Bridging the Knowledge Gap: A Toolkit on Reproductive Rights for Pediatric Surgeons in the Post-Dobbs Era.

BACKGROUND: The ripple effect of the Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization has impacted physicians and patients across numerous medical specialties. In pediatric surgery, the patient population ranges from fetus to the pregnant patient. There is a gap in the knowledge of pediatric surgeons regarding abortion laws and access. This project aims to bridge the gap by creating access to reliable resources which may be used to optimize patient care and support physicians. METHODS: We collaborated with the Reproductive Health Coalition, co-founded by the American Medical Women's Association and Doctors for America, to curate a list of resources beneficial to pediatric surgeons. RESULTS: We created a web-based toolkit with the purpose of providing easily accessible and reliable information on reproductive rights in the United States. We identified up-to-date resources on state-by-state abortion laws, legal resources, patient-centered information on obtaining abortion care, and resources for physicians interested in getting involved in advocacy. CONCLUSION: Pediatric surgery rests at a critical juncture with respect to reproductive rights in the United States. Our toolkit enables users to understand the current climate and identify next steps to advocate for patients and physicians amidst a formidable legal environment. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V.

Insufficient responses to rape in Ouagadougou: Reflections on the experiences of young female survivors / Insuffisances des réponses aux viols à Ouagadougou : réflexions à partir du vécu de jeunes survivantes.

The rape of girls and women raises questions about both prevention and the response in Burkina Faso. This article looks at the inadequacy of the response to rape in Ouagadougou. It is based on an analysis of cases of rape experienced by young women in the city and documented between 2005 and 2009. The study highlights the gap between the attitude of the victims, whether or not they are inclined to report the act and seek support, and the existing response in this area, whether in their entourage, at the community level, or at the institutional level. The study concludes that there is a need for more in-depth research into the representations and experiences of rape survivors in Ouagadougou and, more broadly, in Burkina Faso. Such research will enable us to identify gaps and appropriate strategies so that survivors are offered a holistic response that is more conducive to respect for their sexual and reproductive rights. Appropriate responses should involve improving the response system, so as to minimize obstacles and make institutional support more accessible to survivors.

Les viols sur des filles et femmes interpellent autant au sujet de leur prévention que par rapport aux réponses qui y sont apportées au Burkina Faso. L'article fournit une réflexion sur les insuffisances de réponses à ces viols à Ouagadougou. La réflexion s'appuie sur l'analyse de cas de viols vécus par des jeunes femmes dans cette ville et documentés entre 2005 et 2009. La réflexion met en exergue le fossé entre la posture des victimes, leur propension ou non à dénoncer l'acte et à rechercher un soutien et la réponse existante en la matière, que cela soit dans leur entourage, au niveau communautaire ou au niveau institutionnel. L'article démontre la nécessité de mener des investigations plus approfondies sur les représentations et le vécu des survivantes de viols à Ouagadougou et, plus largement, au Burkina Faso. Cela permettra d'identifier les gaps à combler ainsi que les stratégies adéquates pour offrir aux survivantes une réponse holistique et plus propice au respect de leurs droits sexuels et reproductifs. Les réponses appropriées devraient passer par l'amélioration du dispositif de réponse, de façon à minimiser ces entraves et à rendre le soutien institutionnel plus accessible aux survivantes.

Shared risk and shared responsibility: the ethics of male contraceptives.

INTRODUCTION: Efforts to develop reversible male contraceptives analogous to female oral contraceptives are underway and may be introduced in the next decade. The advent of novel male contraceptives provides an opportunity for an ethical reformulation of the contraceptive paradigm given the relational, rather than individual, nature of sexual relationships, and family planning. For individuals in any sexual relationship that could result in pregnancy, issues of reproductive autonomy, freedom, equality in reproductive decision-making and risks-both of side effects and of unintended pregnancies-are significant. Historically, however, women have been attributed the greatest responsibilities simultaneously with the most restrictions on their freedom of choice and access to reproductive care. OBJECTIVES: In this paper, we extend our prior "shared risk" model of male contraception to one of "shared risk and responsibility" to ethically inform this discourse. CONCLUSIONS: This updated framework more fully captures the complexity of this novel technology and may be of use to regulatory and legal agencies grappling with an intervention that poses medical risks to the member of the relationship who does not face risks of becoming pregnant.

The Role of Male Consent in Assisted Reproductive Technology Procedures: an Examination of Japanese Court Cases.

