PUSH JOURNAL MEDIA SUMMARY

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS

U.S. Abortion Rates Decline: On January 17 and 22, several media outlets reported that the abortion rate in the United States had dropped to its lowest level in 30 years. An estimated 1.2 million abortions were performed in the United States in 2005, down from 1.6 million in 1990, according to a new study by the Guttmacher Institute. Reasons for the trend include greater contraceptive use. More providers are also using the abortion pill RU-486: 13 percent of abortions in 2005, up from 6 percent in 2000."This study shows that prevention works, and that's what we provide in our health centers every day," said Cecile Richard of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Read: Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post

On January 17, ABC News explored other possible reasons for the abortion rate decline. Anti-abortion advocates believe that more women are opting against abortion for moral reasons, while pro-choice advocates believe many women simply do not have access to abortion-related services. "Eighty-seven percent of counties in the United States don't have an abortion provider," Rachel Jones of the Guttmacher Institute said. "Thirty-five percent of women live in those counties." Read: ABC News

35th Anniversary of Roe Vs. Wade: Several media outlets reported on abortion’s importance as an issue in coming elections as Roe vs. Wade reaches its 35th anniversary. Many in the anti-choice movement claim they no longer seek to overturn the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in 1973 and are instead working to elect pro-life politicians who will push for incremental statewide restrictions that will make abortions more difficult to obtain. With abortion bans ready and waiting in several states and the majority of Supreme Court Judges now anti-choice, pro-choice advocates believe legal abortion will be in serious trouble if a Republican president is elected. Read: The Columbus Dispatch, Agence France Presse, The Columbus Dispatch, Associated Press , Kansas City Star,

Row Anniversary editorials and columns:  On January 26, The New York Times published an editorial about the 35th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade and the Guttmacher Institute report that abortion rates in the United States are at a 30-year low.  The editorial said: “The lesson: prevention works. Restrictions on abortion serve mainly to hurt poor women by postponing abortions until later in pregnancy. While shifting social mores may change some people's behavior, the best practical strategy for reducing abortions is to focus on helping women avoid unwanted pregnancies.” Read: The New York Times

On January 17 and 22, The Nation and the Los Angeles Times published an opinion piece by Frances Kissling and Kate Michelman that sought to reframe the issue of abortion as the moral high ground in the public’s eye, saying it is critical to improve access to and safety of abortion. “Having learned the hard way that Supreme Court decisions can fail us, we need to frame our case in the court of public opinion, and listen more attentively and respond more fully to the public's concern about men's as well as women's responsibilities to prevent unwanted pregnancies and to parent wisely and lovingly,” they wrote. “Roe v. Wade was a socially transforming decision that in many ways was ahead of its time. For women much of the task of social transformation is still before us. And it will be achieved only when we truly engage the public on the many issues that will ensure women's equality and security.” Read: The Nation, Los Angeles Times

On January 18, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Patriot News (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) published commentary by Lorie Chaiten and Nancy Hopkins, both from the American Civil Liberties Union, on focusing the abortion debate on fairness and women’s equality on the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. Chaiten writes “It is time to re-examine the roles access to birth control and abortion play not only in opening up the classrooms, boardrooms and legislatures to women, but also to ensuring women's equality more broadly. It is time to refocus on fairness and opportunity so that we all can make meaningful decisions about whether and when to bear children.” Hopkins writes “It is time to refocus the conversation on fairness and opportunity so that we all can make meaningful decisions about whether and when to bear children. The political, economic, and social life of our democracy depends on it.” Read: Chicago Sun-Times, Patriot News

On January 16, Women’s Enews published an opinion piece by Gloria Feldt about the status of reproductive health and rights in the United States on the anniversary or Roe vs. Wade. Feldt said the current administration and the Supreme Court have reduced a women’s right to her reproductive decisions; government programs have limited access to contraception and family planning services; and pop culture ignores the reality of abortion with a slew of pro-pregnancy movies like “Knocked Up” and “Juno.” Feldt wrote: “Now I understand that when it comes to pregnancy and childbearing, every choice involves both sacrifice and freedom. That's the moral case for reproductive justice. And that's why this anniversary of Roe calls for nothing less than a ringing affirmation of women's rights as human rights--rather than merely privacy rights--and a pledge to advance laws and appoint judges who assert respect for women's lives and human rights.” Read: Women’s Enews

