Marie Stopes International Press Releases

Danish Government approves €4.4million in general support to Marie Stopes International

08/02/2010 08:29:39

Two year grant will help to expand voluntary contraception and safe abortion services for women in Africa’s poorest countries

London - Marie Stopes International (MSI) today announced that the Danish Government has decided to support MSI with a grant of €4.4million (DKK 33million). The grant will support MSI’s voluntary contraception and safe abortion services through September 2011.

“This grant clearly demonstrates the leadership Denmark is providing on the important issue of women’s health” said Dana Hovig, MSI Chief Executive. “We warmly welcome this new partnership with the Danish Government to increase women’s access to quality services in Africa and elsewhere.”

Hovig explained that over 500,000 maternal deaths still occur each year from largely preventable causes, almost entirely in the developing world. Despite renewed efforts to combat this high toll through action around Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 (Improve Maternal Health), little progress has been made on a global level and MDG 5 shows the least progress of all the MDG targets¹.

“The issue of sexual and reproductive health and rights is taboo in many places,” said Ms. Ulla Tørnæs, Danish Minister for Development Cooperation. “Our support will help Marie Stopes International overcome these taboos by providing millions of women and men with quality contraceptive information, products and services.”

Approximately 215 million women want an effective method of contraception but cannot access it². Today, an estimated 67,000 women³, almost all of them in developing countries, die each year as a direct result of an estimated 20 million unsafe abortions. Many thousands more are left injured, disabled or infertile due to unsafe procedures. Nearly all of these deaths and injuries could be prevented through adequate access to sexual and reproductive health and safe abortion services.

Speaking from the European Parliament, Michael Cashman MEP said “Within the European Union there are many countries with different views on sexual and reproductive health. Denmark, however, is at the forefront of women’s rights as demonstrated by its funding of non-government organisations that focus on this area. It is time that Governments throughout the world follow the example set by Denmark.”

******
For media enquiries and spokesperson interview please contact:
Michael Tirrell: +44 (0) 20 7034 2089 / +44 (0) 7771 681 265
Tony Kerridge: +44 (0) 20 7034 2365 / +44 (0) 7748 948 037

References:
¹ UN, MDG 5 Fact Sheet, 2008
² Guttmacher Institute and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) “Adding It Up: The Costs and Benefits of Investing in Family Planning and Maternal and Newborn Health”, 2009
³ Health, Nutrition and Population Centre at the World Bank, ”Fertility Regulation Measures and their Costs”, 2007

Notes to editors:

Danish Parliament
The Danish Government constantly works to ensure that any international assistance fulfils its original goal of helping the poor by providing critical investments in education and health, infrastructure plus support for the development of a private sector as an engine for growth.

Special emphasis is put on the effort to promote the respect for human rights and poverty reduction for women and their participation in the development process.

Marie Stopes International calls for a bold programme to address Afghan women’s sexual and reproductive health ahead of London conference on the future of Afghanistan

27/01/2010 17:47:56

London: As delegates representing world governments, the United Nations and NATO gather for tomorrow’s ‘Afghanistan: The London Conference’, to discuss the future of the troubled Asian state, leading global sexual and reproductive health charity Marie Stopes International issued a call for far greater resources to be set aside for promoting women’s health and rights.

Marie Stopes International was one of the first aid agencies into Kabul following the allied military intervention in 2002, bringing desperately needed family planning and sexual and reproductive health services to Afghan women who had been denied such services under the previous regime.

Farhad Javid, a native Afghan who runs Marie Stopes International Afghanistan acknowledges that whilst life has improved for women since the departure of the Taliban, a huge amount of work remains to be done before they achieve anything like the status they deserve.

“According to official statistics, Afghanistan still has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world,” says Farhad Javid.

“The fact is that more Afghan women die every year from pregnancy related causes in the country – an estimated 17,280[1][1] - than the total number of civilians killed each year as a result of the war on terror, which is estimated at approximately 2,000[2][2]. The war to preserve women’s health and lives is the most under resourced conflict of all.

“Of course, security remains key to all future development in Afghanistan. Without security, the many measures needed to address reproductive health would simply not be possible.”

Marie Stopes International Afghanistan is calling for the development of a dedicated strategy for reproductive health security and commodities for the country, which would include:

the appointment of provincial reproductive health co-ordinators throughout Afghanistan
the legalisation of emergency contraception, particularly in the current climate of increasing use of sexual violence against women and
increased co-operation and partnership between the Government health system and specialist sexual and reproductive health agencies operating in Afghanistan.

“The women of Afghanistan were denied status, education, and proper health care for decades,” said Farhad Javid.

“It’s time for the new Afghanistan to demonstrate commitment to its women and initiate a bold programme of reform.”

- ends -

Notes to the editor

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Michael Tirrell on +44 (0) 20 7034 2089 / +44 (0) 7771 681 265
or
Tony Kerridge on +44 (0) 20 7034 2365 / +44 (0) 7748 948 037

Marie Stopes International
Marie Stopes International (MSI) is one of the largest sexual and reproductive health providers in the world and cares for millions of people every year. MSI’s services include family planning, safe abortion, post abortion care, maternal and child healthcare such as safe delivery and the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS.

Founded in 1976, MSI’s Global Partnership spans over 40 countries across Asia, Africa, the Arab world, Latin America and Europe. MSI’s global partner network reaches millions of lives, empowering women and men to make safe and informed reproductive choices, so they can have children by choice, not chance.

Marie Stopes International Ethiopia launches behavioural change communication campaign

20/01/2010 08:26:56

Marie Stopes International explains how Ethiopians can have children by choice, not by chance

ADDIS ABABA, 20 January, 2010: Marie Stopes International Ethiopia (MSI Ethiopia) today launched a campaign to raise awareness of the family planning choices available to Ethiopian families. The Behavioral Change Communication Campaign (BCC) will explain how families can choose convenient methods of contraception that give long-lasting protection from pregnancy.

Launching the campaign, Grethe Petersen, Country Director of Marie Stopes International Ethiopia, said:

“Many people will be surprised to know that MSI Ethiopia is one of the country’s leading providers of family planning, as well as safe abortions. We are proud to save many women’s lives each year by offering safe abortions within the law to women who need them. But we know that most of these women would prefer not to be pregnant in the first place. Family planning prevents unwanted pregnancy. Too many Ethiopian women die in pregnancy or in childbirth, because they have children too young, too old, too many and too soon.”

The Behavioral Change Communication Campaign is in two-phases and will use a variety of media, including fliers, posters, negotiation guides, radio and TV advertisements, stickers, and T-shirts, in two languages Amharic & Oromiffa.

Grethe Petersen continued to say “Family planning enables women to start having children later, to stop when their family is big enough, and to protect their health by leaving a longer gap between children. Families in Ethiopia have a range of different choices for family planning, but many people do not know what they are. Our campaign will help to ensure that the Ethiopian public know much more about their options and will help them to make an informed choice about the best method of family planning for them.”

ENDS

For more information, please contact Abebe Kebebe in the Technical Services Department at MSI Ethiopia by the following addresses:

Tel: 0116634152, 0116634100, 0116634102
Fax: 0116634151
e-mail: info@mariestopes.org.et
Address: African Avenue (Bole Road), In front of Japan Embassy behind Fantu Supermarket new building.

Notes to the Editor

Marie Stopes International Ethiopia
Marie Stopes International Ethiopia is an international non-governmental, not-for profit organisation, a Partner of Marie Stopes International (MSI), with proven programming capacity, has been engaged in the provision of family planning (FP) and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care services through Clinics, Outreach and Social Fransching in the last 20 years.

Marie Stopes International
Marie Stopes International (MSI) is one of the largest sexual and reproductive health providers in the world and cares for millions of people every year. MSI’s services include family planning, safe abortion, post abortion care, maternal and child healthcare such as safe delivery and the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS.

Founded in 1976, MSI’s Global Partnership spans over 40 countries across Asia, Africa, the Arab world, Latin America and Europe. MSI’s Global Partner network reaches millions of lives, empowering women and men to make safe and informed reproductive choices, so they can have children by choice, not chance.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s renewed commitment to sexual and reproductive health is welcome news for the world’s poorest women

10/01/2010 18:41:49

London: In a keynote address this evening given in Washington DC, marking the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (1994), US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton renewed US support for universal access to reproductive health worldwide.

Leading global family planning and reproductive health agency Marie Stopes International issues the following statement in response to the Secretary of State’s address:

“Secretary of State Clinton’s address will bring renewed hope to all those people in the world living in poverty, but particularly to the women of the developing world, who simply because of their sex are among the most marginalised, poor and discriminated against on the planet.

“Both the Secretary of State - who has long been a champion of this cause - and the US administration itself are to be congratulated for providing leadership on this issue. We urge all 179 country signatories to International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action to follow this lead.

“The renewed commitment to family planning and sexual and reproductive health – which are so fundamentally important to the health and wellbeing of nations – bring these issues back to centre stage as international priorities after years of neglect at the hands of ideological zealots.

“With the US taking a lead for the first time in a decade, the 200 million couples worldwide who want to control their fertility but are unable to access modern contraception methods may now find the means to do so; and we may begin at long last to see some real reductions in the intolerably high numbers of women – over half a million every year – who die as a consequence simply of being pregnant. These tragic deaths are unnecessary, because they are so easily preventable.

“Ms Clinton’s statement is especially timely ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) next year. The fifth MDG (MDG 5), which aims for a 75% reduction in maternal mortality rates, has seen the least progress of all. Without significant commitment to, and investment in, family planning there is little chance of reaching MDG 5.

“As one of the world’s leading family planning agencies, Marie Stopes International stands ready to work with the governments around the world to meet the challenge of achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health, which with this new impetus is now far more likely to be met than ever before.”

All statements within quotation marks are attributable to Dana Hovig, Chief Executive, Marie Stopes International

For further information contact: Tony Kerridge Tel: +44 (0) 207 034 2365 / +44 (0) 7748 948037

You can find a full transcript of Secretary of State Clinton's address on the US State Department website.

Notes to editors

1. Marie Stopes International:
Marie Stopes International (MSI) is one of the largest sexual and reproductive health providers in the world and cares for millions of people every year. MSI’s services include family planning, safe abortion, post abortion care, maternal and child healthcare such as safe delivery and the diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS.

Founded in 1976, MSI’s global partnership spans over 40 countries across Asia, Africa, the Arab world, Latin America and Europe. MSI’s global partner network reaches millions of lives, empowering women and men to make safe and informed reproductive choices, so they can have children by choice, not chance.

2. International Conference on Population and Development and Millennium Development Goal 5 :
The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) is a key internationally agreed policy document supporting reproductive rights. The Programme of Action (PoA) emphasises that sexual reproductive health and rights, as well as women’s empowerment and gender equality, are cornerstones of development and should be offered without coercion and made available to everybody who needs them, regardless of their age, sex, or marital status. One of the primary goals of the PoA is making family planning universally available by 2015.

This objective was reinforced in 2000 when world leaders launched the Millennium Declaration and adopted eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development goals that 192 United Nations member states have agreed to achieve by the year 2015. They include reducing extreme poverty, reducing child and maternal mortality rates, fighting disease epidemics such as AIDS, and developing a global partnership for development. The fifth MDG (MDG 5) aims for a 75% reduction in maternal mortality rates. This is the MDG which has seen the least progress.

MGD 5b calls for universal access to reproductive health, including contraceptive prevalence rate, adolescent birth rate, antenatal care coverage and unmet need for family planning.

