Repro Health Hub

As many of you may have already seen in the headlines, the “largest scientific database for reproductive health“, POPLINE, messed up- big time.

A couple months ago, the database managed by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health had received a complaint from the federal government. Apparently POPLINE, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), had been taking some heat because of two abortion advocacy related articles that were found on the site. Solution? Remove the term completely. Administrators decided late February to simply block the word ‘abortion’ from providing any search results. Of course, the change was quickly noticed by users of the site. Medical librarians at the University of California, San Francisco e-mailed administrators about it. Gail Sorrough, UCSF director of medical library services, said, “..the POPLINE administrator replied that, yes, they had decided to turn the term abortion into a ’stop word’” and librarians were told to use other terms in the search field, such as “unwanted pregnancy” or “fertility control, post-conception” instead.

Once news of the ban became known, Johns Hopkins quickly condemned the decision and had the restriction lifted immediately. Dean Michael J. Klag of the school for Public Health has launched an inquiry for the incident and said in a “statement”, “… [I] have directed that the POPLINE administrators restore “abortion” as a search term immediately. I will also launch an inquiry to determine why this change occurred. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge and not its restriction.”

POPLINE’S course of action was indeed a very odd decision and in no way excusable considering that abortion is a very legal medical procedure (did we mention that the project defines itself as ‘the world’s largest database on reproductive health and dedicated to reports on family planning and health issues’?). USAID insists that it had no hand in the decision to change search restrictions- when asked whether USAID requested to remove “abortion” as a search term, the Office of Population and Reproductive Health said, “No”.

It is no secret how the current Bush administration feels about and how quickly they will threaten to cut off funding for progressive projects that stray from their own ideology. It’s also well known how damaging this has become in “developing countries” , killing millions of women a year by limiting their resources. But now the policy has gone beyond just denying women’s health to complete censorship of the issue at home. POPLINE is a US-based organization, and therefore exempt from the Global Gag Rule. Even if USAID did not force POPLINE to ban search results, the project very clearly felt it necessary to protect itself by denying access of scientific and medical information to the issue because of the attention it received. It is not only inexcusable but a chilling reminder of how wide this “ineffective federal policy” reaches, both abroad and within our own country.

Share on Facebook

For those of you who haven’t seen already, PBS has been broadcasting some enlightening series about health and healthcare in the U.S and abroad. The first program is a four-part series that began last month called Unnatural Cause: Is Inequality Making Us Sick? and it investigates some of the racial and economic inequalities that significantly affect health. The documentary shows how social environment is a key factor in determining healthy lifestyle in the U.S just as much as diet and exercise and explores why this is.

From their website:

The single strongest predictor of our health is our position on the class ladder. Whether measured by income, schooling, or occupation, those at the top have the most power and resources and on average live longer and healthier lives. Those at the bottom are most disempowered and get sicker and die younger. The rest of us fall somewhere in between.

“Unnatural Causes” has a campaign running to help fight some of these issues through policy changes and other initiatives. If you’re interested in getting involved visit their Action Center website to find out how you can help!

Also, PBS’s television and online journal Frontline will be airing a special called Sick Around the World tonight, April 15, 2008 at 9 pm. The show examines the universal health care programs of other industrialized nations, including the often cited examples of the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, and Switzerland. The special also examines Taiwan’s technology-based health care system, in which every citizen’s medical background is maintained through an electronic “smart card.”

The PBS special highlights areas of universal health that are often times dubbed socialized medicine, such as equal access to care, health care mandates, and insurance company restrictions. Interesting to note is Germany’s principle of solidarity, as a German parliament member describes, “where the rich pay for the poor and where the ill are covered by the healthy.” The nations that are studied in Sick Around the World, all advanced capitalist democracies, prove that it is not a farfetched notion to have a quality health care system for all Americans. Talk about being the last to get the idea.

As the country looks towards implementing a universal health care system, it’s important for women’s health advocates to be informed and involved in the process. Watching these two shows is a great first step as we work to improve health care for all women!

Share on Facebook

NARAL-Pro-Choice New York, in conjunction with the National Institute for Reproductive Health, just released the 2008 update of the Book of Choices.

The Book of Choices is an online resource which encompasses what being pro-choice truly means. Without bias, this guide presents a woman facing unintended pregnancy with all of the information she needs to make the decision for herself and her family. The guide provides information about which clinics and medical centers in New York State provide abortion care, and what payment methods are accepted, including information on financial assistance. In addition, the guide provides adoption, pregnancy, and parenting resources for women who decide to continue with their pregnancy.

