Tag: reproductive health

The Oregon ACLU joins booksellers in challenging a state law that restricts the sale or provision of sexually explicit material to children, because they fear that some constitutionally protected material could be affected.  Proponents of the bill say that the bill was already amended to address ACLU concerns

A university student in California is urging students to be tested for HPV, outlining treatment options and screening locations

RH Reality Check has details on a bill being discussed in the Michigan State legislature that would ban a late-term abortion procedure but in reality is an anti-choice attempt at forcing legislators to take a stance on abortion

Maternal mortality rates are high in Afghanistan, where many women live in remote areas and do not have access to clinics.  Many women there prefer to be examined by women doctors, though there are few of them, and even fewer trained as midwives

Joan Smith, a columnist for Britain's Independent sees misogyny in the mainstream media's portrayal of Hillary Clinton

NARAL Pro-Choice New Mexico is opposed to an alliance between a Santa Fe hospital and a local Catholic organization, believing that some reproductive health care options may be in jeopardy if the deal moves forward

Virginia state senators are considering legislation that would require state crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) to issue a disclaimer that they may not be providing factual information.  Volunteers from NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland found that CPCs gave them factually incorrect information about abortion in each visit

Debate about abortion rights in Canada is being rekindled after the passage of the "Unborn Victims of Crime Act" through the House of Commons.  The bill must still pass several more legislative bodies, but opponents argue that the bill represents an attempt to recriminalize abortion in Canada

Anika Rahman, president of Americans for UNFPA, argues for support of family planning and women's healthcare services, citing high rates of birth complications resulting in death

RH Reality Check has more on the Senate approved amendment to the Indian health care bill that places limitations on abortions for Native American women and its relation to the Hyde Amendment

The Des Moines Register offers a FAQ on cervical cancer, HPV and Gardasil

Courses on human sexuality are drawing record numbers of students at Iowa colleges.  The courses explore issues such as date rape, STDs, abortion and gender representations in the media.  Professors believe that the high attendance is due in part to the lack of comprehensive sex education in schools

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has voted to increase funding for PEPFAR, but removed a clause stipulating that funds be used for abstinence programs

The Senate approved an overhaul of Indian Health Services, increasing access and support for health programs.  The bill excludes funding for abortions at Indian Health clinics

Feministing has more on the impact of this legislation on native women's reproductive health

Anti-choice groups advocating legislation to designate fertilized eggs as full persons have co-opted a message from Dr. Seuss' `Horton Hears a Who.'  There is a new movie coming out based on the book, which remains a favorite of children.  Dr. Seuss and his widow have criticized the use of his book in anti-choice campaigns

Gordon Brown, prime minister of the UK, does not see any reason to reduce the time limit within which women can seek abortions.  Medical experts and pro-choice groups support Brown's position, facing opposition from Conservatives in the government

Following increased debate in Italy over abortion rights, the Catholic Church has declared its opposition to the National Medical Association's support of abortion laws

Cristina Page further exposes John McCain's anti-choice record by indicating his support of abstinence-only programs and lack of support for contraception

More women are working later into their pregnancies and returning to work sooner after giving birth

Marcy Bloom (for RH Reality Check) slams sensationalist media coverage of `abortion tourism' in Europe, explaining that it is the women who are unable to travel who are forced to continue an unwanted pregnancy or risk illegal abortion - highlighting the need for local, community-based abortion care.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer guest columnist Kris Henke condemns Judge Leighton's injunction allowing Washington pharmacists to deny Plan B, pointing out that this is just another attempt by the political right to control human sexual behavior.  

The New York Times examines the difficulties in marketing HPV vaccinations for boys, as Merck prepares to seek FDA approval to give Gardasil to boys later this year.