Marie Stopes International launches The Kindest Cut – a campaign to increase awareness of the benefits of male circumcision in combating HIV infection among men and increased availability of the servi

01/12/2009 15:26:44

On World AIDS Day 2009 (December 1st) global sexual and reproductive health agency Marie Stopes International (MSI) launches The Kindest Cut, a year long campaign to encourage more widespread use of male circumcision across Sub-Saharan Africa, as a means of controlling the spread of HIV, the virus which causes AIDS.

The agency also aims to encourage greater investment from the international donor community - particularly European donors – in programmes to provide male circumcision in Sub-Saharan African countries with high HIV prevalence.

MSI is releasing a new 10 minute video today, available to view online at www.kindestcut.org. The film was shot in Malawi, and features health professionals and clients stating the case for including male circumcision programmes as part of an arsenal of interventions to combat HIV/AIDS.

AIDS is one of the most destructive and widespread pandemics in recent human history, accounting for over 25 million deaths since it was first identified in the 1980s. Africa is the hardest hit of all continents in the world, with an estimated 22 million people living with HIV in 2007, out of a global total of 33 million.

Circumcised men are less likely to have HIV infection than uncircumcised men, according to a compelling body of scientific research evidence has been amassed in recent years. Randomised controlled trials in South Africa, Uganda and Kenya between 2002 and 2006, indicate that male circumcision can reduce the rate of HIV acquisition in men by up to 60%. Both the World Health Organisation and UNAIDS have named male circumcision as a key intervention in halting the spread of HIV in Africa.

MSI responded rapidly to these findings by launching its own model for delivering male circumcision in outreach settings in 2007. Within 18 months, MSI’s Kenyan team had performed over 5,300 procedures and sensitised over 100,000 Kenyans in Nyanza province about the benefits of male circumcision, and the need to continue practicing safe sex using condoms after the procedure has been carried out.

“It is essential that these programmes convey the need for safer sex practices to continue after circumcision,” said Heidi Quinn, MSI’s Male Circumcision Technical Advisor. “Being circumcised is not a charter for young men to engage in unprotected sexual intercourse. The protection offered to men by circumcision is significant, but not entire, and condom usage must continue if the health and wellbeing of males and females is to be safeguarded.”

Quinn also pointed out that male circumcision is an ideal entry point for encouraging men into a more informed and healthy reproductive and sexual health lifestyle, by encouraging them to consider broader screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, checks for testicular cancer, HIV counselling and testing, and information on family planning and services for their partners.

Following the success of its Kenya pilot, MSI has already started rolling out its model across Sub-Saharan Africa, and now has male circumcision outreach programmes running in Malawi, Zambia and Swaziland and is looking to countries such as Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Mozambique to expand its programme.

“Making male circumcision available to vulnerable male populations is a cost effective intervention, and can be introduced within existing sexual and reproductive health centres and mobile outreach facilities if training for staff is provided,” added Heidi Quinn.

“Through MSI’s Kindest Cut campaign, we hope to encourage other providers, and both local and national health systems across Sub-Saharan Africa to recognise the importance of male circumcision in HIV prevention, and to make it available to men throughout the region.”

“In order to do this, greater engagement from the donor community is required, which is another aim of this campaign.”

For further information visit: www.kindestcut.org

Ends

For media enquiries and spokesperson interview please contact:

Tony Kerridge Tel: 00 44 (0)207 034 2365 / 00 44 (0)7748 948037

To discuss male circumcision in African context contact:

Brendan Hayes Tel: +265995 246336 (Malawi)

Editors Notes:

What is male circumcision?

Male circumcision is the removal of the foreskin (or prepuce) that covers the head of the penis. It is among the oldest and most common surgical procedures recorded, and has historically been carried out for religious, cultural and social reasons, as well as on medical grounds

Why is male circumcision carried out for HIV protection?

The inner layer of the foreskin is a mucous membrane that contains a high density of langerhan cells. These cells facilitate the entry of HIV into the bloodstream. Further to this, the inner layer is prone to damage during sexual intercourse, which again increases the risk of HIV infection

What is the impact of male circumcision on the incidence of HIV?

Safe, voluntary male circumcision has been shown to reduce HIV transmission. Both the WHO and UNAIDS have named the procedure as a key intervention in halting the spread of HIV in Africa and throughout the developing world

What is the impact of male circumcision on women?

Whilst male circumcision doesn’t provide direct protection to women, it offers indirect benefits resulting from reduced HIV prevalence in circumcised partners. In addition, male circumcision grants protection against STIs such as HPV. This virus is implicated in the development of cervical cancer, which is the commonest form of cancer amongst women in developing countries.

New multi-national youth survey reveals current attitudes and behaviour surrounding contraception

25/09/2009 09:32:00

International organisations with an interest in sexual health, actors, musicians, TV presenters and bloggers* unite on World Contraception Day to encourage open, accurate conversations about sex and contraception

London, September 26 2009: On World Contraception Day 2009, a coalition of ten international organisations with an interest in sexual health and a newly formed Youth Task Force*, launch one of the first ever multi-national surveys exploring young people’s attitudes towards sex and contraception. Results show that amongst young people across Asia Pacific, Europe and North America, more than one in three (36%) have had unprotected sex, putting them at risk of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STI’s).

Over one third are not talking contraception with their current sexual partner before having sex (35%), over one third believe highly unreliable contraceptive methods – such as the ‘withdrawal method’ – are effective (36%), and one in five are using unreliable contraceptive methods (19%), across the three regions.

The new multi-national survey, entitled: ‘ Talking Sex and Contraception: What Young People Around the World Told Us’ assessed how communication amongst 15-24 year olds and those around them impacts their sexual activity and their understanding and usage of contraception. The survey was carried out in two parts: the first involved 15 countries and 3,230 young people in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America¹ and the second part was carried out in three Latin American countries by MTV using MySpace and a TV debate centred around the sexual behavior in those regions, and involved 2,956 young people.²

Tony Kerridge, Spokesperson for Marie Stopes International, supporting World Contraception Day, said “These results reinforce the need to ensure universal access to the right information and good quality health services. The consequences of an unplanned pregnancy can be devastating at any age, but young people in particular may feel unable to start a conversation about contraception to establish the facts, whether it is with their parents, healthcare professional or even their sexual partner. It’s only by encouraging a more open dialogue at every life stage that we will start to break down these barriers and enable women and their partners to make informed choices about their contraception needs”.

The survey follows a recent investigation amongst British women which uncovered a bewildering range of myths relating to contraception, and the contraceptive pill in particular.³ Whilst the common belief is that young people are least likely to have all the facts relating to sex and contraception, the contraception myths research actually highlighted that older women believe more myths than younger women. The importance of sex education was also underlined, with those women that have received it showing a better understanding of the facts about contraception.

World Contraception Day 2009, under the motto ‘Your life, Your voice: Talk contraception’, focuses on the need to encourage young people to talk to people they trust, so they have all the information they need to prevent an unplanned pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection (STI).

Balanced, factual information about a range of contraceptive options can be found on the comprehensive new website www.contraception.co.uk which was recently launched by leading contraception manufacturer Bayer Schering Pharma. To coincide with the launch of World Contraception Day, a Top 10 list of questions for women to take along to their next contraception consultation has been made available for downloading.

- ends -

For further information, please contact:
Nicole Moores
Cohn & Wolfe
Tel: 0207 331 5337
E-mail: Nicole.moores@cohnwolfe.com

Notes to editors:

* Youth Task Force
The ‘Youth Task Force’ (YTF), has come together for the first time to encourage young people to talk to people they trust about sex and contraception. The YTF has been established to provide a ‘credible’ and ‘trusted’ voice to speak to young people and is made up of well known, passionate and open-minded young people from around the world, specifically selected because they already inspire young people.

The Youth Task Force members are listed below:
• Brooke Brodack, video blogger, USA
• Claire Oelkers, actress and TV presenter, Germany
• Denise Keller, TV presenter, Singapore
• Diana Angel, actress and singer, Colombia
• Mia Lee, video blogger, China
• Phelipe Cruz, journalist and blogger, Brazil
• Stuart Heritage, blogger, UK.

World Contraception Day (WCD)
World Contraception Day takes place in September every year. The annual worldwide campaign centres around a vision for a world where every pregnancy is wanted. Launched in 2007, WCD’s mission is to improve awareness of contraception to enable young people to make informed decisions on their sexual and reproductive health.

Under the motto ‘Your Life, Your Voice: Talk Contraception’, the aim of the 2009 WCD campaign is to encourage young people to talk to people they trust so they have all the information they need to prevent an unplanned pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection (STI). The campaign is aimed at young people, as they are often the most inexperienced in using contraception.
WCD is supported by a coalition of 10 international NGOs and scientific and medical societies with an interest in sexual health and is sponsored by Bayer Schering Pharma.

The NGOs and societies involved in WCD are:
• Asian Pacific Council on Contraception (APCOC)
• Centro Latinamericano Salud y Mujer (CELSAM)
• European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health (ESC)
• German Foundation for World Population (DSW)
• International Federation of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (FIGIJ)
• International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)
• Marie Stopes International (MSI)
• Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF)
• The Population Council
• The United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Bayer Schering Pharma AG
Bayer Schering Pharma AG is a worldwide leading speciality pharmaceutical company. Its research and business activities are focused on the following areas: Diagnostic Imaging, General Medicine, Speciality Medicine and Women’s Healthcare. With innovative products, Bayer Schering Pharma AG aims for leading positions in specialized markets worldwide. Using new ideas, Bayer Schering Pharma AG aims to make a contribution to medical progress and strives to improve quality of life.
Bayer Schering Pharma’s Women’s Healthcare portfolio includes a range of medicines to accompany women through important phases of their lives; including oral and non-oral contraceptives as well as specialist gynaecological management products.
Find more information at www.bayerscheringpharma.co.uk

References
1. Bayer Schering Pharma. Data on file. Talking Sex and Contraception Survey. TNS Healthcare. July 2009
2. Bayer Schering Pharma. Data on file. Usage and Knowledge about Contraceptives. MTV. March - June 2009
3. Online survey of 1,000 women undertaken by independent market research company Opinion Health. May 2009

Austrian government endorses work of MSI's Austrian partner at 30th anniversary celebration

04/09/2009 14:30:21

Confirmation of the commitment of the Government of Austria to womens rights and choice was illustrated in Vienna last night at celebrations to mark 30 years of the Marie Stopes International pro:woman Clinic, the leading Sexual Reproductive Healthcare organisation in Austria.

Police estimated upwards of 700 demonstrators for and against choice were outside the Vienna Town Hall where the reception hosted by the Vienna City Government and attended by Government and City officials was held, with video links to Austria’s highest Government representative, Barbara Prammer, and the Womens Minister Heinisch-Hosek. Both of whom made passionate speeches in support of the provision of abortion services, which received standing ovations from the 200 plus guests, including MSI representatives from London.

The whole event has been the subject of intense Media interest including television, radio and press coverage and is confirmation of the pro:woman/MSI position as the leading influence and a growing partnership with the Government in Sexual Reproductive Healthcare in Austria.

The Guardian International Development Journalism Competition 2009 finalists announced

14/08/2009 09:12:46

London: The Guardian International Development Journalism Competition 2009 has now reached its final stages with the announcement of the 16 finalists.

The competition is a collaboration between the Guardian, Marie Stopes International and seven other non-government organisations (NGOs) and was launched in April with the financial support of the Department for International Development and Glaxo Smith Kline. Both amateur and freelance professional journalists were encouraged to submit articles on key development issues before the June deadline.

"We continue to be very impressed by the ability of many journalists – professional and amateur - to grasp and convey such complex issues relating to global poverty and international development," said Michael Holscher, Director of Strategy and External Affairs for Marie Stopes International. "We urge you to visit the site and read not only the excellent articles by the 16 finalists, but those by all the 40 longlisted entrants. It is unfortunately all too rare for the media light to shine on some of these powerful and emotive issues.”

