PUSH JOURNAL MEDIA SUMMARY

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS

Democrats Lose Fight Against ‘Global Gag Rule’: On December 17 and 21, the Associated Press and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Democrats had backed off a measure in the foreign aid bill to ease restrictions on funding for international family planning programs that offer abortion-related services, aware that they couldn’t override a promised presidential veto. "It is unconscionable for a president to ignore the majority of the members of Congress, the majority of Americans and the best interests of millions of human beings because he is blinded by his own narrow beliefs," said Amy Coen, president of Population Action International. "Today, the shadow of one man darkens the lives of so many." Read: Associated Press, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

States Reject Abstinence-only Funds: On December 16, the Washington Post reported that 14 states had rejected federal funds for abstinence-only sex education. Until 2007, only four states had refused the funding. "We hope that it sends a message to the politicians in Washington that this program needs to change, and states need to be able to craft a program that is the best fit for their young people and that is not a dictated by Washington ideologues," said William Smith of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. Read: Washington Post

Sex Education Delays Sexual Activity: On December 19, ABC News reported that a new report in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that teens who received any type of sex education – either abstinence-only or comprehensive – were more likely to delay sexual activity until after age 15. "This study expands on studies that have shown that sexuality education can delay the onset of sexual intercourse, once again dispelling the myth that early sexuality education might increase sexual activity," said Eli Coleman, director of the program in human sexuality at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Read: ABC News

Missouri Proposes Restrictive Abortion Ballot Measure: On December 28, the Chicago Tribune reported that a proposed ballot measure in Missouri would be by far the most restrictive abortion law ever seen in the U.S. It would require a full background check on patients to make sure they weren’t coerced into having an abortion, as well as doctor certification of "the imminent death or serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman" Read: Chicago Tribune

Australian Anglicans Call for New Abortion Stance: On December 15, The Age (Australia) reported that an all-female committee of the Anglican Church’s Melbourne diocese has proposed that abortion be decriminalized, calling it the “least problematic solution” in certain circumstances. Archdeacon Alison Taylor said that although the church does not support a pro-choice perspective, sometimes abortion is a necessary option. "The knee-jerk reaction is to make the legislation very restrictive, but the way you reduce abortions is with contraception and sex education. The other thing is to support families. We need to be a pro-child society with a pro-child government." Read: The Age

Abortion Pill Possible for Italy: On December 17, Agence France Presse reported that a version of the abortion pill RU-486 called Mifegyn will soon be available in Italy. Abortion has been legal in Italy since 1978 but due to the Vatican’s strong presence, doctors can refuse to perform the procedure on moral grounds. "We have pledged to make it available [in Italy]," Health Minister Livia Turco told the paper. "It is not a political choice but an administrative act." Read: Agence France Presse

UK Offers Cards for Emergency Contraception: On December 18, the The Daily Telegraph (London) reported that girls in the U.K. will soon be able to get emergency contraception by presenting a card to a chemist instead of having to see a clinician. The pilot scheme was tested in Dorset, where teen pregnancy rates are higher than in the rest of Britain. Lisa Browne, teenage pregnancy strategy coordinator of the Dorset County Council, said: "It can sometimes be a daunting prospect for young women to walk into a busy pharmacy and ask for emergency contraception, so we hope this will make the process easier." Read: The Daily Telegraph

Psychiatrists Arrested in Spanish Clinic Raid: On December 20, Agence France Presse and the Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported that two psychiatrists were arrested and held without bail in Barcelona in a raid of clinics suspected of carrying out illegal late-term abortions. Spain liberalized its abortion laws in 1985 to allow the procedure for extreme medical circumstances, but an estimated 91,000 abortions took place there in 2005. The recent rise in abortions puts pressure on officials to consider liberalizing the laws again before the upcoming March elections. Read: Agence France Presse, Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Male Birth Control Pill Being Developed: On December 28, the Daily Mail reported that scientists are closer to developing a daily male birth control pill to prevent pregnancy. Some doubt that a major demand for the pill would exist. Allan Pacey, a male fertility expert at Sheffield University and secretary of the British Fertility Society, said: "A bigger concern is whether women would trust their men to take it.” He added, however, "The evidence suggests they would. There are a number of studies that show most women are trusting of their partners when they are in a stable relationship.” Read: Daily Mail

