Reproductive Rights Blog

Happy Fourth News Round Up

There's a big conference in Lyon about reproductive technology, and a lot of very cool news is coming out of it.  There's plenty of other news as well, below.

Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis is actually damaging for fertility in women over 35 getting IVF. Speaking of IVF, it increases the chances of twins, even if only one embryo is implanted.

Scientists think they have discovered how twins develop in the first few days as well as how to clone sperm, which will help men with low sperm counts.  Doctors at the conference were talking about a woman who is freezing her eggs for her daughter's use - the daughter is likely to be infertile due to Turner Syndrome.

Sex pheromones make female mice brains grow - the scent of dominant male mice creates new neurons in the female mice's brains.

This sexual harassment case is crazy: allegedly, a woman was fired because she wouldn't be her boss' surrogate!   Speaking of nutty: a man apologized for trying to burn down a women's clinic when he mistakenly believed the clinic offered abortions.  He was wrong, and says that even if the clinic did offer abortions, it still would have been wrong to try to burn down the clinic.

The UK is considering lifting the requirement that a woman gets two medical approvals for a first trimester abortion.  India is seeking Mr. Condom to push for increased condom usage. Egypt, once again, outlawed female circumcision.   They did this once before, and then the practice went underground, which was more dangerous, so they  legalized it.

Ok, so a 19 year old man had a sexual relationship with an 11 year old girl.  Girl gets pregnant (yikes!).  He is being charged, but so are both of their parents, who consented to the relationship.  RHRealityCheck keeps us up to date on the whole Kansas/Tiller mess.

Fetus or fruit?  Hard to determine, apparently.

And the animal story: elephant dies of herpes.

Quick News Round Up

I meant to do this over the weekend, but...didn't.

Jonathan sent me an absurd article from the Wall Street Journal.  What is wrong with them lately anyway?  This one is about how "partial-birth abortion" is horrible and what about the baby's right to life?  First, let me point out that we don't have a fetal rights approach in this country.  You know who does?  Europe.  And the Human Rights courts there.  I'm not even getting into it right now since I'm going to be late.  Anyway, apparently most Americans don't like this whole "partial-birth abortion" thing. (thanks for the link RJ)  Think it's the framing?  Or that it doesn't happen to them.  I want t-shirts that read "Abortion should be legal in cases of rape, incest, and ME!" (Erin, you can take that project if you want)

Also a big piece of crap from the WSJ, a supposedly humorous article about how fetuses are better than babies, and ladies, just go through with the pregnancy because it's not that hard anyway.  Anyway, WSJ: you suck lately.  What happened to journalistic integrity.  I wrote better essays when I was in high school.

Unsurprisingly, the Church is getting involved with the abortion debate in Mexico City, by calling on Catholic doctors to not perform abortions, even legal ones.  Speaking of the Church, one writer asks if it's really just coincidence that the 5 Justices who voted to uphold the abortion ban were Catholic?

An article about how girls are taking an awful lot of the Morning After Pill at one school in the UK.

While Mexico City is liberalizing, some places in American are further restriction abortion rights.  On the other hand, New York is talking about enshrining the right to an abortion.  Once Roe falls, we're going to have to travel to places like NY and MD for abortions, as long CIANA-like laws aren't in effect.

From the not-news department: women with HPV and HIV have higher rates of cervical cancer.  Seriously, so not news. 

Okay, that's all for now.  I will update with more stories later, and tell you all about CEDAW!

News Round Up (Mar. 18)

I know it's been a long time since I last posted.  Things have been crazy at work, and I have a little bit of a social life.  I have a ton of articles I've been bookmarking to share with you.  Hold on, it's a long one:

The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that health insurance can NOT include prescriptive contraception.  “Union Pacific’s health plans do not cover any contraception used by women such as birth control, sponges, diaphragms, intrauterine devices or tubal ligations or any contraception used by men such as condoms and vasectomies,” the opinion said. “Therefore, the coverage provided to women is not less favorable than that provided to men.”

Kroger, a grocery store, had an incident where one of its employees refused to dispense the Morning After Pill.  The refusal violated Kroger policies.  Speaking of oral contraceptives, CNN posted the top 10 Pill Myths Debunked.

Tampax is starting to market via social networking, by targeting female high school atheltes on Takkle.com. I'm not joining, so I can't see the product's page (I am neither an athlete nor anywhere near high school age) but I can see the "Upgrade!" picture of Tampax Pearl.

Girls born at low birth weights have higher rates of teenage depression.

When the baby's death is inevitable, families can create a plan to care for the children as they die.  Often, these parents chose to abort, but many choose to spend the short amount of time they have with the baby.

Couples having fertility issues sometimes use alternative therapies like acupuncture and herbal remedies.   Also, gay men have their own special fertility  program.

