past media summaries

April 16-30, 2010

PUSH JOURNAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS APRIL 16 – 30, 2010

TOP STORIES

Birth Control Pill Turns 50: Time reported April 26 and The Wall Street Journal reported April 20 on the 50th anniversary of approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of the birth control pill. Despite major improvements in contraceptive safety and accessibility, a variety of factors still cause high U.S. rates of unplanned pregnancy, including the cost of some contraceptive methods, inconsistent use, and contraceptive failure. Read: Time, The Wall Street Journal

States Accelerate Abortion Restrictions: Multiple media outlets reported April 15-28 on U.S. state efforts to restrict abortion access. These have included provisions to prohibit the use of public insurance funds for abortion services in Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri, Louisiana and Oklahoma; a Nebraska law prohibiting most abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy on the basis of the claim of “fetal pain”; and an Oklahoma law requiring women to be given an ultrasound scan and a description of the fetus before undergoing an abortion. Read: Politico, USA Today, NPR

G8 Compromises on Abortion Funds: Multiple media outlets reported and published op-eds April 21-29 that delegates representing the Group of Eight Industrialized Nations reached a compromise allowing member states to stipulate whether their contributions to a maternal and child health initiative will fund abortion services. After a previous plan to exclude contraceptives met objections from the United States and Great Britain, Canadian Minister for International Co-operation, Bev Oda, stated that "Canada's contribution to maternal and child health may involve various interventions, including family planning, which includes the use of contraceptive methods." She continued, “However, Canada's contribution will not include funding abortion." Read: Washington Post, Toronto Star (April 29), The Globe and Mail, NPR, Ottawa Citizen, Toronto Star, Waterloo Chronicle and The Canadian Press

Report Finds Decline in Maternal Mortality: Multiple media outlets reported and published editorials, op-eds and blogs April 15-20 responding to a finding, published recently in the Lancet, that maternal mortality has declined dramatically in the last 20 years. In light of the new findings, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called for further action to save mothers’ lives. Charges that some maternal health supporters had asked for a delay in publishing  the results threatened at first to overshadow the findings, drawing sharp responses from maternal health experts. Read: VoA, Globe and Mail (April 20), The New York Times, IPS, The Globe and Mail

OTHER NOTEWORTHY ARTICLES AND OPINIONS BY SUBJECT

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Pollster Finds Abortion Less Important for Republican Voters: The Hill published an op-ed by Republican pollster Dave Hill on April 27 arguing that opposition to abortion rights is losing prominence in Republican voters’ electoral decisions. Read: The Hill

Population Debate Coincides With Earth Day: Newsday published an op-ed by William Ryerson, president of the Population Media Center and the Population Institute, on April 22, and CNN featured a discussion April 21, on global population dynamics. Population experts including Purnima Mane, deputy executive director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, said fertility rates decline where women and couples are equipped with the education and access to contraceptives that allow them to make reproductive decisions for themselves. Read: Newsday CNN

Conservative Religious Forces Retain Clout in Latin America: The Huffington Post published a blog by Ipas Executive Vice President Anu Kumar arguing that a recent case in Mexico where a 10-year-old rape victim was forced to carry a pregnancy to term was among several that show Latin American “governments and conservative religious leaders have elevated the rights of the 'unborn' above those of girls and women.” Read: Huffington Post

Mexico Rejects Church Protests Against Sexuality Education: The Associated Press reported April 17 that Bishop Felipe Arizmendi of San Cristobal de las Casas diocese in Chiapas state claimed state-sanctioned sexuality education encourages child abuse by priests. “"Blaming the problems that the Catholic Church has had with priests' sexually abusing minors on sex education makes no sense," responded the Mexican Association for Sexual Health, a group of professional counselors and educators. "It borders on the pathetic." Read: Associated Press

Feminist Leaders and “Generational Divide:” Newsweek reported April 16 and 30 on feminist activists’ struggle to keep abortion rights on the national political agenda. Newsweek analyzed a recent NARAL survey gauging young people’s support for abortion rights, and in a second article discussed the study’s findings, challenges for mobilizing young activists, and other issues. Read: Newsweek (April 29) and Newsweek (16)

past media summaries