As coverage of the conference continues to roll along, I thought I'd make an addition to Tamar Abrams' post from earlier: we have video footage of the remarks from both Bill and Melinda Gates that Tamar mentioned in her post.
These clips both include strong messages of support for the need to reduce stigma and provide women with greater support in the fight against HIV/AIDS. As the Gates Foundation vies for its place among the G8, it should be encouraging for reproductive health advocates that they are making such bold statements.
While Bill Gates may have been held in question by some for his comments in support of PEPFAR, he had some strong words to say in support of women: "A woman should never need her partner's permission to save her own life."
Melinda Gates' comments were likewise encouraging. In this clip, she takes on the threat of allowing societal stigmas to influence HIV prevention and treatment efforts.
As the conference progresses, several of our guest bloggers and certainly some of our editorial energy will continue to focus on women & AIDS. And tonight, the International Women's Health Coaltion is holding a special tribunal, "In Her Own Words: Violations of Women's Human Rights and HIV," which should be webcast live tonight at 6:30 pm, Eastern time.
We are looking forward to progress for women's rights and increased protection from HIV. We hope that we might see some from this conference.
Reducing maternal deaths from unsafe abortion is one of the most straight-forward public health problems to remedy. But this can never be fully realized unless governments start including abortion in realistic approaches to protecting women's health.
Heather Corinna brings Scarleteen's popular sexual health advice column to RH Reality Check! This week, Heather talks to a young woman who doesn't like being a girl.
Conservative activists are gearing up to enact state laws to restrict abortion. Colorado is once again serving as a political incubator in yet another attempt to chip away at Roe v. Wade, this time in the form of an amendment stating that life begins at conception.
Pregnancies, both planned and unplanned, happen to trans folks, too. It is imperative for reproductive health care providers to seek appropriate education and training in order to be able to provide comprehensive care to these patients.
Given the alarmingly sexist and racist undercurrents rearing their heads in this presidential election, it's not illogical to look at "Iron Man" and see a reflection, and perpetuation, of prejudices that just won't die.
The Minnesota House last Wednesday passed a bill that would allow the University of Minnesota to use state funds to conduct research using embryonic stem cells. The measure prompted a flurry of amendments by anti-choice Republicans designed to derail the bill.
Last week, nearly 80 conservative groups led by the Family Research Council asked President Bush to strip family planning clinics of their eligibility for Title X funds if they refer patients for abortions or share facilities with abortion providers -- which would bring the global gag rule home.
In Colombia, young women may be getting pregnant intentionally -- but not necessarily because they want to become mothers. Sexuality education advocates differ on how best to tailor a pregnancy prevention and sexual health curriculum to reach Colombian teens.
On May 26, the Wanderlust reproductive justice bicycle caravan will set off on an 1800 mile journey from New Orleans to New York City, meeting with and learning from reproductive justice activists along the way.
In honor of the Back Up Your Birth Control with Emergency Contraception (EC) Campaign, Pharmacy Access Partnership and RH Reality Check teamed up to launch an essay contest open to young people 14-24 years of age. Read the winning entry!
Have Safe Haven laws -- in which women can lawfully relinquish their infants within 30 days of birth -- become a substitute for universal health care and comprehensive sexuality education?
Illinois's reproductive justice advocates are backing one of the most comprehensive reproductive health bills the state has ever seen. And they're bringing in new allies for the fight.
