Contraception News and Research

Latest Contraception News and Research

State lawmakers wrestle with Planned Parenthood funding, contraception coverage

Legislation in Pennsylvania would bar the use of state and federal funding by Planned Parenthood. Also, some Georgia physicians fear their opposition to a state abortion bill has triggered retaliation.

25 May 2012

Viewpoints: Politics of the Medicare debate; Measuring the impact of Catholic bishops' legal challenge

So don't expect the Obama administration to agree to any cuts in Medicare between now and Election Day. And don't expect them to show any support for Rep. Paul Ryan's plan to privatize Medicare. Holding strong on Medicare is the silver bullet for Obama. It may offset some of seniors' concerns about low interest rates on their savings.

25 May 2012

IUDs and implants effectively reduce risk of unintended pregnancy

A study to evaluate birth control methods has found dramatic differences in their effectiveness. Women who used birth control pills, the patch or vaginal ring were 20 times more likely to have an unintended pregnancy than those who used longer-acting forms such as an intrauterine device (IUD) or implant.

24 May 2012

First Edition: May 22, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about a lawsuit brought by Catholic organizations against the Obama administration's contraception coverage rule and a new recommendation on PSA screening by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

22 May 2012

Despite contraception controversy, Sebeilus to speak today at Georgetown University

Criticism about Health and Human Services Sec. Kathleen Sebelius' appearance at the Jesuit institution has mounted this week because of her role in the Obama administration's rule on contraception requirements in the health care law.

19 May 2012

Mo. legislators reportly reach compromise on abortion coverage bill

The St. Louis Beacon reports that the legislature might take up a bill Friday that strips controversial provisions passed by the House earlier in the week.

19 May 2012

A decision in N.Y. case on access to abortion pills could impact presidential politics

Politico looks at how a court decision to open Plan B prescriptions to women under the age of 17 could put both President Barack Obama and GOP candidate Mitt Romney on the spot.

18 May 2012

Maternal deaths drop by nearly half worldwide over 20 years; Greater progress still needed, U.N. reports

"The number of women dying of pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications has almost halved in 20 years, according to new estimates released [on Wednesday] by the United Nations, which stressed that greater progress is still needed in significantly reducing maternal deaths," the U.N. News Centre reports.

18 May 2012

Conservative group makes major ad buy to charge President Obama with using the health law to raise taxes

News outlets report on the details of the ad campaign, which is being paid for by Crossroads GPS -- and also provide fact checking regarding some of its assertions.

18 May 2012

D.C. abortion bill to get hearing; Mo. considers allowing employers to opt-out of contraception coverage mandate

The House is considering a bill that would ban abortions in the District of Columbia after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Elsewhere, Missouri lawmakers consider allowing businesses to opt-out of a federal mandate to cover contraception in their health plans and another Catholic university -- this one in Florida -- considers dumping its health plan instead of complying with the mandate.

18 May 2012

Contraception coverage rule ripples through college campuses

A fight over allowing HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius -- a key player in creating a mandate to force student health plans to cover contraception -- to speak at Georgetown's graduation continues. In the meantime, a Catholic university in Ohio is ending its student health insurance plan instead of complying with the mandate.

17 May 2012

U.S. bishops make official their opposition to birth control mandate

The Catholic bishops said that, without quick congressional action, their organization will sue the Obama administration for requiring insurance plans to provide birth control to women without a co-pay.

17 May 2012

Viewpoints: Sen. Alexander proposes a Medicaid-school funding swap; Doctors' voices missing in abortion debates

When I was governor of Tennessee in the early 1980s, I traveled to meet with President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office and offer that Grand Swap: Medicaid for K-12 education. The federal government would take over 100% of Medicaid, the federal health-care program mainly for low-income Americans, and states would assume all responsibility for the nation's 100,000 public schools. Reagan liked the idea, but it went nowhere.

17 May 2012

First Edition: May 16, 2012

Today's headlines highlight the growing partisan faultlines regarding budget issues, including spending cuts and entitlement reforms.

16 May 2012

Reuters examines use of statistics in public health ahead of WHO report

"Above all else, analyzing the state of the world's health -- be it by looking at obesity rates, cancer cases, malaria deaths, or HIV-free births -- requires decent statistics," Reuters reports in an article examining the use of statistics in public health ahead of the release of the WHO's World Health Statistics report.

16 May 2012

Women's rights to family planning should not be controversial

"There should be #NoControversy about a woman's right to plan when and how many children to have, to have the opportunity to improve her own health and that of her children, to educate her children and to grow her family's economic productivity," Gary Darmstadt, head of the family health division of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Wendy Prosser, a research analyst with the family health division, write in this post in the foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog.

16 May 2012

Iowa proposal to block Planned Parenthood funding dies; Ariz. Gov. signs bill allowing employers to opt out of covering contraception

Iowa lawmakers are the latest to consider defunding Planned Parenthood over the organization's performance of abortions, though the proposal died on the last day of the legislative session. Elsewhere, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signs a bill allowing employers to opt out of covering contraception in their insurance plans.

15 May 2012

Contraception News and Research

Latest Contraception News and Research

State lawmakers wrestle with Planned Parenthood funding, contraception coverage

Viewpoints: Politics of the Medicare debate; Measuring the impact of Catholic bishops' legal challenge

IUDs and implants effectively reduce risk of unintended pregnancy

First Edition: May 22, 2012

Despite contraception controversy, Sebeilus to speak today at Georgetown University

Mo. legislators reportly reach compromise on abortion coverage bill

A decision in N.Y. case on access to abortion pills could impact presidential politics

Maternal deaths drop by nearly half worldwide over 20 years; Greater progress still needed, U.N. reports

Conservative group makes major ad buy to charge President Obama with using the health law to raise taxes

D.C. abortion bill to get hearing; Mo. considers allowing employers to opt-out of contraception coverage mandate

Contraception coverage rule ripples through college campuses

U.S. bishops make official their opposition to birth control mandate

Viewpoints: Sen. Alexander proposes a Medicaid-school funding swap; Doctors' voices missing in abortion debates

First Edition: May 16, 2012

Reuters examines use of statistics in public health ahead of WHO report

Women's rights to family planning should not be controversial

Iowa proposal to block Planned Parenthood funding dies; Ariz. Gov. signs bill allowing employers to opt out of covering contraception

GOP's Medicare plan has some candidates playing defense

International community should unite to ensure adequate family planning services for women in West Africa, globally

Ariz., Iowa Republicans tweak abortion, contraception bills

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Contraception News and Research

Latest Contraception News and Research

Shaping the Future of Neuroscience: A Conversation with Atlas Antibodies on the MolBoolean™ and the Impact of SfN 2024

How the Arts Reshape Brain Function: Susan Magsamen on the Future of Neuroaesthetics

Inside the Alzheimer's Association: Dr. Heather Snyder on Driving Research and Collaboration

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