Papua New Guinea’s government plans to distribute a cheaper, long-lasting and more effective female contraceptive. The Sino-Implant is composed of two thin, flexible, silicone rods, each containing 75mg of levonorgestrel (a synthetic form of the hormone progestin). The size of a match stick, it is inserted under the skin of a woman’s arm by a Read more
The Catholic Church’s Theology of the Body lecture series in Fji last week targeted young people. Two priests from the United States, Fathers Walter Schu and John Paul Duran, spoke to the audience of young people about the use of contraception and the ideas of love and abstinence. “Contraception closes us off to the gift Read more
Statistics New Zealand says 15,863 abortions were performed last year, the lowest level since 1999. Family Planning says 4000 implants have been inserted this year alone compared with 200 hundred last year. Auckland Hospital clinical director of gynaecology Dr Mahesh Harilall believes the implants are the main cause of an almost 30% decrease in terminations Read more
Mere days after 43 Catholic dioceses and organizations launched an unprecedented mega-lawsuit against the Obama administration over its contraception mandate, a new Gallup poll found that 82% of Catholics in America believe contraception is “morally acceptable.” While critics say the poll is more evidence that the Church hierarchy is out of touch with its people Read more
Doctors who refuse to give contraceptives to unmarried women or carry out sex change operations face being banned from practicing under new guidelines. The General Medical Council has issued guidance warning that it would be “discriminatory” for doctors not to prescribe either the pill or morning-after pill because they disagree with people having sex before Read more
American Life League President Judie Brown is encouraging Catholics to contact their bishops to urge them to act against billionaire Catholic Melinda Gates’ newly announced campaign to bring contraceptives to millions of poor women in the third world. Among other things Gates is providing Depo-Provera, an injectable drug that causes abortions, and is also linked Read more
Catholic dioceses and schools are suing the Obama administration over its birth control requirement. The Catholic University of America says the rule violates their constitutional rights and turns their teachings into an act of hypocrisy. More than 40 Catholic organizations sued the Obama administration over a government requirement that most employers provide birth control coverage Read more
Is it oppression or liberation? Eugenics or social responsibility? The New Zealand Government’s proposal to make free long term reversible contraception available to beneficiaries and their daughters has created a tidal wave of comment and has seen groups that do not normally see eye to eye agreeing with each other. In its submission to the Read more
A practicing Catholic, Melinda Gates, recently delivered a talk at TED, putting birth control back on the global agenda. Gates said that the topic of contraception has become a hot topic in recent years, but asked whether it should be. She believes that many of the world’s social change issues depends on ensuring that women Read more
The Obama administration announced what it saw as a new accommodations on the controversial contraception mandate that obliged Catholic organisations to provide contraceptive health care coverage. Under attack from the US Catholic Bishops, Catholic hospitals and other institutions, the proposal seeks to shift the cost of providing birth control coverage onto insurance companies and prohibiting Read more