The SRHM Podcast explores new research and emerging trends in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights. Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters or SRHM promotes sexual and reproductive health and rights globally. At the heart of SRHM is a multidisciplinary, open-access, peer-reviewed journal. SRHM also creates and participates in spaces that motivate improvements in research, policy, services and practice. It contributes to capacity building in knowledge generation. Learn more at srhm.org. Music by Tiber Krisztián and Salamon Botond Sound editing by We Edit Podcasts
How arms exports can contribute to human rights violations of women living in Gaza: Examining states’ extraterritorial obligations under CEDAW
On 16 October 2024, Eszter Kismödi, Chief
Executive of SRHM, spoke to James Yap, Acting Director of the International Human Rights Program at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and Anjli Parrin, Director of the Global Human Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School about a report which reviews Canada's complicity in violations of women’s rights to maternal healthcare in Gaza.
Both of these institutions jointly prepared a submission to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee) highlighting Canada’s consistent shortcomings in meeting its transnational human rights obligations and following extensive research conducted by the clinics on the grave impact of the conflict in Gaza on women and children since October 7, 2023.
The SRHM Journal has been documenting human rights violations for more than 30 years, with a rich history showing how international human rights law impacts people's lives. As conflicts continue in different parts of the world, SRHM is calling for a wide range of forms of evidence, including perspectives from those involved, service delivery accounts, rapid qualitative and quantitative research, critical analyses and testimonies related to SRHR in conflict. Please read more about this call for papers at the link below.
Useful links
Read the full report to CEDAW: FEMINIST FOREIGN POLICY FAIL? ASSESSING CANADA’S HUMAN RIGHTS OBLIGATIONS IN GAZA Submission to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women on the Occasion of the Committee's Review of Canada's 10th Report
SRHM Editorial and Call for Papers: Sexual and reproductive health and rights in Palestine – securing spaces to speak out by Laura Ferguson & Sapna Desai
10/18/2024 • 28 minutes, 1 second
Interview with Dr. Faysal El Kak from the bombings in Beirut, October 2024.
Eszter Kismodi, Chief Executive of Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters (SRHM) speaks to Dr. Faysal El Kak to get some first hand information of the situation with sexual and reproductive health and the human rights situation in Beirut during the bombings of Beirut and other areas in Lebanon in September and October 2024.
Dr. El Kak is the Director of Women Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) Program, American University of Beirut, President of the Eastern Mediterrean Federation of the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) and Editorial and Advisory Board Member for SRHM.
10/9/2024 • 15 minutes, 47 seconds
Setting research priorities for prevention and response to child marriage in communities in the Arab region: findings from a multi-stage Delphi study involving practitioners across the region
In this episode, our Associated Editor, Nina Sun talks to the authors of a recently published paper in the SRHM journal, 'Setting research priorities for prevention and response to child marriage in communities in the Arab region: findings from a multi-stage Delphi study involving practitioners across the region.'
Progress on ending child marriage in the Arab region is slowing due to an increase in conflict-affected populations and widespread economic crisis. This paper explores the research priorities across the region to inform effective and accelerated child marriage prevention and response programming within the Arab region
We hear from Janna Metzler, Co-founder and Executive Director of a new non-profit dedicated to improving population health through community-driven solutions, Aisha Hutchinson, Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences at the School of Education, Communication, and Society at King’s College London and Katrina Kiss, a postgraduate researcher at the School of Education, Communication, and Society at King’s College London.
The authors talk about the rationale behind their study, the pros and cons of the unique research methodology presented in the paper, and specific findings that stood out to them.
We hope you enjoy this episode.
9/27/2024 • 21 minutes, 15 seconds
Pleasure Matters
In this one-of-a-kind episode, we bring to you a dynamic and engaging discussion that took place on the 5th of September 2024, titled 'Pleasure Matters', in collaboration with The Pleasure Project and Agents of Ishq.
This discussion followed the launch of SRHM's first-ever Special Collection on Sexual Pleasure, and comes at a time when sex and pleasure continue to be associated with stigma and shame, and the need for pleasure for the sake of pleasure is often overlooked in discussions around sexual health and rights.
Panellists, whose work also features in this Special Collection, provided unique perspectives on the integration of pleasure, politics, and SRHR, pleasure in the context of disability, rights, and gender, what pleasure could mean for different individuals and communities, and the need to engage with the lived experiences and politics of pleasure to achieve holistic SRHR.
Moderators:
Eszter Kismodi, Chief Executive, Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters
Anne Philpott, Founder and Co-Director, The Pleasure Project
Paromita Vohra, Creative Director, Agents of Ishq
Panellists:
Sherren El Faki, Director for Solidarity for Change and Voice at the International Planned Parenthood Federation
Lawrence Shapiro, Deaf and Disability Artist with the Canada Council for the Arts and a leading disabled dancer in his native Canada
Zahra Stardust, Sexual media scholar working at the intersections of sexuality, technology, and social justice.
Additional resources:
Finding the cosmos of intimacies: where pleasurable safe sex dances with liberation - Editorial by Anne Philpott and Paromita Vohra
9/20/2024 • 1 hour, 16 minutes, 5 seconds
Rights- and evidence-based knowledge in legal action
This podcast on rights- and evidence-based knowledge in legal action is part of a rights-based knowledge creation series by SRHM. The series includes articles, blogs, podcasts and webinars. There are links to these resources below.
In this episode, SRHM Chief Executive Eszter Kismodi speaks to esteemed colleagues in the SRHR movement about the use of evidence for legal and human rights and SRHR action in their respective situations. Given the ever-changing global, regional and national contexts they discuss how the nature of evidence and knowledge is changing over time and lastly, what we need to effectively use evidence and knowledge for legal and human rights action.