I thought this was already introduced, since I emailed a friend at NWLC about it a few days ago, but a bill has been introduced that will forbid federal funds from being used on the HPV Vaccine.  Speaking of HPV, there is not enough general awareness of the virus.  Additionally, the legislative push back in Texas is going strong, fighting against the Governor's declaration that all girls be vaccinated in 6th grade; the bill moving forward makes the vaccine purely optional.  New Mexico may require the the vaccine.

As if we haven't heard enough about Polish abortion rights, there are new moves to limit those rights.  Attempts are being made to insert the following language into the Constitution: there is a "right to life from the moment of conception".  Nearby, the UN determined that Hungary was at fault for the non-consented sterilization of a Roma woman and that the sterilization was a violation of human rights.  Back on this side of the Atlantic, Mexico City is planning on legalizing abortion. 

Guttmacher published a study on premarital sex in Vietnam and abortion in Nigeria.

Eric told me about post-abortion e-cards. The cards express confidence in the woman's decision, sympathy for her loss, and God's love.  As I have expressed repeatedly, abortion can even be a good experience; Guttmacher recently released a report showing that women who have abortions achieve higher levels of education.

 

To end on a slightly humorous note, Neil sent me an Onion article on an actress' abortion being written into her TV show.

News Round Up (Mar. 8)

It's International Women's Day!  Find local events.

In the "I didn't think this was news" section, we start off with the already-established fact that childhood obesity leads to early puberty.  The only thing new about this study appears to be the young age at which obesity can affect development - as low as 3!

Did you know obesity was bad for you?  Well, yet another study shows obesity having a negative impact on fertility.

CNN wrote about rising STD rates, and a new way of dating online that involves requiring STD-free documentation.  I got an email about one of those sites, CheckTonight.com  To be a member of CheckTonight.com you have to get tested every 6 months; so what you do is before you start dating someone, you make sure they are on CheckTonight, or whatever website, so that you can be assured s/he is STD-free.

Male spiders leave a part of their penises in female spiders to protect their sperm and increase their likelihood of passing on their genes.  On the topic of animals, I just got back from San Diego, which was all abuzz (ok, maybe it was just me) about squirrel birth control.  I really should add an "animal" tag.

I know it's old, but I saw someone on the Metro reading a TIME Magazine article about the grassroots abortion wars.  The article starts by discussing crisis pregnancy centers, and transitions to the approach in fighting this "war".  I haven't gotten through the whole thing yet...

While Texas may not require the HPV Vaccine, the state may produce a pamphlet on the Vaccine for residents so that they can make their own informed decisions.

Metafilter pointed out that John McCain has flip flopped on abortion.  If you're reading this site you probably know this, but overturning Roe would not make abortion illegal, it would allow states to make abortion illegal.  So the question is, yes, about abortion, but it is also about states' rights, and how far fundamental freedoms expand.

Baby skeletons found in a bag in India.  We don't if they're from males or females, but I'm sure you're well aware of India's female infanticide problem.  Similar topic: dead baby found in a jar in FL; woman uses baby as weapon.

A local school district (famous for the gum chewing incident as well as pulling an old video of putting a condom on a banana) is going to introduce a sex ed curriculum that may well include the fact that there are gay people.  Next, we might learn sex just isn't for procreation!  Speaking of WaPo stories, George alerted me to RedState's coverage of the "hook up" scene in Africa.  (p.s. George points out that the author of the story is a noted plagarist - not sure that affects this piece, but it's good to know the source)Again, not getting into that whole Laura Sessions Step mess, but, RedState's take on it is that, um, it's not condoms that protect against AIDS, it's fidelity.  Marital fidelity.  I'm all for fidelity.  AND condoms.  And the Pill.  And making good decisions. 

Which is why I find myself actually not hating Fox's new "Pause" campaign.  I thought I would, but it's all for talking with your partner about sexual decisions, and using condoms (and even says if you're too embarrassed to buy condoms then you should re-think your decision to have sex, which I just love) and to get tested for STDs.  I don't, however, love the navigation.  Whatever.

And lastly, before I go do work, a German couple is fighting incest laws - the brother and sister met when they were in their early 20s and fell in love.  Brother-sister couples have a 50% chance of having a disabled baby.  I'm not sure that's all that relevant anymore, considering  the fact that people now engineer their babies to have "disabilities".

News Round Up (Feb 7)

There is so much to cover right now!  And I did promise Maria another animal birth control story.  Here goes:

From Kaiser, a move to ban birth control pills with desogestrel, four states propose actions regarding the HPV vaccine (FL, IL, IN & VA), and an article on foreign surrogacy (see old RRB post here).

