Masimba Biriwasha's blog

RH Reality Check

HIV Isn't the Only STI Causing Deaths Among Women in Cameroon

By Masimba Biriwasha, RH Reality Check, Africa & Asia

September 17, 2008 - 8:00am

Only HIV and syphilis are screened during antenatal care in Cameroon, despite the fact that HIV is known to be associated with other sexually transmitted infections.

Read more |

Published under: Global Perspective | Maternal Health | STI/HIV/AIDS Prevention | Women’s Rights | maternal morbidity

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An Uneasy Relationship: Sex and Religion

By Masimba Biriwasha, RH Reality Check, Africa & Asia

September 8, 2008 - 8:00am

In its purest essence, religion seeks to promote justice, dignity and compassion. These core values can be harnessed in the effort to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights.

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The Great Vasectomy Fear: The Myth of Impotency

By Masimba Biriwasha, RH Reality Check, Africa & Asia

July 25, 2008 - 8:00am

Due to traditional beliefs about male virility, many men worldwide shun vasectomy, reducing the efficacy of this reliable method of contraception.

4 comments | Read more |

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Thailand's Community Response to AIDS

By Masimba Biriwasha, RH Reality Check, Africa & Asia

June 18, 2008 - 8:00am

In Thailand, innovative HIV prevention advocates engage the community by emphasizing sexual diversity, conducting religious outreach, and involving community members in research.

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Fertility, Masculinity and Economics: The Complicated Sexual Politics of Zambian Youth

By Masimba Biriwasha, RH Reality Check, Africa & Asia

June 6, 2008 - 8:00am

Both young men and young women in Zambia are under pressure to engage in multiple sexual relationships. For men, it's due to norms of masculinity, and for women, it's due to economic hardship.

1 comment | Read more |

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In Jamaica and Globally AIDS Stigma Barrier to Progress

By Masimba Biriwasha, RH Reality Check, Africa & Asia

May 21, 2008 - 8:00am

In Jamaica, as in many parts of the world, HIV and AIDS create a specter of fear and persecution leading to stigma, discrimination and, for many, the concealment of the disease.

2 comments | Read more |

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New Moms in Africa Fight Postpartum Depression

By Masimba Biriwasha, RH Reality Check, Africa & Asia

May 9, 2008 - 8:20am

African women giving birth are often affected by low incomes and and high stress levels, increasing the likelihood of onset of postpartum depression.

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Strategic Health Communication in a New Age

By Masimba Biriwasha, RH Reality Check, Africa & Asia

April 23, 2008 - 9:48am

To respond effectively to the epidemics of AIDS and TB around the world, a strategy for communicating messages that influence individual behavior change, community attitudes and socio-political dynamics is critical.

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Why TB Matters to Women's Health

By Masimba Biriwasha, RH Reality Check, Africa & Asia

April 4, 2008 - 9:42am

Tuberculosis has a major impact on women's reproductive health and the health of their children, but there is little attention to women's vulnerability in the current media blitz about a resurgent TB internationally, and in particular, in sub-Saharan Africa.

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In Africa, Menstruation Can Be a Curse

By Masimba Biriwasha, RH Reality Check, Africa & Asia

March 25, 2008 - 9:50am

Menstruation is perhaps one of the most ordinary individual female experiences but, in sub-Saharan Africa, the experience often impacts society as a whole negatively due to the absence of clean water, sanitation, and products to cope with menstrual flow.

7 comments | Read more |

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News & Commentary

1 Florida Agency Set to Ban VBAC in State's Birth Centers

By Anna Clark on March 19, 2010 - 3:55pm | 1 comment

This Wednesday, Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration is expected to permanently ban Vaginal Birth after Cesarean (VBAC) in the state’s birth centers. Legal challenges are already in the works.

South Carolina House Passes Bill Banning State Coverage of Most Abortions

By Rachel Larris on March 19, 2010 - 4:04pm | 0 comments

On Thursday the South Carolina House approved an amendment to the state budget that would ban state insurance policies from covering abortions except to save the life of the mother.

Reproductive Justice for Latinas: The Struggle Continues

By Veronica Bayetti Flores on March 19, 2010 - 9:00am | 0 comments

Immigrant women face considerable obstacles in accessing health care, including low-paying jobs without health insurance and linguistic and cultural barriers. On Sunday, I will march for reproductive justices. Will you join me?

