Category Archives: Health Issue

The untimely death of Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), comes at a turbulent time for sexual and reproductive health and rights. The UNFPA’s mission is to deliver “a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled”. Last week, the USA rejected part of a UN resolution designed to help female victims of violence—particularly those in conflict zones, who are at increased risk of sexual assault and rape—because it included a statement that women should be given the option of a safe abortion. US representative Jason Mack told the UN Human Rights Council that President Donald Trump’s administration “does not recognise abortion as a method of family planning, nor do we support abortion in our reproductive health assistance”. It is one thing to contest the role of abortion in family planning, and another to deny that women are often unable to negotiate when or with whom they have sex or choose when and by whom they get pregnant.
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