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Amid the anger, frustration, challenges and fights for women's health and rights in health care reform, there is a reason to celebrate. Lucinda Marshall notes the feeling of living in The Handmaid's Tale these days with the ways in which our government has thus far trampled upon, shredded and maintained tight control over women's health and lives in health care reform. Marshall goes on to write, however, that it's critical we keep our perspective broad and look through a wide windshield when it comes to what we term "reproductive health":

"…we need to not lose sight of the fact that
abortion is only one aspect of reproductive rights. There are many
other aspects to women’s health care in addition to abortion that need
to be assured."

Birthing rights, prenatal care, maternity care, safe childbirth and postpartum care are just some of the reproductive health issues that we seem to "lose sight" of at times. Here, then, is one provision in the Senate's health reform bill that shines:

The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act makes provisions for postpartum research, education and services and is included in both the House and Senate versions of health care reform bills. This is great news for women in this country, undeniably. 

As Katherine Stone writes at the blog Postpartum Progress:

No matter how you feel about healthcare reform, it would be a blessing to women around the country if the MBSMA becomes law.

And the women of the Perinatal Pro Weekly Blog eloquently note,

The days of decreasing the stigma of maternal mental illness long borne
by silent suffering mothers and increasing the life saving awareness
and services so desperately needed seem imminent.

Postpartum depression, anxiety and psychosis are serious conditions but with funding (which has been nil on the federal front and spotty from state to state), there is much we can do in the areas of research, screening and treatment. For any woman who has experienced a postpartum mood disorder or who knows someone who has, it's heart-wrenching to think that, as a society, we have contributed next to nothing, in terms of funding and resources, towards helping mothers in this country deal with these conditions. 

In addition to the MOTHERS Act, our reliable women's health advocate in the Senate, Barbara Mikulski, introduced an amendment (which passed) to the health care reform bill that included provisions for postpartum depression screening.

Interestingly, the MOTHERS Act also includes a provision that addresses the "relative mental health consequences for women of resolving a pregnancy" through a proposed longitudinal study:

"The Director of the National Institute of Mental Health may conduct a nationally representative longitudinal study (during the period of fiscal years 2010-2019) of the relative mental health consequences for women resolving a pregnancy (intended and unintended) in various ways, includng carrying the pregnancy to term and parenting the child, carrying the pregnancy to term and placing the child for adoption, miscarriage, and having an abortion. This study may assess the incidence, timing, magnitude and duration of the immediate and long-term mental health consequences (positive and negative) of these pregnancy outcomes."

This kind of a study is fascinating in its ability to link the full spectrum of women's reproductive health lives and shows the kind of care, concern and attentiveness to women's reproductive health experiences that may help validate our experiences, no matter what they may be. 

Health care reform bills in both the House and Senate have been harsh for women's access to reproductive health care in terms of abortion care. But there is good news with the MOTHER Act, the Mikulski Amendment and the mandated inclusion of maternity care in all health insurance plans that participate in the health exchange. The challenge women's health advocates have before us, then, is to link these issues politically mirroring the ways in which they are connected authentically and so naturally in women's lives.    

This article is co-authored by Adrienne Germain, President of the International Women's Health Coalition, and Serra Sippel, President of the Center for Health and Gender Equity.

This
afternoon, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will deliver a major speech to mark
the 15th anniversary of the United Nations International
Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which set ambitious goals
for improving sexual health and reproductive rights throughout the world.

Prior
to the ICPD, the importance of securing women’s health and rights was largely
absent from international development discourse. It took the mobilization—and
action— of grassroots women’s groups from across the Global South to persuade
governments that women’s health and human rights are imperative in their own
right—and crucial to sustainable global development. In response to this
movement, 179 governments agreed to a 20-year action plan.

Since ICPD, we have seen progress on securing the health and
rights of women and young people. 
Despite these gains, much remains to be done. Women and girls in many parts of the world still face
egregious violations of their basic human rights, and lack access to the
comprehensive reproductive health services they need to stay healthy: contraception,
comprehensive sexuality education, testing and treatment for reproductive
cancers and prevention, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted
infections, including HIV; maternity care, and access to safe abortion
services. 

