past media summaries

August 1-15, 2010

PUSH JOURNAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS August 1-15, 2010

TOP STORIES

Misoprostol Up for Wider Use: IPS reported August 5 and 10 and The New York Times published a column August 1 by Nicholas Kristof on the use of the drug misoprostol, which controls stomach ulcers and also treats life-threatening post-partum bleeding. It also is 80 to 85 percent effective in inducing abortion – far more effective and cheaper than many other techniques. Kristof touted the potential of the drug to be widely distributed for all these purposes. IPS reported that the association with abortion may hinder efforts to expand distribution in Kenya, and on growing concerns in Pakistan over the drug’s distribution without medical supervision. Read: IPS(August 10) IPS (August 5) and The New York Times

Kenya Votes for New Constitution: IPS reported August 5, ABC (United States) reported and The Guardian (UK) published an op-ed August 4 by Siobhán McCarthy of Human Rights in Ireland on Kenya’s recently approved constitutional reform. IPS reported on ramifications of the reform, which includes major changes for health and gender equity. McCarthy called for nuanced discussion of the document, including a provision allowing abortion in “situations where the health (rather than the life) of the mother is in danger.” ABC reported on claims that American political figures were trying to influence the vote. Read: IPS, ABC, and  The Guardian

Insecurity, Taliban Jeopardize Afghan Women’s Rights: The Associated Press reported August 4 and The New York Times reported July 30 on the status of Afghan women’s rights. The New York Times said many women fear that modest gains made under U.S. and allied occupation will be lost as Western forces and the Afghan government seek peace settlements with the Taliban and political instability rises. Associated Press reported on reactions to a recent Time magazine cover story using a picture of a woman who was disfigured as punishment for fleeing her husband’s home. Read: Associated Press and The New York Times
        
OTHER NOTEWORTHY ARTICLES AND OPINIONS BY SUBJECT

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Pakistan Floods Threaten Pregnant Women: Dawn reported August 13 that the Pakistani government was working with UN agencies and associations of health providers to identify pregnant women and provide health services to them in flood-affected regions. Read: Dawn

Many Women Over 45 Visit India’s Fertility Clinics: The Washington Post reported that in India, many older women use in-vitro fertilization services, influenced by the relative low cost of the procedure and pressure on women to have children. Read: Washington Post

Economic Crisis Renews Ireland’s Abortion Debate: Reuters reported August 11 that financial pressure may be leading to an increase in the number of women seeking abortions in Ireland, while the same pressures limit their ability to travel to the UK, where it is legal. Read: Reuters

UN Urges Local Action on MDGs in Philippines: BusinessWorld reported August 11 on the launch of the United Nations’ 2010 Stand Up, Take Action Campaign in the Philippines, where Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon J. Soliman pledged local action to overcome obstacles toward the Millennium Development Goals. Read: BusinessWorld

STI Cases Up in China: The Straits Times (Singapore) published a column by Charissa Young August 12 saying an increase in sexually transmitted infections is contributing to new pressure to improve sexuality education and contraceptive access in China, where topics related to sex remain taboo and family planning programs are oriented only toward married couples, even as more young people are becoming sexually active before marriage.

Sex Workers Lead HIV Prevention Effort: IRIN reported August 11 on the Sex Workers Outreach Programme in Kenya, run by the University of Nairobi and Canada's University of Manitoba, which involves sex workers in HIV-prevention efforts. Grace Aketch, a researcher with the International Centre for Reproductive Health, praised the program, saying, “It is more effective to use commercial sex workers as a resource in the prevention of HIV than being hard on them." Read: IRIN

Rights Group Finds Argentina Backtracking on Reproductive Health: The New York Times reported August 10 on a new report by Human Rights Watch that Argentina’s government has reversed earlier progress on expanding access to reproductive health services and information. Read: The New York Times

U.S. Surgeon Performs Reconstructive Surgery for FGM/C Survivors: The Associated Press reported August 10 that Dr. Marci Bowers, a Colorado surgeon known for her work performing gender reassignment surgeries, is one of a few U.S. surgeons providing reconstructive surgery for survivors of female genital mutilation/cutting. Read: Associated Press

