The promise of dramatically lessening—and someday, eliminating cervical cancer completely is a goal we can all get behind. Right? Well, maybe in the long run but not too quickly—and not this week. What should be a slam dunk on the public health front has, at least temporarily, gotten sidetracked because of an overly aggressive marketing campaign by Merck which has fueled charges by right wing groups like the Family Research Council that parental rights are being violated and that giving adolescent girls the HPV vaccine will somehow lead them away from abstinence and down the path of sexual depravity. Assuming, of course, that we accept the dubious proposition that HPV—that little known virus—plays a significant role in a teenager's decision to engage in or abstain from sexual activity. Research shows it does not.
Last week, an article in Time Magazine, written by Nancy Gibbs, addressed the burgeoning business of so-called, "crisis pregnancy centers" or CPC's. If you recall Tyler's post about the L-Word episode that featured such a center, you'll remember what hypocritical hoaxes they conjure and the trickery and deceit they market.
There are 19 million women worldwide currently living with HIV/AIDS, but living with HIV is just one aspect of these women's lives. Reproductive rights organizations like Ipas and HIV/AIDS advocacy organizations like the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS have been working for years to raise awareness of the comp[img_assist|nid=2482|title=True Love|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=100|height=80]lexity of HIV-positive women's sexual and reproductive realities, and a new project called Lifeboat offers a unique space to challenge stereotypes about HIV-positive women's lives. Specifically, Lifeboat seeks to shed light on the reality of HIV-positive motherhood, using film to present compelling, complex images of mothers living with HIV/AIDS.
According to The New York Times, "Mom's Mad. And She's Organized." Yesterday's article is about MomsRising.org, a motherhood advocacy organization that made a documentary film about motherhood in America (watch the preview below). The organization is raising consciousness about pay, equity and work-family balance—framing them as economic and family issues "which resonate for a younger generation of women" (who apparently think feminism is a bad word).
Marcy Bloom does U.S. advocacy and capacity building for GIRE - El Grupo de Informacion en Reproduccion Elegida/The Information Group on Reproductive Choice.
Earlier, I wrote about the evolution of abortion rights as basic human rights and how that legal strategy can potentially be used to change laws in many countries, with the ultimate goal to end the tragically high maternal mortality rates around the world.
I will continue now with a discussion of how four human rights specifically apply to the need for safe and legal abortion.
You've come to know Rewire for its daily dose of provocative perspective on policy as it affects sexual and reproductive health issues. Unafraid to take on the bad data and trumped up ideology of extremists, and featuring some of the best analysis and opinion from leaders throughout the policy field, Rewire is just getting warmed up!
Today we introduce RH Wiki, another opportunity for the community to take more ownership of this site and make it an up to the minute, content rich expression of progressive thinking on sexual and reproductive health issues. Our moderated RH Wiki allows registered users to submit changes to these sections of the website: About the Right, Policy Watch, Issue Briefs, and Glossary.
21 years ago The Lancet posed the question, "Where is the ‘M' in ‘MCH'?" Today, we have the answer—we are all too familiar with the challenges we face when we speak of maternal (child) health. We have put into place a powerful global initiative—the fifthof the Millennium Development Goals—that weaves together a set of solutions to combat maternal mortality rates. Maternal mortality is not the only focus of the fifth MDG—a goal that is more widely set on improving maternal health, such as reducing non-fatal childbirth and pregnancy injuries—but it is a pressing concern. And it is the focus of The Lancet's Maternal Mortality Series—a collection of five articles devoted to maternal survival around the world.
Yesterday Merck & Co, the makers of the Gardasil vaccine, announced they were suspending their campaign to get state legislatures to make the HPV vaccine mandatory for girls entering the sixth grade. Though the vaccine to prevent cervical cancer has been seen by many as a significant medical advance, there has been a great deal of controversy surrounding mandatory vaccination.
[img_assist|nid=166|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=75]This is a weird blog for me. I usually indulge in the policy wonkiness that folks like me thrive on here in Washington, DC. And while I love the work I get to do on sexual and reproductive health and rights, the theatre has become another of my great loves. My partner opened up this world for me as he is an award winning local actor and musical theatre performer in Washington. We also indulge in frequent New York weekends that are a volleyball match between theaters and restaurants followed by much needed sleep on Amtrak on the trip back home.
Our most recent trip to New York was memorable as work and private life melded into enjoying what critics have hailed as the best new musical to hit Broadway in a long time. For me, I can explain it best as sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) on Broadway, and in particular, the most forthright and unapologetic defense of adolescent sexual health and rights I've ever seen as a form of entertainment.
In an appeal to the Republican Party's conservative base, John McCain said that he does not support the law that legalized abortion and that it should be overturned. This contradicts his statements on the campaign trail in 1999 when he took a softer stance, saying that he "would not support repeal of Roe vs. Wade, which would then force x number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations."
