October 2nd 2008
Reproductive-health advocates lobby candidates
Not that they expect to generate much response, but reproductive-health advocates are calling on the US presidential candidates to discuss the thorny issues of global family planning and women’s human rights during a series of televised debates that began Sept 26. “I submit that if we truly want to regain international credibility and legitimacy, the US must become a collaborator with our global neighbors on a variety of issues”, writes Serra Sippel, executive director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity. “Why not start with the global crisis women face throughout the world regarding fundamental sexual and reproductive health rights.”
She points out that women havemore than half of HIV infections in some regions. In addition, 200 million women yearly have unmet need for contraceptive services and there are 80 million unintended pregnancies each year, 60% of which end in abortion. Half a million women die each year from pregnancy related complications and 68000 die from unsafe abortions.
Despite these grime statistics and widespread acknowledgement of the need to address both gender equity and the effects of demographics on development, the issue has not been a hot topic on the campaign trail, to say the least. Even development groups haven’t pushed the issue in recommendations on foreign assistance reform aimed at the next president, Sippel said.
Rachel Nugent, deputy director for global health at the Center for Global Development (CGD), agrees that the subject is intimidating for many, especially political candidates. For McCain, who is trying to court the conservative vote, issues surrounding reproduction are “radioactive”, she said. “There no way in the world he would want to get anywhere near this issue.” Obama also is walking a fine line, given that family planning and abortion are so emotionally charged in the USA. But Obama has taken more positions on global health, generally, than has McCain and he has specifically called for an end to US policies barring federal funding for non-governmental organisations that do abortions or provide abortion counselling. He also supports reinstating US funding for the UN family planning agency.
As for support for reproductive health among development groups, Nugent says CGD recommendations on foreign assistance reform are broad at this point and don’t include detailed policy recommendations.
But she says, development experts are advising the Obama campaign to take up the issue if he wins the White House. “I think the door’s open for further discussion”, she said.
Nellie Bristol
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October 3rd, 2008 at 4:43 pm
It is precisely the reason that Ms. Nugent states why we should press for answers to the questions raised by Ms. Sippel in her article. The candidates often skate by without addressing real concerns and real matters thus putting the population at a disadvantage when making a voting decision.
McCain will never address these issues because he is a member of the political party that most undercuts the rights of women and children throughout the world. I completely disagree that Obama should be allowed to walk a fine line on these issues. His stance on the treatment of women and girls around the world should be at the forefront of his policy plan regarding how the US will repair its relationship with countries throughout the world. The Bush foreign policy has continuously been detrimental to reproductive rights and the McCain administration would do the same.
Kudos to Ms. Sippel for standing up and asking informed, intelligent questions that should be at the forefront of each of our minds when making the choice between McCain and Obama. We need more thinkers like Ms. Sippel to step up and try to force the discussion.
October 25th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Reproductive rights are a fundamental part of women stance in the world. Without deciding how many children they want to have, and when, and even more, with whom, women’s situation in the world will stay bleak.
Only by supplying accessible family planning will we avoid abortions and mother mortality. But contraception, while much needed is only a part of women liberation. In many places, women must get rid of patriarchal dominance and stablished roles.
All in all, Obama has a much better record in global health and women’s rights. Mc Cain will only follow the ultra conservative rule of great corporative power, business supremacy and the hell for “petty problems” of women’s health. Mc Cain would not move a finger for human rights in the world, like the disastrous Bush presidency, that has put human rights more at stake than ever.
I’m not such an Obama enthusiast to think that he will be able to overrule the conservative religious-media-corporate-arms lobby, but even a small stance is better than doing just the wrong thing.