The Center for International Reproductive Health Training at the University of Michigan (CIRHT) partners with academic institutions in developing countries to integrate competency-based pre-service training in Family Planning and Comprehensive Abortion Care, revamping research culture and improving the quality of care, ultimately strengthening capacity for life-saving reproductive health services.

This news review is one way we hope to keep an ongoing conversation with our partners and the global reproductive health community. (Hyperlinks in the text lead to relevant articles.)
Promoting Reproductive Rights
In these times when access to contraception and safe abortion services seems under threat all over the world, promoting reproductive rights comes in many forms. 

Government policy and investment, backed by international organizations, is the most public manifestation of support, or can be the greatest inhibitor (see below: US policy). The Egyptian government’s aggressive “ Two is Enough ” campaign to deal with its booming population is spreading across the country . While Namibia’s health ministry calls for more family planning funding , the Ministry of Gender Equality supports a measure to legalize “baby dumping” , but not decriminalize the 10-thousand or so abortions that take place every year. DRC is moving to create understanding about abortion as it implements the Maputo Protocol. A series written by IPPF examines the advances being made in Togo in contraceptive use , and even vasectomy .   
 
Religious institutions have a role. In Ghana Muslim leaders urged the government to pay more attention to the work of the Population Council (at the same time former president Rawlings “blasts” the current president on the same issue.) In a similar vein, a bill decriminalizing abortion in some instances in Malawi “got a nod” from religious leaders , and female religious leaders in Niger called for greater access to contraception. 

Sometimes a traumatic event can spur action. In Kenya, where an estimated 2,600 women die from unsafe abortion annually, a national debate about unsafe abortion followed the death of prominent human rights activist Caroline Mwatha . A report showed that Kenya’s “ stringent laws limited access ” ; one newspaper columnist proffered that “the power to terminate pregnancy is the key to a woman’s right to health”; and the government reinstated its post-abortion care guidelines . In Argentina, the C-section delivery by an 11-year-old rape victim rekindled the abortion debate.   

A simple lack of commodities becomes a reproductive restriction. Dueling headlines in Tanzania: “ Shortage of condoms ” and “ Pupil pregnancy concern .” In Zimbabwe, condom distributors are asking for VAT not to be charged to increase availability. Nigerian community pharmacists have called for a role for themselves in the family planning supply chain. Also in Nigeria, a Marie Stopes International funded initiative supports women going to door-to-door with family planning advice and products.

Reducing stigma about family planning and abortion can help in every phase of the reproductive health – at London Fashion Week , in sports venues , on a young Nigerien’s blog , in the offices of US OBGYNs , at an Ethiopian college , on TV cartoons across francophone African countries ,  even on the BBC , which decided to give abortion information on its website after an episode of “Call the Midwife” spurred controversy.  

The big story, sadly, is the US government’s current stance, supposedly a “ culture that cherishes innocent life ”, which works against reproductive freedom in all of its forms, hitting the most vulnerable , even undermining Ivanka Trump’s stated plan to empower women . The Global Gag Rule continues to disrupt healthcare around the world, like in Nigeria where the policies “ bite hard ,” as UNFPA Nigeria lost 60% of its family planning funds in one year. Or South Africa, where a photo essay in Mother Jones demonstrates the impact on real women who seek illegal abortion in a climate of “total confusion.” The administration is moving to impose a similar Domestic Gag Rule , which creates a “ bleak outlook for reproductive health ”, and may have the additional consequence of denying women access to highly effective HIV treatments .  

The world will have a chance to look at all of these issues, in Nairobi in November , as the UNFPA announced the 25 th anniversary gathering of the International Conference on Population and Development .
Conference Coming Soon!
UM-CIRHT will be hosting " Family Planning and Comprehensive Abortion Care: Strengthening Preservice Training", a conference in Addis Ababa 4-5 April 2019.

Please see the website below for details:

Many conference sessions will be live on Facebook.
Follow us at @CIRHTMichigan
Ethiopian President and Health Minister Attend Opening of "Michu" Family Planning Clinic in Addis Ababa
The clinic, affiliated with St. Paul's Hospital; Millennium Medical College, is in the Hayu Hulet neighborhood, and will serve the comprehensive health needs of women and girls for all phases of their reproductive lives. Family Planning is on the street level, and the upper floors house one of Ethiopia's most advanced IVF clinics.

