Contraception News and Research

Latest Contraception News and Research

Contraceptive pill could soon be given out to 13 year olds without prescription

According to an NHS report girls as young as 13 should be given the contraceptive pill without having to see a doctor. Normally girls and women can only go on the Pill once they have undergone a thorough consultation with a GP or nurse as it can cause side effects including blood clots.

26 Apr 2012

International Microbicides Conference 2012 concludes

The conclusion of the 2012 International Microbicides Conference, a gathering of researchers, advocates and funders in the HIV prevention field, wrapped up three days of discussion focused on access to prevention technologies, adherence in clinical trials, innovative financing, dual prevention technologies and new methods of preventing rectal transmission of HIV.

26 Apr 2012

Allowing countries to use PEPFAR funding for voluntary contraception for women aligns with GHI's 'women-centered' approach

"PEPFAR has said it will use" nearly $1.5 billion in unspent aid "to invest in commodities (condoms, HIV rapid test kits and voluntary medical male circumcision kits), systems and institutions, and program strengthening," Suzanne Ehlers, president of Population Action International, writes in this post in the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog.

26 Apr 2012

Capitol Hill is focus of disability protests, claims about effects of health care law

Except for the candidate, and the phone number that flashes on screen at the end, the ads follow a strikingly similar script. Senator Fill-in-the-Blank supports business-smothering regulations and will raise your taxes. He also added trillions to the deficit by voting for "Obamacare" and will cut your Medicare.

25 Apr 2012

Former Planned Parenthood spokesman to join HHS public affairs shop

If the Obama administration was already on bad terms with abortion opponents, it's not going to improve relations by hiring Planned Parenthood's former spokesman for a job at the Department of Health and Human Services. Tait Sye, Planned Parenthood's former media director, has joined HHS as deputy assistant secretary for public affairs, HHS made public Friday. He'll have the public health portfolio -; an area where you can be pretty sure abortion and contraception issues will come up.

24 Apr 2012

Hearings and analyses frame Capitol Hill budget fight over Medicare, deficit

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are tussling over budget proposals that would change Medicare and/or reduce the budget deficit.

24 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Myths about women voters; Stopping fake drugs; Medicaid innovation not easy; The war over women

Women vote based on "women's issues," such as abortion rights and contraception. A recent poll of voters in swing states showed that women's top priorities are health care, gas prices, unemployment and the deficit -- in that order -- with "government policies toward contraception" coming in last

24 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 23, 2012

Today's headlines feature advance information about what the trustees who oversee Medicare and Social Security will say about the financial well-being of these massive programs when they release their annual report later today.

23 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Health law's legal peril; Barney Frank's misdiagnosis

Health-care reform, the impossible dream that seemed to become a reality in 2010, is now in mortal danger. Republicans want to repeal it even though the federal law is patterned after a Massachusetts law that their apparent presidential nominee signed in 2006. They can't do that, of course, unless they sweep the next election. So the clear and present danger comes from the Supreme Court, where a majority of justices seemed to snarl at the law in open session last month. Health-care reform is clearly in legal peril.

21 Apr 2012

Arizona OKs contraception bill, moves close to defunding Planned Parenthood

Arizona legislators gave final approval to a bill allowing employers to opt out of covering contraception in their health plans while moving one step closer to barring Planned Parenthood from public funding in a separate bill. Debates over contraception and abortion also dominate state capitols in Texas, Nebraska and Minnesota.

21 Apr 2012

Neb., Ohio and Minn. state legislatures tackle abortion, contraception restrictions

In various states, lawmakers are concentrating on abortion or contraception bills. Meanwhile, some Texas chapters of Planned Parenthood are merging.

20 Apr 2012

Vatican rebukes group of nuns on support for health law

The Catholic Church hierarchy cracks down on the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, a group of nuns who supported the 2010 health reform.

20 Apr 2012

Texas asks feds to fund Women's Health Program through October

Texas is asking the federal government to continue funding its Women's Health Program for five more months - through October - to give the state time to take over the program.

19 Apr 2012

Researchers present findings of retrospective analysis of microbicide study at international conference

"More than three years after reporting the primary results of HPTN 035, one of the last trials of the so-called first generation microbicides, researchers from the National Institutes of Health-funded Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) reported two new sets of findings gleaned" from the study data at the International Microbicides Conference in Sydney on Tuesday, an MTN press release states.

19 Apr 2012

Rep. Frank says Obama's push for health law was 'mistake'

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said in a magazine interview that President Obama made a "mistake" pushing for health reform and that he urged Obama to take up financial system reform instead. In the meantime, Rep. Dennis Kucinich said a single-payer health care system is the only "obviously constitutional" health care plan.

18 Apr 2012