The NYT reminds people that with medical advances come medical ethics issues.  This time, sex-selection of embryos.  *yawn*

Bris (circumcision) gone wrong.  On a baby with hepatitis.  Again, I'm no doctor, but it appears that hepatitis is a blood disorder that affects clotting, and this type of thing has happened before?  Feel free to correct me or expand on this.

An older story on an island where women propose to men, and the men can't refuse the proposal.

There are a lot more premature births - 12.4% of all births in 2004, 9.4% in 1981.  These preemies cost over $50,000 per child to care for.  I can't find it, but I posted something a while ago about an NHS policy of not trying to save ultra-preemies - maybe 24 weeks?  Meanwhile, tests are being developed to improve in utero diagnosis of birth defects.

And you all already saw the woman who was stopped by cops on her way to the hospital & wasn't allowed to continue even though she told them a bunch of times that she was pregnant & bleeding?

The US workplace isn't family friendly.  Funny, that.  At the same time, women don't want to be known just as moms anymore, but women with children.  (Thanks, Neil).  Not a shock.  We change our identity throughout our lifetimes, wife (changing the last name) and then someone's mom.  Eh, I'm not getting into it.  Y'all know how I feel.

Microbicide trial halted.  Doesn't work.  Bummer.

Condom machines to be installed in Brazilian schools.  And the parents totally support it! 

One of the most messed up things I have heard today: a woman undergoing surgery was afraid her boyfriend would leave her during recovery, so she signed a contract allowing him to have sex with her 15 year old daughter.  (Contract: unenforceable).  Both adults are being prosecuted, rightly so.

From CQ: 

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), got her fire for politics in the early 1980s when she packed her tw young chilren in the care and drove to the state Capitol in Olympia to complain about the legislature's plan to discontinue a preschool program.  While there, Murray recalls, one of the legislatorsdismissed her by saying: "You can't make a difference.  You're just a mom in tennis shoes."  (CQ Politics in America 2006).

And, as promised, Iowa considers deer contraception.

TV- Grey's Anatomy & V. Mars

On the good side, Grey's Anatomy had Christina, the driven intern accept the resident's proposal.  She returns the engagement ring, saying she "doesn't do rings" and that they'll be wealthy, so they can hire a wife.  Yay for work-life balance and figuring out what works for them. 

In the meantime, Veronica Mars is pissing me off.  First of all, the episode is titled "There's Got to be a Morning After Pill."  A girl says she was pregnant and got "slipped her a morning after pill, causing her to have a miscarriage."  I am going to live-blog this.  Otherwise I would just call Lisa during commercials and complain.

Okay, A) the morning after pill does not cause miscarriages. 

B) The student said she got slipped RU-486, which is not the same thing. 

C) You can't get SLIPPED Ru-486.  While the FDA has approved the medication to be administered orally, it is usually administered buccally or vaginally.

D) While RU-486 induces miscarriage, it's also called an ABORTION (Lisa's point).

E) Why didn't the clinic disabuse her of that notion - the single administration/slipping it to someone thing?  At least the clinic requires women to take the pill in the clinic.  And protects patient confidentiality.

F) I love that there are clinic stalkers - I hate those jerks.  You know that's totally legal, right?

G) Does anyone else find it odd that there is a pregnancy test commercial on?  Also, Nancy Drew shout out!  Another pregnancy test commercial!  But a different one.  And two commercials with a song from the Hair soundtrack.  I'd love to see the demographics on this show's viewers. 

H)  Back to the plot.   Eww!  "Pro-life"

I)  Then the friend did it?  Eh, this was stupid - too many medical inconsistencies.  Anyone else have opinions?  Maria, Lisa, what did you think?

p.s.  Echidne says we can do something & sends us to Think Progress which has an email contact to complain.

News Round Up (Dec. 9)

Plan B is now available OTC.  A Planned Parenthood in CT thinks that Plan B can replace daily hormonal contraceptives.  Some of us like our fake hormones, thank you very much.

In the not-news department: it's gonna be hard to meet the Millenium Development Goals with the current birth rates in developing countries.  That is one of the reasons that NGOs push for women to get educated - educated women in developing countries have fewer children, and those children are healthier.  I did a paper on this earlier in the year, so maybe it just seems like old news to me?

A Romanian priest has introduced a sliding scale for non-virgins getting married in his church.  The couple will have to pay more depending on how much of a non-virgin the woman is - if she's pregnant, they'll pay the full fine, if they have just moved in together, the fine will be a smaller amount.

My favorite: animal birth control.  This time it's squirrels in Scotland.

Slate reports that Indian men's penises are too short for standard condoms.

Lastly, a "boot camp" for Ndebele women in South Africa trains them how to be "wives".  They learn how to cook and clean and do laundry, but all as a form of initiation. (Edited b/c Andrea wanted me to make clear that the girls did not feel like the camp was punishment, although most outsiders would consider it to be so.)

