IPPFWHR

International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region (IPPF/WHR) is a recognized leader in the international movement to ensure access to sexual and reproductive health care, including family planning, as a human right for all people.

Working for 55 years toward its mission, IPPF/WHR pioneered the introduction of family planning services in Latin America and the Caribbean and developed innovative and effective strategies for meeting the sexual and reproductive health needs of young people and adults, urban and rural populations, and the poor.

In partnership with 40 Member Associations in Latin America, North America, and the Caribbean, IPPF/WHR provides nearly 29 million services a year.

Rio+20: Where Are Women’s Rights?

IPPFWHR

Although the 45th Session of the UN Commission on Population and Development just ended, it is already time to raise our voices in preparation for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development that will convene in Brazil in June.

Overcoming Barriers to Care in Mexico

IPPFWHR

When I was growing up in California, I often felt disconnected from my extended family in Mexico. Once I became a teenager, however, I realized our experiences weren't as different as I'd assumed in my youth, especially when it came to accessing sexual and reproductive health care.

A Mexican NGO Meets the Community Where It’s At

IPPFWHR

The current sexual and reproductive health landscape in Mexico is one of both progress and challenges. It is one of divisions between rich and poor, between urban and rural populations, and between younger and older generations.

Dominican Republic Gains a National Policy of Teenage Pregnancy Prevention

IPPFWHR

In the Dominican Republic, groups have been working to secure political and public support for reducing teenage pregnancy and ensuring access to youth-friendly health services and education. In the Dominican Republic, high rates of adolescent fertility and maternal mortality have attracted the attention of national authorities and civil society organizations.

Does Manhood Need to Change to Create Healthier Societies?

IPPFWHR

For something we see and experience day in and day out, masculinity sure is a tricky business. In a collection of essays that span various countries and cultures, Global Masculinities and Manhood considers how communities around the world have been shaped by what it means to "be a man" -- and rebel against unhealthy gender expectations in order to make change.

An Illegal Abortion in Mexico Changed My Life

IPPFWHR

“Do you have a problem with blood?”

“No,” I lied.

“Great, I have a woman coming tomorrow at 10 am.”

That simple exchange left me a changed woman.

I was 22 years old and traveling alone in Mexico. I came to stay with a French-Canadian documentary filmmaker and his Mexican doctor wife, whom I'd met at a speaking event they held several months earlier at my university. We’ll call the doctor 'Cepoori'.