One of the finalists from the professional category, Rebecca Stewart, wrote on one of Marie Stopes International’s themes, focusing on the appalling toll unsafe abortion has on young women’s lives in Zambia: Legal but they don’t know it. Another, Candida Beverage, wrote a disturbing piece on women’s rights in Sumatra: No money, no baby.

The 16 finalists (eight professional and eight amateur journalists) will be given final assignments relating to international development issues and taken on trips to various countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and the Caribbean so that they can experience and investigate these issues first hand. The winners – one from each strand – will be announced at an award ceremony in November, after which all the final assignments will be published by the Guardian newspaper in special supplements.

The other NGO partners in the project are Amref, British Red Cross, Farm Africa, Find Your Feet, International Childcare Trust, One World Action and Panos London.

To view the articles, visit www.guardian.co.uk/developmentcompetition.

For more information, please contact Nicole Brown at
Marie Stopes International on +44 (0)20 7034 2343 nicole.brown@mariestopes.org

Independent study: MSI accounts for majority of safe abortion services in Nepal

11/08/2009 12:13:44

London - A new study by international reproductive health organisation Ipas into abortion care in Nepal has shown that not only are complications rare in general, but services offered by Marie Stopes International (MSI) are the safest of all.

Researchers interviewed more than 7,000 women who received abortion care at public, private and NGO clinics over a three-month period. The study found that:

77% of these women received care at Marie Stopes International’s Sunaulo Parivar Nepal (SPN) centres;
overall the complication rate among all women was low (2%);
women receiving care at SPN centres were significantly less likely to have complications than women receiving abortion services from all other types of clinics: 1% at SPN compared to 5.6% at other facilities.

Abortion has been provided throughout Nepal since the country legalised abortion in 2002, with more than 200,000 women seeking abortion services in the years since. The Ipas study was undertaken to document the extent of complications arising from comprehensive abortion care in order to improve the quality of services.

The study was conducted as a cooperative project of the Family Health Division, Department of Health Services of the Ministry of Health and Population, the Population, Health and Development Group (a local research organisation), the Technical Committee for the Implementation of Comprehensive Abortion Care and Ipas. The findings were officially released in Nepal on 30th July.

MSI opened its first centre in Nepal in partnership with SPN in 1994. Today, MSI Nepal has grown into a leading family planning and reproductive health service provider with a service network across 45 of the country’s 75 districts. Among non-government providers, MSI Nepal has been instrumental in expanding the uptake of modern family planning methods and provided 92,800 safe abortions from 2004 to 2007. The organisation has not only saved the lives of many women but has also made an important contribution to the decline in maternal mortality in Nepal.

Download a 4-page summary of the report.

Download a full copy of the report.

For more information, please contact Sam Guy: sam.guy@mariestopes.org

Medical abortion: finally an option for Australian women

10/08/2009 14:07:00

London: Australian women have finally been given the option of medical abortion for early termination of pregnancy, following the launch of this service by leading sexual and reproductive healthcare provider, Marie Stopes International.

Access to medical abortion in Australia has been an issue of intense political debate. Prior to 2006, the Federal Health Minister had exercised his power to veto any application to allow the drug mifepristone to be used in Australia. In February 2006, control was passed to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) which now monitors all access to the drug.

Under the TGA, mifepristone can be prescribed by selected Authorised Prescribers for the purposes of medical abortion in the first trimester (below nine weeks) at Marie Stopes International’s centres in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, the ACT and Western Australia.

“Access and choice are constant issues women face with all sexual and reproductive healthcare services,” said Jill Michelson, National Clinical Adviser for Marie Stopes International in Australia. “Our service will now increase the choices available to Australian women faced with an unplanned pregnancy.”

Medical abortion using the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol has been recommended by experts as the most effective and safest method for terminating early stage pregnancies. Experience in the UK has shown that about half of all women having a termination within the first nine weeks of pregnancy choose a medical treatment over a surgical procedure.

“While surgical abortion is a very safe procedure and is the preferred choice for many women, medical methods of abortion also have a number of advantages,” said Michelson. “Our clients say that the most important features of a medical abortion are that it is non-invasive and private. In addition, no surgery or anaesthetic is required during a medical abortion.”

Currently no pharmaceutical company has applied for approval to import and distribute mifepristone in Australia. Marie Stopes International has imported the drug (Miffee®) from a pharmaceutical company in Europe after receiving an import permit from the TGA.

Medical abortion has been used by millions of women in over 30 countries since the late 1980s, and Marie Stopes International has been using medical abortion in the UK since 1996.

MSI reports major expansion of family planning, safe abortion services globally in 2008

29/04/2009 08:59:12

MSI programmes averted 27,000 maternal deaths in 2008, reducing maternal deaths by 6.6% in the countries where MSI operates

London -- Marie Stopes International (MSI) programmes served 6 million clients in 2008, one million more than the previous year, according to an annual management report released today. MSI programmes averted 7 million unwanted pregnancies, 5 million unintended births and 1.9 million unsafe abortions during the period January-December 2008. Most of MSI’s health impact occurred in rural areas or urban slums in developing countries.

MSI’s family planning and safe abortion services saved 1.8 million years of productive life due to premature mortality or disability, and spared individual households and national budgets nearly £600 million in costs, or £20 for every £1 invested by MSI in the developing world.

“MSI service delivery and other efforts made a large-scale impact on the lives of millions of women, men and children globally in 2008,” wrote MSI chief executive Dana Hovig in his annual letter to the MSI Global Partnership. “We continue to expand and improve the quality, efficiency and impact of our programmes. We are striving to do more and to be better.”

Last year, MSI:

added nearly 100 clinics to an existing network of 464 clinics and hundreds more outreach sites in rural areas and urban slums
expanded its BlueStar social franchising network, launched in 2007, to 575 private sector franchisees in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, the Philippines and Viet Nam
provided approximately 1.2 million women or men with long-acting and permanent clinical contraception, a 16% increase. Implants more than doubled (122%) and intra-uterine devices increased by more than 30%
delivered 592,715 safe medical and surgical abortions, inside and outside MSI clinics, a 29% increase
accounted for at least 10% or more of all modern method contraceptive use in seven countries: Malawi (35%), Tanzania (29%), Uganda (19%), Yemen (17%), Sierra Leone (16%), Kenya (14%), and Nepal (11%)
launched operations in five new countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, Sudan and Zambia
led efforts to defeat a bill in the UK Parliament that would have restricted abortion rights

“We must continue to learn, adapt and improve so we can be a global solution for the 200 million women worldwide who are still waiting to exercise their right to quality family planning and reproductive healthcare,” said Hovig.

International Development Journalism Competition 2009 launched

28/04/2009 10:12:32

Marie Stopes International Joins The Guardian in Launching the Second Annual International Development Journalism Competition

London, 28 April 2009: Leading global family planning organisation, Marie Stopes International (MSI), has joined The Guardian and the Department for International Development (DFID) to launch the second annual The Guardian International Development Journalism Competition.

The success of this unique competition last year prompted the co-sponsors MSI, the Guardian, DFID and GlaxoSmithKline to renew their support for the competition, which encourages journalists and amateur writers to write about some of the most important issues facing the developing world today.

Last year, the competition attracted over 400 entrants, generating unprecedented news coverage for some key development issues. Topics ranged from reproductive health challenges in the slums of Dhaka and Mumbai, to older people murdered for witchcraft in Tanzania, to one of the winning articles on young people’s response to climate change in the Philippines.

"Marie Stopes International is proud to continue its support for this innovative competition," said Michael Holscher, MSI Director of External Affairs. "Good journalism is one of the most compelling ways to draw attention to international development stories that would not otherwise be heard. This competition helps highlight both the challenges and the achievements on a wide range of issues that are key to alleviating poverty in the developing world.”

According to Holscher, MSI was amazed by the number of entries last year for such a demanding competition. “We hope and expect we will get even more entrants this year.”

The other international development NGOs supporting the project this year are British Red Cross, African Medical and Research Foundation, Farm Africa, Find Your Feet International Childcare Trust, One World Action and Panos London.

For details of the competition, visit: http://www.guardian.co.uk/journalismcompetition. The deadline for entries is 30 June 2009.

For further information, contact: Diana Thomas, Communications Manager, Marie Stopes International Tel: 020 7034 2317 Email: diana.thomas@mariestopes.org

Medical abortion in India: easy access gets popular vote

31/03/2009 11:37:00

London, 31 March 2008: New research just released by Marie Stopes International (MSI), a leading global provider of family planning and reproductive health services, has shown that easy access to medical abortion in India has led to both higher awareness and demand, although most people and many providers still believe abortion to be illegal.

Since 1988, medical abortion, a simple, non-invasive process, has offered a safe and cost-effective alternative to surgical abortion. The main drugs used - mifepristone and misoprostol - can be easily administered in rural and remote settings, where unsafe abortion is most prevalent. Taken within the first nine weeks of pregnancy, the drugs have a 98% success rate of terminating pregnancies, with complications proving very rare.

In India, where abortion is legal, the nationally conducted Abortion Assessment Project I in 2004 revealed that of the 6.4 million abortions performed in India in 2002 and 2003, 56% or 3.6 million were unsafe.

In 2008, MSI undertook a study to examine the views of women, men and healthcare providers on medical abortion across two Indian states – Gujarat and Jharkhand. The purpose was to determine how successful India’s approach to out-of-clinic provision of medical abortion has been and what the lessons are for other countries that wish to expand access.

Key findings included the following:
• 64% of women and 85% of men thought abortion was illegal;
• Overall, men are more liberal than women in their views about abortion;
• 65% of women and 57% of men thought that it should be promoted more widely to communities;
• 71% of women and 74% of men rated medical abortion as effective;
• 85% of health care practitioners and pharmacists viewed medical abortion as effective and even more said it should be promoted in the community.
Abortion that has been carried out in unsafe, insanitary conditions causes the death of over 67,000 women a year across the developing world and leads to over five million women being hospitalised due to complications.

MSI provides safe abortion services, where legal, as part of a range of integrated services throughout its global partnership and is committed to exploring new and feasible ways to increasing access to potentially life-saving medical abortion alternatives.

Obama reverses Bush ban on contraceptive supplies to leading family planning organisation

19/03/2009 17:32:48

Decision will save women’s lives in Africa, says MSI

London – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) today reversed a Bush Administration policy to block African governments from providing US-funded contraceptive commodities to Marie Stopes International (MSI), one of the world’s leading family planning organisations.

The Bush decision disrupted MSI operations in six of the affected countries - Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe – including some where MSI delivers nearly a third of all family planning services nationally. The move both astonished public health experts and outraged advocates for women’s rights, who accused the Bush government of playing politics with women’s lives.

“Today’s policy reversal is the latest example of the Obama Administration’s commitment to put people before politics,” said MSI chief executive Dana Hovig. “It is also a sign of their determination to return science to the heart of US public health policy.”

Hovig noted that lack of access to modern contraception contributes to the deaths each year of more than half a million women – or 1,500 per day - from pregnancy-related causes. Nearly one in four women in sub-Saharan Africa would like to access family planning but are unable to do so.

“There has been clear evidence over many years that voluntary access to contraception is one of the best ways to reduce the number of maternal deaths in Africa, including those from unsafe abortions,” Hovig said.

“Research has shown that for every 100 IUDs made available to our programmes as a result of this decision, we will avert nearly 315 unwanted pregnancies, 45 unsafe abortions and two maternal deaths.”