With the development of assisted reproductive technologies, medical, ethical, legal, and social issues have arisen that did not exist when natural conception was the only means of childbirth. In Japan, men tend to believe that assisted reproductive technologies are not directly related to them, with the literature showing that men are often reluctant to be involved in fertility treatment processes. To better understand this situation, this study analyzes the role of male consent during assisted reproductive technology procedures in Japan. First, we examined Japanese court cases that dealt with issues related to male consent during assisted reproductive technology procedures and identified three situations in which problems related to male consent during such procedures may arise. Next, we analyzed the background of such issues and the implications of the lack of consent regarding men's reproductive rights. Finally, we explored the need for legislation on assisted reproductive technologies. The study concludes that discussions on the scope of male partner rights in assisted reproductive technology procedures are key for minimizing unnecessary conflict between partners, thus ensuring both the rights of women who wish to have children and the welfare of their children. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41649-023-00274-1.

Navigating conflicts of reproductive rights: Unbundling parenthood and balancing competing interests.

Advances in assisted reproductive technologies can give rise to several ethical challenges. One of these challenges occurs when the reproductive desires of two individuals become incompatible and conflict. To address such conflicts, it is important to unbundle different aspects of (non)parenthood and to recognize the corresponding reproductive rights. This article starts on the premise that the six reproductive rights-the right (not) to be a gestational, genetic, and social parent-are negative rights that do not entail a right to assistance. Since terminating or continuing a pregnancy is a form of assistance, the right (not) to be a gestational parent should enjoy primacy in conflicts. However, while refusing assistance may hinder the reproductive project of another person, "prior assistance" does not entitle someone to violate a reproductive right. Therefore, our analysis provides reasons to argue that someone has a right to unilaterally use cryopreserved embryos or continue the development of an entity in an extracorporeal gestative environment (i.e., ectogestation). Although this could lead to a violation of the right not to be a genetic parent, it does not necessarily entail a violation of the right not to be a social parent.

Abortion Experiences and Perspectives Amongst Migrants and Refugees: A Systematic Review.

(1) Background: Access to abortion care is a crucial reproductive health right. Refugees and migrants may have restricted access to and utilisation of abortion care, associated with histories of displacement, precarious migrant and citizenship status and difficulty navigating unfamiliar host country healthcare systems. However, there is limited evidence on the abortion experiences and perspectives of refugees and migrants. Moreover, existing research has not been synthesised to identify trends informing sexual and reproductive care access among this marginalised population. This systematic review aimed to address this gap in the cumulative evidence on refugee and migrant experiences and perspectives of abortion in host countries. (2) Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we searched the following databases for studies on refugee and migrant abortion attitudes, decision making and experiences: Embase, Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, Sociological Abstracts, and Scopus. We also searched the grey literature on the same. Inclusion criteria specified qualitative studies involving migrant and/or refugee populations, examining their abortion experiences, attitudes or perspectives, written in English, published between January 2000 and December 2022. Two reviewers screened titles, abstracts and full-text articles, resulting in 27 articles included in the review, following consensus checks by two co-authors. The included studies were assessed for methodological quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool. (3) Results: Abortion was stigmatised and generally considered impermissible and undesirable. However, participants discussed socioculturally determined 'exceptions' to this, positing circumstances where abortion was acceptable. There were striking differences in experiences between participants in higher-income settings and those in lower- and middle-income settings. Difficulties accessing care were ubiquitous but were heightened in lower-resource settings and among participants with precarious citizenship, financial and legal statuses. (4) Conclusions: The findings highlight the need for an international convention to guide policy and programming that acknowledges the specific abortion requirements of migrant and refugee communities, with attention to their financial, legal and social precarity.

Direitos reprodutivos das mulheres submetidas à cesárea em Moçambique: uma revisão integrativa / Drets reproductius de les dones sotmeses a cesària a Moçambic: una revisió integradora / Derechos reproductivos de las mujeres sometidas a cesárea en Mozambique: una revisión integradora / Reproductive rights of women undergoing cesarean section in Mozambique: an integrative review

O presente artigo está voltado às questões referentes aos direitos reprodutivos e ao parto cesárea das mulheres em Moçambique. O objetivo foi analisar as ações/estratégias governamentais e não governamentais que visem a efetivação dos direitos reprodutivos das mulheres submetidas ao parto cesárea em Moçambique, discutindo sobre as fragilidades que configuram a violação desses direitos. Para tanto, foi realizada uma revisão integrativa da literatura nas bases de dados Elsevier, GALE, PubMed, Web of Science e DOAJ a partir da combinação dos descritores cesarean section OR reproductive rights AND Mozambique. Depois de aplicadas as estratégias de inclusão e exclusão, resultaram 13 artigos elegíveis para elaboração do presente estudo. Os resultados apontam para a falta de aplicabilidade das ações governamentais que, apesar de existirem, ainda são ineficazes para que as mulheres de Moçambique tenham seus direitos reprodutivos garantidos e assistidos.(AU)

