A Measure of Survival
October 15, 2007
Pregnancy and childbirth are deadly to more than half a million women worldwide every year – a fact that is unacceptable, but not unavoidable. Despite twenty years of campaigning to improve their sexual and reproductive health, the risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth continues to show the largest gap between the rich and poor of all development statistics. That so little progress has been made in helping the world's poorest women survive pregnancy and childbirth should serve as a wake-up call to all of us.
The Damaging Effects of the Global Gag Rule
October 15, 2007
At a heavily attended briefing in Congress last week, renowned experts Dr. Joachim Osur, of the Ipas African Alliance, and Matilda Owusu-Ansah, formally of the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), addressed the damaging effects of the Global Gag Rule – highlighting the real, direct, and, more often than not, deadly impact of this policy in their respective countries.
Impact the Shape of Things to Come: Invest in Women and Youth
October 9, 2007
PAI's recent study, The Shape of Things to Come: Why Age Structure Matters to a Safer, More Equitable World, was a hot topic in Washington last week when it drew a panel of experts to the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The experts, including a Member of Congress and the heads of the Henry Stimson Center and the Population Reference Bureau, agreed: Demography can often be a powerful indicator for international development.
Appropriating Women's Lives
October 1, 2007
While today technically marks the first day of the government's fiscal year, the budget is still tied up in Congress's lengthy appropriations process. Looming over the new budget is the President's threat to veto a number of appropriations bills because of disagreements over funding and policy issues. Among those issues he opposes are provisions in the State-Foreign Operation Appropriations (foreign assistance) bill that repeal the destructive Global Gag Rule and expand access to contraceptives in poor nations. Tragically, the President has vowed to veto the entire $34 billion foreign assistance bill -- containing critical funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, humanitarian and peacekeeping programs in Darfur, and famine relief -- because of these pro- family planning provisions.
Family Planning is Critical to HIV Prevention
September 24, 2007
Peter Piot, head of UNAIDS, made the rounds in DC last week discussing how the global community can achieve the internationally agreed upon target of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010. His message has been clear: Without a massive scale-up of prevention programs, we will fall far short of addressing the growing feminization of this disease. PAI welcomes Dr. Piot and his salient message. Now consider the future of this epidemic in countries where men and women desire to protect themselves and plan the size of their families but do not have access to services and supplies-especially condoms and contraceptives-which would make that desire a reality.
Challenge to the Global Fund: Save Lives by Including Reproductive Health
September 17, 2007
HIV/AIDS is an issue of tremendous concern to the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) community. This shouldn't be news, but it bears repeating. And therefore, SRH initiatives are key to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS. While stemming the tide of new HIV infections, these programs also curb child and maternal mortality, prevent the spread of other sexually transmitted infections and alleviate global poverty. So, why isn't SRHR a core component of every global initiative to fight HIV/AIDS? It should be. PAI has joined many in challenging the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to make it so.
Congress Votes to Repeal Global Gag Rule
September 12, 2007
Last week, despite President Bush's veto threat, the Senate passed the FY 2008 State-Foreign Operations Appropriations bill (by a vote of 81-12) that includes significant provisions overturning destructive policies on family planning and HIV/AIDS.
When You CARE Enough to Send the Very Best -- U.S. Policy That Is
September 10, 2007
It's extremely rare for an organization to refuse funding, let alone $45 million. But that is exactly what CARE, a leading international relief organization, did last month when they refused U.S. government funding for food aid. According to a recent General Accountability Office report, the U.S. food aid program is seriously flawed. CARE agreed, finding that it hindered the development work they were trying to accomplish in the developing world. By challenging a policy they viewed as detrimental to their mission, CARE has put a spotlight on potential flaws in this U.S. policy – a spotlight that may even generate a change in policy.
Senate Votes to Overturn Destructive Global Health Policies on Contraceptives and HIV/AIDS; President Has Threatened a Veto
September 6, 2007
Despite President Bush's veto threat, today the Senate voted, as part of the FY 2008 State-Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, to overturn the Global Gag Rule and other destructive policies impeding U.S. family planning and HIV/AIDS assistance. The Senate foreign assistance bill already included key provisions identical to the House-passed bill (H.R. 2764) -- exempting contraceptives from the Global Gag Rule and repealing the abstinence-only funding restrictions for HIV prevention programs. However, by a vote of 53-41, the Senate went a step further and voted to repeal the Gag Rule entirely. As a result, the bill will help correct some of the most egregious and harmful aspects of U.S. international family planning and reproductive health policy.
Mr. President: Read the Bill!
July 30, 2007
Members of Congress head back to their districts this month with the threat of a Presidential veto of the 2008 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill casting a dark cloud over the good work they've done. Why a possible veto? It's all because of a provision that exempts U.S.-donated contraceptives and condoms from the restrictions of the Global Gag Rule. Who would have thought that helping life-saving contraceptives and condoms get to the people who want and need them most would be reason to veto $34.5 billion in foreign assistance?
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