past media summaries

June 16-30, 2010

PUSH JOURNAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS June 16-30, 2010

TOP STORIES

G8/G20 Aid Package Falls Short on Maternal Health: Multiple media outlets reported and published columns, op-eds and editorials June 23-29 on the Mushoka Initative, a Canada-led effort to improve maternal, newborn and child health, announced at the G8/G20 summit in Canada. The initiative includes a commitment of $2.85 billion from Canada to be spent over the next five years as part of $7.3 billion from the G8 as a whole. Read: Vancouver Sun, The Guardian (June 29), Washington Post, Ottawa Citizen, Canwestand The Guardian (June 23)

UN Finds Inadequate Maternal, Child Health Progress: Xinhua reported June 24 and UN News Centre reported June 23 on this year’s United Nations report assessing progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The report found that despite progress in much of the world, movement is too slow to meet the MDGs for maternal and child health by the deadline of 2015. Read: Xinhuaand UN News Centre

FDA Panel Endorses 5-Day Emergency Contraceptive: Women’s eNews reported June 30 and The New York Times reported June 18 that an advisory panel of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously to endorse an emergency contraceptive known as ella. Ella can prevent pregnancy for up to five days following unprotected sex. Read: Women’s eNews and The New York Times

OTHER NOTEWORTHY ARTICLES AND OPINIONS BY SUBJECT

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Study Findings Dispute “Fetal Pain” Argument: New York Magazine reported June 29 on a study by the U.K. Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reporting that at 24 weeks of gestation, fetuses do not have the neural pathways or level of sentience to feel pain. The study, which supports previous findings, has gained attention because it contradicts arguments supporting pending U.K. legislation and a Nebraska law that outlaws abortion after 20 weeks on the grounds of fetal pain. Read: New York Magazine

High Death Rate for New York Pregnant Women: Women’s eNews published a commentary by Allison Stephens on June 25 and The New York Times reported June 18 on the rising burden of maternal mortality in the United States. The New York Times focused on a new report by the New York State Academy of Medicine finding that more women die from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth in New York than in any other state. Read: Women’s eNewsand The New York Times

World Health Organization Takes on Unsafe Abortion: Voice of America reported June 25 that the World Health Organization termed the current high rate of unsafe abortions a worldwide “pandemic” that kills one woman every eight minutes. Read: Voice of America

Study Finds Majorities Support Legal Abortion in Latin America: IPS reported June 23 that a study by the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) has found that majorities in Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Nicaragua support revising current restrictive abortion laws to improve women’s access to safe abortion services. Read: IPS

Interview With African Union Commissioner of Social Affairs: The African published an interview June 23 with African Union Commission of Social Affairs Bience Gawanas on the need to promote maternal health, noting the theme of the 15th Summit of the African Union: “Maternal, Infant and Child Health and Development in Africa.” Read: New African

Challenge Remains for Cambodia’s Maternal Health: IPS reported June 19 that Cambodia still has the highest maternal mortality ratio of any country in Southeast Asia and is off track for meeting Millennium Development Goal 5, improving maternal health. Read: IPS

Contraceptive Sexuality Education Piloted in Philippines: Multiple media outlets reported June 18-22 on the introduction of a program piloting sexuality education in the Philippines. The program is cosponsored by UNFPA and the Philippine government and was planned over the opposition of the Catholic Church. Family planning opponents filed a lawsuit to block the program. Read: Manila Standardand AFP

Reproductive Health Expert Calls for Over-The-Counter Birth Control: The New York Times published an op-ed by Kelly Blanchard, president of Ibis Reproductive Health, on June 22, calling for hormonal contraceptives to be made available without a prescription. Read: The New York Times

Sterilization Increases in India: The Australian reported June 21 that according to the most recent National Family and Health Survey, sterilization has increased in India in recent years, reversing a trend that followed discontinuation of a policy of coercive sterilization. Read: The Australian

Zambia Part of CARRMA Campaign for Maternal Health in Africa: The Times of Zambia reported June 21 that Zambia is taking part in renewed efforts to decrease maternal deaths in Africa, including The Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA), an African Union initiative meant to speed reductions in maternal mortality. Read: The Times of Zambia

Continuing Coverage on 2010 Women Deliver Conference: UzReport (Uzbekistan) reported and Huffington Post published a blog on June 15 by Serra Sippel, Executive Director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) on the 2010 Women Deliver conference. Sippel praised renewed commitments to women’s health at the conference but argued that they were not sufficient to address the critical human rights violations that continue to prevent women from attaining the care they need during pregnancy and childbirth. Read: Huffington Post

Op-Ed Challenges Politicians to Oppose FGM/C in Sierra Leone: Cocorioko published an op-ed June 10 by Hindowa Saidu, Director of the Foundation for Democratic Initiatives, a human rights NGO in Sierra Leone, challenging politicians to defy pressure and build political will against female genital mutilation/cutting. Read: Cocorioko

Women’s Equality

ECOSOC Focuses on Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment: UN News Centre reported June 29 on the opening of the annual session of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The theme for this year’s session is economic and social empowerment of women and girls. ECOSOC President Hamidon Ali said the theme “allows us to strengthen the linkages between gender equality, women’s human rights and non-discrimination as a basis for progress in development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.” Read: UN News Centre

Interview With UN Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict: IPS featured an interview June 29 with Margot Wallstrom, UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict. The interview focused on Wallstrom’s recent visit to investigate the ongoing prevalence of rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She noted that progress has been made with new legislation. “There is a lot to do to implement the legislation, but now there is an ambitious legal ground to stand on to be implemented by the police, judiciary and health care," she said. Read: IPS

Zimbabwe is Gendering New Constitution: The Financial Gazette reported June 28 on the persistent challenges for incorporating and promoting women’s rights and participation within Zimbabwe’s constitutional reform effort.

After 30 Years, One-Child Policy Creating Gender Imbalance: Al Jazeera reported June 20 on the growing gender imbalance created by the one child policy in China: by 2020, some 24 million Chinese men will be unable to find a wife. Read: Al Jazeera

“Honor” Crimes Increase in Canada: Canwest reported June 16 that Dr. Amin Muhammad, a psychiatrist at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, is working on a report for the federal government about honour killings in Canada. Dr. Muhammad found 13 cases of family violence that could be classified as “honor crimes” since 2002, and said cases may be increasing. Read: Canwest

Fight Against Trafficking Gains Higher Profile: Women’s eNews reported June 16 on the increasing attention to the fight against sex trafficking around the world, including in the United States. New research shows that increasingly large numbers of women and girls are smuggled into the United States and coerced into sex work. Read: Women’s eNews

past media summaries