The Bush Administration justified its September 2008 policy by falsely accusing MSI of being complicit in “coercive abortion and involuntary sterilizations” through its role as implementing partner to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in China.

Globally, MSI manages sexual and reproductive health programmes in 43 countries. In 2008 alone, MSI programmes protected the equivalent of 13 million couples from unwanted pregnancy, a 40% increase over 2006 and the single largest two-year growth in the organisation’s 32 year history. A majority of MSI’s family planning impact is in rural, underserved areas where women are particularly vulnerable and lives are most at risk from unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion.

For more information, please contact Diana Thomas on +44(0)20 7034 2317 or +44 (0)7771 681265

Marie Stopes International hails Obama decision to end "gag rule"

23/01/2009 18:35:21

Global family planning organisation calls for “new era of realism over dogma” for women’s health

London: Marie Stopes International (MSI) applauds President Barack Obama’s decision, which he is expected to make today, to rescind the Mexico City Policy, saying it marks a turning point in the global fight to reduce the deaths of women in the developing world.

“We applaud the new Administration for rescinding a policy that has been an unmitigated disaster for the world’s poorest women,” said MSI’s chief executive Dana Hovig. “This marks the beginning of a new era of realism over dogma in serving the public health needs of women. President Obama is off to a flying start.”

The Mexico City Policy, also known as the “Global Gag Rule”, was first imposed by the Reagan Administration in 1984 and directed the United States Agency for International Development to withhold funds from foreign NGOs that provide abortion information or counselling to women or lobbied foreign governments to legalise or make abortion available. The policy had been in effect from 1985 until 1993, when it was rescinded by President Bill Clinton. President George W. Bush reinstated the policy in 2001.

“We know from available evidence that voluntary access to contraception is the best way to reduce the number of abortions in the developing world,” said Hovig. “We now have an opportunity to demonstrate this fact once and for all and put an end to the tit-for-tat politics that have played havoc with women’s lives over the past 25 years. We see this as the beginning, not the end, of our fight.”

MSI, which operates nearly 600 reproductive health clinics and hundreds more outreach teams across 43 countries, has been profoundly affected by US policy over the past eight years. Having refused to sign the “Gag Rule” on principle, MSI was denied funding that would have enabled the organisation to provide general family planning and reproductive health services, forcing the closure of MSI health centres and the withdrawal of outreach workers in some of the poorest areas of Ethiopia and Kenya.

“Over the past decade, women without access to contraception have shown up in MSI centres after experiencing an illegal or unsafe abortion,” Hovig explained. “Some drank poisonous substances, while others put bleach and sharp objects into their uterus, resulting in severe bleeding, infertility, psychological harm and often death. Whatever your view of abortion, surely we can all agree such suffering must end.”

More than half a million women die from pregnancy related causes - including unsafe abortion - every year. That is an average of 1,500 women dying each day, most of whom could be saved.

For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact Diana Thomas on 020 7034 2317 or Tony Kerridge on 020 7034 2365

Health agencies join forces to address contraceptive ban in Africa - MSI / UNFPA sign agreement to supply commodities to affected countries

18/12/2008 16:55:26

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

London – Marie Stopes International (MSI) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have signed an agreement to continue the supply of family planning commodities to MSI programmes in eight African countries that were requested by the Bush Administration to cut US-funded supplies to MSI last September.

Under the agreement, UNFPA will fund, procure and deliver 7.1 million units of family planning commodities, valued at $1.5 million, to MSI programmes in Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The agreement was concluded with the support of the UK Department of International Development (DFID), the Netherlands Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and other European governments.

“This agreement is a lifeline for MSI programmes and the millions of women we serve in these countries,” said Dana Hovig, MSI’s chief executive. “It will replace – IUD for IUD, implant for implant – the commodities cut by the Bush Administration.”

According to Hovig, many of the affected MSI programmes have already begun to stock-out of key commodities, and are actively seeking short-term supplies wherever they can find them. “Our priority is to maintain the greatest range of contraceptive options for women for as long as we can,” he said. “This agreement with UNFPA could not have come at a better time.”

UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Obaid expressed UNFPA’s support for MSI, saying “it is of the utmost importance for all to enable women and men in Africa and all parts of the world to access family planning supplies through channels of their own free choice.”

-end-

For more information, please contact:

Michael Holscher –michael.holscher@mariestopes.org
Samantha Guy – sam.guy@mariestopes.org.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 7636 6200

USAID bans contraceptive supplies to leading family planning organisation

01/10/2008 13:07:04

Decision likely to result in MORE abortions and maternal deaths
in Africa, says MSI

1 October 2008

London – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has instructed its staff to force governments in several African countries to discontinue the provision of US-funded contraceptive commodities to Marie Stopes International (MSI), one of the world’s leading family planning organisations.

The USAID instruction, issued by Assistant Administrator for Global Health Kent Hill, said the action was necessary because MSI works with the Chinese Government, whom the US State Department accuses of “coercive abortion and involuntary sterilisations”.

MSI chief executive Dana Hovig stated emphatically today that MSI does not support coercive abortion or involuntary sterilisation in China or elsewhere. “To the contrary, MSI is one of the few organisations that has worked over the past decade to increase the availability of voluntary, client-centred family planning services in China,” said Hovig. He blasted the USAID decision as “purely political and dangerous to the lives of women.”

Hovig said the USAID instruction will “seriously disrupt” MSI’s family planning programmes in at least six African countries – Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe - including one where the organisation delivers 25% of all family planning services nationally. Women in these countries will be left with few options other than abortion, the majority of which will be unsafe and will likely result in their death or disability.

“At a time when world governments have pledged to increase their commitment to improving the health of women, only the Bush Administration could find logic in the idea that they can somehow reduce abortion and promote choice for women in China by causing more abortion and gutting choice for women in Africa,” said Hovig. “This senseless decision is likely to have only one clear consequence: the death of African women and girls. And the Bush Administration should answer for that.”

Hovig explained that, according to formulas developed by the Guttmacher Institute, MSI’s family planning services prevented 5-7 million unwanted pregnancies in 2007 alone, thus preventing 1-1.5 million abortions. Most of these abortions would have been unsafe, putting women’s lives at risk. “For every two intra-uterine devices (IUDs) the US government denies MSI, an unsafe abortion could result unless MSI is able to find alternative supplies,” Hovig explained.

In its instruction, USAID justifies its bullying of African governments under a little-known provision of US law called the Kemp-Kasten Amendment which prohibits US foreign aid to any organisation that, according to the President, "supports or participates in the management of a programme of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilisation". Republican Administrations dating back to President Reagan have used the law to deny funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) because of its work with the Chinese government.

The current Bush Administration reviewed UNFPA’s activities in 2001, determined the agency was not in violation of Kemp-Kasten, and provided $21.5 million to UNFPA. In July 2002, however, President Bush reversed his position and invoked Kemp-Kasten to justify canceling the $34 million appropriated by Congress for UNFPA in fiscal year 2002, despite the fact that there had been no change in UNFPA's activities during this entire period. The Bush Administration has maintained its ban on UNFPA funding ever since.

“The Bush Administration’s position over the years with respect to the UNFPA programme in China has been purely political, and their harmful politics are now being extended to MSI and the women we serve,” said Hovig. “USAID needs to decide what its purpose is: playing politics or saving lives.”

MSI has worked in China since 1998, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the National Population and Family Planning Commission (NPFPC) and the Ministry of Health, to implement UNFPA’s Country Programme. This programme aims to increase availability of quality, integrated, client-centred, and gender-sensitive reproductive health and family planning information and services, including those focusing on HIV/AIDS and client rights, for women, men, young people and migrants.

Globally, MSI manages sexual and reproductive health programmes in 43 countries. In 2007 alone, MSI programmes protected the equivalent of 12.5 million couples from unwanted pregnancy, a 30% increase over the previous year and the single largest year-on-year growth in the organisation’s 32 year history. A majority of MSI’s family planning impact is in rural, underserved areas where women are particularly vulnerable and lives are most at risk from unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion.

For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Diana Thomas: diana.thomas@mariestopes.org.uk Tel: +44 (0)20 7034 2317
Anna Mawer: anna.mawer@mariestopes.org.uk Tel: +44 (0)20 7034 2307

Marie Stopes International names new Head of Advocacy

28/03/2008 09:20:18

London – Leading sexual and reproductive health organisation Marie Stopes International (MSI) has appointed Anne Quesney as its new Head of Advocacy.

Anne comes to MSI with more than 10 years campaigning experience, eight of which have been in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Most recently, as Director of Abortion Rights, the UK’s leading pro-choice campaigning organisation, she played a key role in raising public awareness of abortion related issues through extensive lobbying of Members of Parliament (MPs), the Department of Health and various organisations and individuals not previously engaged on the subject.

“Anne Quesney is passionate about women’s rights and reproductive health and has proven experience in working with broad alliances to advance both,” said Michael Holscher, MSI’s director of strategy and external relations. “We have no doubt that she will add enormous value to MSI and to our cause of expanding sexual and reproductive choice for women.”

As Head of Advocacy, Anne will be responsible for developing and leading initiatives to influence policy and mobilise expanded resources for sexual and reproductive health in the UK, in Europe and around the world.

“It is unacceptable that, in 2008, women around the world are still dying because of unsafe abortion and poor access to contraception and we face a well-resourced anti-choice lobby working overtime to roll back women’s reproductive rights while pushing abstinence-only programmes,” said Anne Quesney. “Policies such as the US Global Gag Rule have devastated SRHR, but I am confident that progress can be achieved in the years ahead.”

“I am extremely privileged to be joining MSI at such an exciting and challenging time, and in a role where I can have impact on improving access to family planning services and ultimately empowering women and men to control their fertility,” she added. “There is a real strategic commitment at MSI to improving its advocacy role, and I look forward to contributing to that effort.”

MSI is one of the largest family planning organisations in the world, and the largest private provider of safe abortion services globally. MSI provided over five million people with high quality health services in 2007 alone, including family planning; safe abortion and post abortion care; maternal and child health care including safe delivery and obstetrics; diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections; HIV/AIDS prevention and tuberculosis treatment.

For further information:

Diana Thomas: diana.thomas@mariestopes.org.uk tel: 020 7034 2317 / 07771 681265

Tony Kerridge: tony.kerridge@mariestopes.org.uk tel: 020 7034 2365 / 07748948037

Marie Stopes International forecasts continued growth following record results in 2007

17/03/2008 04:07:03

Leading global sexual and reproductive health agency Marie Stopes International (MSI) projects robust growth over 2007's record results with a programme of expansion that will see as many as six new country programmes established in Africa during 2008.

MSI programmes worldwide delivered services to more than 5,000,000, women and men in 2007. These services protected the equivalent of 12.5 million couples from unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion last year, a 27% increase on the preceding year’s figures and the single largest year-on-year growth in the organisation’s 32 year history.

MSI’s delivery of long term and permanent methods of contraception, such as injections, intrauterine devices and male and female sterilisations, approached the one million mark, with 995,000 such voluntary procedures carried out in 2007. The agency also opened four new programmes in Ghana, Mexico City, Papua New Guinea and Timor L’este, and increased its global clinic network from 431 to 464.

“The figures demonstrate that MSI is learning, evolving and expanding to better meet the unmet need in family planning and reproductive healthcare around the world,” said MSI CEO Dana Hovig.

“Our family planning programmes, for example, are making an important contribution to reducing poverty in some of the countries in which we work.”

Hovig is confident that MSI will continue to push towards its ambitious goal of protecting 20 million couples from unwanted pregnancy by 2010. Current plans should see the global MSI Partnership expand from 40 to as many as 46 countries in 2008. New programme start ups in Mali and Nigeria are imminent, and other new programmes across Francophone Africa are likely to follow.