Aquest article es centra en qüestions relacionades amb els drets reproductius i el part per cesària de les dones a Moçambic. L'objectiu era analitzar les accions/estratègies tant governamentalscom no governamentals que busquen l'efectivitat dels drets reproductius de les dones sotmeses a cesària a Moçambic, discutint les debilitats que constitueixen la violació d'aquests drets. Per fer-ho, es va realitzar una revisió integradora de la literatura a les bases de dades Elsevier, GALE, PubMed, Web of Science i DOAJ a partir de la combinació dels descriptors cesarean section OR reproductive rights AND Mozambique. Després d'aplicar les estratègies d'inclusió i exclusió, es van obtenir 13 articles elegibles per a l'elaboració del present estudi. Els resultats assenyalen la manca d'aplicabilitat de les accions governamentals que, malgrat existir, encara són ineficaços per garantir i atendre els drets reproductius de les dones a Moçambic.(AU)

El presente artículo se centra en cuestiones relacionadas con los derechos reproductivos y el parto por cesárea de las mujeres en Mozambique. El objetivo fue analizar las acciones/estrategias gubernamentales y no gubernamentales que buscan la efectividad de los derechos reproductivos de las mujeres sometidas a cesárea en Mozambique, discutiendo las debilidades que constituyen la violación de estos derechos. Para ello, se realizó una revisión integradora de la literatura en las bases de datos Elsevier, GALE, PubMed, Web of Science y DOAJ a partir de la combinación de los descriptores cesarean section OR reproductive rights AND Mozambique. Después de aplicar las estrategias de inclusión y exclusión, se obtuvieron 13 artículos elegibles para la elaboración del presente estudio. Los resultados señalan la falta de aplicabilidad de las acciones gubernamentales que, a pesar de existir, aún son ineficaces para garantizary atender los derechos reproductivos de las mujeres en Mozambique.(AU)

This article addresses issues related to reproductive rights and cesarean delivery for women in Mozambique. The objective was to analyze governmental and non-governmental actions / strategies aimed at the realization of the reproductive rights of women submitted to cesarean delivery in Mozambique, discussing the weaknesses that constitute the violation of these rights. To this end, an integrative literature review was carried out in the Elsevier, GALE, PubMed, Web of Science and DOAJ databases based on the combination of the descriptors cesarean section OR reproductive rights AND Mozambique. After applying the inclusion and exclusion strategies, 14 articles were eligible for the preparation of this study. The results point to the lack of applicability of government actions that, although they exist, are still ineffective for women in Mozambique to have their reproductive rights fully guaranteed and assisted.(AU)

Foregrounding pain in self-managed early medication abortion: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore experiences of pain in the context of early medical abortion (EMA) in the UK and to guide best practice around anticipatory guidance on pain. METHODS: From late 2020 to early 2021, we recruited individuals from across the UK who had undergone abortion during the COVID-19 pandemic to participate in in-depth, semi-structured telephone interviews. A storytelling approach was used and data were analysed thematically using NVivo 12 software. RESULTS: Focused coding and thematic analysis addressed accounts of pain, which were prominent in many interviews. We constructed the following subthemes: expected pain is manageable for some; the problem with unexpected pain; pain (co)produces fear; and problematising 'period-like pain'. The key issue which our analysis draws out is that while EMA pain experience might vary, for some it may be much worse than anticipated. Moreover, the common trope of likening it to 'period pain' can be misleading and a source of additional uncertainty at a potentially already challenging time. CONCLUSIONS: For some individuals, pain experienced in EMA will be severe and/or worse than expected. Insufficient preparation for pain can result in extremely negative experiences of EMA. Alongside development of improved analgesia, improvements should be made to anticipatory guidance on pain, particularly for those self-manging EMA at home. Framings of 'period-like pain' do not clarify expectations and should be avoided.

Beyond the Tram Lines: Disability Discrimination, Reproductive Rights and Anachronistic Abortion Law.

