The Lancet: Sexual health and reproductive rights at a crossroad Editorial Board “The untimely death of Babatunde Osotimehin, executive director of the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), comes at a turbulent time for sexual and reproductive health and rights. … In the darkening atmosphere surrounding sexual and reproductive health and rights,…

POLITICO: PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: Sue Desmond-Hellmann, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation “Sue Desmond-Hellmann, the CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was drawn to one particular item in President Donald Trump’s proposed budget — the massive cuts to foreign aid. … Desmond-Hellman says she is concerned that…

Newsweek: Trump’s Contraceptive Cuts Will Make The World Poorer Robert Walker, president of the Population Institute “…[T]he Trump administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2018 would end America’s support for international family planning assistance. It has already terminated America’s support for the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), which is a major…

BMJ Opinion: Ann Starrs: A critical moment to increase investments in women’s family planning needs Ann M. Starrs, president and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute, writes, “Investments in sexual and reproductive health are critical for saving lives and reducing ill-health among women and their children — and for fulfilling their…

Kaiser Family Foundation: The U.S. Government and International Family Planning & Reproductive Health: Statutory Requirements and Policies This updated fact sheet “summarizes the major statutory requirements and policies pertaining to U.S. global family planning/reproductive health (FP/RH) efforts over time and identifies those currently in effect. These laws and policies collectively…

EURACTIV: Mimica: We are analyzing aid funding gaps left by the U.S. “…Neven Mimica is Croatia’s first European Commissioner since the country’s E.U. accession in 2013. He has served as minister of European integration and as deputy prime minister. … Mimica spoke to EURACTIV’s Senior Editor Georgi Gotev [about issues…

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s “Impatient Optimists”: Why It’s Important To Break The Silence On Menstrual Health Madhu Krishna, country lead for water, sanitation and hygiene at BMGF, India, discusses the importance of education about menstruation and providing access to the hygiene and sanitation resources women need. She writes, “The…

PEOPLE: Melinda Gates: Contraceptives Are ‘One of the Greatest Antipoverty Innovations’ in the World “It comes as no surprise that Melinda Gates — who has helped millions of people around the world — loves America for many reasons. ‘We’re a nation of optimists,’ she tells PEOPLE in this week’s special…

Agence France-Presse: U.S. balks at ‘abortion’ mention in U.N. call to fight abuse of women “The U.N. Human Rights Council unanimously adopted a resolution Thursday condemning abuse and discrimination of women, but Washington refused to back one paragraph mentioning access to safe abortions. The strongly worded resolution, tabled by Canada,…

Devex: A Trump-induced competition for women’s health funding in Colombia “…Complying with U.S. President Donald Trump’s reinstated ‘global gag rule’ in January, then, was never an option for Profamilia, Colombia’s biggest nongovernmental family planning services and safe abortion provider. … For Profamilia, which serves 600,000 people a year, this translates…