Birth Control Pill Use Reduces Ovarian Cancer: On January 24, several media outlets reported on a study in The Lancet medical journal that found that taking birth control pills for 15 years reduced a woman’s risk of ovarian cancer by half. Protection lasted even 30 years after stopping the medication. Previous studies of the pill have found increased rates of breast and cervical cancer among users, with risks disappearing 10 years after pill use ended. An estimated 120 million women worldwide used the pill in 2002, 80 percent of them in developing nations. "To be able to save thousands of women's lives every year by using contraceptives is remarkable," said Dr. Beth Karlan, director of the Women's Cancer Research Institute at Cedars Sinai in California. Read: Associated Press, Agence France Presse, CBS News

Brazil’s Carnival Gets 20 Million Condoms: On January 25, ABC Premium News (Australia) and the Associated Press reported that the Brazilian Health Ministry plans to hand out roughly 20 million condoms free during this year’s Carnival, one of Brazil’s wildest festivals. It begins this year on February 2. Recife, the Carnival host city this year, is also planning to hand out free morning-after pills to prevent unintended pregnancy and abortions. The Catholic Church filed a lawsuit against the government, claiming that the initiative promotes promiscuity and abortion. Prosecutors ruled in favor of the government and contraception will be handed out as planned. Read: ABC Premium News, Associated Press, Agence France Presse

Manila Women Demand Contraceptives: On January 30, Reuters reported that women from three slums in Manila are asking the country’s Court of Appeals to overturn a law preventing distribution of contraceptives at public clinics. The Philippines, a largely Catholic nation of 89 million people, has one of the world’s fastest-growing populations, with 2 million babies born annually. “We were denied not only access to contraceptives, but even our rights guaranteed in the constitution to make a free choice were also ignored and violated," said Lourdes Osil, a mother of six whose lawyer says the law is unconstitutional. Read: Reuters

Advocates Praise Canada’s Abortion Policies: On January 26 and 28, The National Post (Canada) and The Gazette (Montreal) observed the 20th anniversary of legal abortion in Canada with stories featuring Dr. Henry Morgentaler, who opened Canada’s first abortion clinic in 1969 and fought for years to legalize the procedure. Today, safe, legal abortions are available in most of Canada, and Quebec’s policy of providing free abortions in hospitals and clinics has been called a model system by other nations. "Quebec is the only province with a mandate to make abortion services available in every region of the province, including the most northerly, rural regions.” said Jessica Shaw of Canadians for Choice, a national abortion rights group. Read: The National Post, The Gazette, The Gazette

Chilean Government Faces Opposition Over Contraception: On January 31, Women’s Enews reported that Chile’s Constitutional Court is reviewing a lawsuit by 36 conservative legislators who say birth control pills and emergency contraception are forms of abortion and therefore unconstitutional, as abortion is illegal in Chile. In addition, three major pharmacy chains are refusing to comply with a new Chilean law that requires them to stock and sell emergency contraceptive pills. Since taking office in 2006, President Michelle Bachelet has moved to provide Chilean women 14 and older with free “morning-after” pills and other forms of contraception. Read: Women’s Enews

Brown Calls For New Family Planning Strategy: On January 31, the Press Association Newsfile (U.K) reported that British Prime Minster Gordon Brown called British rates of teen pregnancy in Britain “too high,” noting they are the highest in Western Europe. He called for a new prevention strategy that would provide comprehensive sex education in all British schools, sex education resources for parents, morning-after pill distribution from local pharmacies and access to services and contraception at public health clinics. “We need to take action to deal with [teen pregnancy],” Brown said. “I believe the whole country will benefit from a better strategy.'' Read: Press Association Newsfile

 

HIV & AIDS

Bush Falls Short on Funding PEPFAR: On January 28 and 31, several media outlets reported on AIDS activists’ assertion that President Bush’s request to “double” funding for his President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to $30 billion is really a flat-fund proposal for the program, one likely to stall progress in the fight against AIDS. In 2008, the US budget against AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis is $6 billion, advocates said, and that sum multiplied over five years is $30 billion. The advocates said an actual doubling of current spending would be $60 billion, and that $30 billion is not enough to prevent new infections and provide adequate treatment. The funding decision will also affect successful programs to prevent malaria and tuberculosis. Read: Businesswire, Voice of America News