Within the Book of Choices, there’s also a section on preventing pregnancy, which includes explanations of a wide range of contraceptives and birth control methods. The guide also includes information on where to obtain emergency contraception, including a list of free and low-cost providers in New York City.

The Book of Choices is a model that has been replicated in other states and could be utilized in a variety of locales. If you would like to create a Book of Choices for your area, please contact LIAP to learn more about the model. Go to the Book of Choices today at http://www.bookofchoices.org/.

Share on Facebook

Today is the seventh annual Back Up Your Birth Control Day and we couldn’t be more excited! Around the country students, activists, and organizations are taking action to help raise awareness for Emergency Contraception (also know as Plan B or the Morning After Pill). EC is a crucial part of reproductive rights because it is can prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex and unexpected birth control failure, and just like other forms of contraceptives it must be kept accessible to women everywhere.

From the campaign website:

“The 2008 Day of Action is dedicated to making EC available to all women regardless of their income, insurance coverage or immigration status. While we celebrate the FDA decision that made EC available over-the-counter to women 18 and older, we know that the high cost of EC over-the counter, usually between $40-70 in pharmacies nationwide, is a continuing barrier to some women accessing EC.”

There are several ways for you to help us celebrate on this important day and throughout the year.

1) Contact your Senator and ask her/him to support the Prevention First Act, which ensures that victims of sexual assault receive accurate information about and full access to EC.
2) Sign the petition provided by the Feminist Majority to demand affordable birth control at colleges and clinics everywhere.
3) Watch this video from Planned Parenthood.
4) Read about global EC availability from the International Consortium for Emergency Contraception.
5) Write an OpEd to spread the word about how unequal access remains a problem among women.
6) Add your organization to the long list of campaign sponsors!

Check out other ways to take action on the campaign website. Happy Back Up Your Birth Control Day!

(more…)

Since the spring of 2007, women of New Orleans have had a new place to access much- needed, affordable women’s health services. The New Orleans Women’s Health Clinic (NOWHC), a project of INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence New Orleans, opened its doors in May of 2007 with the mission:

“To equip marginalized and underserved women with the means to control and care for their own bodies, sexuality and reproduction through a holistic, community-centered well women approach to healthcare which integrates sexual health and reproductive justice.”

Their opening came in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which left many previously marginalized and underserved women with even less access to basic women’s health services. Not surprisingly, recovery efforts have been slow (one year after the storm, all the public family planning and STD clinics remained closed leaving 15,000 without care). However, the New Orleans Women’s Health Clinic has been proactive—not waiting for a previously lacking healthcare infrastructure to be rebuilt. 

Instead, they are challenging the accepted norms of sub-par care and offering an alternative comprehensive model of care to the women of New Orleans, regardless of their ability to pay. Since opening less than two years ago, NOWHC has served over 350 clients, offering a sliding scale for services through their Women’s Health Fund. The sliding scale at NOWHC puts health services within the reach of many women who otherwise could not afford them. Currently NOWHC offers a range of women’s health services including pap smears, pelvic exams, testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy testing, preliminary obstetric visits, and contraceptive services. Recent partnerships with the Latino Health Outreach Project and CAMP ACE have also allowed for Spanish language services as well as free HIV testing at the clinic on a weekly basis.  

In addition to the health services offered, NOWHC is more than a place to access affordable care. As Shana Griffin, organizer with INCITE! New Orleans explained in an August 2006 interview:

“It’s more than providing healthcare services it’s also about challenging the conditions that limit our access and our opportunities, such as poverty, racism, gender-based violence, imperialism, and war. We see it as more than just a clinic, we want it to also be an organizing center that can meet immediate needs while also working for racial, gender, economic, and environmental justice.”

If you’re interested in advancing the goals and efforts of NOWHC, send an email to nowhc_info@yahoo.com for more information on ways you can help. 

The Center for Disease Control has just published a new report, and we don’t like the results one bit. According to the CDC, 1 in 4 teenage girls in the U.S. has a sexually transmitted infection. Here is a breakdown of the findings according to the Wall Street Journal: 

“An estimated 3.2 million girls ages 14 to 19, or about 26% of that age group, are infected, and the rate is highest among black girls, the study found. Nearly half the blacks surveyed had at least one sexually transmitted infection, compared with 20% among both whites and Mexican-American teens. The vast majority — about 18% — were infected with strains of human papillomavirus, or HPV, that can cause genital warts and cervical cancer, the CDC said.”

