The Road to Toronto – New Caucus Puts the “Evidence” Back in HIV Prevention
March 20, 2006
In anticipation of the XVI International AIDS Conference being held in Toronto, Canada (August 13-18), PAI will begin a series of viewpoints entitled “The Road to Toronto.” These viewpoints will appear frequently in the upcoming months; the first highlights the Caucus for Evidence-Based Prevention, a collaborative effort of Population Action International (PAI) with our colleague organizations: amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research; and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS).
PAI Seeks Answers to Proposed Budget Cuts for Family Planning
March 13, 2006
Dear Mr. President:
In 1965, a bipartisan group of House and Senate members teamed together to launch U.S. assistance for international family planning in recognition of the fact that family planning assistance was essential to reducing poverty, hunger and environmental degradation and improving maternal and child health. Thanks to that pioneering U.S. leadership, the quality of life has improved for millions of women and children, and population growth rates have decreased to more sustainable levels in many parts of the world.
Women as Decision-Makers: Going Beyond the Numbers
March 6, 2006
On the occasion of International Women's Day and the 50th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) – which focuses on women in decision-making and development – women's rights advocates are recognizing the political strides made by women in recent months. Joining in the celebration, PAI stresses the critical importance of examining not only the number of women in decision-making positions, but also the substance of their agendas – to ensure that the best interests of women and girls are being met, including their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs.
PAI Takes to the Field to Monitor U.S. Policy
February 27, 2006
Earlier this month, researchers from PAI went to Vietnam to begin documenting the effects of U.S. policies on international family planning and HIV/AIDS programs and services. This research is part of a three-year collaborative NGO effort led by PAI and builds on a similar project that documented the detrimental effects of the Mexico City Policy on access to basic health services and contraception for women and their families. Joining PAI on this first trip was project partner SIECUS.
New Fund Aims to Fill "Decency Gap" Left by Destructive U.S. Policy
February 21, 2006
PAI praises the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID) for pledging an initial 3 million pounds – the equivalent of over US$5 million – to a new fund supporting health organizations that have lost U.S. funding since the re-imposition of the Global Gag Rule. We also commend the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) for creating the fund, which will significantly reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions worldwide.
Members of Congress Find Common Ground on Contraceptives
February 13, 2006
PAI Lauds Bipartisan Effort to Increase Access for Women Worldwide
PAI strongly supports the "Ensuring Access to Contraceptives Act of 2006," recently-introduced legislation which transcends political differences by offering a sound approach to reducing the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions among women in the developing world. Led by Representatives Rob Simmons (R-CT) and Dennis Moore (D-KS), members of Congress with vastly different beliefs about abortion have agreed on the goals of this unique bill (H.R. 4736). Co-sponsors include Mark Kirk (R-IL), Judy Biggert (R-IL), Jim Oberstar (D-MN), Vic Snyder (D-AR), Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Michael Michaud (D-ME).
PAI Urges Congress to Ignore Budget Proposal and Preserve Funding for International Family Planning
February 6, 2006
During last Tuesday's annual State of the Union Address, President Bush proclaimed that “for people everywhere, the United States is a partner for a better life” and admonished that short-changing these cooperative efforts would “increase the suffering and chaos of our world, undercut our long-term security, and dull the conscience of our country.” The President urged Congress “to serve the interests of America by showing the compassion of America.”
Seeing Is Believing: PAI Opposes Outright Congressional Travel Ban
January 30, 2006
PAI urges Congress to find a sensible, measured alternative to a proposed unilateral ban on all privately-funded congressional travel. As congressional leaders wrestle with the fallout from the latest corruption charges involving unethical travel gifts, educational opportunities – such as a cancelled upcoming trip to look at family planning clinics in Tanzania, sponsored in part by PAI – are being missed.
Unintended Consequences: Gag Rule Reduces Contraceptive Access
January 23, 2006
Five years after President Bush reinstated the Global Gag Rule on his first day in office, PAI calls on the Bush administration to show that this policy benefits women and their families in the developing world and actually achieves its implied objective of reducing abortions. In fact, PAI-led research by the Global Gag Rule Impact Project demonstrates that the reality of the gag rule's impact is quite the opposite. The gag rule has cut off family planning funding and worsened existing shortages of contraceptives – including condoms – at a time when they are desperately needed to prevent unintended pregnancies and HIV/AIDS infection. In Kenya alone, eight family planning clinics serving thousands of poor women have been forced to close because of the cut-off of U.S. funding.
Global Gag Rule Threatens Health and Well-Being of Women in the Developing World
January 20, 2006
A Statement from Amy Coen, President/CEO of Population Action International (PAI), on the Fifth Anniversary of the Global Gag Rule:
Our nation's ambivalence about abortion continues to threaten the health and well-being of women in developing nations. When President Bush re-introduced the Global Gag Rule five years ago, he implied that a goal was to decrease the number of abortions. No such effect has been reported. In fact, the gag rule has adversely affected the health of women and families in many countries. At one of the Family Guidance Association's regional health clinics in Ethiopia, plans to hire more medical staff and improve other health care were halted because they lost U.S. funding.
