In coronavirus-hit Mexico, many women are ‘determined to not have babies’

By Mary Beth Sheridan and Alejandra Ibarra Chaoul
Jan 3, 2022

MEXICO CITY — Everyone knew the pandemic would bring death. Edith García Díaz thought it would also bring birth — lots of birth.

As a state health official, she worried that the crisis would impede access to contraceptives, leading to a rise in pregnancies. Doctors were swamped with covid-19 patients. Couples were hunkering down at home, afraid to go out. Early in the pandemic, Mexico’s population agency warned that the pandemic could result in 120,000 additional unplanned births — an unwelcome reversal in the long battle to tame the fertility rate.

Continued: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/01/03/coronavirus-mexico-baby-bust/

Nepal – COVID taking toll on sexual and reproductive health

RASTRIYA SAMACHAR SAMITI, Nepalnews
2021 DEC 26

COVID-19 is taking its toll on sexual and reproductive health in the country. The global pandemic has thrown up challenges to the government's goals of reducing maternal and child mortality rate while unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion have increased due to lack of access to contraceptives and safe abortion services, according to the Department of Health Services under the Family Welfare Division.

The use of contraceptives has dropped to 39.37 per cent during the pandemic. One hundred thirty-four new mothers and pregnant women lost their lives during the infection between March 24 and July 21, 2020, when the country was in lockdown and the number of women who availed safe abortion service during the same period was less than 15,000, according to the Department. Lack of transportation and qualified health workers, excessive bleeding, abortion and labour complication as well as delivery at home were among the factors that led to their death.

Continued: https://www.nepalnews.com/s/issues/covid-taking-toll-on-sexual-and-reproductive-health

Kenya – Comprehensive Sexuality Education Is Vital To All!

MAY 26, 2021
By Alvin Mwangi, Ghetto Radio

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a lot of adolescents and young people remain and stay in homes. It is saddening that everyday we hear of injustices that adolescents and young people in all our diversities are going through in Kenya.

Access and enjoyment to the highest standard of health care is important to all adolescents and young people including the “left behind”, LGBTQ+, persons with disabilities, persons who inject drugs, young people from marginalized areas.

Continued: https://ghettoradio.co.ke/comprehensive-sexuality-education-is-vital-to-all/

26.05.2021

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Increase in Maternal Deaths: The Silent Impact of Covid-19 on Latin America

The scale of the health emergency led to restrictions and closures in reproductive health services for months. Artwork by Leila Arenas

International Campaign for Safe Abortion
May 21, 2021

With health systems focused on containing the virus, women have experienced severe hardships when trying to access reproductive health services, such as perinatal care, contraceptive methods and safe abortion services. The monitoring carried out in nine countries in the region is showing that these limitations have led to an increase in maternal deaths. Just in Peru, 433 expectant mothers passed away between January and December of 2020, a number not seen in a decade. This year, more than 90 deaths have been registered up to March 9th. If we continue on this path, specialists asked warn, the indicators could be even worse than those reported during the first few months of the pandemic.

Continued: https://mailchi.mp/safeabortionwomensright/21-may-2021?e=372dd34034

Maternal Health Around the World

Apr 7, 2021
Sarah Moore, M.Sc.

The term maternal health refers to women’s health throughout the stages of pregnancy and childbirth as well as during the postnatal period. Maternal health has a direct impact on both the mother and child.

Every day, approximately 810 women die from causes related to preventable childbirth and pregnancy. Providing good quality maternity care in order to prevent these includes supporting the nutrition of mother and baby, treating diseases, supporting women who are exposed to intimate partner violence, and providing universal access to sexual and reproductive care.

Continued: https://www.news-medical.net/health/Maternal-Health-Around-the-World.aspx

The pandemic has caused as many as 1.4 million unintended pregnancies. Here’s how that impacts women’s lives.

Abigail Higgins, The Lily
Mar. 22, 2021

When the world ground to a halt a year ago, millions of women saw their contraceptive supplies dry up and their routes to replenish them cut off.

New research by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) found that 12 million women couldn’t get the family planning services they needed, leading to an estimated 1.4 million unintended pregnancies.

Continued: https://www.thelily.com/the-pandemic-has-caused-as-many-as-14-million-unintended-pregnancies-heres-how-that-impacts-womens-lives/

Southeast Asia – Less Contraception Use In A Pandemic?

Athira Nortajuddin
15 March 2021

Just last year when over half of humanity was confined to their homes due to COVID-19 preventive measures, Karex, a Malaysian contraceptives manufacturer predicted a global condom shortage as the pandemic shuttered factories and disrupted supply chains.

This came as Malaysia, one of the world’s top rubber producers and a major source of condoms, imposed a nationwide lockdown – known locally as the Movement Control Order (MCO). The MCO was implemented sometime in mid-March 2020 for several months.

Continued: https://theaseanpost.com/article/less-contraception-use-pandemic

Abortion Bans Pose A Danger To All Mothers. For Black Women, They’re Especially Damaging

STEPHANIE LONG
OCTOBER 20, 2020

In 1973, Roe v. Wade made abortion legal across the U.S., but, as is the case with many other laws and landmark decisions, its application throughout the country was anything but simple — or equal. Decades after the Supreme Court’s ruling that a person's freedom to have an abortion without excessive government limitations is constitutionally protected, various restrictions continue to pose obstacles for people seeking abortions. And, with the appointment of several new conservative judges to the Supreme Court, as well as a rise in restrictive abortion legislation being passed at the state level, the road ahead isn’t looking much clearer.

In 2019 alone, 25 new abortion laws were passed — including bans on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy in Mississippi, Kentucky, and Georgia, and a full abortion ban in Alabama.

Continued: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/10/10015405/abortion-ban-racism-black-women-effects

Uganda – Spike in unplanned pregnancies, abortions

World Contraception Day takes place on September 26th every year. Under its campaign, every pregnancy is wanted. But in Uganda, this vision came under attack because of the lockdown which made access to sex easy but hard or impossible to family planning services and information. The result was an explosion of unplanned pregnancies and abortions as Agnes Kyotalengerire found out.

By Agnes Kyotalengerire

6th October
2020

Monicak
Kayesu' story

When Monica Kayesu, 36, a mother of four, sought family planning
services earlier this year, she settled for an intrauterine device (IUD). Unfortunately, the lockdown took effect at on
March 20th, the day she was to have the coil inserted. With public transport
banned, Kayesu could not get it inserted in April and conceived in May. She is
five months pregnant and cannot come to terms with the idea of having a fifth
child.

Continued: https://www.newvision.co.ug/news/1528596/spike-unplanned-pregnancies-abortions

UN Experts: Access to Contraception and Abortion Must Continue During COVID-19

SEPTEMBER 27, 2020
Health and Human Rights Journal

UN Experts joined together to remind states of their human rights duty to ensure access to contraception for anyone who wants it, including during COVID-19. On World Contraception Day (26 September), the experts, led by the new Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, states, “The right to sexual and reproductive health includes women’s freedom to decide whether to be pregnant, how many children to have, and to space pregnancies. It also imposes a core obligation on States to provide the essential medicines of the relevant WHO List which includes contraceptives.”

COVID-19 has made it more difficult for women to access family planning services with restrictions on freedom of movement, as well as production and supply chains being disrupted. However, the state obligations remain in place, and the experts said people are entitled to information and access to health care facilities irrespective of lockdown conditions.

Continued: https://www.hhrjournal.org/2020/09/un-experts-access-to-contraception-and-abortion-must-continue-during-covid-19/