News Round Up (Nov. 30)

There's a lot going on, including another recommendation that women consider themselves pre-pregnant, a bunch of abandoned babies, and the government's abstinence recommendations.

The U.S. government is promoting it's abstinence agenda to people up to 29 years old who are unmarried.  Considering that up to 90% of people have people ages 20-29 have sex, the abstinence thing seems a little unrealistic.  Tyler sent me a very funny article from a SFGate writer lampooning the effort.

It seems like it was abused baby week - babies were flushed down toilets, microwaved, and abandoned at a Long Island Railroad Station.  Eric and I were talking about what the alternatives are, and how people could have gotten help.  There are laws in most places that preclude prosecution for abandoning your chilld.  New York, for example, has an Abandoned Infant Protection Act that allows a parent to leave her baby at a safe place - something undefined in the law.  Germany has baby hatches, or baby boxes, which are safe places for people to leave their babies as a last resort.

There's a simple surgery that can restore fertility by unblocking vessels in the testicle. 

So there's this whole push for prenatal care, which I am all for.  And even care for women who are planning on becoming pregnant, which I think is fabulous.  I was recently at a symposium on pregnancy, which I will post another day, but pre-pregnancy care is important.  It's also unlikely, considering that that 50% of pregnancies in America are unplanned.  If women don't always plan their pregnancies, it's gonna be pretty hard to start taking vitamins in anticipation of pregnancy, or stop smoking or whatever.  Which means, then, that women should always consider themselves pre-pregnant (as should their doctors) which is kind of grossing me out (discussed earlier here & here).  There's been a lot of commentary on it, including Saletan's round up on the pros & cons of the idea and Bean's opinions.  Anyway, the point is that not only is that it's a little condescending and kind of gorss, but it's also absurd because it's not accessible - Medicaid doesn't cover it, and most GPs or OBGYNs don't give that kind of advice.  Plus, the majority of the issues, like obesity, are problems that women should address anyway - it seems a little odd to tell women to lose weight ONLY for their fertility, not just for themselves, with their fertility as one of the many factors.  Anyway, I'm waiting for our laws and policies to catch up with our health recommendations.

Oh, speaking of pregnancy & birth defects, one woman is alleging that her use of Paxil led to her child's health defects. (Thanks Dave!)

A man in South Africa took time off of work saying he was pregnant.  I don't want to know how dumb this guy is (please don't let him have children), but he got FINED by the court!

Neil told me that France is starting to sell 20-cent condoms.  The government is selling 10 million cheap condoms at places including hospitals and nightclubs in order to fight AIDS.  Oh, how I love social marketing.  And free condoms.

It can be hard to find an egg or sperm donor, but the internet is helping.  It's fairly unregulated, and can be somewhat lucrative, especially for young, healthy, smart egg donors.

Did we discuss that the Vatican is considering approving the use of condoms?  Apparently the idea is moving along.

There's more, but I'll save it for another time.

Family Guy takes on Sex Ed

Part 1

"What is going on here?"
"We're all protesting the sex ed class that's being taught to our children"
...
"..The school board has voted to cancel your sex ed class"
...
"...It's because you're teaching those kids about condoms"
"What? That's ridiculous, these students have a right to information about safe sex
"These parents don't think so."

Part 2
"Sure sex is fun, but you can't have it before you're married, even if you use a condom.  Because not only do condoms fail 100% of the time, but they're majorly unsafe.  Hey, you wouldn't put a plastic bag over your grandmother's head, would you? And that's why we're going to be handing out these opal rings. These rings are a symbol of your commitment to refrain from sex until you're married.  Who wants to be joyful?  Who wants to be pure?  Who wants to be abstinent?"

"Dad, look at the facts about sex!"
"'If you have sex, your penis will fall off and land in another dimension populated entirely by dogs, who will eat it.'  Well, that changes everything!"

Part 3
"Mom, you don't understand - Doug & I are abstinent.  But if we have sex in the ear we're still pure!"

"So remember, sex is bad, immoral and wrong.  And, if you have sex, you're automatically in al-Queda"
"Kids, do not listen to this man.  He is wrong.  He is feeding you lies. Now look, it's true, you shouldn't have sex until you're ready.  You should wait until you're in love. But I mean, hey, we're all human, huh?  We all have urges, and they're perfectly natural.  And if you do make the choice to act on them make sure you protect yourself.  Use a condom."

Things I learned at the mall

1.  Delia's pulled its "I'm tight like Spandex" tshirts from the store.

2.  An 80s party would not be any fun anymore.  Do you think the 14 year olds wearing Ramones t-shirts like the Ramones?  And side ponytails: totally in.

3.  Microbicides from yogurt may be useful in the fight against HIV/AIDS.