NYC Schools Expand Birth Control Availability

Published on Oct 24, 2012 by VOAvideo
More than 7,000 girls in New York City become pregnant by the age of 17 each year. Nearly two-thirds have abortions. Now, some New York public high schools are expanding a program to provide birth control to students as young as 14 who request it. That expansion has become controversial with some parents. VOA’s Carolyn Weaver has more.

Peru’s forcibly sterilised seek justice

Published on Mar 10, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish
After years of denying any wrongdoing, Peru has reopened investigation into forcible sterilisation of women, what human rights groups say was a crime against humanity.

During the 1990s, more than 300,000 women were pressured into being sterilised by the government.

Doctors and nurses under Alberto Fujimori’s administration, between 1996 and 2000, were assigned monthly quotas and given bonuses based on the number of sterilisations they performed.

Al Jazeera’s Latin America Editor Lucia Newman reports from Anta on the women’s quest for justice.

Condom shortage in Kenya

Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention…but this an adage Isiolo residents have taken to another level, quite literally…this because there are people in the area who have finally decided to take all necessary measures to combat the high rate of HIV prevalence in the area … Only that their way of going about arresting the spread of the virus is not one you would consider orthodox. Here’s Evelyn Wambui with the story of people that have resorted to re-using condoms or plastic paper bags, due to the scarcity or unavailability of condoms in the area.

There was rare excitement in Witimire slums in Nyeri after a non-governmental organization supplied the residents with condoms. The government yesterday admitted that condoms were out of stock. The Kenya Red Cross has also moved in to supply another consignment to Isiolo town which is one of the areas hard hit by the condom shortage. Pamela Asigi reports.

Hormonal Contraception May Double HIV/AIDS Risk

Oct 6, 2011

A new study finds that the use of a hormonal contraceptive popular with women in eastern and southern Africa doubles their risk of becoming infected with HIV. And when it is used by HIV-infected women, it doubles the risk they will infect their male partners. The large study was conducted in sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV – the virus that causes AIDS – has been spread mainly through heterosexual sex.

International Conference Highlights Family Planning in Senegal

Offering “birth spacing” to women turns out to be much more palatable than “birth limitation.”

Dec 8, 2011

With the global population reaching 7 billion this year, doctors and health officials are advocating better family planning methods. Senegal, where some 2,000 international delegates gathered in early December to tackle the issues.

Vending Machine Dispenses ‘Morning-After’ Pill

Students at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania can get the “morning-after” pill by putting $25 into a vending machine. The pill’s availability in a vending machine appears to be rare, if not unprecedented. (Feb. 7, 2012)

MEGAPOST: Unplanned Pregnancy Prevention and Sexual Health PSAs from Bedsider

Unplanned Pregnancy Prevention – Awkward Times :30

In the United States, fully 7 in 10 pregnancies among unmarried women age 18-29 are described by women themselves as unplanned – one of the highest levels in the developed world.

The consequences of unplanned pregnancy are significant, expensive, and affect not only the young adults themselves, but also their children and families. Consequences include: fewer opportunities for mothers to complete their education or achieve other life goals; more health risks; diminished likelihood of forming committed, mature relationships; lower likelihood of stable families; and a higher likelihood of poverty.

This campaign aims to reduce high rates of unplanned pregnancies among young women (18 -24), by encouraging them to find the best method of birth control for them, and use it more carefully and consistently.

The PSAs let women know there is a birth control method out there for them, and directs them to Bedsider.org, a new comprehensive online and mobile program designed to make birth control easier. Bedsider includes easy ways to explore and compare various birth control methods, videos of real women describing their personal experiences with each method, and birth control and appointment reminders sent by text or email — everything women need to find the best birth control method, stay on it, and use it successfully.

Kenya’s growing population

The world’s seven billionth person will be born into a population more aware than ever of the challenges of sustaining life on a crowded planet but no closer to a consensus about what to do about it.

The United Nations says the world’s seven billionth baby will be born on October 31.

The body has expressed concern over the standard of living for the ever increasing number of people on the planet and skyrocketing demand for healthcare, education, resources and jobs.

And it is the poorer countries that are affected most, as Al Jazeera’s Nazanine Moshiri reports from central Kenya for our special series, Crowded Planet.

In Brazil, Women’s Changing Roles, Attitudes Leading to Smaller Families

Despite having the most Catholics in the world, 80 percent of Brazilian women of childbearing age are using some form of artificial contraception. In partnership with National Geographic Magazine, special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro examines the declining fertility rate, which has dropped to just 1.9 children per woman.

Multiple Husbands – Polyandry in the Himalayas

The opposite of polygamy is polyandry, when a woman has multiple husbands. One group of people in the Himalayas practices this lifestyle.

MTV – Bisex/Gay condom commercial

If your love is boundless, take care of yourself and others.
Wear a condom…

Three Decades of China’s One Child Policy

The Chinese regime will mark 30 years of its one-child policy on Saturday. It’s a controversial law that limits many couples to one child. Those who violate it can face stiff fines, a salary cut, or even forced abortion.

Abortion Figures Decrease in Ukraine

Ukrainian women are having fewer abortions.

[Valentina Kolomiychuk , Ministry of Obstetric Health]:

“Over the past year according to official statistics, including statistics from the private and public institutions, there were registered 180,000 abortions, this is about 15 per thousand women of childbearing age.”

Compared with the previous year, this number decreased by 20 thousand women. Doctors believe the number of abortions in the country will continue to decrease.

Galina, a midwife, has saved the lives of several hundred children. That’s how many women she persuaded to not have an abortion.

French AIDS PSA

Lonely graffiti penis searches for a partner. All are unwilling until he finds some protection…