Poverty Reduction Stymied by Population Growth
February 5, 2007
The world will fail to achieve the targets set in the landmark Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) unless population growth is curbed, says a new report from the United Kingdom's All-Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health. The report's findings underscore the fact that access to family planning and reproductive health services is not only a fundamental right but also essential to achieving a wide-range of commonly shared goals, including eradicating poverty and hunger, reducing maternal and infant death, combating HIV/AIDS, and ensuring environmental sustainability.
What You Need to Know to Apply for U.S. Government Funding for Community-Based Projects Linking Reproductive Health and Natural Resource Management
February 1, 2007
Since 2001, the U.S. Congress has encouraged the U.S. Agency for International Development – USAID, the agency that dispenses foreign development assistance – to implement family planning and related reproductive health programs in areas where biological diversity is threatened and where species are endangered. Congress has never specified a funding level for these activities, which are supported by funds appropriated for international family planning programs, amounting to more than US$400 million annually in recent years. Over the past few years the agency has allocated between $1 million and $2 million annually to fund such projects and to explore the implications of the population-environment linkage as it applies to the conservation of critical ecosystems and the biodiversity they shelter.
Abstaining from Reality - U.S. Restrictions on HIV Prevention
February 1, 2007
Filmed in Kenya and Uganda, this 9-minute documentary provides a snapshot of the Bush administrationís abstinence-only approach to HIV prevention as part of its global HIV/AIDS assistance. Abstaining from Reality examines how these ideologically-driven programs are actually endangering the lives of the people theyíre supposed to be protecting. This policy is disconnected from the reality of the lives of women and young people, who are disproportionately affected by the epidemic. The film urges a balanced, comprehensive approach to preventing HIV infections by providing full and accurate information and a range of services that empower individuals to make informed decisions.
What You Need to Know About the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
February 1, 2007
The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is a five year, US$15 billion initiative to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Unfortunately, this assistance comes with significant restrictions on how the money is spent, undermining the public health impact of the funds.
Preventing the Need for Abortion
January 29, 2007
Worldwide, nearly 80 million unintended pregnancies occur each year, with over half of them ending in abortion-even in countries where the procedure is illegal. These unintended pregnancies-and resulting abortions-could be prevented if women had access to the reproductive services and supplies, including condoms and emergency contraception, they want and need to determine if and when to conceive a child. The global community must fund reproductive health programs worldwide-these supplies, services and education are crucial to improving and saving lives that might otherwise be lost to maternal mortality and unsafe abortion.
Celebrating Women's Lives Becoming Safer
January 22, 2007
Today marks the 34th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing women's right to safe abortion in the United States.
Religious Leaders Preaching Family Planning
January 16, 2007
Religious leaders are often among the most influential members of their communities. When they promote sound reproductive health practices and unite with health care providers, they can help make monumental strides toward ensuring reproductive health for all.
No Single Prescription For Prevention
January 8, 2007
The U.S. must have maximum flexibility to spend limited resources in the areas of HIV prevention that are most relevant to country demands.
Policy Empowers - Condom Use Among Sex Workers in the Dominican Republic
January 1, 2007
HIV prevention has long been approached at the level of individual behaviors, operating to some extent under the assumption that behavior is determined by a person's conscious decisions. However, a paradigm shift toward considering the physical and social environments in which individual HIV risk behavior takes place is gradually gaining momentum. These structural factors-whether political, economic or cultural-may directly or indirectly affect an individual's ability to avoid exposure to HIV.1 The Dominican Republic offers an example of this progression from successful individual HIV behavioral interventions among sex workers, toward broader community approaches and policy initiatives.
Startling News Out of Uganda
December 18, 2006
Two recent studies have illuminated an alarming trend in Uganda: HIV policies that do not link or integrate family planning and reproductive health programs are missing the mark and putting more people at risk of contracting HIV. The first, conducted by the Uganda AIDS Commission, shows that married couples now account for the highest proportion (42%) of new HIV infections in Uganda. The second, a recent Guttmacher study, found that 40% of births in Uganda are unintended. The evidence is mounting: The current approach to family planning and HIV prevention is not working. As the global leader in both, the U.S. must shape its policies and funding to respond to the reality Ugandans-and women around the world-are facing.
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