Ibis Reproductive Health

Website Links

Description

October 2010 - The Oral Contraceptives (OCs) Over-the-Counter (OTC) Working Group has launched its website: www.OCsOTC.org . The OCs OTC Working Group is a coalition of reproductive health rights and justice organizations, nonprofit research and advocacy groups, university-based researchers, and prominent clinicians who share a commitment to providing all women of reproductive age easier access to safe, effective, acceptable, and affordable contraceptives. The working group, which is coordinated by Ibis Reproductive Health, was established in 2004 to explore the potential of over-the-counter access to oral contraceptives to reduce disparities in reproductive health care access and outcomes, and to increase opportunities for women to access a safe, effective method of contraception, free of unnecessary control, as part of a healthy sexual and reproductive life. The new website includes the group’s statement of purpose, frequently asked questions about OCs OTC, brief descriptions of past working group meetings, an archive of past updates, and a detailed bibliography, including coverage in the press and in blogs, among other items. September 2010 The Nation , Laura Tillman describes the experience of a woman in Brownsville, Texas, who obtained misoprostol to induce a miscarriage after she discovered an unwanted pregnancy. Misoprostol is one half of the two-drug regimen approved for medication abortion in the United States, and can also be used alone to safely induce an abortion in early pregnancy. Ibis Senior Associate Dan Grossman is quoted in the article about the barriers to abortion access in the United States, like the high cost of health care, which may push some women to seek ways to self-induce an abortion. Ibis began studying women’s experiences with abortion self-induction in the United States in 2007. Through interviews with women in New York, Boston, San Francisco, and a city in Texas, Ibis in collaboration with Gynuity Health Projects assessed women’s access to reproductive health services, their knowledge of the legal status of abortion, their knowledge about ways to self-induce an abortion, and whether or not they themselves have ever tried to induce an abortion on their own. The results of the study are currently under review for publication. - In a special contribution to Statesman.com on September 3, 2010, Ibis Senior Associate Dr. Daniel Grossman and colleague Dr. Joseph Potter from the University of Texas lament the limits of the new health care reform law which does not extend coverage, including contraception, to unauthorized or recent immigrants. They write in response to recent press coverage of a report showing a relatively high birth rate among unauthorized immigrants; this trend has been characterized as an effort for “anchor children” who can help their chances of becoming legal residents. Grossman and Potter point out that it is worthwhile to look at research evidence which shows a high proportion of unwanted pregnancies among immigrant populations, and to consider the barriers to access to contraception which contribute to this outcome.

Fact sheet

Products & services

Similar companies nearby