The New York Times, October 15, 2003

Editorial Desk

In August, the United States Agency for International Development abruptly canceled bids for a program to market condoms to gay men and others in Brazil. When the decision was criticized publicly, the agency reinstated most of the program. This was the right choice. Preventing the spread of AIDS means working with the groups most at risk.

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Summary: September 2003 web feature summarizing IWHC's colleagues in Latin America's diverse efforts to expand access to safe abortion in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina, and raise awareness around the public health crisis of unsafe abortion across Latin America and the Caribbean (6 pages).

The New York Times, July 12, 2003 - Late Edition - Final

Editorial Desk

President Bush's successful trip to Africa this week is emblematic of alarger journey. As a presidential candidate, Mr. Bush was dismissive ofAfrica's importance to American interests. Now he has become only thethird American president, and the first Republican, to make an extendedvisit to sub-Saharan Africa. Over five days in five countries, headdressed a variety of important themes: the cruel legacy of slavery,the current crises in Liberia and Zimbabwe, and most important, thechallenge of AIDS and America's commitment to helping Africa fight itwith treatment and prevention programs that can save millions of lives.

International Herald Tribune, July 9, 2003

By Kati Marton and Adrienne Germain

Across the African subcontinent, almost 60 percent of those living with HIV/AIDS are girls and women. In South Africa, women are dying at such a rate that the entire gender balance is being altered—from near parity to a ratio of 120 males to every 100 females. The implications of the feminization of AIDS are huge—for caregiving, the health and wholeness of families, social stability, policies and programs.

Summary: This article by Sunanda Ray originally appeared in Vol. XXIV, No. 2 of Conscience, the quarterly newsjournal of Catholic opinion published by Catholics for a Free Choice, 1436 U Street, NW, Suite 301, Washington, DC 20009, USA. Visit www.catholicsforchoice.org.

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Summary: By Rounaq Jahan (Reproductive Health Matters, Vol. 11, No. 21, May 2003). Examines how advocates for gender equity succeeded in influencing health sector reform in Bangladesh in the mid-1990s, but failed to exert the same influence over the implementation of those reforms. The article discusses the major challenges advocates faced, the strategies they developed in response, and as a result, the gains they were able to achieve. These included ensuring that social and gender equity as well as reproductive health were central concerns of the health system, developing indicators to monitor program performance, improving community and stakeholder participation, and recognizing the importance of gender in all health interventions. Despite these successes, substantial ground was lost in the implementation process, indicating the need for civil society to play a more prominent role at each stage of the reform process (9 pages).

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Summary: By Rama Lakshminarayanan (Reproductive Health Matters, Vol. 11, No. 21, May 2003). An analysis of the difficulties associated with health sector reform in the Philippines, in particular the negative consequences for reproductive health services. The decentralization process, initiated in 1991, was intended to improve the efficiency, equity, and effectiveness of the health sector. Given existing weaknesses and inequities in the system, however, the process created a number of unanticipated problems, with particular consequences for women. In order to avoid such problems in the future, it is necessary to consider a number of health and non-health factors before undertaking such reforms, and to be willing to make adjustments during implementation (12 pages).

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The Miami Herald, March 31, 2003

By Adrienne Germain

President Bush's announcement of a $15 billion effort to fight HIV/AIDS in the worst affected countries may seem like a huge windfall, but when you witness the staggering impact of the disease on these countries, $15 billion starts to look more like a drop in the bucket. Unless Bush and Congress come up with a spending plan that reflects the depth and complexity of the crisis, that's exactly what it will continue to be.