Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS - Groups - Action Tools

Message

From:	Lindsay Menard-Freeman [ profile ]
Subject:	Fwd: ISRRC - What does family planning have to do with HIV? (fact sheet)
Sent:	Oct 31st, 2011 - 10:59:01
Attachments:	FP and HIV CHANGE 2011F.pdf

	Apologies for cross-posting. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Melanie Boyer Date: Wed, Sep 28, 2011 at 12:08 PM Subject: ISRRC - What does family planning have to do with HIV? (fact sheet) To: isrrc-l (at) list.web.net Dear all,** In an effort to advocate for comprehensive, effective sexual and reproductive health care, CHANGE, with endorsements from Pathfinder, TAG, Family Care International, the International Community of Women Living With HIVGlobal (ICW), and Health GAP, has developed the attached fact sheet demonstrating the intrinsic link between family planning and HIV prevention and treatment, and how attacks on family planning affect HIV prevention and treatment. Some points include: Voluntary family planning programs increase access to and uptake of HIV prevention information and services: Voluntary family planning and other reproductive health services are an important entry point to addressing HIV risk factors (including gender-based violence and sexual coercion), safe sex negotiation, voluntary counseling and testing, prevention of vertical transmission of HIV, and other prevention interventions. These services also reach women, youth, and men who would not seek out HIV services independent of other health services because of stigma or other barriers. How imposing the Global Gag Rule affects the fight against HIV/AIDS: · The Global Gag Rule has resulted in reproductive health programs (including family planning) losing access to U.S.-donated contraceptives and significant financial resources, causing staff and service reductions. · The Global Gag Rule puts the lives of women living with HIV at risk. Women living with HIV who are seeking voluntary abortion services stake their lives on access to honest information from their health providers, including provision of or referral to safe, legal abortion service. Please use this as a tool in your advocacy work, to distribute it to your networks. If you have trouble opening the attachment, it is also located hereon our website ( http://www.genderhealth.org/files/uploads/change/publications/FP_and_HIV_CHANGE_2011F.pdf ). Best-- Melanie Boyer Communications Director Center for Health and Gender Equity 202-393-5930 www.genderhealth.org ** This message has been sent through the International Sexual and Reproductive Rights Coalition (ISRRC) list-serve. If you wish to unsubscribe from this list please visit http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/isrrc-l -- Lindsay Menard-Freeman, M.A. Program Officer Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS, a program of TakingITGlobal www.gyca.org www.tigweb.org (T): +212.661.6111 (E): lindsay (at) gyca.org 540 President St. 3rd Floor Brooklyn, NY 11215 Donate now! http://tigurl.org/gycadonate/ GYCA is a youth-led global network of over 6,000 young leaders and adult allies working on youth and HIV/AIDS in 173 countries world-wide. GYCA's mission is to empower young leaders with the skills, knowledge, resources and opportunities they need to scale up HIV/AIDS interventions amongst their peers.