Uganda – Abortion-associated stigma affecting access to Post-Abortion Care – MOH

The Independent
September 30, 2023

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | While the government has put in place medical care services to support mothers who need post-abortion care in all healthcare centers, the Ministry of Health reveals that many of them still die due to complications without seeking help.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Dr. Charles Olaro, the Director of Curative Services in the Health Ministry revealed that despite awareness efforts about the availability of such services that help women battling complications post-abortion, many still end up in the medical ward even when they turn up to hospitals because they provide wrong information to health workers.

Continued: https://www.independent.co.ug/abortion-associated-stigma-affecting-access-to-post-abortion-care-moh/

30.09.2023

News

abortion stigma

Dr. Charles Olaro

Penal Code Act of Uganda Cap 120

post-abortion care

Rose Wakikona

Uganda Health Ministry

Women’s Link Worldwide

World Contraception Day

Nigeria: #ThePowerOfOptions – Improving Maternal Health Through Increased Access to Contraception

26 SEPTEMBER 2023
Nigeria Health Watch (Abuja)
By Onyedikachi Ewe

Contraceptive choices are crucial in empowering women and couples to take control of their reproductive health. In addition to protecting women and girls from unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortions, contraceptive use promotes the overall well-being of the mother, child, and family. However, despite awareness of family planning, there is still a high unmet need at 48% for sexually active unmarried women and 19% for married women. In addition, the modern contraceptive prevalence rate is still low at 12% among married women (15-49 years) which is at a negative variance with the national target of 27% by the year 2024.

The Power of Options in improving the quality of a woman's life cannot be overemphasised. It resonates with the wide range of contraceptive choices that should be made available to women and girls to help them make an informed choice. The power and autonomy of a woman to have children when she desires, at what interval and the number exemplifies gender equality.

Continued: https://allafrica.com/stories/202309270022.html

26.09.2023

World Contraception Day

World Contraception Day 2023: History, Significance, Celebration, Global Impact and Challenges

Nibandh Vinod, News18.com
SEPTEMBER 26, 2023

World Contraception Day (WCD) is an annual event observed on September 26. It was first established in 2007 by a coalition of international organizations and advocacy groups, including the International Planned Parenthood Federation, the United Nations Foundation, and the European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health. The primary aim of World Contraception Day is to raise awareness about contraception, promote safe and accessible family planning methods, and advocate for reproductive health and rights worldwide. The day highlights the importance of contraceptive options in achieving broader societal goals related to health, gender equality, and sustainable development.

World Contraception Day History
World Contraception Day was created to address the global need for comprehensive education and access to contraception. Its origins are rooted in the understanding that family planning and contraception play crucial roles in women’s health, gender equality, and population control.

Continued: https://www.news18.com/lifestyle/world-contraception-day-2023-history-significance-celebration-global-impact-and-challenges-8590094.html

26.09.2023

News

European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health

family planning methods

history of World Contraception Day

International Planned Parenthood Federation

World Contraception Day

Africa: World Contraception Day 2023 – A Call to Liberate Women’s Bodies through Equitable Health Leadership

Nearly a third of all women in developing countries begin childbearing at age 19 and younger, and nearly half of first births to adolescents are to children, or girls aged 17 and younger, UNFPA research shows.

Mbuto Machili / UNFPA Mozambique
26 SEPTEMBER 2023

Access to birth control, which empowers women with the agency to decide if, when, and how many children to bear, is a fundamental human right.

While increased use of contraception among women in low- and lower-middle-income countries has successfully prevented over 141 million unintended pregnancies, curbed 29 million unsafe abortions, and averted nearly 150,000 maternal deaths, only 1 in 4 women in these developing nations can realize their desired fertility intentions. This means that an unacceptably large number of women are still having more children than they want - with dire consequences.

Continued: https://allafrica.com/stories/202309260368.html

26.09.2023

Commentary

family planning programs

maternal deaths

Mbuto Machili

UNFPA

World Contraception Day

Africa

Contraception

Australia – Need for Diverse Contraception Options for Informed Decisions

25 Sept 2023
Sustainable Population Australia

In the lead-up to World Contraception Day (WCD) on 26 September, Sustainable Population Australia (SPA) has called for potentially fertile people everywhere to have information about, and access to, a range of contraceptive options so that they can make informed choices on their sexual and reproductive health.

Contraceptive methods include hormonal options like birth control pills, patches, and injections; barrier methods such as condoms and diaphragms; and long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants.

Continued: https://www.miragenews.com/need-for-diverse-contraception-options-for-1090753/

25.09.2023

News

Jenny Goldie

Sustainable Population Australia

World Contraception Day

Ghana – Religious, societal beliefs on contraceptives causing unsafe abortion – NPC

By Richard Kofi Boahen
Nov 8, 2022

Dr. Davis Yeboah Aboagye, the Bono Regional Officer of the National Population Council (NPC) says religious and certain socio-cultural beliefs about the use of contraceptive are contributing to the ever-increasing cases of unsafe abortion in the country.

He has therefore made a passionate appeal to the National Health Insurance Authority to include family planning services on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to motivate and increase the use of contraceptives among married as well as sexually active adults as a way of controlling population growth, spacing of children and reducing unwanted pregnancies.

Continued: https://www.modernghana.com/news/1193880/religious-societal-beliefs-on-contraceptives-caus.html

08.11.2022

Featured

News

Dr. Davis Yeboah Aboagye

family planning programs

National Health Insurance Scheme

National Population Council

World Contraception Day

Philippines – World Contraception Day aims to debunk reproductive health myths

By: Jean Mangaluz
September 29, 2022

MANILA, Philippines – Plenty of myths surround reproductive health in the Philippines, which is why the Commission on Population and Development (Popcom) and healthcare company Bayer Philippines Inc. have partnered for World Contraception Day 2022 to debunk these misconceptions.

With the theme of “Usap Tayo sa Family Planning,” World Contraception Day takes place yearly on September 26 to provide women with access to scientific and non-judgemental information about contraception methods, said Popcom and Bayer Philippines Inc. in a joint statement.

Continued: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1672498/world-contraception-day-aims-to-debunk-reproductive-health-myths

29.09.2022

Commentary

Featured

Angel-Michael Evangelista

Bayer Philippines

Commission on Population and Development

Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law

World Contraception Day

World Contraception Day 2021: History, theme and significance of global event to raise awareness about family planning

Since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, it has negatively impacted the well-being of women in multiple ways, including contraception, family planning and gender-based violence

FP Staff
September 26, 2021

The international community observes World Contraception Day on 26 September to recognise the right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children. The importance of it was asserted at the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994, and is reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development under target 3.7. “By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes”.

Continued: https://www.firstpost.com/health/find-out-the-importance-of-contraception-day-in-a-world-plagued-by-covid-19-9999531.html

26.09.2021

Commentary

Featured

family planning programs

Sustainable Development Goals

unmet need for contraception

World Contraception Day

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/