Thomson Reuters Foundation: Give world’s poorest women control over sex, birth, to cut inequality — U.N.
“A failure to give the world’s poorest women control over their bodies could widen inequality in developing countries and thwart progress towards global goals aimed at ending poverty by 2030, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said on Tuesday. Countless women and girls worldwide are denied a say in decisions about sex and childbirth, and struggle to access health services such as family planning, leaving them at risk of unwanted pregnancies and abortions, a UNFPA report said…” (Guilbert, 10/17).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Asian nations struggle to meet global target to lower deaths in childbirth
“…An estimated 85,000 mothers died in 2015 from childbirth in the region, home to more than half of the world’s population and some of its fastest growing economies, U.N. figures show, with the maternal mortality rate seen as a key way to measure improvement in a nation’s health. These deaths accounted for 28 percent of the global total, translating into a maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 127 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the U.N. agency for population UNFPA, which released its latest State of the World Population Report on Tuesday…” (Win, 10/17).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Feature — Midwives treated ‘like civil servants’ battle Cambodia’s maternal deaths
“…Cambodia has made [advances] in reducing its maternal mortality rate, once among the highest in the world, that has won midwives new respect in communities. The Southeast Asian nation is one of only nine countries to have achieved the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal to cut maternal death by at least 75 percent by 2015, having lowered its ratio by 84 percent between 1990 and 2015…” (Chandran, 10/17).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Feature — End to “confusion and fear”? Madagascar set to update colonial-era family planning laws
“…Campaigners say if young people in Madagascar had better access to contraceptives many unsafe abortions could be prevented. About 10 women on the island die each day due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth, including terminations, according to the U.N. population agency UNFPA. Madagascar’s Senate is set to debate legislation that would modernize a family planning law that dates back to 1920 and prohibits the promotion of contraception…” (Burns-Pieper, 10/16).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Senegal’s youth tackle sex taboos in bid to boost contraceptive use
“…West and Central Africa has one of the world’s lowest rates of contraceptive use among women and teenage girls, who often lack knowledge about their options, struggle to access health centers, and face objections from their husbands and families. However in Senegal, a drive to raise awareness, increase stocks of contraceptives, and provide youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services has led to a rapid rise in the number of women and girls on birth control, health experts say…” (Guilbert, 10/17).