The 2008 National STD Prevention Conference in Chicago, where this important information was officially announced today, provided revealing information about contraceptive use and STI testing among young girls. The CDC released findings from a separate study that showed that even though most (82%) sexually active 15 to 24 year old women received contraceptive or STD/HIV services, only 39% receive both which indicates that many women at high risk are not receiving necessary prevention services. 

So why, exactly, are these numbers so shockingly high?  

What many people, including Planned Parenthood of America, consider the root of the problem is the lack of comprehensive sex education. “The national policy of promoting abstinence-only programs is a $1.5 billion failure and teenage girls are paying the real price,” the organization’s president Cecile Richards said. 

What is probably most staggering is the racial disparity these studies show. Of the total amount of chlamydia cases, young black women were found to make up nearly half of the cases. The director of the CDC’s STD prevention division John Douglas points to limited access to health care as a possible cause, an obstacle that creates delays in seeking care, fewer doctors visits, and is completely unacceptable. 

How do we combat these STI rates? With the help of organizations like the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS). The advocacy group has a strong record of providing accurate information and comprehensive education about sexuality, sexual health, and sexual rights. For the past 40 years SIECUS has been pushing for effective public policy in sex-related issues and created much needed (as the CDC has shown) reliable sexual health information for educators, health professionals, and communities around the country.

Yesterday marked the 12^th annual Nation Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers and we’d like to say a very big thank you to all of the reproductive health care providers out there. 

 The day was initiated in 1996 following the beginning of violent attacks against health physicians and doctors who worked to provide American women with safe and accessible procedures. It began as a tribute to the death of Dr. David Gunn of  Florida in 1993, the first of many killings of physicians by anti-abortionists. This sad history of violence and prosecution perpetuated by ideological extremists is a reality that abortion providers still face and risk every day, so we say thank you. 

We’d like to take the opportunity to highlight some organizations and clinics that work hard to provide women with accessible reproductive health services, from birth control to safe abortion procedures. Their efforts and services are the core to making the right to choose possible for women everywhere. 

 California – The Women’s Community Clinic
Colorado – Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center
Georgia – The Feminist Center
Iowa – The Emma Goldman Clinic  
Maine – Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Clinic  
Minnesota – Midwest Health Center for Women   
New Jersey – Women’s Choice Medical Center  
Washington – Cedar River Clinics
West Virginia – Women’s Health Center of West Virginia  

If you would like to show your support for American health care providers, please sign the National Abortion Federation’s online petition.  

U.S. Senator David Vitter of Louisiana finally got his discriminatory bill passed on February 26, 2008, a bill that essentially does nothing but verify that pro-life politicians have the wrong idea on how to decrease abortion rates.   

The Vitter Amendment limits abortion funding by Indian Health Services (IHS), which is the government-funded source of health care for Native Americans.  The Hyde Amendment already prohibits Indian Health Services from providing funds for abortions, as it does for federally funded Medicaid, except in cases of rape, incest, and life endangerment.  Basically, the Vitter Amendment was put into place to absorb the language of the Hyde Amendment into a more specific context, if in fact Hyde becomes overturned in the future.   

Vitter explains his amendment as an effort to “close the loophole” of the Hyde Amendment, which “has allowed [abortion funding] to continue in certain instances.”  However, the amendment maintains the same three exceptions as under the Hyde Amendment. As a redundant bill, the Vitter Amendment does nothing to introduce new anti-abortion legislation, nor does it do anything to actively address the fact that Native American women have some of the highest teen pregnancy rates.  Worst, Native American women are 2.5 times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted. 

Good work on not assessing the matter at hand and taking away help from women that need it the most, Vitter.  American democracy at its finest. 

Our young and determined friends over at Choice USA and Advocates for Youth always make us so proud! The two organizations have been hard at work to make Emergency Contraception (EC) available to everyone, and they need your help!  

At this very moment the Center for Reproductive Rights has a lawsuit against the FDA to reverse its decision that limits women’s access to EC without prescription, claiming that the decision was based around political agenda rather than science. The heat is on the FDA right now- and with your help, we can change their policy.  

A petition is available online so be sure to sign it, send it to your friends, send it to your family -  in fact, send it to everyone you know and tell them to pass it along too!  You can also collect signatures the old fashioned way. Simply download the Petition Kit PDF and ask your neighbors and loved ones to put down their names and contact info. Just be sure to return the petition to Choice USA by March 7^th, 2008. 

The goal is 10,000 hard copy signatures by March 7^th, 2008 - so act fast and spread the word.