past media summaries

July 16-31, 2009

PUSH JOURNAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS JULY 16-31, 2009

TOP STORIES

Debate Over Abortion Could Stall Health Care Reform: Multiple media outlets reported July 14 - 29 on the place of abortion in the ongoing debate over health care reform, as opponents of abortion rights in the House of Representatives sought to deny federal subsidies for insurance programs that cover abortions. In a measure meant to reach a compromise between abortion rights advocates and opponents, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed an amendment proposed by Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) to allow health plans to cover or not cover abortion as they see fit, but stipulated that insurers must use money from private sources to pay for any abortions. Read: The New York Times(July 30), Los Angeles Times, Washington Post(July 23), CBS, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times(July 20) and Newsweek

Ryan-DeLauro Bill Offers the “Common Ground” Obama Advocates: U.S. News & World Report, Time and the Associated Press reported July 22 and 23 on the significance of the “Preventing Unintended Pregnancies” bill, sponsored by Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), that aims to reduce U.S. abortion rates while defining a common ground for abortion rights advocates and opponents. It would fund both expanded support for adoption services and increased access to contraceptives. Read: U.S. News, Timeand Associated Press

Kristof Spotlights Reproductive Health, Women’s Rights in Pakistan: The New York Times published columns and blogs July 19 – 30 by columnist Nicholas Kristof profiling women and health care providers involved in efforts to change the way that women’s health and rights are approached in Pakistan. Kristof highlighted the risks of pregnancy for many Pakistani women: “One of the most lethal forms of sex discrimination is this systematic inattention to reproductive health care, from family planning to childbirth — so long as those who die are impoverished, voiceless women.” Read: The New York Times (July 30 - column), The New York Times (July 30 – blog), The New York Times(July 26) and The New York Times (July 19)

OTHER NOTEWORTHY ARTICLES AND OPINIONS BY SUBJECT

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

One-Third of Maternal Deaths Preventable in South Africa: The Cape Argus (South Africa)reported July 29 that Saving Mothers 2005-2007: Fourth Report on Confidential Inquiries into Maternal Deaths in South Africa, by South Africa’s National Committee on Confidential Inquiries into Maternal Death, has concluded that at least one third of women who die during pregnancy and childbirth could be saved if they had access to skilled care during delivery and received other accessible interventions. Read: Cape Argus

UNFPA, Others Work to Supply Maternal Health Care for Pakistan IDPs: Women’s Feature Service (India)reported July 28 on efforts by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, and other international relief agencies to provide health care for pregnant women displaced by the ongoing conflict in Pakistan’s northwest frontier provinces. Read: Women’s Feature Service

Afghan Midwives Step Up to Save Lives: The Washington Times reported July 30 and CNN reported July 24 on efforts to reduce maternal mortality in Afghanistan. One feature concerned student midwives and the factors that contribute to Afghanistan’s high maternal and infant mortality rates. "We live in an area where we are far from any clinic or hospital and there are a lot of difficulties there for pregnant women," said Nourzia, a student midwife. "It's very difficult for them to reach a hospital. This is why I was so keen in learning this profession and helping these women, so in the future they are in less danger." Read: The Washington Times and Watch: CNN

Obama May Change International Health Funding: NPR reported July 16 that, as public health experts from Afghanistan warned Congress of the health risks faced by women and children in the country, President Barack Obama’s strategy for global health funding is shifting emphasis to maternal, child and reproductive health. Listen: NPR

Italy Approves Abortion Pill: Reuters reported July 31 that Italy’s drug regulation agency approved the use of the abortion pill over the objections of the Catholic Church. Read: Reuters

Amnesty International Slams Nicaragua Abortion Ban: The Los Angeles Times reported July 25 on an Amnesty International report finding that Nicaragua’s total ban on abortion creates what Kate Gilmore, Executive Secretary-General of Amnesty International, termed "a festering, debilitating human rights situation.” She said the ban brings “grave fear, threat, harm and even death to Nicaragua's girl children and women." Read: The Los Angeles Times  

Global Decline in Family Planning Funding Threatens Poverty Battle: This Day (Nigeria) reported July 15 on a United Nations warning that a decline in international funding for family planning services threatens to erase gains in the fight against poverty. Read: This Day

Abortions Increase in China; Officials Cite Falling Taboos, Lack of Sex Ed: The New York Times reported July 30 that China’s abortion rate has increased in recent years, according to a new study by the Guttmacher Institute and the United Nations Population Division. Chinese officials connected the increase to a lack of education on contraceptives combined with loosening of taboos around sexuality. Read: The New York Times

Dr. George Tiller and Wichita’s Abortion Battle: The New York Times reported July 25 on Dr. George Tiller’s position in the ongoing fight over abortion in Wichita, Kansas, where he was the only abortion provider until his murder May 31. Read: The New York Times

U.S. Abortion Fight Intensifies: USA Today reported July 24 on the state of public debates over abortion, touching on issues such as Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings, President Barack Obama’s efforts to generate public support for health care reform, and the murder of Kansas abortion provider Dr. George Tiller. Read: USA Today

Withdrawal Method Finds Ally in Guttmacher Study: The New York Times reported July 21 on a finding by the Guttmacher Institute that the so-called “withdrawal method” of contraception, long dismissed by reproductive health educators, is more effective than previously thought. ''Health care providers and health educators should discuss withdrawal as a legitimate, if slightly less effective, contraceptive method in the same way they do condoms and diaphragms,'' the authors wrote. Read: The New York Times

U.S. Teen Pregnancy, STI Rates on the Rise: HealthDay News reported July 16 that a Centers for Disease Control study has found an increase in rates of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections among U.S. adolescents. The study, which tracked statistics for 2002-2007, found sharp increases in 2006 and 2007 that reversed a decline documented from 1991-2005. Read: HealthDay News

House Spending Bill Allows DC to Use Funds for Abortion: The Associated Press reported July 16 that the House of Representatives had voted to lift a ban on the use of public funds to provide abortions in the District of Columbia. The Senate has not yet approved the measure. Read: Associated Press

FDA Approves Simpler Plan B: Newsweek reported July 15 that the FDA approved Plan B One-Step, a single-dose emergency contraceptive that will be available without a prescription to women 17 and older and with a prescription for women under 17. The original version of Plan B requires women to take two doses of hormones 12 hours apart. Read: Newsweek

Women’s Equality

China Alters One-Child Policy: The New York Times reported July 24 that, after 30 years of a strict “one child” policy, China has begun encouraging certain couples to have two children. “We advocate eligible couples to have two kids because it can help reduce the proportion of the aging people and alleviate a work force shortage in the future,” said Xie Lingli, director of the Shanghai Population and Family Planning Commission. Read: The New York Times

Clinton’s Challenge is to Build Woman-Centered Foreign Policy: The American Prospect published a column July 16 by Michelle Goldberg, author of The Means of Reproduction, on the challenges facing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as she works to make women’s rights a priority in U.S. foreign policy. Read: The American Prospect

Syrian President Toughens Sentences for Honor Crimes: The Economist (UK) reported July 15 that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad raised the minimum sentence for those convicted of “honor killings” from one year to two, but kept intact a provision allowing judges wide discretion in crimes motivated by “honor.” Read: The Economist

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