 

HIV & AIDS

Birth Control Best to Prevent Pediatric AIDS: On December 16, the Washington Post reported that birth control is now the top pick among leading strategists to prevent pediatric AIDS. Previously, antiretroviral drugs were seen as the best way to prevent mother-to-child transmission, but Family Health International, a nonprofit organization that works in Africa, found that programs using contraception prevented more pediatric AIDS cases then antiretroviral drugs did. Read: Washington Post

Contraception Labels Must State No STD/HIV Prevention: On December 19, the Associated Press reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had ruled that labels for contraceptive gels, films and other products must now state that they offer no protection against sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. Read: Associated Press

Online Tool Developed to Fight AIDS: On December 19, the Malaysia Sun reported that a new online tool is being developed to fight the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections. A research team from the University of Minnesota has been working to create computer programs that assess risks for men seeking sex with other men online. Testing is now underway. "The goal of this research is to create a genuine online experience that promotes healthier sexual behavior and encourages people to take fewer risks in sexual encounters outside of cyberspace," said Professor Joseph Konstan. Read: Malaysia Sun

 

SAVING WOMEN’S LIVES

Burmese Girls Are Victims of Chinese One-Child Policy: On December 19, The Independent (London) reported that Burmese girls and women are being trafficked into neighboring China due to China’s skewed sex ratios of 30 million more men than women. "There are millions of men with no chance of marrying," said Andrew Kirkwood, Burma program director for Save the Children. "Brothers sell sisters, fathers sell daughters, across the border. It's hard to determine how much they know about what the fate of the girls will be." Read: The Independent (London)

Groups Slams Zambia Over Violence Against Women: On December 18, Agence France Presse and United Press International reported that Human Rights Watch (HRW), a human rights watchdog group, accused the Zambian government of condoning escalating violence against women and blocking AIDS sufferers from access to antiretroviral treatment. "Unless the Zambian government introduces legal and health system reform and removes barriers to HIV treatment that women face, gender-based abuses will continue to shatter the lives of countless Zambian women," said Nada Ali of HRW. Read: Agence France Presse, United Press International

Violence High for Algeria’s Women: On December 16, the Washington Post reported on the staggering level of violence against women in Algeria. An estimated 7,400 Algerian women were victims of violence in 2005, up from 5,845 in 2004. Although there is some evidence of westernization among the country’s 33 million people, women’s rights are lagging. Women’s illiteracy rate is twice that of men, and they are only 13 percent of the workforce. "The figures don't say much. The big problem is most victims don't complain," said Saliha Larab of the Algerian women's organization RAFD. "They stay silent, fearing reprisals by society. A woman does not have the right to complain." Read: Washington Post

POPULATION

US Fertility Hits 35-Year High: On December 20, The Washington Post and USA Today reported that the United States fertility rate has hit a 35-year high, a milestone that means each generation can replace itself. Reasons could be lower levels of birth control use, religious values that encourage childbearing, social conditions that make it easier for women to work and have families, and a growing Hispanic population. Environmentalists are concerned with the news. "The world is now consuming resources faster than the earth can sustain over the longer term," said Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute. "Forests are shrinking. Fisheries are collapsing. Water tables are falling. Large parts of the world's grasslands are deteriorating. The U.S. is already disproportionately responsible for that because of our very high consumption levels." Read: Washington Post, USA Today

Rising Population Aids Global Warming: On December 18, The Business Times Singapore reported that according to Andrew Watkinson of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in the UK, three quarters of climate problems are caused by rising populations. Watkinson also said no government is prepared with efficient policy changes to accommodate rising population and its effect on the climate. 'Climate change is not the major issue. It is the socio-economic scenarios, the demographics, that are driving major changes. It’s a population problem, primarily,' he said. Read: The Business Times Singapore

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The above summary is produced by the Communications Consortium Media Center, 401 Ninth Street, NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20004, 202.326.8700. Redistribution is encouraged with credit to CCMC.

 

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