past media summaries

August 16-31, 2009

PUSH JOURNAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS AUGUST 16-31, 2009

TOP STORIES

Women’s Empowerment Is Key To Moral, Development Challenges: The New York Times Magazine of August 23 was devoted entirely to reports and columns on women’s rights worldwide. The cover features the headline, "Why Women's Rights are the Cause of Our Time," the title of an article by Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn. Adapted from their book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, the essay says empowering women can help solve many of the world's problems, including poverty and terrorism.Times contributors Nicholas Kristof and Sheryll WuDunn argued, “If the injustices that women in poor countries suffer are of paramount importance, in an economic and geopolitical sense the opportunity they represent is even greater.” On the same date The Huffington Post published a blog by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on their governments’ efforts to promote women’s rights. Read: The Huffington Post, The New York Times (Belkin) and The New York Times(Kristof and WuDunn)
Health Care Reform And Women’s Health: Multiple media outlets reported and published op-eds and blogs August 14-30 on the position of abortion and other women’s health services in health care reform debates. Boston Globe columnist Renee Loth argued, “No one wants to see the health care overhaul founder on a single issue. But neither should women’s reproductive health be compromised away in an effort to buy increasingly unlikely bipartisan support.” Read: Women’s eNews, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, TIME, Boston Globe, Huffington Post, Seattle Times, Newsweek

Berlin Conference Spotlights Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: The Lancet published an op-ed August 28 by Gill Greer (IPPF), Katie Chau (Youth Coalition, Ottawa, Canada), Catherina Hinz (German Foundation for World Population) and Sivananthi Thanenthiran (The Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women) on Global Partners in Action: a Non-Governmental Organization Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Rights and Development. The forum was to convene in Berlin Sept. 2-4 to assess progress toward sexual and reproductive health goals of the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. The op ed underscored the importance of the global convening: "Although there has been progress, this has been selective and uneven. The right to the highest attainable standard of health, particularly sexual and reproductive health, continues to elude millions of people, especially the poor and marginalised. Statistics speak for them-selves.” Read: Lancet

Centers for Disease Control Weighs Circumcision to Fight HIV: The Boston Globe published an editorial August 26 urging the Centers for Disease Control to follow up on a The New York Times report August 2 about the success of circumcision in reducing the risk of HIV. Recent clinical studies in Africa have shown that circumcision can reduce men’s risk of contracting the virus from infected female partners. Read: Boston Globe and The New York Times

Africa’s Demographic Picture Is Complex, Changing: The Economist reported August 27 on complex population dynamics in Africa, which include rapid urbanization and falling urban fertility rates. The article speculated that the continent, long an outlier in global population trends toward smaller families and increased economic development, may soon see a demographic transition to lower fertility rates and more prosperity. Read: The Economist

OTHER NOTEWORTHY ARTICLES AND OPINIONS BY SUBJECT

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
        
Nicaragua Abortion Ban Leads to Increase in Maternal Deaths: The Lancet reported August 29 on findings from an Amnesty International report on the dire effects of Nicaragua’s total ban on abortion. "Treatment for obstetric complications has become a lottery. The treatment women receive depends not on what the Obstetric Protocols say, but on whether the individual doctor feels sufficiently confident to provide the best-practice treatment and defy the law," stated the Amnesty report. Read: Lancet

South Africa Health System Failing Mothers and Babies: IRIN reported August 27 on shortcomings in South Africa’s health care system that were documented in a recent article in the British medical journal the Lancet. It highlighted the effect of such failures on women and infants’ health. Read: IRIN

Women’s eNews Spotlights Women’s Health in Reform Debate: Women’s eNews published multiple commentaries August 26 reflecting on Women’s Equality Day, which is held on that day. It marks the anniversary of ratification of the 19th Amendment that granted U.S. women the right to vote. Read: Women’s eNews (Brodsky) and Women’s eNews (Callow)

Female Condoms Scarce and Costly in Rwanda: The New Times reported August 21 that in an address to employees of the Social Security Fund of Rwanda, Bernadette Ruhunga of Population Services International said, “Female condoms are scarce, and where they can be obtained, they are acquired expensively at…the price of a full packet of male condoms.” Read: The New Times

Australia Revokes Abortion Aid Ban: The Age reported August 21 that Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith gave formal approval to a policy change revoking a 13-year ban on the use of funds by AusAID, Australia’s international development agency, for abortion services. Read: The Age

Program Gives Voice to Survivors of Sexual Violence in the Congo: UN News Centre reported August 19 on a program sponsored by CIDA, the Canadian Development Agency, and UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, to serve women who have survived sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Read: UN News Centre

Asia Conference Focuses on Political Will to Save Mothers: The Philippine Inquirer published columns by Rina Jimenez-David August 15 and 18 on the Asia and the Pacific Consultation on Maternal Health and Rights and the process of integrating national plans for reducing maternal mortality into a single regional agenda. Read: Philippine Inquirer (August 18) and Philippine Inquirer (August 15)

Oklahoma Abortion Restriction Struck Down: The New York Times reported August 19 on a ruling by a county District Court outlawing a requirement that women seeking abortions see an ultrasound of the fetus and listen to a description of its attributes. Read: The New York Times

Soaring Birth Rate Threatens Development Goals: IPS reported August 17 on challenges to countries’ efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including the problems of high birth rates and the global financial crisis. Read: IPS

Profile of Dr. Leroy Carhart: Newsweek published a profile August 15 of Dr. Leroy Carhart of Omaha, Nebraska, one of the few remaining providers of late-term abortions in the United States. Read: Newsweek

HIV/AIDS

Obama and the U.S. AIDS Strategy: The Washington Post published an editorial August 25 urging readers to become involved in President Barack Obama’s effort to engage the public in the process of creating a strategy to combat AIDS in the United States. Read: Washington Post

Women’s Equality

Afghan Elections Spotlight Women’s Situation: The Washington Times reported August 30 and the Associated Press reported August 24 on the situation of women in Afghanistan following the country’s recent elections. In many parts of the country, a shortage of female election workers and threats of violence reduced women’s participation. The Washington Times focused on a number of Afghan women activists who are working to counter entrenched gender discrimination by  encouraging women’s education, employment and participation in public life. Read:The Washington Times, Associated Press

Clinton Uses Jobto Spotlight Women’s Rights: The New York Times featured an interviewandthe Washington Post ran a profile of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on August 28, both focusing on Clinton’s efforts to make women’s issues central to U.S. foreign policy. Read: The New York Times and Washington Post 

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past media summaries