2 Resurrected CO "Egg-as-a-Person" Initiative Could Make Ballot

By Wendy Norris on March 19, 2010 - 7:00am | 0 comments

A ballot measure seeking to give constitutional rights to fertilized eggs may rise again. And if not by sheer volume of petition signatures, proponents will sue the state to advance the cause.

(VIDEO) So... About that Video

By Heather Corinna on March 19, 2010 - 7:00am | 1 comment

Heather critiques a sexuality education video from a national organization which, she argues, unnecessarily perpetuates negative stereotypes about both men and women.

Where the Wild Things Weren't: Daily Beast's Women's Summit Avoids Controversial Realities

By Megan Carpentier on March 18, 2010 - 7:00am | 1 comment

The Daily Beast's first Women in the World Summit played stuck to lowest-common denominator issues, and avoided the "scary" and "controversial" (read: political) realities of women's lives.

3 Risky Business: Pregnant in America

By Amie Newman on March 18, 2010 - 7:00am | 6 comments

Pregnant women in the U.S. have a greater risk of dying from pregnancy or childbirth related complications than women in 40 other countries around the world. It's past time to fix this.

Youth Lead Advocacy For Sexual and Reproductive Health

By Maria de Bruyn on March 17, 2010 - 9:19pm | 0 comments

Youth advocates at the 54th Commission on the Status of Women challenged a multi-generational, multinational audience to examine their own thinking about sexual and reproductive health and rights.

In Absurd Move, Canada Drops Family Planning from Maternal Health Plan

By Jodi Jacobson on March 17, 2010 - 2:52pm | 3 comments

The Canadian government is excluding family planning from its initiative to save the lives and improve the health of mothers in poor countries. One small problem: You can't address maternal mortality without family planning.

4 "Slow Death by Rubber Duck:" What We Don't See Can Hurt Us

By Miranda Spencer on March 17, 2010 - 7:00am | 4 comments

Want to know about the effects on human health of environmental toxins? A new book provides the perfect primer.

"We're Not Dolls! Don't Play With Women's Lives"

By Tatiana Mckinney on March 17, 2010 - 7:00am | 0 comments

A demonstration on the steps of Brooklyn's Borough Hall on March 10 raised awareness of the effects of HIV and AIDS on women and girls.

Midwives Barred From California Hospital

By Amie Newman on March 16, 2010 - 7:07pm | 5 comments

Midwives in California are fighting for their right to be reinstated at a hospital where administrators have so far provided no proof for their abrupt dismissal, saying only it was for "patient safety."

5 Is Hormone Replacement Therapy Worth the Risks?

By Pamela Merritt on March 16, 2010 - 7:00am | 0 comments

News that there may be a link between hormone replacement therapy and lung cancer has renewed questions about the use of hormones to treat the symptoms of menopause.

Adulthood and the Right to Make Our Own Choices

By Anat Shenker-Osorio on March 16, 2010 - 7:00am | 6 comments

What does it mean when a group is systematically denied the right to marry? Or when another group is denied the right to determine what happens to their bodies? At some level, even if only unconsciously, it means we think they aren’t adults.

The Ethical, Spiritual, and Moral Foundation of the Abortion-Provider Community

By TrustingWomen on March 16, 2010 - 7:00am | 190 comments

Those who provide access to abortions have ethical, spiritual, and religious wisdom that this world needs, and this community needs to claim and celebrate its power, goodness, morality, and justice.

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Pelosi's Last Stand: Offers Executive Order on Abortion In Exchange for Health Bill Passage

Amie Newman, Managing Editor
Mar 20 2010 - 4:35pm | comments (2)

As the hours tick by, House Speaker Pelosi is determined to pass health reform - without added abortion restrictions but with the possibility of an executive order from President Obama restating restrictions on federal funding of abortion. Will Stupak and his anti-choice holdouts accept?

Canada "Opens Door" to Family Planning Programs in Global Effort to Reduce Maternal Death

Jodi Jacobson, Editor, RH Reality Check
Mar 19 2010 - 12:00pm | comments (0)

In response to severe criticism of its rejection of family planning as part of global maternal health programs, Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper now says that the "door is not closed" on providing contraception.

Roundup: Stories That Remind Us Why Healthcare Reform is Needed

Rachel Larris, RH Reality Check
Mar 19 2010 - 10:16am | comments (0)

While Congress counts votes for healthcare reform, New Jersey debates eliminating family planning funding, and South Carolina's budget is tough for those with HIV/AIDS.

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