Women Left Behind in Poverty Fight: Women’s eNews reported August 5 that ahead of the August UN review of progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the civil society consortium Global Call to Action Against Poverty cited lack of progress toward MDG 5 (improve maternal health) as evidence of inadequate attention to women’s rights. Read: Women’s eNews

Few Canadians Aware That Canada Lacks Abortion Law: The Calgary Herald reported August 4 on a new poll finding that two-thirds of Canadians are unaware that the country lacks any law regulating the legal status of abortion. Read: Calgary Herald

Population Council Leader Calls for Investing in Women: The Times of India featured an op-ed August 4 by Saroj Pachauri, South and East Asia director for the Population Council, urging new investments in women’s health, despite ongoing challenges for general health delivery in Asia. Read: The Times of India

In Kenya, Women Turn to Herbal Contraceptives: IPS reported August 2 that in response to bad experiences with government family planning services, contraceptive shortages and side effects of hormonal methods, many Kenyan women are seeking unregulated, less expensive herbal methods to prevent pregnancy. Read: IPS

Rights Group Decries Philippine Abortion Ban: The Manila Standard reported August 3 and the Associated Press reported August 2 on a report by the Center for Reproductive Rights on the impact of restrictive Philippine abortion laws, even as a rights activist called for reform. The report found that around half a million women seek abortions every year, and 90,000 suffer serious complications. Read: Manila Standard and Associated Press

Population and Development

Study Finds Population Policy Not Meeting Goals: The Jordan Times reported August 17 that a study by the Higher Population Council (HPC)  found slow progress toward goals to expand access to family planning and reproductive health services. Population growth remains rapid as women face barriers to access to high-quality family planning services. Read: The Jordan Times

Indonesia Census Inspires Scrutiny of Family Planning Investment: The Jakarta Post reported August 8 that the country’s recent census found the population expanding rapidly, a fact that drew attention to the country’s lack of investment in family planning services. Read: The Jakarta Post

UN Study Finds Lessons in Brazil: UN News Centre reported August 6 that a new report on Brazil by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, and the International Institute for Environment and Development found that the country’s urban growth did not receive sufficient support from public policy. Study co-author George Martine said, “The story of Brazil’s urban growth shows how deep-rooted inequalities have combined with negative policy stances to generate many of the social and environmental problems that still plague Brazilian society.” Read: UN News Centre

Pakistan Population Growth Linked to Illiteracy: The Business Recorder featured a column by Arzu Kazmi August 8 attributing Pakistan’s rapid population growth to a high level of illiteracy. He noted that population  problems in Pakistan include a growing imbalance in gender ratio, but called only for limits to family size as a response. Read: Business Recorder

Women’s Equality

Mexico Trafficking Is an “Open Secret:” The Washington Post reported August 9 on sex trafficking from Mexico’s Tlaxcala state to the United States, suggesting that traffickers and pimps are part of an established network that exploits the region’s poverty and desperation of young women to force them into sex work in Mexico City and the United States. Read: Washington Post

Craigslist Sex Work Ads Stir Debate: The Bay Citizen reported August 5 that Melissa Farley, founder of the San Francisco nonprofit organization Prostitution Research & Education, organized a protest against Craigslist on charges the website’s sex work ads promote trafficking. But Carol Queen, director of the Center for Sex and Culture in San Francisco, who regularly interacts with Bay Area sex workers, said no credible scientific surveys exist to determine how many prostitutes work voluntarily. Read: The Bay Citizen

UN Women Will Push for Gender Equity in Health: The Lancet reported August 7 that the new UN Women agency that merges four entities working on gender issues has the potential to lead on numerous issues that involve health and gender equity, including connections between women’s rights and HIV/AIDS. Read: The Lancet  

U.S. Considers Bill to Fight Gender-Based Violence Around the World: McClatchy reported August 2 on a bill before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that would fund efforts to fight gender-based violence in 20 countries. Read: McClatchy

past media summaries