“Last year’s results have inspired MSI’s 5,000 team members around the world to strive to make an even greater impact in 2008,” said Hovig. “but without any diminution in the superb standards of quality services and dedication to clients’ needs for which MSI is renowned.”

MSI Bolivia delivers 46% of all female sterilisations in the country

04/03/2008 08:34:42

Marie Stopes International´s programme in Bolivia is the largest provider of permanent contraceptive methods in the country. Last year, it provided 1,804 tubal ligations (TL) (female sterilisations) through its centres and mobile units network. This number represent 46% of all tubal ligations provided in both public and private sectors in Bolivia.

In Latin America generally, Bolivia has the lowest rate of TL services with a prevelance rate of just 6.5%. In other countries in the region the prevelance rate is higher, for example, in Brasil it is 42.7%, El Salvador (32.4%), Colombia (26.4%) and Ecuador (22.5%). Based in Ministry of Health statistics, MSI Bolivia estimate that around 200,000 women would like to use this method and they are just waiting for the opportunity to do so.

“We have a challenge in Bolivia: meet the unmet needs of permanent family planning, especially in poor rural areas, where many women have more than 5 children and would like to use this method but they can´t due to the long distances they live from services and discrimination”, said Ramiro Claure, MSI Bolivia´s Country Director.

During 2007, MSI Bolivia increased the TL services it provided by 128%, working in just three of Bolivia's the nine regions. In 2008, the programme is aiming to serve more than 5,000 women with this permanent method of contraception, most of whom (76%) live in rural areas of six of the nine regions.

For further information contact:
Ramón Torre Cañal, Resource Development Manager, MSI Bolivia.
ramon.torre@mariestopes.org.bo

Marie Stopes International criticises Ireland's objection to EU-Africa strategy

23/11/2007 11:55:08

Leading global sexual and reproductive health agency, Marie Stopes International (MSI), expressed outrage today at attempts by Ireland to obstruct the Joint EU/Africa strategy.

At the instigation of players at both sides including the African Union, the draft strategy expressed commitment to “universal access to reproductive health by 2015 and to reduce newborn, infant and maternal morbidity and mortality…” But it emerged this week that Ireland expressed reservation during EU Council of Ministers discussions of 19 November over the language used, preventing the adoption of the strategy and its agreed action plan.

“An Irish woman does not have a one in sixteen chance of dying from a pregnancy related cause, as is the case in sub-Saharan Africa” said Dana Hovig, Chief Executive of MSI. “If EU countries cannot see beyond their own contexts, this will not be a joint EU-Africa strategy, but an EU strategy for Africa. There is simply no excuse for obstructing the delivery of essential reproductive health services in the region.”

Every minute of every day, a woman dies from the complications that can arise during pregnancy and childbirth, mostly in the developing world. The probability that a 15 year-old girl will die from a complication related to pregnancy and childbirth during her lifetime is one in 16 in sub-Saharan Africa, compared with one in 7,300 in Europe. The draft Joint EU-Africa strategy aims to respond to this problem by calling for the promotion of sexual and reproductive health and rights throughout Africa.

The Joint Strategy and accompanying Action Plan (2008-2010) provide a comprehensive framework for EU-Africa relations. They are due to be adopted by European and African heads of state at the EU-Africa summit on 8th December in Lisbon. The text will be finalised at an Africa-EU ministerial meeting in Sharm-el-Sheik on 5th December.

For further information, please contact Gauri Vangulik on +32 473 614853, gauri.vangulik@mariestopes-org.be or Leo Bryant on +44 20 7034 2336, leo.bryant@mariestopes.org.uk

Ground-breaking Conference Signals New Phase in the Fight for Global Safe Abortion

26/10/2007 10:00:00

More than 700 public health experts, government representatives and activists from over 60 countries attended the first-ever global conference of its kind this week in London. The conference renewed commitment and strengthened alliances for expanding access to safe abortion care worldwide.

Organised by the world’s leading provider of safe abortion services Marie Stopes International (MSI), in association with Ipas and Abortion Rights, the Global Safe Abortion Conference confronted challenges and highlighted successes in ending deaths and injuries from unsafe abortion, the leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity in the developing world.

In his opening address, Marie Stopes International’s Chief Executive Dana Hovig said: “Despite a few islands of backwardness, such as Nicaragua and the current US administration, there is momentum, a growing consensus about the need for safe abortion. “Country after country is legalising. Portugal, Nepal, Ghana, Ethiopia. Mexico City has given life, light, and hope to women in Latin America. Access to safe abortion is increasing. Contraceptive use is rising. Medical abortion can transform our world, and dramatically increase access.

“So now is the time to fulfil that promise. We put this conference on specifically because it is a time of great hope and possibility. With the wind at our back, we can do so much here, and hereafter.”

Delegates signed a Global Call to Action for Women’s Access to Safe Abortion, which urges government authorities and donors to commit increased resources to ensuring the wide availability of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care and safe abortion services in both the public and private sectors. Organisers will continue to collect signatures online and seek institutional endorsement of the Call to Action, which will then be introduced at key inter-governmental meetings as a tool to influence policy and generate funding to tackle the issue of unsafe abortion.

Each year unsafe abortion claims 66,500 lives, almost entirely in poor countries, and injures 5 million more women and girls. New data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Guttmacher Institute has shown that while the number of abortions performed globally has fallen slightly in recent years, unsafe abortions have tragically increased.

“By any measure, this situation is deplorable,” said Bert Koenders, Minister for Development Cooperation in The Netherlands, in the conference’s closing plenary. “Unsafe abortion is a major killer.”

Minister Koenders echoed a theme heard frequently throughout the two-day conference when he called for liberalising abortion laws, something The Netherlands – which reports one of the lowest abortion rates in the world – did in 1981.

“Legal barriers serve only to make women wait longer and force them to seek clandestine and unsafe care,” he added. “The simple fact of holding an event like this helps us break the silence. We can save the lives of women and girls around the world.”

For more information, contact Diana Thomas 020 7034 2317, diana.thomas@mariestopes.org.uk or Anna Mawer, 020 7034 2307, anna.mawer@mariestopes.org.uk

Ground-breaking conference takes on abortion

23/10/2007 21:09:00

Organisers highlight the global pandemic of unsafe abortion and call for universal access to safe abortion care.

London, 23 October 2007 – Expanding access to safe abortion around the world is on the agenda at the groundbreaking Global Safe Abortion Conference beginning today in London. In an unprecedented show of global concern, nearly 800 public health experts, government representatives and women’s health advocates from around the world convened to build momentum around reducing the appalling toll on women’s health and lives caused by unsafe abortion.

Organisers of the Global Safe Abortion Conference , Marie Stopes International (MSI), Ipas and Abortion Rights – NGOs working to promote women’s reproductive health and rights – called for increased access to safe abortion services, recognised women’s right to self-determination in exercising their reproductive choices, and encouraged efforts to secure legal reform.

“At least 66,000 women annually die directly as a result of unsafe abortion,” said Mark Lowcock, Director General of Policy and the International Division at the UK Department for International Development, speaking at the opening plenary. “I have been asked to speak for 15 minutes; in that time two women, probably in the developing world, probably young, will die.

“The tragedy is still greater given that we have the technology to prevent almost all of these deaths. We cannot sweep it under the carpet.”

The medical journal The Lancet has called unsafe abortion one of the most neglected health issues of our time. The two-day conference highlights the global scale of this divisive issue. Representatives of nearly 60 countries are attending the meeting, which is the first-ever global conference of its kind.

MSI Chief Executive, Dana Hovig, called attention to the need for governments and donors to significantly increase their investment in making comprehensive sex education, contraception and safe abortion more widely accessible.

“All around the world, and especially in the poorest countries, unsafe abortion kills women and girls solely because they lack access to safe abortion care. Of all causes of maternal mortality, unsafe abortion is the easiest to prevent. It is time for governments and donors to step up and make resources available.”

Ipas President, Elizabeth Maguire, called the continuing toll of death and injury from unsafe abortion “a moral outrage and a gross violation of women’s basic human rights. How many more poor women and girls must suffer or die before we start taking action?”

"“New data show that the number of deaths from unsafe abortion is virtually unchanged in the past decade,” she said. “Now is the time for us to speak out loudly and to take bold action on this important issue. Unsafe abortion is a reality; the choice we have is whether to help women or let them die.”

The conference addresses topics such as global evidence on the impact of unsafe abortion, abortion as a human right, and trends in the law, policy and practice. Key speakers include Bert Koenders, the Minister for Development Cooperation in the Netherlands; Dr. Paul Van Look, Director of Reproductive Health and Research at the World Health Organization; Prof. Fred Sai of Ghana; Gill Greer, Director- General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation; Dr. Eunice Brookman-Amissah, Former Minister of Health of Ghana and Ipas Vice-President for Africa; and Jon O’Brien, President of Catholics for a Free Choice.

Organisers plan to issue a Call to Action that will serve as the basis of a new global movement to reduce unsafe abortion.

For more information, contact:

Diana Thomas, MSI 0777 1681 265
Tony Kerridge, MSI 07748 948 037
Kirsten Sherk, Ipas 0750 4490 641

cries and whispers: untold stories of unsafe abortion

10/10/2007 00:00:00

Global sexual and reproductive health agency, Marie Stopes International, is launching a moving publication featuring women's voices from all over the developing world who have experienced illegal and unsafe abortion. For some of these women, the choice of whether or not to undergo an abortion can be a matter of life and death.

"I am living with HIV. What I fear is that we might get a child who is HIV positive and I would die tomorrow and leave this child with all that difficulty. I don’t have a father, I don’t have any other person who would look after a child especially one with this kind of status."

Every year 68,000 women die from unsafe abortion – one every eight minutes.

Hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Population, Development and Reproductive Health (APPG), the launch of cries and whispers: untold stories of unsafe abortion will feature guest of honour, Marie O'Riordan, editor of Marie Claire magazine. Also speaking will be Faustina Fynn-Nyame, midwife and Programme Director for Marie Stopes International Ghana. Cries and whispers also features the emotive photography of Susan Schulman and Peter Caton. Enclosed is an invitation to this exclusive event – please RSVP to Diana Thomas (see below) or Alan Sadler (details on the invitation).

The publication comes out in advance of the Marie Stopes International Global Safe Abortion Conference on 23-24 October at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster. Both the publication and conference mark the 40th anniversary (27 October, 2007) of the United Kingdom's 1967 Abortion Act. Press accreditation is now being accepted for this conference via www.globalsafeabortion.org/press.

Marie Stopes International has over 30 years experience of working in sexual and reproductive health in the UK, Europe, Australia and in the developing world. We are one of the largest providers of safe abortion services in the world. During those 30 years, laws have changed and access to safe abortion has ebbed and flowed. Some gains have been made, but in certain countries those who oppose abortion rights are becoming more vocal, undermining both rights and access.

