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Florida Pregnant Women Are Having Court Hearings Forcing C-Sections from Hospital Beds
I recently read one of the most horrifying articles I have read in a very long time. ProPublica wrote an investigative report, Florida Courts Ordered Them To Have C-Sections, about women who wanted to have vaginal births but were met with resistance from the hospital and the courts.
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Kansas Scores Victory for Abortion Rights
In the first statewide referendum after the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, Kansas voters overwhelmingly voted to protect abortion rights. Before yesterday’s primaries polls suggested an abortion ban would ultimately prevail in Republican-led Kansas. Still, even in some of the most conservative counties, “no” votes outpaced overall votes for Republican candidates. With a massive…
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AFTER THE CEASEFIRE, THE FIGHT TO EMPOWER ARMENIA’S WOMEN CONTINUES
By Susan Klein In the fall of 2020, as the COVID-19 infection rate was peaking in Armenia, the country was rocked to its core by the outbreak of what has become known as the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War—which Armenia neither wanted nor was prepared for. By the time a ceasefire agreement was reached last November, with Armenian casualties in the thousands, the loss of strategic territory, the presence of Russian peacekeepers,…
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The Global HER Act Explained #ReproductiveHealth #GlobalHERAct
It was a sunny afternoon as most days are in Ethiopia in April. I was taking an individual tour of a large hospital in the middle of Addis Ababa where I got to talk to doctors, nurses, and see waiting rooms and even patients who were recovering from care. I distinctly remember the room of…
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U.S. Support of Formula Over Breastfeeding is a Race Issue
Andrea Freeman, University of Hawaii When the United States threatened Ecuador with trade and aid restrictions if it did not withdraw a World Health Assembly breastfeeding promotion resolution that most people considered benign, if not banal, reactions ranged from shocked to amused. Experts explained that the U.S. resistance, although extreme, was nothing new. The United…
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Sexual Violence is Off the Charts in South Sudan – But a New Female Head Chief Could Help Bring Change
PHOTO: Navi Pillay (third from right), UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, poses for a group photo with South Sudanese women from Jonglei State who shared stories about their experiences with human rights violations, including violence, child abduction, and forced marriage. UN Photo/Elizabeth Murekio By Rachel Ibreck, Goldsmiths, University of London A woman was recently elected…
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Is the Formula Industry Overpowering Breastfeeding?
Yesterday global women’s and children’s advocates sounded the alarm regarding alleged strong-arming by US delegates at this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva. The issue at hand was the rights of women regarding their choice between breastfeeding and formula feeding. According to the New York Times, the US delegation sought to remove the language…
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Venezuela’s Health Systems are crumbling – and Harming Women in Particular
Health workers and patients protesting at the Hospital Dr. Jose Maria Vargas in Caracas, Venezuela. EPA/Edwinge Montilva Pia Riggirozzi, University of Southampton Venezuela sits on the world’s biggest oil reserves, but in terms of GDP growth per capita, it’s now South America’s poorest economy. It is mired the worst economic crisis in its history, with…
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To Empower Women, Give Them Better Access to Water
Bethany Caruso, Emory University Imagine going through your day without ready access to clean water for drinking, cooking, washing or bathing. Around the world, 663 million people face that challenge every day. They get their water from sources that are considered unsafe because they are vulnerable to contamination, such as rivers, streams, ponds and unprotected…
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Despite Differences in Culture, US and India Fall Short in Childbirth in Similar Ways
Woman in labor, shown with monitors. Neel Shah, Harvard Medical School After eight years of practicing obstetrics and researching childbirth in the United States, I know as well as anyone that the American maternal health system could be better. Our way of childbirth is the costliest in the world. Our health outcomes, from mortality rates…
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Midwives and The Right of Women to Give Birth the Way They Want
Lydia Mwanzia, Moi University Giving birth is a significant life event that should aim for a healthy baby and mother. There are growing calls for women to give birth in their preferred birth positions. But this requires midwives to be trained in a way that enables them to respect the choices that women make. The…
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Why The Global Gag Rule Will Increase Maternal Mortality
Throughout my visits to clinics in Africa I have seen the work of Marie Stopes International in South Africa, Tanzania, Ethiopia as well as Zambia. They provide a full range of quality reproductive health services for women. I have always been impressed by the comprehensive care they provide. Now, their work will be hampered because…
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Seeking Stories on Reproductive Health
World Pulse, a social network connecting women who work for change, is currently looking for stories on reproductive health and choices. World Pulse’s story prompt: How do the laws in your country affect your reproductive health and choices? What are the most important victories, setbacks, and pressing issues you face? Do you have a story about…
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An Unexpected Question About Toilets: Day 1 in India With Mandy Moore
By Mandy Moore, PSI Ambassador This morning for breakfast, I joined the PSI India team with their partners and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to learn that they are building toilets and developing a sanitation system in Bihar by turning the traditional nonprofit model on its head. PSI India has developed a social enterprise…
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International Day Against Sexual Violence in Conflict
Rape has always been used as a weapon of war and women and girls are typically the victims of these heinous crimes. To bring more awareness to sexual violence during conflict the United Nations General Assembly created the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict that will be commemorated on June 19…
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Becoming a Part of 2014’s One Billion Rising
One in three women will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. Let’s take that in for a moment. It’s such a silent epidemic. I know. I have seen women’s eyes in the countries I visit and even here at home. They can’t hide it. According to OneBillionRising.org, that number comes to one billion women worldwide.…