This article takes as its starting point the recent case of Crowter, which challenged the law permitting provision of abortion on the grounds of fetal anomaly. It begins by briefly locating the case within a longer 'biography' of the Abortion Act 1967, casting important light on the issue raised within it. It then focuses in detail on the claims made in Crowter, exploring how important moral, social and political concerns with disability discrimination were refracted through an anti-abortion lens as they were translated into legal argument. As a result, the legal remedies sought were simultaneously disproportionate and insufficient to address the harms described. Whilst agreeing that the Abortion Act reflects anachronistic and discriminatory understandings of disability and is overdue reform, the article argues that a response that fully reflects modern ethical values will require more radical change than envisaged in Crowter, and that this must refuse an opposition between the rights of pregnant and disabled people.

Social egg freezing and reproductive rights justification: A perspective from China.

Divergences and controversies are inevitable in the discussion of freedoms and rights, especially in the matter of reproduction. The Chinese first social egg freezing lawsuit raises the question: is the freedom to freeze eggs for social reasons justified because it is an instance of reproductive rights? This paper accepts social egg freezing as desirable reproductive freedom, but following Harel's approach and considering two theories of rights, the choice and interest theories of rights, we argue that social egg freezing is not a reproductive right because one cannot justify a right or an instance of rights via merely describing the function of those instances that have been justified as right, that is, the choice theory lacks justifying normativity. Since reserving fertility and a suspension from reproduction do not serve reproductive ends per se, the sufficient reason for demanding social egg freezing as a right should be found in other ends rather than in right-to-reproduce, that is, the interest theory denies the demand as a right-to-reproduce. Permitting it on any grounds without guaranteeing adequate and accessible resources, especially in light of cross-border reproductive care, raises serious questions about reproductive equality and violates the idea of reproductive rights. Therefore, any ground for social egg freezing should be weighed against whether more pressing reproductive needs, specifically those that are justified as rights, have been met. It would be social progress to shoulder these burdens for the vulnerable and then allow social egg freezing-if right-to-reproduce were not the only privilege of the few.

[Abortion in Melilla: barriers to ocean and frontier]. / Aborto en Melilla: barreras de océano y frontera.

OBJECTIVE: To provide insights into the challenges faced by women seeking abortion services in Melilla, Spain. It seeks to describe the journey these women undertake and to identify and analyze the barriers they encounter in accessing abortion care. METHOD: A qualitative research approach was employed, involving a series of eight semi-structured interviews during 2022. Three interviews were conducted with national experts in the field of abortion, while five interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals from the Melilla Health Area who are directly involved in providing abortion services and supporting women throughout the process. The study was guided by a theoretical framework that focuses on barriers to abortion access and sexual and reproductive rights. The collected data was analyzed using content analysis and categorized based on key dimensions of the study. RESULTS: The study identified several significant barriers to abortion care access in Melilla. These include conscientious objection among healthcare providers, the geographical remoteness of Melilla, the legal challenges faced by Moroccan women due to their irregular status, and the requirement of parental consent for minors aged 16 and 17. Consequently, women seeking abortion services are forced to travel to mainland Spain, continue with undesired pregnancies, or resort to unsafe clandestine abortions in Morocco, thereby endangering their lives in the worst cases. CONCLUSIONS: The barriers to abortion access identified in this study represent a violation of women's reproductive rights in Melilla. Urgent action is required to review the current process, ensuring that access is improved and the right to safe abortion is guaranteed for all women residing in Melilla.

Attitudes and Laws About Abortion Are Linked to Extrinsic Mortality Risk: A Life-History Perspective on Variability in Reproductive Rights.

Abortion policy is conventionally viewed as a political matter with religious overtones. This article offers a different view. From the perspective of evolutionary biology, abortion at a young age can represent prioritization of long-term development over immediate reproduction, a pattern established in other animal species as resulting from stable ecologies with low mortality risk. We examine whether laws and moral beliefs about abortions are linked to local mortality rates. Data from 50 U.S. states, 202 world societies, 2,596 adult individuals in 363 U.S. counties, and 147,260 respondents across the globe suggest that lower levels of mortality risk are associated with more permissive laws and attitudes toward abortion. Those associations were observed when we controlled for religiosity, political ideology, wealth, education, and industrialization. Integrating evolutionary and cultural perspectives offers an explanation as to why moral beliefs and legal norms about reproduction may be sensitive to levels of ecological adversity.

FIGO position statement on comprehensive sexuality education.