The discussion takes place between:
Eszter Kidmodi, Chief Executive of Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters (SRHM)
Mindy Jane Roseman, Director of International Law Programs and Director of the Gruber Program for Global Justice and Women’s Rights. Mindy is also an Associate Editor for SRHM.
Allan Maleche, Executive Director of Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS. Allan is also an Editorial Advisory Board Member for SRHM
Dipika Jain, Professor & Vice Dean and Director- Centre for Justice, Law and Society (CJLS), Jindal Global Law School. Dipika is also a Regional Editor for the SRHM South Asia Hub.
Useful links
SRHM rights- and evidence-based knowledge creation resources
Introductory guide to rights-based knowledge creation in SRHR
Podcast on key concepts of rights-based research
Webinar on accountability in sexual and reproductive health and rights research
Sign up to the SRHM newsletter to hear about more events in this series
9/13/2024 • 41 minutes, 48 seconds
Samuel Bester: The Artist behind the Cover of our First Special Collection on Sexual Pleasure
As SRHM gets ready to launch its first Special
Collection on Sexual Pleasure, let’s hear from the artist behind the cover of this collection—Samuel Bester. Hailing from Switzerland, Samuel Bester grew up fascinated by art, especially with the emotion,
upheaval, and creativity that art evokes in people. While studying in Strasbourg in 1992, Samuel took a keen interest in video art, an art form that is linked to the Fluxus movement. The Fluxus movement strived to bind life and
art together—a philosophy that Samuel abides to, till date.
This cover image is a still from Samuel Bester’s
video 'Hermaphrodite', based on the poem Hermaphrodite from Book IV of Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
Through this image, Samuel wanted to visualise the story
in this poem, of the fusion of the male and female gender to form a new gender, and depict the sensuality and eroticism of this process.
Listen to Samuel talk in depth about the inspiration behind his art, and what this cover image signifies to him!
8/23/2024 • 23 minutes, 8 seconds
Access to assisted reproductive technologies in sub-Saharan Africa: fertility professionals' views
In this episode, Nina Sun, the Associated Editor of the SRHM journal, speaks to Trudie Gerrits and Andrea Whittaker, the authors of a recently published paper: Assisted reproductive technologies in sub-Saharan Africa: fertility professionals' views.
Andrea is a Professor of Anthropology at the School of Social Sciences at Monash University. Trudie is an Associate Professor at the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research at the University of Amsterdam. Trudie and Andrea talk about their study, which involved semi-structured interviews with fertility specialists and embryologists from six sub-Saharan countries, and was funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council. Specifically, they speak to the rationale or gap in knowledge behind this study, the implications of the findings, and ways to increase access to low-cost yet effective assisted reproductive technologies to address infertility in sub-Saharan Africa.
8/2/2024 • 15 minutes, 45 seconds
Interview with Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad: The First Trans President of the European Federation of Sexology
In this episode, the Chief Executive of SRHM, Eszter Kismodi speaks to one of Norway’s most prominent trans people, Esther Esben Pirelli Benestad, a physician and sexologist, who has recently been appointed the President of the European Federation of Sexology. In this short but moving discussion, Esben Esther talks about their hopes of an inclusive world where people of all gender identities are respected, their new role and its significance for the transgender community, and the importance of sexual pleasure, health and rights in the current political climate. They end with a beautiful, self-composed poem, that provides insights into their journey.
7/31/2024 • 16 minutes, 10 seconds
Editor's Summary: Obstetric violence in the United States and other high-income countries
In this episode we hear from the authors of a recent SRHM paper 'Obstetric violence in the United States and other high-income countries: an integrative review'.
Dr. Lorraine Garcia is a Nurse-Scientist and practicing midwife and Dr. Brie Thumm is a certified nurse-midwife and Assistant Professor, both in association with the College of Nursing of the University of Colorado.
We hear about the gap in knowledge that this paper addresses, findings that stood out to the authors personally and where to go from here in addressing obsetric violence in high-income countries.
Useful links:
Obstetric violence in the United States and other high-income countries: an integrative review
SRHM Call for Papers 2024
Related SRHM papers:
Invisible wounds: obstetric violence in the United States Farah Diaz-Tello , J.D.
Moving beyond disrespect and abuse: addressing the structural dimensions of obstetric violence Sadler et al.
7/1/2024 • 21 minutes, 28 seconds
30 Years of the International Conference on Population and Development: Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in an Era of Challenging Political Contexts
This episode takes us through an important discussion that took place on April 17, 2024, organised by the University of Southern California's Institute on Inequalities in Global Health in partnership with Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters.
Despite massive regressions in SRHR and anti-rights movements, 30 years later, the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) agenda continues to set a standard for people-centred development, acting as a global touchstone for SRHR and rights-based policies and programs. How has the current political climate impacted the fulfilment of this agenda?
Listen to an incredible group of panellists reflect on the history and future of health and development in the current political climate.
Moderators:
Sofia Gruskin: Director, USC Institute on Inequalities
in Global Health and Sapna Desai: SRHM Board of Trustees Co-Chair
Panellists:
Bouchra Assarag: President of Together for Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (Enssemble pour la Santé de la Reproduction et Droits (EDSSR) and Deputy Director of Studies in the National School of Public Health, Morocco.
Gita Sen: Honorary Distinguished Professor of the Ramalingaswami Centre on Equity and Social Determinants of Health at the Public Health Foundation of India.
Montasser Kamal: Former Deputy Director for Global Health Policy and Research at Global Affairs Canada, currently at International Development Research Centre.
Uluk Batyrgaliev: Health Officer at Eurasian Coalition for Health, