Huffington Post: Instruments of Oppression “…The text of the Helms amendment only states that no U.S. foreign assistance money ‘may be used to pay for the performance of abortions as a method of family planning.’ … Obama could simply issue an executive order clarifying that the law has exceptions ……

Huffington Post: Women’s Rights Must Be a Major Part of Any Climate Deal Françoise Girard, president of International Women’s Health Coalition “…Women and girls are the most affected by climate change and have the most to lose, or gain, from a deal [reached at the Paris talks]. They make up…

BuzzFeed News: What Legalized Abortion Means For The Women Of Sierra Leone “Sierra Leone President Ernest Koroma is expected to sign a bill legalizing abortion, after declaring the country’s maternal health crisis a ‘national emergency’ in a speech to Parliament on Friday. … The Safe Abortion Act, which the country’s…

The Guardian: El Salvador: where women are thrown into jail for losing a baby “…Civil rights groups say 17 women in El Salvador have been wrongfully imprisoned for miscarriages. Countless more have been jailed for having abortions. While several other countries in the region have relaxed their anti-abortion laws, El…

News outlets report on UNICEF data showing more than 16 million infants were born in conflict zones in 2015. Newsweek: UNICEF: More Than 16 Million Babies Born in Conflict Zones This Year “More than 16 million babies were born in conflict zones in 2015 — around one in eight births…

The Hill: Standing for the world’s women Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) “…I am extremely disappointed in the so-called ‘pro-life protections’ of the omnibus that some in Congress have touted, including slashing UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, by seven percent, or $2.5 million. … [F]raming the cut as ‘pro-life’ makes…

USAID: A Year in Review: 2015 USAID shares 15 “key global health events, milestones, and highlights from the past 12 months [describing the agency’s efforts] to end preventable child and maternal deaths, create an AIDS-free generation, and protect communities from infectious diseases, all in support of a world free of extreme poverty…”…

The Guardian: From Nagpur to Northern Ireland: pill pipeline helping women get round abortion laws “…It’s all a long way, geographically and culturally, from [Nagpur, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, to] the streets of Belfast nearly 5,000 away. But the two cities are joined by a hidden thread, a…

Huffington Post: 2015 in Review: Commemorating a Year of Key Global Health Achievements Ariel Pablos-Mendez, assistant administrator for global health and child and maternal survival coordinator at USAID “…For the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the broader global health community alike, 2015 was a momentous year. Today, I…

GMA News Online: DOH still has enough funds for contraceptives, says Legarda “Speaking as the head of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Loren Legarda on Tuesday said that the Department of Health (DOH) still has enough funds to purchase contraceptives for its Family Health and Responsible Parenting (FHRP) program…”…