Vaginal Drug Protects Against HIV: On January 15, the Washington Post reported that a new study by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas found that patients who were administered anti-retroviral drugs vaginally before and after exposure to HIV were less likely to contract AIDS. The majority of new worldwide HIV infections are contracted through unprotected vaginal sex, an estimated 6,800 cases every day. Researchers hope for solutions that can prevent HIV infection now. "We don't want something in 10 years. We want female-controlled prevention measures now,” said senior study author Dr. J. Victor Garcia-Martinez. “Our observations support the potential for antiviral drugs to function as an effective pre-exposure prophylaxis against the further spread of AIDS." Read: Washington Post

New Gel Offers Women Hope Against HIV: On January 28, Business Day (Johannesburg) reported that Carraguard, a new seaweed-based microbicide gel containing carrageenan, a seaweed derivative, is undergoing a Phase 3 trial for protective benefits against HIV when inserted vaginally. The trial involves 6,000 African women. Advocates say if successful, Carraguard would give women the opportunity to protect themselves instead of having to rely on their husbands and partners to wear condoms to prevent HIV infection. Read: Business Day

 

SAVING WOMEN’S LIVES

Rape Increases in Kenya Violence: On January 15, Africa News reported that rape and sexual violence have increased significantly during violence in Kenya following a disputed December 27 election. The nationwide uprising has displaced some 250,000 people into slums and camps. The loss of trained personnel, damage to hospitals and supplies and a breakdown in crisis management has Kenyan health care workers struggling to deal with an influx of sexual violence victims. The government, NGOs, UNFPA and the Kenyan Red Cross have set up satellite facilities to treat the victims and deal with local authorities. Read: Africa News

 

WOMEN’S EQUALITY

Afghan Women Struggle Despite Progress: On January 31, the Calgary Herald (Canada) reported that despite improvements, Afghan women still suffer discrimination and abuse. Groups like Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan are raising money to improve the staggering 80 percent illiteracy rate among Afghan women and girls. Neighborhoods are being rebuilt and electricity is being restored in many areas, but more international funding and cooperation is needed to improve women’s equality, the story said. Read: Calgary Herald

Genital Cutting Common in Indonesia: On January 20, The New York Times Magazine reported on a tradition of female genital cutting in Indonesia, home of the world’s largest Muslim population. An estimated 96 percent of Indonesian girls are victims, with free circumcision given to hundreds annually by the Assalaam Foundation, an Islamic educational organization. Providers travel nationwide to elementary schools to hold cutting ceremonies for young girls and boys. Recent estimates by the World Health Organization found that 140 million girls worldwide have undergone the procedure. Genital cutting has been outlawed in 14 nations, mostly in Africa, and proposed legislation would outlaw it in Indonesia. But little progress is expected without the support of religious leaders, and many of them endorse the practice. Read: The New York Times Magazine

 

POPULATION

Buddists Call for Halt on Family Planning: On January 16, the Daily Times (Pakistan) reported that Buddhist groups in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir are calling for an immediate halt to family planning programs in fear that their population is dwindling. The latest census figures show the Buddhist population in the region has dropped from 54 to 46 percent in the past four decades, while the Muslim population has increased from 45 to 47 percent. Buddhist leader MP Thupstan Chewang attributes the shift to government family planning programs. Read: Daily Times

EU and China Tackle Population Problems: On January 16, Chinadaily.com.cn reported the European Union has offered to help China deal with social challenges like aging populations, unemployment and wealth gaps. In 2005, the EU and China opened dialogue surrounding employment and social affairs through a 20-million-euro ($29.6 million) joint project to support the reform of China's pension system. Vladimir Spidla, commissioner for employment, social affairs and equal opportunities, made a three-day visit to China to expand the program. "I noticed from this visit that China and the EU are inter-dependent. What I mean is that China is influencing Europe, and Europe is influencing China as well. We are faced with very similar challenges and problems," Spidla said. Read: Chinadaily.com.cn

 

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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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