Recognizing the urgent need for concrete action, more than 50
faith-based, human rights, health, and environmental organizations and program
implementers—including CHANGE and IWHC— are advocating for specific
steps the U.S. can take to fulfill the goals of ICPD. The core
recommendations include:

• Ensure that U.S.
  policies and programs address the real-life circumstances of individuals and
  communities being served and ensure equitable and maximum access to services
  and information;
• Ensure that U.S.
  programs and policies protect and promote the human rights of women and youth,
  including their right to decide freely and responsibly on matters related to
  their sexual and reproductive health free of coercion, discrimination and
  violence;
• Increase the amount of U.S.
  funding that goes directly to innovative, local and women’s organizations that
  advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender equality; and
  
• Re-engage with
  international organizations on meeting global goals (such as ICPD) related to
  sexual and reproductive health and rights through increased financial support and
  enhanced coordination.

This afternoon, the world will be watching for a renewed U.S. commitment
to reaching the ICPD goals, and other related UN agreements such as the Millennium
Development Goals. The
Congress is working on a similar statement of commitment, though a resolution
introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee
(D-CA).

These statements of commitment by the Administration and the Congress now
need to be turned to action – in program implementation, funding levels, and
diplomatic endeavors to ensure the right of all people to make decisions about their own
sexuality and access the services needed to make that right a reality.  And we all need to be behind them and
support them in taking those steps forward. 

The speech will be streamed live on www.icpd2015.org starting at approximately 2:30
pm EST. A transcript and video of the speech will be posted on this site
following the event.

 

link

Published January 11, 2010 @ 03:16PM PT

Thursday, I pointed out that police in D.C., which has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the country, are reported to use possession of condoms as evidence of sex work. (Yeah, they can clearly afford to discourage safe sex techniques.) Turns out, the nation's capital isn't the only one.

After being tipped off by a commenter that San Francisco police use an unspecified number of rubbers as evidence of sex work, I investigated further and was shocked to discover that safe-sex devices have been used as evidence in my own hometown, New York — which is particularly ridiculous given that New York City has been distributing free condoms to combat STDs since 1971. Some businesses are even afraid to offer the city's snazzy free condoms because they can also be used as evidence of “maintaining a premises for prostitution.”

(Hello, readers: do you know of any other places where condoms are misused as evidence of sex work?)

Knowing that planning ahead for a night out could be used as evidence against you is enough to make anyone uncomfortable, but most people needn't worry about getting randomly arrested for condoms. The major problem is the impact of discouraging sex workers — which do include men, though women are the majority — from using protection. (Although the Urban Justice Center states that many transgender women, even those who aren't sex workers, fear carrying condoms because they are frequently profiled by police.)

San Francisco police defend the practice by claiming that “a pocket full of condoms alone is not a basis for arrest.” Guess what: condoms shouldn't factor at all into potential arrest for sex work. It's a health disaster.

The mere possibility that condoms could be used against them in a court of law deters sex workers from protecting themselves, putting their own lives in danger and contributing to the spread of STDs — furthering epidemic rates of HIV/AIDS. With enforcement practices like this one, it's no wonder a UCSF study found that only half of sex workers use condoms with first-time clients, and fewer with repeat customers.

In D.C., San Francisco, and New York, the use of condoms as evidence is not specified under law as either acceptable or unacceptable, so the practice has been left to the discretion of cops and prosecutors.

However, the harmful health repercussions of this practice have long been apparent. Back in the 90s, a San Francisco Task Force on Prostitution recommended, in no uncertain terms, that condoms stop being confiscated or used as evidence for prosecution. And in New York, a bill has been introduced (repeatedly … and let die, repeatedly) in the state legislature banning this improper use of condoms as evidence. This time, it's supported by a campaign by the Sex Workers Project, which has seen momentum starting to build.

It's time to stop throwing up dangerous obstructions to practicing safe sex, and start protecting the health of both sex workers and the public. Please sign the petition telling the mayors of D.C., New York, and San Francisco to issue a statement that fighting STDs, especially HIV/AIDS, is their top priority — and that nobody should be afraid carry condoms, because it won't be used against them as evidence of sex work.

Updated Jan 2010