For more information on the launch or the conference, contact Diana Thomas at diana.thomas@mariestopes.org.uk, 020 7034 2317 or Anna Mawer on 020 7034 2307

Mischa Barton launches the first ever World Contraception Day

09/10/2007 11:47:13

Berlin, September 26, 2007 Launched today by Mischa Barton, a successful Hollywood actress, together with a host of NGOs, World Contraception Day is the first-ever international awareness campaign aiming to reduce the high levels of unintended pregnancy that occurs every year. This campaign is fronted by the global sexual and reproductive health agency Marie Stopes International (MSI), the European Society of Contraception (ESC), Centro Latinamerico Salud de la Mujer (CELSAM), the International Federation of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (FIGIJ), the Asia Pacific Council on Contraception (APCOC) and supported by Bayer Schering Pharma AG. Worldwide, 80 million women have unintended pregnancies and 20 million women risk abortion. 68,000 of these women will die as a result.1 This is a major problem of developed as well as of developing countries. Of the 28 million pregnancies occurring every year in the industrialized countries, an estimated 49% are unplanned, and 36% end in abortion.¹

World Contraception Day is a long-term campaign aimed at all women and men of reproductive age. Your Life, a brand developed specifically for World Contraception Day, is the overarching theme of the campaign. In 2007, the focus is on young adults under the strapline ‘Live your life before you start another’. Research has shown that the greatest educational need lies amongst young adults with a recent report identifying that 1 in every 10 births is to a mother who is still a child herself.² The theme for 2007 aims to appeal directly to young adults, to emphasise the importance of choosing to become a parent, rather than it happening by chance. World Contraception Day aims to equip these young people with the information and knowledge they need to make informed decisions.

“ World Contraception Day is a much-needed campaign to highlight the importance of enabling women and men to make informed decisions about becoming parents at a time that’s right for them. Unintended pregnancy is a widespread and under-recognised problem, not just in low-income countries but in the developed world as well. In fact, of the 28 million pregnancies in the developed world each year, 49% are unintended and 36% of those end in abortions. ” Dana Hovig, Chief Executive, Marie Stopes International.

At an official launch event in Berlin to mark the inauguration of World Contraception Day, representatives from NGOs around the world and actress Mischa Barton spoke out about the global impact of low contraception awareness. Young people were urged to
use contraception to ensure that they are fully protected against an unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

“ I know that I feel too young to have a child and many people my age probably feel the same. I want to encourage all young people to follow their aspirations and live their lives to the full. They should only have a baby when they are ready and not by chance. Every child should be wanted. That is why I believe increasing awareness of contraception and reproductive health is a must ”. Mischa Barton, actress.

An advertising campaign is being launched in key regions around the world to further raise awareness of World Contraception Day and the importance of making informed decisions. A teaser campaign to highlight the impact of unintended pregnancy through hard-hitting statistics has been launched in the run-up to World Contraception Day. At the launch event in Berlin, Mischa Barton officially unveiled the launch advertising campaign which features striking images comparing life with and without children and the strapline ‘live your life before you start another’.

Different activities are taking place around the world to mark World Contraception Day including educational events at schools, colleges and universities, charity concerts, and roadshows involving workshops for young people and promotional activities in night-clubs and discos. A global website, www.your-life.com , has also been launched, featuring information and advice on contraception, sexuality and body education as well as interactive features such as mobile phone downloads and an online survey.

In addition, a healthcare professional campaign has been launched to ensure that doctors, nurses and family planning clinics are fully aware of World Contraception Day. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) will be provided with a number of informative educational materials to provide during consultations, including a “Your Contraception” guide and a pocket card featuring important information on how and where to access
contraception.

Teenage Pregnancies – A global Problem

In Europe:

Over a quarter of 15- to 24-year-olds didn’t use contraception the first time they had sex³
Legal abortions among 15- to 19-year-olds: Germany 15,753⁴, Hungary 5,588⁴, Sweden 6,686⁴, Finland 2,268⁴, France 28,376⁵, Italy 9,725⁵, Romania 17,902⁴, United Kingdom 36,023⁶

David Cibula, President, ESC: ¨ It is worrying that even in Europe there are substantial differences in usage of contraception. In certain European countries, less than 50% of sexually active women use a reliable method of contraception. This is particularly alarming amongst younger people where in average only about 50% of women used contraception when they had their first sexual experience. Sexual education is a continuous and complex process which should be provided on an ongoing basis throughout life. In many countries around the world, sexual education could be improved and World Contraception Day aims to support this aim .”

In Latin America:

Between 35 and 52% of teenage pregnancies in the region are unplanned. In average, 38% of women get pregnant before the age of 20⁷
According to data from the Panamerican Health Organization, every year, 15% of teenagers between 15 and 19 years of age get a sexually transmitted infection⁸
Between 53 and 71% of women in the region have sex before 20, and the average age of the first sexual intercourse is between 15 and 16 years of age⁸

“ In Latin America, approximately between 17 and 40% of unplanned pregnancies result among women less than 20 years old mainly due to lack of information. For that reason, CELSAM joins other international organizations in supporting World Contraception Day as an initiative to continue educating Latin American teenagers on the importance of using the pill combined with a condom to practice a responsible sexuality; one that
prevents unplanned pregnancies as well as sexually transmitted infections (STI’s). ” said Dr. Samuel Santoyo, CELSAM Latin America Executive Director.

“ As experts on pediatric and adolescent gynecology, and in line with our mission to contribute with the reduction of maternal and perinatal mortality in teenage mothers, FIGIJ is glad to join other international organizations to support World Contraception Day. We hope that this initiative will help reduce the increasingly high incidence of teen unplanned pregnancy. ” said Dr. Ramiro Molina, President of FIGIJ.

In Asia/Pacific:

About 1 in 3 or 30% of births in Asia are unintended⁹
In 1995, 27 million abortions were carried out in Asia, which accounted for over half (58%) of the world's number of abortions. The overall abortion rate in Asian women during the child-bearing age of 15-44 is as high as 33 per 1,000¹⁰

Asia also had the highest number of unsafe abortions in the world, at 10.5 million, in 1995. Out of these unsafe abortions, 30% occurred in women less than 25 years old and 60% were performed in women under 30¹¹

Oceania/Pacific has one of the world’s lowest abortion rates at 0.1 million with an average incidence of 21 abortions per 1,000¹⁰

" The newly-founded Asia-Pacific Council on Contraception is pleased to be involved in World Contraception Day to bring into focus the global need for better education in reproductive and sexual health and ensure a better informed population on contraceptive options and access. APCOC has a mission to promote safe and effective contraception in family planning for the Asia-Pacific region where the statistics are a cause for concern. Many unplanned and unintended pregnancies are occurring due to a lack of appropriate information and proper use of contraception. We believe that a well-planned family contributes to a well-served society as it moves towards a better life, regardless of the environment we live in ”. Professor Soo Keat Khoo, Chairman APCOC.

-ends-

Notes to editors:

About Marie Stopes International Global Partnership
Marie Stopes International (MSI) is one of the largest sexual and reproductive health agencies in the world. In 2006 alone, MSI provided nearly five million people in 38 countries with high quality, affordable and culturally appropriate health services including family planning; maternal and child health care; safe delivery and obstetrics; safe abortion and post abortion care; diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections; voluntary and confidential testing for HIV/AIDS and prevention of mother to child transmission; information and education. For more information visit the website of Marie Stopes International: www.mariestopes.org.uk

About European Society of Contraception (ESC)
The ESC was founded in France in 1988 and is a leading medical society in the field of contraception and family planning in Europe. ESC’s primary aim is to both provide information and improve access to contraception and reproductive healthcare in Europe. In order to achieve it’s objectives, ESC strives to harmonize the legal situation in Europe and to promote availability of all established methods of contraception. For more information visit the website of the ESC: www.contraception-esc.com

About Centro Latinoamericano Salud y Mujer (CELSAM)
CELSAM is a non-profit organisation that aims to improve sexual and reproductive health in women and their partners, through information, orientation and education. CELSAM has a strong presence in Latin America where it conducts its activities. CELSAM’s regional network provides information to women and their partners on topics related to women’s health from puberty to adulthood. For more information visit the website of CELSAM: www.celsam.org

About International Federation of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (FIGIJ)
One of the main tasks of FIGIJ is to work on the sexual and reproductive health among adolescents around the world. Also, one of the objectives is to contribute with measures that can diminish the maternal and perinatal mortality in teenage mothers, through the prevention of unplanned pregnancies in adolescents. This is a very serious public health problem not resolved in many developing countries. For more information visit the website of FIGIJ: www.FIGIJ.org

About Asia Pacific Council on Contraception
Asia Pacific Council on Contraception (APCOC) was formed in 2006 by leading contraception and family planning experts to highlight the importance of family planning, with safe and reliable contraception across Asia Pacific. Its main goal is to empower women with the right information, education and communication (IEC) to provide them with the opportunity to make informed choices in contraception. For more information visit the website of APCOC: www.apcoc.net

About Bayer Schering Pharma
Bayer Schering Pharma is a worldwide leading specialty pharmaceutical company. Its research and business activities are focused on the following areas: Diagnostic Imaging, Hematology/Cardiology, Oncology, Primary Care, Specialized Therapeutics and Women's Healthcare. With innovative products, Bayer Schering Pharma aims for leading positions in specialized markets worldwide. Using new ideas, Bayer Schering Pharma aims to make a contribution to medical progress and strives to improve the quality of life. For more information visit the website: www.bayerscheringpharma.de

Media contacts
For enquiries, images and to arrange an interview with a World Contraception Day spokesperson of all NGO´s please contact ShireHealthPR:

Lindsay Ephgrave: +44 (0) 20 7108 6017 or +44 (0) 7909 930 012
Stephanie Martin: +44 (0) 20 7108 6511 or +44 (0) 7876 142 896

For inquiries concerning Bayer Schering Pharma please contact:

Astrid Kranz: +49 (0) 30 46812057; astrid.kranz@bayerhealthcare.com
Dr. Friederike Lorenzen +49 (0) 30 46815805; friederike.lorenzen@bayerhealthcare.com

References
1. Alan Guttmacher Institute. Sharing responsibilities: women, society and abortion worldwide.
New York: The Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1999
2. Save the Children, May 2004,
www.savethechildren.org/publications/mothers/ 2004/SOWM_2004_final.pdf
3. S.A.F.E Study 2006, Bayer Schering Pharma AG, data on file
4. EUROSTAT 2005, http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu
5. EUROSTAT 2003, http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu
6. www.statistics.gov.uk 2001
7. Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública, Vol. 11, no. 3, Washington.Marzo, 2002.
8. Schutt-Aine, J. y Maddaleno, M. Sexual Health and Development of Adolescents and Youth in the Americas: Program and Policy Implications. PAHO 2003
9. John Ross, John Stover, and Amy Willard, Profiles for Family Planning and Reproductive Health, 1999.
10.Stanley K. Henshaw, Susheela Singh and Taylor Haas, "The Incidence of Abortion Worldwide“, International Family Planning Perspectives, 1999.
11. Grimes DA, Bensen J, Singh S, Romero M, Ganatra B, Okonofua FE, Shah IH. "Unsafe abortion: the preventable pandemic“, The Lancet 2006. http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/publications/articles/article4.pdf

Contact: Tony Kerridge

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7034 2365 / 07989 565 480

Nepal: New Figures Show Safe Abortion Services

18/07/2007 11:39:00

Marie Stopes International has welcomed a recent survey by the Nepalese Government which shows that maternal mortality in Nepal has almost halved in a decade, during which time abortion has been legalised in the country. The news is particularly welcome given widespread concern that one of the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - to reduce maternal mortality by 75% by 2015 - has yet to see progress.

Nepal has long suffered from one of the world’s worst levels of maternal mortality. In 1996, the official maternal mortality rate (MMR) for Nepal was recorded at 539 maternal deaths per 100,000 live infant births. But the Nepalese Ministry of Health and Population survey has found current levels to be much lower, putting MMR for 2006 at 281 per 100,000 – an astonishing 48% reduction within just 10 years.

The legalisation of abortion in 2002, together with an effective programme to make safe abortion services widely available, is widely held to be a key factor behind the figures.

