past media summaries

October 16-31, 2009

PUSH JOURNAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS OCTOBER 16-31, 2009

TOP STORIES

Guttmacher Institute Study On Abortion Incidence: Multiple media outlets reported and published editorials, op-eds and blogs October 16-23 on a Guttmacher Institute study on abortion worldwide, which found that while abortion rates have declined in many countries, the numbers of illegal abortions and women dying because of unsafe abortion have not decreased. In editorial, The Lancet argued that to improve women’s chances of surviving pregnancy, “The focus on abortion should be urgent, immediate, and multidimensional. Improving sex education and access to effective contraception methods can reduce the rate of unwanted pregnancies and the need for unsafe abortions.” RHRealityCheck.org, U.S. News, The Lancet and The Economist

Addis Ababa Meetings Focus On Maternal, Reproductive Health: Multiple media outlets reportedOctober 26-30 on the gathering in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, of health ministers and parliamentarians to assess progress toward goals of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action, and to build political will for Millennium Development Goal 5, which seeks a 75 percent reduction in maternal mortality. Coinciding with the meeting, the BBC reported on the impact of gender inequality, poverty, and other factors that contribute to poor maternal health around the world. Read: Nepali News, UN News Centre, Radio Free Europe, UN News Centre, BBC and BBC

Religion and Women’s Health Issues Are Central To Reform Debate: Multiple media outlets reported and published blogs, editorials and op-eds October 18-30 on debates over funding for abortion services and other women’s health issues in the effort to reform health care coverage. Outlets including NPR and the Associated Press warned about potential implications for discord among congressional Democrats over abortion provisions, and with groups such as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that refuse any attempt at compromise on abortion coverage. Jon O’Brien and Sara Morello, President and Vice President of Catholics For Choice, argued in The Washington Post that, based on a recent poll, “a majority of American Catholics think that reproductive health care services should be covered.” Read: Salon, Capital Times, Washington Post, Women’s eNews, NPR, Associated Press, TIME, and The Daily Camera

OTHER NOTEWORTHY ARTICLES AND OPINIONS BY SUBJECT

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

15 Years After ICPD, Is It Time for Another Population Conference?: IPS reported October 19 that, as UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund and others reflect on progress toward goals related to reproductive health and rights in the 15 years since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, many involved in the issues are eyeing 2014 or 2015 for another global conference, in order to assess progress toward ICPD and MDG targets. Read: IPS

USAID Post Remains Vacant: The Associated Press reported October 24 that nine months after President Barack Obama’s inauguration, the position of chief of the U.S. Agency for International Development remains vacant, jeopardizing potential for progress on development issues. Read: Associated Press

Gates Initiative Appeals For U.S. Funds: NPR reported October 28 and CNN reported October 26 the launch of an initiative by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation appealing to the U.S. government to increase investment in combating maternal and child mortality around the world. Read: NPR and CNN

West African Health Ministers Call for Abortion Law Reform: Xinhua (China) reported October 27 that at a conference in Nigeria, health ministers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) called on member governments to improve women’s access to safe abortion services. Read: Xinhua

Peru Debates Abortion Law Reform: AFP reported October 20 that a legislative committee voted to send proposed reforms to Peru’s restrictive abortion laws to the full Congress for debate. Abortion is now legal only where pregnancy endangers a woman’s life. The proposed change, opposed by the Catholic Church, would make abortion legal in the case of rape or severe fetal deformity. Read: AFP

In Uganda, Lifting Silence On Menstruation To Keep Girls In School: IPS reported October 22 on research by the Forum of African Women Educationalists (FAWE), finding that a lack of supplies, including sanitary pads, and the belief that menstruating girls are ready for marriage, contribute to high school drop-out rates among African girls. Read: IPS

Malian Women Promote Condoms: Voice Of America reported October 21 on efforts by groups in Mali, many of which are led by women, to encourage men to use condoms in order to prevent HIV/AIDS. Read: VOA

Rape Persists As a Weapon of War: NPR reported October 21 on the prevalence of sexual violence as a weapon of war, and the recent adoption by the UN Security Council of a measure to combat sexual violence in conflict situations. Read: NPR

Condoms, The Pill Are Most Popular Contraceptives: The Times (UK) reported October 21 on a new survey finding that condoms have matched oral contraceptives as the most popular form of contraception, while long-acting contraceptives trail far behind in popularity.

Bono Argues for “Rebranding America:” The New York Times published a column by U2 lead singer and ONE campaign co-founder Bono on October 18, urging the United States to renew its commitments to the rest of the world, including investing in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). “The world wants to believe in America again because the world needs to believe in America again. We need your ideas — your idea — at a time when the rest of the world is running out of them.” Read: The New York Times

U.S.: The Future of Abstinence-Only Education: Newsweek reported October 27 that, as the Obama administration and Congress move to de-fund abstinence-only approaches to sexuality education, because of research findings that such programs are ineffective in preventing adolescent pregnancy, advocates of the approach continue to pursue their agenda, showing no interest in compromise on the content of sexuality education they might be willing to support. Read: Newsweek

U.S.: Abortion Fight Continues in Nebraska: Newsweek published a profile October 27 of Dr. Leroy Carhart, one of the few U.S. doctors who still provide late-term abortions, and the protestors who demonstrate outside his clinic. Read: Newsweek

Women’s Equality

Gender Equality Recognized As Smart Economics: The Times and Transcript (New Brunswick, Canada) published a column by Elsie Hambrook, Chair of the New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women, on October 29, on a new World Bank report and its implications for poverty reduction efforts in Canada. The study, “Gender Equality as Smart Economics,” found that investing in women and girls is key to fighting poverty around the world. Read: Times and Transcript

Bill Would Help Women Worldwide: Scripps Howard published a column October 21 by Bonnie Erbe supporting the proposed International Violence Against Women Act, which would fund efforts to combat violence against women around the world. “I was reminded how much has changed and how women are starting to advance to positions of real power,” she wrote. Read: Scripps Howard

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past media summaries