Men. Who needs them, right? After all, who created all these laws and strictures against sexual and reproductive rights? Men. The men in churches and the men on thrones and the men in the legislatures and courts. Saint Augustine. Saint Thomas Aquinas. Martin Luther. Anthony Comstock. All of them were men. (Let’s skip over Queen Victoria and Indira Gandhi for a moment, so that I can have my Manichean Moment.)
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By Alexander Sanger
The Guardian, April 20, 2012

“What we want is women to be able to make their own choices […] We want women to make their own choices in healthcare … Women don’t need anyone to tell them what to do on healthcare. We want women to have their own choices, their own money, that way they can make their own choices for the future of their own bodies.”
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The World Health Organization (WHO) recently held a technical meeting to evaluate whether to change its advice regarding couples at risk of HIV using hormonal contraception. There has been evidence indicating that hormonal contraception puts couples at increased risk of acquisition of HIV, transmission of HIV and progression of HIV. The WHO group decided to leave its guidelines as is, i.e. not recommending against hormonal contraceptive use but added the following:
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In case you missed this:

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/human_nature/2012/02/the_komen_fiasco_how_to_drive_planned_parenthood_out_of_the_abortion_business_.html

One of the most under-reported stories of 2011 was the prevalence of prenatal sex-selection in countries in Eastern Europe and in former Soviet Union Republics like Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The Council of Europe reported that these nations have sex selection ratios at birth of 112 for the three “A’s” and 111 for Georgia (i.e. 112 males are born for every 100 females), far above the norm of 105-6. This level is the same as India. China is at about 120. The imbalance in the sex ratio is caused by both the selection of a male embryo for implantation in assisted reproduction and sex selection abortion. Continue reading →

It is expected that President Obama will soon sign a “megabus” spending package for fiscal year 2012 (H.R. 2055), which includes funds for international family planning and reproductive health programs. Essentially the funding is the same as the previous budget, neither a cut nor a raise. A raise was sorely needed but was not to be, despite heavy lobbying by us at IPPF and success in the Senate. The House remained opposed and wanted deep cuts. The compromise was level funding.
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Presentation by Jacqueline Sharpe, President of IPPF, Nov 26, 2011, London

Alex Sanger is an ideal volunteer, fully committed to our vision, richly endowed with all the qualities that enable him to make effective contributions to IPPF, generous both with his time and financial resources.
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Reproductive Health in the Sacred Valley of Peru – July 2011

The Sacred Valley of Peru, outside of Cusco and the gateway to Machu Picchu, but so much more, is one of the last indigenous bastions of Peru. The people speak Quechua, an ancient Inca language, and make their living by farming and livestock. Men, women and children work the farms on the valley floor and high on ancient Inca terraces that climb the Andean peaks up to 4,000 meters or more. They dress in traditional clothes and live in mud brick dwellings, which the higher you go, the fewer amenities like electricity and water they have.
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