UM-CIRHT Founder Dr. Senait Fisseha summed yup the significance. "For me Reproductive Choice means having the full spectrum of services. Women being able to control their fertility, have a baby when they want to, and not have a baby if they don’t want to. And have children by choice and not by chance. So the hope of this program is that it will lead to women being empowered and also leading to economic freedom, with the objective of achieving gender equality."
For more photos of the event, see the album here
New video about UM-CIRHT's partnership in Rwanda
CIRHT's partnership with the University of Rwanda in medical and midwifery pre-service training is now nearly one year old. This video is an overview of the project.
UM-CIRHT Founder Honored at RCOG
Congratulations to UM-CIRHT Founder Dr. Senait Fisseha who was welcomed into the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and an Honorary Fellow!

From the citatio n: "Throughout her academic career, years of collaborative engagement in Ethiopia and now running a foundation, Senait’s life journey has revolved around women’s sexual and reproductive health. She is a firm believer in the fact that investing in girls and women, is investing in the community and nation, at large. Senait actively contributes to bring a more just, open and inclusive community, where everyone has a fair shot at life, where gender equity is the norm, where boys and girls, and men and women have the same opportunities, resources and responsibilities."
Family Planning Learning Resources - Rwandan Learning Modules Added!
Our colleagues from the University of Rwanda have produced a series of lectures about Family Planning, Counselling, ad Comprehensive Abortion Care. You can have a look at them here.
"Rising Star" African Research Leaders support
The UK Medical Research Council (MRC) has launched a further call to support ‘rising star’ African Research Leaders. This is a prestigious award, jointly funded by the UK MRC and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). The aim of the scheme is to strengthen research leadership across sub-Saharan Africa by attracting and retaining exceptionally talented individuals who will lead high-quality programmes of research on key global health issues pertinent to the region and beyond.
 
Please see this link for further information on the scheme and guidance on how to apply.
 
Applications close on April 9, 2019. Please direct any queries to A RLadmin@mrc.ukri.org
February 2019 African News References
News from 23 countries across Africa!
Benin

Cameroon

DRC
Everyday politics and practices of family planning in eastern DRC, the case of South Kivu , ReliefWeb/Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium, February 2019

Egypt
Egypt attempts to rein in population boom , Financial Times, 7 Feb 2019

Ethiopia

Gabon
L’avortement, un acte devenu banal , Gabon Media Time, 28 Jan 2019

Ghana

Kenya
Solidarity messages – Caroline Mwatha , International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion, 15 Feb 2019
Male birth control gel trial starts in Kenya , Daily Nation, 13 Feb 2019

Malawi

Mali

Mauritius

Mozambique

Namibia
Govt to decriminalise baby dumping , The Namibian, 15 Feb 2019

Niger

Nigeria

Republic of Congo

Senegal

South Africa

South Sudan

Tanzania
Tanzania hit by the shortages of condom , The Citizen, 20 Feb 2019

Togo

Uganda
Men, myths hold back family planning , Daily Monitor, 25 Feb 2019

Zimbabwe
January 2019 News References
December 2018 News References
Family Planning Learning Resources
Additional learning resources, including instructional videos and University of Michigan OB-Gyn Grand Rounds have been added. Click on the icon below for more:
Research resources can be found on the Taubman Health Sciences Library Open Access Research Guide, including:

  • RSS feeds to keep current in the biomedical and health sciences literature
  • Research and clinical (point of care) databases
  • Selected open access journals
  • Freely available online health sciences books
  • Health and epidemiology data sources
  • Evidence-based medicine (EBM) guides and resources
  • Selected freely available health-related mobile resources

The objective of the guide is to be a starting point for use of evaluated information resources in education, research and practice, and not a exhaustive content repository.  
Research and Resource References for February

















Later Abortion Initiative , Ibis Reproductive Health, 22 Jan 2019

Global and General News References for February
Birth Control Gets Caught Up in the Abortion Wars , The New York Times, 27 Feb 2019
Reproductive Coercion Is Violence , The Good Men Project, 24 Feb 2019
Growing Trend With Men: Vasectomy Procedure Plans , [SATIRE!] Medpage/Gomer, 14 Feb 2019
Supreme Court Blocks Louisiana Abortion Law , The New York Times, 7 Feb 2019
Pushing Back Trump’s Attack on Reproductive Choice , Human Rights Watch, 7 Feb 2019
The human right to family planning , The International News (Pakistan), 6 Feb 2019
Kentucky Continues to Fail on Reproductive Health , Public News Service, 5 Feb 2019
Family planning gets European funding boost, Population Matters, 1 Feb 2019
Spotlight: FP2020 Anglophone Africa Countries, Medium/FP2020, 30 Jan 2019
Reproductive Health Professionals Changing Lives