The article continues: “Those who call for continued restrictions on safe and legal abortion in El Salvador fail to realize that making the procedure illegal does not reduce its prevalence.” In Poland, a bill to require a doctor’s prescription for the emergency contraception is making it “bad for your health” to be a woman.

Stories about private initiatives reacting to lack of government funding (“Duty Bound and Globally Gagged”): Texas has some of the most restrictive family planning restrictions and the highest maternal mortality ratio in the developed world, opening an opportunity for the Nurx app, which offers e-consultation and contraception delivery in unserved areas. The lack of international support for healthcare in Africa represents a “Pro-death” health agenda, though the African private healthcare market is set to boom, doubling in size over the next six years: “Though private sector involvement within the African healthcare market has been limited, the current investments are highlighting the paths that future players can take.”

Everything old is looked at anew again: The advent of the birth control pill started 60 years ago leading to revolutionary change for women and “six decades of struggle”; the Department of Health and Human Services changed the name of an informational website from “AIDS.com” to “HIV.com” to reflect changes in treatment and outlook; and a new study about alcohol use during pregnancy shows “Babies’ face scans detect exposure to low amounts of alcohol in utero.”

Universal Health Care is the top priority for incoming WHO D-G Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus “Lack of access is a problem that affects rich and poor countries alike”. And beyond UHC, there were academic discussions on ways to achieve health equity through organizational management change, and taking a wider look, through the prism of “One Health”, which aims to drive improvements in human, animal and ecological health through an holistic approach. Does it come down to an essential question: As Environmental Catastrophe Looms, Is it Ethical to Have Children?

Complete News Review References:

General/Global

Babatunde’s Lasting Legacy, Global Health Now, 9 Jun 2017

Garrett on Global Health, Foreign Policy, 9 Jun 2017

Sex is fun. Family planning messaging should be too., Devex, 8 Jun 2017

New Stirrings in Trump’s Assault on Women’s Equality and Reproductive Freedom, The American Prospect, 8 Jun 2017

Healthcare policymakers home in on goal of universal coverage, Financial Times, 7 Jun 2017

The Man Behind Trump’s Religious-Freedom Agenda for Health Care, The Atlantic, 7 Jun 2017

Granting Indonesian youth access to reproductive health rights, The Jakartra Post, 7 Jun 2017

Remarks at the UNFPA Segment of the Annual Meeting of the Executive Board, US Mission to the UN, 6 Jun 2017

Human Rights in the World Health Organization: Views of the Director-General Candidates, Health and Human Rights Journal, 6 Jun 2017

In Colombia, ‘global gag rule’ punishes conflict-affected populations, Devex, 6 Jun 2017