past media summaries

June 1-15, 2010

PUSH JOURNAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS June 1 – 15, 2010

TOP STORIES

Second Global Women Deliver Conference Held in Washington, DC: Multiple media outlets reported and published special issues, editorials, blogs and op-eds June 5-15 on the 2010 Women Deliver conference, which drew an estimated 3,500 political leaders, health experts and activists. The conference addressed major issues related to women’s and girls’ health, well-being and contributions to their families, communities and nations. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon presented a draft Joint Action Plan to accelerate progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and Melinda Gates announced that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will invest $1.5 billion over the next five years in improving maternal and child health. UNICEF and the World Health Organization released the Countdown to 2015 10-year review to coincide with the conference, reporting uneven progress toward improving maternal and child health in the last decade. In addition, publications including Ms. and Time magazines released special issues and features related to the conference. Read: Time, Sydney Morning Herald, IRIN, IPS, Women’s eNews, CNS, NPR (June 8a), NPR (June 8b), Voice of America, Trend News, NPR (June 7), The Huffington Post, The Lancet, Ms. Magazine

FDA Considers Five-Day Emergency Contraceptive: NPR reported June 11 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was poised to approve a new emergency contraceptive that can prevent pregnancy for women who take it up to five days following unprotected sex. Read: NPR

G8 Leaders Call for New Funds for Maternal Health: The Guardian reported June 3 and The Canadian Press reported May 31 on discussions of a maternal health initiative Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to introduce during the upcoming G8/G20 summit of leaders of countries with the world’s largest economies. U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron called on other G8 leaders to commit to preventing three million maternal deaths by 2015. It was also reported that the Canadian government may pledge as much as $1 billion to improve maternal health around the world. Read: The Guardianand The Canadian Press

OTHER NOTEWORTHY ARTICLES AND OPINIONS BY SUBJECT

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Contraceptive Shortage in Uganda: The New Vision reported June 14 that because of the government’s inadequate financial investment, the country is facing a major shortage of condoms and other contraceptives. Read: The New Vision

Sexuality Education Program in the Philippines: The Philippine Inquirer reported June 15 that despite opposition from the Catholic Church, the government announced plans to test a comprehensive sexuality program in numerous schools around the country. Read: Philippine Inquirer

A U.S. Bill to Ban FGM/C “Vacations:” IPS reported June 10 that Representatives Joseph Crowley (D-NY) and Mary Bono Mack (R-CA) introduced the Girls’ Protection Act, a measure that would outlaw transporting girls outside the U.S. to undergo female genital mutilation/ cutting. Read: IPS

Senate Committee Would Allow Abortions in Military Hospitals: The New York Times reported June 9 that the Senate Armed Services Committee voted to approve a measure that would allow access for women in the military to abortion services in military hospitals. Read: The New York Times

Iowa Medical Providers Use Video Conferences for Abortion Services: The New York Times reported June 8 on the use of video conferences to connect medical providers and women seeking abortions. In response to the difficulty that many women face in gaining access to abortion services, Planned Parenthood clinics in Iowa have initiated a program that uses video links to connect women with providers in other cities during administration of the drugs used in medical abortions. Read: The New York Times

Family Planning Access Should be a Health Reform Priority: CNN published an op-ed June 8 by Adam Sonfield, a senior public policy associate at the Guttmacher Institute. Sonfield called for implementation of health care reform in a way that promotes universal access to family planning services. Read: CNN

Obama Shifts Funds to Comprehensive Sexuality Education: NPR reported June 6 that in shifting funds away from abstinence-only sex education programs, the Obama administration now allocates over $100 million to comprehensive programs that are shown to be effective in reducing adolescent pregnancies. Read: NPR

Abortion Rights Opponents Push for State Restrictions: The New York Times reported June 2 that 370 state bills regulating abortion have been introduced so far this year, and a large proportion of the most restrictive bills have passed. Read: The New York Times

Polish Sex Education Experts Take on Catholic Church: IPS reported June 1 that a year after universal sexuality education was made mandatory in Poland, experts in the field have called for new efforts to improve it and overcome the influence of the Catholic Church, which opposes sexuality education.

In Brazil, Abortion is Illegal but Common: Time (United States)reported June 2 that in spite of the fact that abortion is illegal in Brazil in nearly all circumstances, a new study has found that 20 percent of Brazilian women have terminated a pregnancy at some point in their lives. "I think the big conclusion we draw from this is that the woman who has an abortion is a typical Brazilian woman," said Marcelo Medeiros, the economist and sociologist who coordinated the study. Read: Time

Progress Toward FGM/C Eradication is Stalling in Cote D’Ivoire: IRIN reported May 31 that with health and education infrastructure deteriorating, a campaign to eradicate female genital mutilation/cutting in Cote D’Ivoire was struggling to achieve its goals. Read: IRIN

Abortion Debate Should Account for Nuance: The Los Angeles Times published an op-ed by Nancy Cohen May 29 examining public opinion on abortion rights. Cohen argued that although a Gallup poll found that 51 percent of Americans consider themselves “pro-life,” this does not mean that Americans favor sweeping bans on abortion, but instead shows that “the antiabortion movement seems to be winning the framing war with its ‘pro-life’ label.” Read: Los Angeles Times

Women’s Equality

Assessing Obama Record on Women’s Issues: Forbes reported June 10 on several leading women’s rights advocates’ assessment of President Barack Obama’s policies and women’s equality. While numerous advocates praised Obama’s early actions, including signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, they also expressed concern over a lack of concerted action for women’s rights in recent months. Read: Forbes

In Rwanda, Women Parliamentarians Lead Change: The Guardian (UK) published a blog by Health Editor Sarah Boseley May 28 asserting that widespread shifts in attitudes and behaviors to favor women’s equality have arisen in Rwanda following mandated increases in women’s representation in Parliament and other leadership positions. Read: The Guardian

Study Finds Extreme Gender Gap in India: Hindustan Times published an editorial May 29 calling on the Indian government to do more to address gender-based disparities in health, education, employment and social spheres, after a report by the World Economic Forum placed India 114th out of 134 countries in terms of gender equality.

Chinese Couples May be Hiding Up to 3 Million Births a Year: The Daily Telegraph (UK) reported May 31 on research by Liang Zhongtang, a demographer and former member of the expert committee of China's National Population and Family Planning Commission: "In 1990, the national census recorded 23 million births. But by the 2000 census, there were 26 million ten-year-old children, an increase of three million,” said Liang. He argued that the hidden children were likely daughters, and as a result, the expected gap in numbers of male and female children may not be as extreme as previously thought. Read: The Daily Telegraph

past media summaries