Kline has now asked for records on "fetal-tissue" in what amounts to malicious attempts to sway the grand jury against Planned Parenthood

A Georgia House panel has tabled a constitutional amendment seeking to define a fertilized egg as a legal person. The panel feared that such an amendment would open up challenges to federal abortion law

Denver is gearing up for protests surrounding the Democratic National Convention in August. Anti-choice groups plan to surround the Pepsi Arena and have speakers, some also want to try and prevent delegates from attending the Convention

The Kentucky House passed a bill requiring girls to receive the HPV vaccine in hopes of reducing incidences of cervical cancer. Parents will be able to opt-out

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley says that buffer zones around family planning clinics do not violate the free speech of anti-choice protesters. She says they will still be able to hand out leaflets and do other activities as long as they stay outside the buffer zone

The LA Times Editorial Board acknowledges the accomplishments of PEPFAR, but urges Congress to expand family planning programs

In another twist on the "conscience clause," some conservative Canadian doctors are refusing to perform pap smears, a regular part of gynecological exams, citing religious objections

Ellen Goodman opines on the different styles of Obama and Clinton, suggesting that Obama has embraced a softer, more "feminine" style than Clinton. Goodman proposes that the women's movement may have opened the door for men to model a "woman's way" of leading

Two Missouri teens were suspended after protesting their school's abstinence-only program.  The girls were t-shirts that said "Safe sex or no sex" and were adorned with condoms.  The superintendent says they were suspended because the shirts were inappropriate

The Kentucky legislature is set to vote on a bill that will require girls to be given the HPV vaccine.  Parents will be able to opt-out if they wish

The House GOP opposes changes to PEPFAR (The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) that would remove the stipulation that one-third of all prevention spending go to abstinence programs

RH Reality Check has more good reasons to eliminate the stipulation

A federal appeals court has ruled that Missouri must provide transportation for female prison inmates seeking elective abortion.  The ACLU argued on behalf of the inmates, and stated that women should not have to give up their reproductive rights when they are in prison

The Michigan Senate voted yesterday to ban a procedure they misleadingly refer to as "partial-birth abortion".  It is now being sent to the House, where its status is uncertain.  Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm has not said yet whether she would veto the legislation, though she vetoed a similar one 5 years ago

Wendy Norris blogs about the foes of anti-abortion ballot measures seeking to recognize the personhood of fertilized eggs and the tricky tactics of those who support the legislation

The LA Times' Stephanie Simon reports on anti-choice activists' attempts at brainwashing youth to be anti-choice.  The article takes stunning look at how children are encouraged to "spiritually adopt" a fetus carried by an unknown woman and name it, praying that the woman won't have an abortion

Anti-choice Republican Fred Thompson has dropped his bid for the presidency.  Thompson had secured an endorsement from the National Right to Life

RH Reality Check features two thoughtful articles today on comprehensive sex education.  The first looks at the correlation between rising teen birth rates and abstinence-only education programs. The second envisions the future of comprehensive sex education programs

A new study published in the January 2008 issue of the Journal of Family Issues shows that women's sense of responsibility for their existing and future children influences their decision to seek an abortion. The majority (61%) of U.S. women who have abortions are already mothers, more than half of whom have two or more children

Women living on the New Mexico/Mexico border are at higher risk for cervical cancer than women living elsewhere in the U.S. or Mexico.  Health officials are planning to launch new programs for screening women and treating them

Private clinics in Spain that provide abortions have gone on strike, saying that they are facing persecution by anti-abortion groups and government inspectors.  The strike is expected to last five days and involves about 40 clinics.  During the strike, clinics will accept only emergency cases

Two opinion pieces poke fun at Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, while recognizing the serious consequences of his beliefs (Seattle P-I and Seattle Times)

Carole Joffe writes on abstinence-only education and the budget appropriation bill that has reproductive justice advocates hoping that Congress will stop funding programs that clearly don't work

Judith Warner opines about the conservative Christian voting bloc and the hypocrisy sometimes found within presidential candidates' positions

England is considering legislation to allow women to receive the pill without a prescription.  They would still need to undergo an assessment with a pharmacist or nurse before receiving the pill but would not have to visit a doctor first

An article about Quinte, Canada details the difficulties of needing an abortion in an area without abortion services.  No doctors or hospitals perform the procedure for the area's women, not even in cases where the woman's life is threatened by her pregnancy, or following sexual assault.  Women must travel about 100 miles to the nearest city for services

Rachel Roth blogs for RH Reality Check on the state of reproductive health services for women in prison

And of course, we are now in the seventh year of George Bush's "other war", as it has been termed by the International Women's Health Coalition.

That is, a relentless  assault, at home and abroad, on not only abortion and contraceptive services, but sex education, HIV prevention and indeed, truth itself as the numerous inaccuracies on U.S. government websites have made clear.