HIV prevention

HIV-positive women—like all women worldwide—have the right to decide when and if to have children. At a minimum, non-biased pregnancy options counseling and referrals to safe abortion and/or post-abortion care services should be part of comprehensive SRH services provided to HIV-positive (and all) women.

While some had hoped this weekend's meeting would build on recent comments about condoms from the pope, Vatican officials toed the line and emphasized chastity and behavior change. 

The Nebraska legislature is working on a law that would make it a crime to assault a public safety officer with bodily fluids but it's based on inaccurate information about HIV transmission. 

Today's bully, or let's say one of them because there are so many to deal with each day, is Representative Bob Latta, Republican from the 5th District in Ohio.  Mr. Latta has introduced an amendment to the GOP's proposed Continuing Resolution that would eliminate all funding for international family planning.  It could be voted on today.

Follow Jodi Jacobson on Twitter, @jljacobson

Long-awaited results were released today in the New England Journal of Medicine of a study on the effectiveness of a single daily tablet for preventing HIV transmission among those at high risk of infection.

Follow Jodi Jacobson on Twitter, @jljacobson

Proof that PrEP works – that there is, literally, a pill can help to prevent HIV -- is an extraordinary breakthrough, as was the news received last summer that an effective vaginal microbicide had been identified.  But what does a study focused on people engaging in rectal-penile sex have to do with women and their reproductive health?  There are many ways to answer that question -- some of them cause for celebration and some reasons for real concern.

Will Congress be voting for fair pay? Will women soon have access to certified professional midwives in Illinois? And are women in the U.S. really getting the message that we're at risk of contracting HIV?

Lindsay Beyerstein explains why require condom use in the porn industry. The FBI scores a couple of wins against anti-choice terrorism, and sexual harassment in the NFL creates an avalanche of victim-blaming.

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Promising results of a new study released this week at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, suggest an effective HIV prevention method for women may be ready for marketing in a few years.

Follow Jodi Jacobson on Twitter, @jljacobson

Less than a half a cent of every international development dollar is directed towards girls. But we can change that - with skills, knowledge, self-esteem and personal security, a girl can be a change-agent for herself and her community.