The Population Institute mourns the loss of the Rev. Dr. Rena Joyce Weller Karefa-Smart, who was the first black woman to graduate from Yale Divinity School and a leader in the international ecumenical movement. She died on Jan. 9 at her daughter’s home in Rancho Mirage, California. She was 97. Karefa-Smart was also the first … Read More »
Statement on Proposed Domestic Gag Rule
May 23, 2018Last night the Trump-Pence administration unveiled their latest attack on women health and rights, a ‘domestic gag rule’ that will prevent people from getting the health care they need. This proposed domestic gag rule will apply to health care providers seeking Title X grants. Title X is the federal program that supports family planning clinics … Read More »
The new Amnesty International report on “The State of The World’s Human Rights” calls out the United States for abridging reproductive rights and harming reproductive health in 2017. The report sharply criticizes the Trump-Pence administration’s “broad and multifaceted” attacks on women and girls, and what it calls “particularly virulent” attacks and “extreme restrictions” on sexual … Read More »
IN MEMORIAM: David Poindexter
February 10, 2018The Population Institute mourns the loss of David Poindexter. A former colleague, David championed the use of radio and television serial dramas to promote family planning, gender equity, and protection of the environment. He died February 8 at a hospital in Portland, Oregon, after suffering a stroke. He was 89. David was Director of the … Read More »
Trump Administration Continues It’s War on Birth Control
October 6, 2017Today the Trump administration announced a major roll back of the Affordable Care Act’s no co-pay birth control. The new rule, which goes into effect immediately, allows all employers, schools, and insurers to decide not to cover birth control for any moral or religious reason. This change will have a major impact on women’s health … Read More »
Trump’s First Budget: America First Women Last?
May 23, 2017President Trump released his first budget today giving us a better understanding of the Administration’s priorities. Unfortunately, the priorities are terrible for women in the United States and around the world. Domestically the budget targets programs that disproportionately benefit low-income women such as Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or food stamps), and Temporary Assistance … Read More »
On March 30th the Trump Administration announced that they will be defunding the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). UNFPA works in 150 countries providing a range of sexual and reproductive health services including: family planning, midwife training, prenatal care and safe childbirth, and programs to end child marriage and female genital cutting. The U.S. is … Read More »
Trump’s Global Gag Rule to Harm Millions of Women
January 24, 2017As one of his first acts in office, President Trump has signed an Executive Order that massively expands the already harmful “Global Gag Rule” that bars federal funding of organizations working overseas that advocate for, or refer patients to, abortion services. Trump’s Global Gag Rule will force clinicians to withhold information about legal health services, and violates the trusted relationship between a woman and her healthcare provider—sometimes at the cost of her life. Read More »