Now is a pivotal moment in the fight for reproductive health and justice internationally. Well-established research has recognized the benefits of comprehensive sexuality education for youth and adolescents-including vast reproductive health benefits, decreased interpersonal violence, and improvements on measures of academic success and well-being. Despite these established benefits, challenges to the implementation of culturally sensitive and holistically framed sexuality education are intensifying across the globe. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stands firmly in its support of comprehensive sexuality education and re-emphasizes the importance of the implementation of scientifically accurate, age-appropriate, culturally relevant, and inclusive education. Successful implementation relies on active youth leadership, physician involvement, and a renewed focus on high-quality monitoring mechanisms to assess impact and accountability at all levels. Most importantly, future efforts to improve and scale comprehensive sexuality education must emphasize the importance of an inclusive curriculum that addresses previously marginalized youth, such as LGTBQ+ and disabled individuals, through a reproductive justice lens. FIGO commits, and encourages the international healthcare community, to provide continued advocacy for the rights to health, education, and equality, in order to achieve improvement in health outcomes for young people across the globe.

Infertility in the Pacific: A crucial component of the sexual and reproductive health and rights agenda.

Across Pacific Island countries, women and men are disproportionately affected by several risk factors for infertility, including sexually transmissible infections, complications from unsafe abortions, postpartum sepsis, obesity, diabetes, tobacco smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Despite this, little is known about community awareness of infertility, behavioural risk factors, the lived experiences of infertile couples or the contexts in which they access fertility care. In this opinion piece we discuss the current evidence and gaps in evidence regarding infertility in Pacific Island countries and the importance of locally tailored approaches to preventing infertility and the provision of fertility care.

Menstrual health: Inequities in a cohort of menstruating people in the Brazilian southeastern region.

OBJECTIVE: To assess menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and period poverty in a group of low- and medium-income menstruating people. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Campinas, Brazil, from January to June 2022 with 535 participants aged 18-49. For data collection, we used the abbreviated version of the WHO Quality-of-Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) and a pre-tested questionnaire with items regarding MHM and period poverty. RESULTS: We found an inverse relationship between the risk of no access to supplies to perform menstrual hygiene, which increased by 2.5% and each point less in the environmental domain of quality of life (QoL), and this risk increased by up to 3.1 times among participants who reported difficulty making ends meet. The risk of not having adequate conditions to perform menstrual hygiene at home increased by up to 2.6% for every one-point drop in the environmental domain of QoL. The risk of not having adequate conditions to perform menstrual hygiene outside the home increased by up to 1.3% for less points in the psychological domain of QoL, and 44.4% of those who indicated inadequate conditions for menstrual hygiene reported two or more childbirths. CONCLUSIONS: Menstruating people who have an increased risk of lacking menstrual supplies and have an increased risk of inadequate conditions for MHM at home and outside the home, as well as those who have two or more deliveries and those having difficulties making ends meet, scored low on the QoL, especially in the environmental and psychological dimensions.

Access to assisted human reproduction techniques in Colombia: Disparity between the recognition of reproductive rights and their effective implementation.

Public funding of assisted reproduction technologies (ARTs) is a controversial issue. Some health systems have proposed public funding of ARTs. In recent years, there has been evidence of a change in the line of jurisprudence and legislation in Colombia about this topic. This article analyzes the tension between the recognition of individual sexual and reproductive rights and the common good, in terms of the sustainability of the health system and the reasonable use of limited resources to meet the health needs of the population. This article concludes that, despite regulatory progress, there has been a lack of corresponding progress in their effective implementation and the recognition of reproductive rights.

Patterns in the provision of government-subsidised hormonal postpartum contraception in Queensland, Australia between 2012 and 2018: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Short birth intervals and unintended pregnancy are associated with poorer maternal and infant outcomes. There is a risk of pregnancy during the immediate postpartum period unless contraception is initiated. This retrospective cohort study aimed to capture the current patterns of hormonal contraceptive provision within 12 months postpartum in a high-income country. METHODS: We used a linked administrative dataset comprising all women who gave birth in Queensland, Australia between 1 July 2012 and 30 June 2018 (n=339 265 pregnancies). We described our cohort by whether they were provided with government-subsidised hormonal contraception within 12 months postpartum. The associations between hormonal postpartum contraceptive provision and demographic and clinical characteristics were examined using univariate and multivariate logistic regression and presented in terms of crude and adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: A majority of women (60.2%) were not provided with government-subsidised hormonal postpartum contraception within 12 months postpartum. Women who were younger (<25 years), were overweight or obese, smoked, were born in Australia, were non-Indigenous, gave birth in a public hospital, or were in the lowest socioeconomic status group were more likely to be provided with postpartum contraception after adjusting for other covariates, compared with their counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Strategies to increase the provision and uptake of contraception in the immediate postpartum period are needed to prevent short birth intervals and unintended pregnancy and ensure women's fertility intentions are enacted. Ongoing research is needed to examine the factors influencing women's access to contraceptive services and, further, the types of contraception provided.