“When abortion became legalised in Nepal,” said Kamala Thapa, Programme Director of Marie Stopes International (MSI) partner Sunaulo Parivar Nepal (SPN), “poor women no longer had to resort to life threatening techniques like drinking poisonous ‘remedies’, pushing substances such as bleach into the uterus, inserting sticks and other sharp objects and heavy pelvic pummelling to end a pregnancy. Now abortion care is legally available, Nepalese women no longer have to put their lives at risk.”

Widespread social pressure for women’s rights in Nepal intensified in the late 1990s when Min Min, a young girl of 13 raped by her relative, was sentenced to jail for 20 years for having an abortion. The campaign that eventually secured her released continued its momentum to achieve legislative change.

With support from the UK’s Department for International Development, the government of Nepal combined legal reform with an ambitious programme to make safe abortion genuinely accessible: Operating in many of the 75 districts of Nepal, SPN have performed 92,819 safe abortions out of 132,205 registered since legalisation, estimated to be about 70% of services. Meanwhile health sector experts, Options, have been contracted to develop the government’s capacity to plan, monitor and evaluate the programme.

“By combining legal reform with an effective programme for implementation based upon public-private partnership, Nepal has demonstrated that the fifth MDG is actually achievable," said Dana Hovig, MSI's Chief Executive. "Now we need to promote the fact that safe abortions are legally available so that no women die from ignorance. This will build upon the extraordinary achievement of the Ministry of Health and Population that has already seen maternal mortality almost halved.”

Contact: Tony Kerridge

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7034 2365 / 07989 565 480

Marie Stopes International names new external relations director

09/05/2007 11:45:00

Global sexual and reproductive health agency, Marie Stopes International (MSI) has appointed Michael Holscher to head its Department of External Relations and New Business Development where he will be responsible for strategy, communications, resource development and advocacy. He succeeds Patricia Hindmarsh, who retired in December after 20 years of service to the organisation.

Michael comes to MSI with over 15 years experience working in 25 countries across four continents in the areas of family planning, HIV/STI prevention and rights advocacy. In 1996, he was appointed by Population Services International (PSI) as their country director of Romania, where he designed, launched and managed PSI’s first national contraceptive social marketing programme in the region. He went on to develop similar programmes in the Caucuses, Central Asia and the Balkans.

Michael Holscher later served as PSI’s regional representative in Southern African and Southeast Asia, leading innovations in HIV/STI prevention in five countries including China and Vietnam. Most recently, he served as regional executive director of the Pan-American Social Marketing Organization (PASMO), a seven-country regional network in Central America.

“I am delighted that Michael Holscher has joined MSI,” said MSI Chief Executive Dana Hovig. “He comes to us from a decade on the frontline of the fight for greater access to sexual and reproductive health information, products and services on four continents. He knows firsthand the realities of low-income women and families, and has shown enormous passion, dedication and creativity in ensuring their needs are met. Michael will help MSI to have a catalytic and transformative impact in the UK and on the FP industry globally.”

Over the years, Michael has worked closely with a wide range of leading bilateral and multilateral agencies, including DFID, the Dutch Government, KfW, SIDA, USAID and numerous private foundations. He has worked as a special advisor to both UNFPA and UNAIDS.

“I am honoured to join MSI at an important moment in its remarkable history,” said Michael. “We have a unique business model and a powerful global platform comprised of courageous professionals who have made it possible for millions of women and couples to have children by choice, not chance. I am eager to work with my colleagues and our partners to build on that proud tradition in a way that is strategic, ambitious and effective.”

MSI is one of the largest family planning organisations in the world, and the largest private provider of safe abortion services globally. MSI provided nearly five million people with high quality health services in 2006 alone, including family planning; safe abortion and post abortion care; maternal and child health care including safe delivery and obstetrics; diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections; HIV/AIDS prevention; and tuberculosis treatment.

Contact: Tony Kerridge

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7034 2365 / 07989 565 480

Marie Stopes International and Direct Relief International partner in Zimbabwe to provide critical family planning and health supplies

01/05/2007 11:41:00

Global sexual and reproductive health agency, Marie Stopes International (MSI), announced today (1 May) that US based medical relief organisation, Direct Relief International, will provide millions of dollars worth of medicines and medical equipment to MSI's Partner programme in Zimbabwe, Population Services Zimbabwe (PSZ). The donation will make it possible for the organisation to improve its services to some of the poorest women in the country.

Direct Relief President and CEO, Thomas Tighe is visiting PSZ as part of a trip to Zimbabwe to see first hand about the medicine and equipment needs of local health organisations.

“We are very pleased to join with PSZ and MSI to assist millions of people living in hardship across Zimbabwe,” said Mr Tighe. “I am able to witness how Direct Relief’s medical assistance coupled with PSZ’s expertise in Zimbabwe has improved health services for women and children, whom poverty hits particularly hard.”

Direct Relief has provided two consignments of assistance including medical supplies and brand name medicines to PSZ, totalling $3 million (wholesale). The first shipment arrived last November and included antibiotics, vitamins, local anesthesia, exam tables, disposable surgical supplies, surgical instruments, and general medical supplies such as syringes and disposable gloves. The most recent shipment, which arrived earlier this month, included oral contraceptives that will provide will provide protection for 7,000 women.

"These consignments of critically needed medical supplies and equipment from Direct Relief will without question help protect the health and wellbeing of thousands of women and children across Zimbabwe,” said Michael Holscher, MSI’s Director of External Relations. “We are honoured that Direct Relief has once again chosen to work with MSI."

“Currently 42% of married women in Zimbabwe are not using any form of modern contraception,” said Tererai Chivodze, Chief Executive of PSZ. “The majority of these are poor women who are living in a country where the lifetime risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth is one in 16. Quite simply, the aid we receive from Direct Reliefwill help save lives. The more women who are able to control their fertility and space their children through access to modern contraception, the more lives will be saved – not just the lives of the women, but also those of their babies and young children.”

To arrange interviews with either Thomas Tighe, CEO Direct Relief International or Tererai Chivodze, Chief Executive of Population Services Zimbabwe, please contact

Direct Relief International, US: Jason Kravitz,
+1 (805) 964-4767 ext. 133

Population Services Zimbabwe: Tererai Chivodze,
+263 4740 558

Editor’s Notes:

Direct Relief International
Founded in 1948, Direct Relief International is a Santa Barbara, California-based non-profit organisation focused on improving the quality of life by bringing critically needed medicines and supplies to local healthcare providers worldwide. In 2006, Direct Relief provided over $200 million in direct aid through medical material assistance and targeted cash grants to more than 300 healthcare facilities and organisations in 56 countries, serving 23.8 million people. Direct Relief is one of two charities ranked by Forbes that has received a perfect fundraising efficiency score for five consecutive years.

Marie Stopes International
Established in London in 1976, Marie Stopes International (MSI) works with over 4.8 million people in over 38 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe providing a comprehensive range of sexual and reproductive health services. The organisation has gained a global reputation as a provider of safe motherhood and quality family planning services, including obstetrics and pre and post-natal care, education, screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections; HIV/AIDS education, counselling and testing, and safe abortion. Programmes designed specifically to benefit marginalised and vulnerable communities such as adolescents, refugees and internally displaced people are a major focus of MSI’s work.

Population Services Zimbabwe
Population Services Zimbabwe (PSZ), Marie Stopes International's partner in Zimbabwe, was established in 1987. It operates seven centres across the country, all of which provide low-income communities with the means to prevent unwanted pregnancies and protect their sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Linked to this is a network of community-based distributors who work closely with local community groups to raise awareness of SRH issues including HIV/AIDs. They also disseminate information, distribute oral contraceptives and condoms. A voluntary surgical contraceptive mobile unit works very closely with the centres, communities, local authorities and government health institutions helping to educate the public about permanent methods of family planning. PSZ also has a specially tailored project for adolescents, working closely with youth centres to offer young people the services they need to avoid teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

Contact: Tony Kerridge

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7034 2365 / 07989 565 480

Marie Stopes International Welcomes Decision to Legalise Abortion in Mexico City

06/04/2007 11:33:00

Marie Stopes International (MSI), leading global provider of quality reproductive healthcare for women, today strongly endorsed a decision by the Mexico City Congress to approve a bill legalising abortion in the city, and encouraged other states in Mexico and the wider Latin American region to follow suit.

Mexico's commitments to the Beijing Platform for Action, developed at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, included a pledge to address unsafe abortion as a major public health concern. Until now, this pledge has not been honoured, leading to an estimated 110,000 illegal abortion procedures each year, many of which are performed by unskilled practitioners in insanitary conditions. According to official figures approximately four Mexican women die each day as a direct consequence of unsafe abortion.

"MSI deals with the appalling consequences of unsafe abortion in many of its centres around the world," said Michael Holscher, Director of External Relations at MSI. "This landmark decision by the Mexico City Congress will save thousands of women from preventable death or permanent injury. We are delighted that the bill has been passed despite overwhelming external pressure to preserve existing restrictions."

Marie Stopes Mexico (MS Mexico) has been providing sexual and reproductive health care to women in Chiapas since 2000, with many women coming to its six centres suffering from the effects of unsafe abortion.

"The main reason women continue to risk their lives with unsafe abortion – even though it illegal and extremely dangerous – is desperation," said Dr Laura Miranda, Programme Director of MS Mexico. "Some fear that pregnancy outside wedlock will lead to them being rejected by their family and community. Others are so poor that they cannot afford to feed another child and fear for the health of their existing children. This is why women are dying every day."

MSI hopes that this decision by the Mexico City Congress will send a positive message to other states across the Latin American region, where the sexual and reproductive health needs of women have been inadequately addressed.

Contact: Diana Thomas
+44 (0) 20 7034 2317
diana.thomas@mariestopes.org.uk

Marie Stopes International names new chief executive

24/01/2007 11:36:00

Dana Hovig to lead one of the world´s largest family planning and sexual and reproductive health organisations

24 January 2007

Global sexual and reproductive health organisation, Marie Stopes International (MSI), has named Dana Hovig as its new Chief Executive. Dana takes over from former Chief Executive and founder of MSI, Dr. Tim Black CBE, who retired in December to become a member of the MSI Board of Directors.

“Dana Hovig is a global leader and innovator in applying private sector solutions to solve public health problems,” said Dr. Tim Black. “His ideas, initiative and efforts have already enabled tens of millions of women to avoid unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion."

“Dana has worked in over 50 countries on five continents in the areas of family planning, HIV/AIDS prevention, maternal health, child health and nutrition. He has a depth and breadth of leadership, management, and technical experience that is virtually unparalleled in professionals of his generation,” added Dr Black.

"We are thrilled that he has accepted our appointment, and have every confidence that he will lead our 4,000 staff and 40 country offices in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and Australia to new heights.”

When he was only 30, Population Services International (PSI) appointed Dana to be their Country Director in Pakistan. During his four years living in Karachi, he co-designed, launched, and managed the Green Star social franchising programme, a national franchised network of 2,000 female doctors that delivers reproductive, women and child health services to over 10 million clients per year. Dana then went on to hold one of the most senior management positions in international health and development, with over 20 country offices and several thousand staff reporting to him at PSI. Dana joined MSI as Deputy Chief Executive in January 2005.

“It is an honour and a privilege to follow in the footsteps of Dr Black, who is a visionary, hero and icon in the family planning sector,” said Dana. “Tim and MSI have directly touched and improved the lives of hundreds of millions of women and couples over the years, enabling them to take control of their reproductive lives, and have children by choice, not chance. I look forward to continuing and building upon that proud tradition.”

