International – REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ALERTS

28 Apr

WHO issues new recommendations to end the rise in “medicalized” female genital mutilation and support survivors

CoreyLatest Newsfemale mutilation, Healthcare, International, misogyny

Urgent measures are needed to curtail the rising “medicalization” of female genital mutilation (FGM) and to engage health workers to prevent the practice, according to a new guideline published today by the World Health Organization (WHO).

09 Apr

Maternal health at risk amid threats of funding cuts

ChaseLatest NewsBangladesh, Healthcare, International, Reproductive rights

Although Bangladesh has achieved a remarkable reduction in its maternal mortality rate, this progress could be jeopardised by current and potential funding cuts from key development partners, according to a new UN report.

07 Apr

Aid cuts threaten fragile progress in ending maternal deaths, UN agencies warn

AlanLatest NewsHealthcare, International, Maternal and Child Health, Reproductive rights

Women today are more likely than ever to survive pregnancy and childbirth according to a major new report released today, but United Nations (UN) agencies highlight the threat of major backsliding as unprecedented aid cuts take effect around the world.

06 Apr

Researchers uncover 195 genetic risk factors driving women’s reproductive diseases

AlanLatest NewsFertility, Healthcare, International, Pregnancy, Reproductive Health, womens health care

In a recent study published in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers in Estonia and Norway identified genetic risk factors associated with female reproductive health conditions through genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and assessed their clinical significance.

30 Mar

Sierra Leone debates decriminalizing abortion as women and girls endanger their lives

RandyLatest NewsAbortion Rights, Healthcare, International, Reproductive rights, Sierra Leone

When she got pregnant at 16, Fatou Esther Jusu was terrified that it would derail her future. Abortion is illegal in Sierra Leone. Fearing judgment from her family, she took friends’ advice and bought misoprostol, a drug whose uses include abortion, from a local pharmacy. It didn't work. Desperate, she tried again and miscarried.

21 Mar

Refugee women and girls at extreme risk of rape and other abuse are already losing access to services that kept them safe.

AlanLatest NewsInternational, rape, Refugees, Women

Statement by UNHCR’s Filippo Grandi on the impact of global aid cuts on refugees

21 Mar

Maternal Mortality Crisis Persists Despite Medical Advance

AlanLatest NewsHealthcare, International, Pregnancy, Reproductive rights

In 2020, approximately 287,000 women worldwide died from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications, equivalent to one death every 2 minutes. Hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders, such as preeclampsia, remain the leading causes of maternal mortality globally, highlighting persistent gaps in access to effective care in low-income countries.

20 Mar

Women’s advocates call for better access to abortion — Bermuda

MauraLatest NewsAbortion Access, Abortion Care, Bermuda, Healthcare, International, Women's Health

The head of a charity and a former senator have welcomed a Throne Speech pledge to remove abortion from the criminal code. They agree that more is needed to improve access to and affordability of pregnancy termination.

20 Mar

Hard-won gains: Celebrating global progress in sexual and reproductive health and rights

MauraLatest NewsAbortion Care, Australia, India, International, Malawi, Reproductive rights

Across the world, reproductive rights are under threat. Anti-choice movements are growing, legal protections are being rolled back, and political changes risk undoing decades of progress.

16 Mar

Australian Government Subsidizes Key Medications To Boost Women’s Health

ChaseLatest NewsContraception, International, IVF, Women's Health

The Australian government is set to make significant changes to women’s health care by adding popular medications to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Starting May 1, 2025, three major medications will be subsidized, providing financial relief to thousands of women facing high costs for contraceptive, endometriosis, and IVF treatments.

08 Mar

International Women’s Day 2025. For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment – 8 March 2025

AlanLatest NewsInternational, International Women's Day

In 2025, the world marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action – the most comprehensive and visionary agenda for realizing women’s rights and building a more just and equal world. Over the past three decades, there has been remarkable progress: nearly every United Nations (UN) Member State has taken action to tackle violence against women and girls, narrow gaps in education and reduce maternal mortality. Legal reforms have dismantled discriminatory laws, institutions have been strengthened, and commitments deepened, with more countries than ever before enacting policies that support women’s visibility, opportunity and resilience whether through employment, social protection, or crisis…

17 Feb

EU says it ‘cannot fill’ USAID funding gap as Africa seeks solutions

PatLatest NewsAfrica, EU, International, Reproductive rights

The European Union said it cannot plug the funding gap left by the United States suspending aid programs, as governments across Africa try to keep critical health care services running. The US is the largest single aid donor in the world, disbursing some $72 billion in assistance in 2023, much of it through the US Agency for International Development (USAID). In that same year the EU, the largest collective donor, contributed almost $100 billion.

12 Feb

Dismantling of USAID will impact women more intensely

MauraLatest NewsHealthcare, International, Reproductive care, USAID

The freeze on US development funds, which accounted for nearly 40% of global aid, will have a direct effect on sexual and reproductive health and gender equality programs

27 Jan

What a U.S. exit from the WHO means for global health

RandyLatest NewsInternational, Reproductive rights, WHO

For decades, the United States has held considerable power in determining the direction of global health policies and programs. President Donald Trump issued three executive orders on his first day in office that may signal the end of that era, health policy experts said.

12 Jan

Great Britain: ‘Unprecedented’ rise in abortion prosecutions prompts call for law change from medical leaders

RandyLatest NewsAbortion Care, England, Healthcare, International

Medical leaders are calling for reform of abortion laws in England and Wales after an “unprecedented” rise in women and girls being prosecuted for ending their own pregnancies.