NGOs, Reproductive Health, & the Global Gag Rule

June 1, 2017 10:08 AM

The Soul of a Feminist (Marcia DeSanctis, Roads & Kingdoms) Some have appointments, a few are walk-ins, but all are there to see Dr. Juliette Faye, a Senegalese obstetrician/gynecologist who just turned 30 and is herself the mother of an 18-month-old boy. She is the center’s sole physician, its medical director, administrator, and round-the-clock caregiver to 600 patients and counting. She is also a devout Muslim, a committed feminist, and, most of all, a tireless advocate for gender equality and women’s reproductive health in Senegal.
posted by CrystalDave (5 comments total)

Dr. Faye is amazing.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 11:19 AM on June 1, 2017 [2 favorites]

This was an excellent article which introduced me to a very good blog.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 6:52 PM on June 1, 2017

I work in global reproductive health. We've gone through all of the stages of grief around the global gag rule, with a long stop at anger. The policy is known to increase maternal deaths AND increase the number of abortions. The Helms Amendment already prevented direct US funding for abortion. It is almost impossible to imagine any rational justification for this policy, other than actually wanting women to die (and abortions to increase).

What actually prevents abortion has been well researched: Access to family planning. Sex education. Strong social services to support mothers and families.

What doesn't prevent abortion: Making it illegal. Restricting access. Taking away funds from family planning.

Gahhh! We're now at the six stage of grief, known as 'call the lawyers and do the best you can.'

Rant over. Most people here know this stuff. But reading articles like this just sends me right back to anger.
posted by oryelle at 7:41 AM on June 2, 2017 [3 favorites]

What actually prevents abortion has been well researched: Access to family planning. Sex education. Strong social services to support mothers and families.

What doesn't prevent abortion: Making it illegal. Restricting access. Taking away funds from family planning.

I continue to be flabbergasted at how many people (deliberately?) misunderstand the "rare" part of "safe, legal, and rare." They become rare when there are fewer unwanted pregnancies because of access to contraceptives, comprehensive sex education, women's health care, and all the other things mentioned above. It ain't that hard to grasp.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:28 AM on June 2, 2017

And I'm not even anti-abortion. I think it's a legitimate health option that women should use as they want. But for some reason, the lack of any connection between the policy and the stated desired outcome bothers me more than almost anything. It demonstrably does the opposite of that thing that you said you wanted!
posted by oryelle at 9:44 AM on June 2, 2017