Around the world, MSI is a major player in national health systems. In Tanzania and Malawi, for example, the organisation provides over 15 per cent of all family planning services in each country; in Bangladesh, MSI has nearly 100 clinics and rural clinical outreach teams around the country, protecting over one million women per year from unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion.

In the UK MSI is the largest independent provider of sexual and reproductive health services and a major contractor for the National Health Service. The UK operation raises surplus funds which are donated to support MSI’s delivery of services to poor people in developing countries.

Contact: Diana Thomas
+44 (0) 20 7574 7416
diana.thomas@mariestopes.org.uk

Marie Stopes International Announces Global Conference on Abortion

11/11/2006 11:22:00

Marie Stopes International Announces Global Conference on Abortion

In 2007, international sexual and reproductive health agency, Marie Stopes International, will hold a major international conference in London focusing on abortion. The event, to be held on 23-24 October at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster, will mark the 40th anniversary of the Abortion Act in the UK.

The Marie Stopes International Global Conference on Safe Abortion: Whose Right, Whose Choice, Who Cares? will confront both international and national issues associated with unsafe abortion, focusing on rights, advocacy and funding.

“The conference will not address the clinical issues around abortion, but instead call on governments, funders, and decision makers from the UK, Europe and in the developing world to do something concrete to reduce the appalling loss of life due to unsafe abortion,” said Patricia Hindmarsh, External Relations Director of Marie Stopes International.

“At least 70,000 women die every year due to unsafe abortion, a shocking statistic in itself. But what is equally shocking is the fact that, despite all the rhetoric, promises and international commitments to reduce maternal mortality and provide women everywhere with access to quality sexual and reproductive health services, this death toll has remained unchanged for decades. It is time for governments and funders to step up and take action.”

October 27th 2007 will also mark the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Abortion Act, which Marie Stopes International contends is long overdue for reform.

“In this day and age, the 1967 Act is an anachronism. It is a paternalistic piece of legislation that denies women the right to decide for themselves whether or not to have an abortion. We will use this conference as a platform to advocate for much needed law reform,” said Liz Davies, Director of UK Operations.

Contact: Diana Thomas
+44 (0) 20 7574 7416
diana.thomas@mariestopes.org.uk

If you are interested in attending this event, contact:

Laura Brownlee

+44 (0)20 7324 4372

laura.brownlee@neilstewartassociates.co.uk

States of Jersey help stop Bolivan women dying of cancer

10/10/2006 11:26:00

States of Jersey help stop Bolivan women dying of cancer

In Bolivia, two women die of cervical or uterine cancer every day and those are only the ones the authorities know about. Most women remained unscreened or have not even heard of the disease. But that is now changing thanks to the States of Jersey government, which has supported a programme run by international sexual and reproductive health agency, Marie Stopes International, to raise awareness of cervical cancer among Bolivian women.

If detected in time, cervical cancer can be easily treated and its detection requires a minimal financial investment – a cervical smear. However, six out of 10 women in Bolivia are unaware of the existence of this disease and the majority have never undergone an examination to detect the presence of the human papiloma virus – a contributing factor to the emergence of the disease. The cancer is therefore often detected at an advanced stage and then there is little can be done to save the woman’s life.

Even if an intervention of some description were possible, in a country as poor as Bolivia, many women cannot access appropriate healthcare facilities, either because they do not exist or because the cost of treatment is beyond their means. Screening services have been offered by the Ministry of Health but only sporadically due to a lack of political interest resulting in a shortage of resources for this purpose.

Thanks to financial aid (£50,000) from the States of Jersey, Marie Stopes Bolivia began a year-long promotional and educational media campaign in 2005 designed to highlight the importance of early detection of cervical and uterine cancer, claiming that access to free and competent screening is a human rights issue.

“Ultimately, we were looking to increase awareness of women that cervical cancer screening is part of their healthcare right, not just for those who can afford it,” said Ramon Torres, External Relations Director for Marie Stopes Bolivia. “Now, thanks to the campaign, we have been part of a process that has caused the government to change its legislation earlier this year to make this right guaranteed though its inclusion in the free health service package provided to all women.”

The campaign was so successful that by the time it was completed earlier this year, estimates on the increased uptake of screening were exceeded by 200%. However, there is still much to be done as 40-50% of women of reproductive age remain unaware of cervical cancer and the importance of screening.

“We are delighted with the success of the campaign, but there is still a great deal of work to be done in Bolivia if we are to save more women’s lives,” said Nicholas Frost of Marie Stopes International in London.

Contact: Diana Thomas
+44 (0) 20 7034 2317
diana.thomas@mariestopes.org.uk

Marie Stopes International calls on the UK Government to support Africa’s commitment to family planning

09/09/2006 11:29:00

Marie Stopes International calls on the UK Government to support Africa’s commitment to family planning

Earlier this week in Maputo, Mozambique, a special session of the African Union (AU) Conference of Ministers of Health adopted a new Plan of Action to tackle the floundering Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to reductions in poverty, maternal and child mortality and HIV/AIDS. The goals, they agreed, would not be achieved without significant improvements in the sexual and reproductive health of the people of Africa.

Marie Stopes International (MSI), one of the largest sexual and reproductive health organisations in the world, welcomes the initiative by African leaders at the Maputo conference to reposition family planning to the top of the development agenda.

“Every minute one woman dies from pregnancy or childbirth in the developing world,” said Patricia Hindmarsh, MSI External Relations Director. “In countries where millions of people are without adequate levels of nutrition and access to healthcare, simply enabling parents to choose the size of their families would have massive benefits, including reducing global maternal mortality by a third.”

The AU plan comes at a time when competing priorities in health budgets, such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis have dramatically reduced the priority given to family planning, and when provisions for contraception and maternal healthcare have lost out from some donor nations due to political conservatism.

Under the leadership of Hilary Benn, Under Secretary of State for International Development, the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) has been something of an exception, increasing spending on reproductive healthcare by more than 40% since 2002. But a huge unmet need for resources still exists because the great majority of international donors have not followed suit. With the African health ministers’ call for renewed attention to sexual and reproductive health services, the stage is set for DFID to step up to champion the cause, particularly within the European donor community.

“Neither reproductive health nor family planning are specifically referred to in any of the MDGs and this has traditionally given governments a let-out in funding resources.” said Ms Hindmarsh. “It is great to see the African Union taking such a definitive stance on the issues. We hope that the Maputo Plan of Action will galvanise corresponding support and an increase in funding from international donors, and we look to DFID for timely leadership.”

Contact: Diana Thomas
+44 (0) 20 7034 2317
diana.thomas@mariestopes.org.uk

Marie Stopes International centres in Australia to offer women medical abortion using alternative drug to controversial RU486

02/02/2006 12:07:00

Marie Stopes International centres in Australia to offer women medical abortion using alternative drug to controversial RU486

Earlier this week the Australian Senate voted by 45 to 28 to repeal legislation that for the past decade has prevented thousands of Australian women from accessing the early medical abortion pill RU486. The bill now goes forward to the House of Representatives for debate and voting, so may still fail. (For the background to the RU486 debate in Australia, see attached notes)

In the meantime, the Australian clinic network of UK sexual and reproductive health agency Marie Stopes International, has confirmed that, pending resolution of the RU486 debate, it will start to offer women medically induced abortions using methotrexate, a licensed alternative.

Methotrexate, was originally developed in the 1950s in the United States of America as a treatment for cancer, and is licensed for use in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Well documented research has shown that in single doses, used in conjunction with misoprostol, another licensed drug, methotrexate can successfully and safely be used to induce abortions in the earlier stages of pregnancy. The two drugs are currently in regular use for medical abortion in a number of countries, including Canada.

Jill Michelson, Marie Stopes International’s acting CEO in Australia today said that,“Australian women are currently being denied access to non-surgical abortionbecause RU486 is the subject of a protracted and frankly unnecessary political and moral debate that looks set tocontinue. Even if this bill is successful it will be some time before the TGA will be able to fully consider and license RU486.”

“Marie Stopes International was founded on the principle of offering the widest possible choices in sexual and reproductive health. Given that a licensed, safe alternative method already exists, we feel it incumbent upon us to make medical abortion immediately available to Australian women.”

Methotrexate will initially be piloted at one of Marie Stopes International’s seven Australian centres. It will be offered to women whose pregnancies have not exceeded the seventh week who wish to avoid undergoing a surgical procedure. The medical abortions will be conducted according to international protocols with full medical support and will not be offered to women who do not have ready access to emergency facilities.

RU486 has been licensed for use in the UK for medical terminations up to 9 weeks gestation since the early 1990s. Nineteen percent of the 185,415 abortions carried out in England and Wales in 2004 were medically induced.

Notes to Editors – RU486 in Australia:

In 1996 independent Senator Brian Harradine held the balance of power in the Australian Senate. As the price of his support for other Government legislation, right wing Harradine engineered an amendment to new legislation to move the responsibility for licensing abortifacents from the Australian drugs regulation authority, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), to the Minister for Health. The legislation effectively denied evaluation, registration or licensing of a group of drugs deemed to be abortifacents, including RU486 (mifespristone), thereby preventing Australian women from accessing medical abortions.

In November 2005 a cross party group of women Senators sponsored a bill that would remove responsibility for the approval of abortifacents from the minister and return it to the TGA, prompting a major national debate in Australia. Earlier this week the Senate approved the bill by a majority of 45 to 28.

The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for debate and another vote, so it could yet be defeated. Tony Abbott, the current Minister of Health is a strong catholic and is considered to be opposed to the bill, as is the Prime Minister John Howard. But commentators suggest that, given the resounding majority with which the bill passed in the Senate, it is unlikely to fall in the House of Representatives.

Contact: Tony Kerridge

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7034 2365 / 07989 565 480

Mobile: +44 (0) 7748 948 037

Marie Stopes International praises DFID’s commitment to eradicating unsafe abortion

02/02/2006 11:16:00

Marie Stopes International praises DFID’s commitment to eradicating unsafe abortion

Marie Stopes International (MSI), one of the largest sexual and reproductive health organisations in the world, welcomes the announcement by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) of a new fund for safe abortion services. DFID has initiated the fund with a £3 million donation and hopes that other European countries will also contribute.

The aim of the fund, said DFID, was to help mitigate some of the damage caused by the US Administration’s policy of denying funding to any organisation that counsels women on abortion or provides abortion services, even in countries where it is legal. This policy, known as the ‘global gag rule’, was re-imposed by President George Bush in 2001.

“Safe abortion is an issue of particular concern to MSI,” said Patricia Hindmarsh, Director of External Relations. “There are estimated to be 20 million unsafe abortions worldwide, some five million of which result in complications, long-term injury and, in the worse case, death. Many of MSI’s 400 clinics worldwide are dealing with the after-effects of botched, unsanitary backstreet abortions, many of which could have been prevented if family planning advice and services had been available.”

MSI health centres and clinics in both Ethiopia and Kenya were forced to close after funding was withdrawn under the gag rule, and MSI has almost certainly lost millions of dollars in potential funding as a result of US policies. In Ethiopia and Kenya, MSI was providing critical family planning services and post abortion care.

From MSI’s perspective, there are three priority areas for this new funding:

increasing access to safe abortion and post abortion care services

advocacy initiatives to improve women’s reproductive rights and their right to choose

increasing the capacity of government and private providers to deliver abortion information and services, as well as post abortion care.

“MSI applauds this bold move by the Government to affirm its commitment to eliminate unsafe abortion at a time when US policy is contributing to the deaths of 70,000 women every year. We believe that other European nations who champion women’s health and rights should seize this opportunity to deliver life saving services,” added Ms Hindmarsh.

Contact: Diana Thomas
+44 (0) 20 7574 7416
diana.thomas@mariestopes.org.uk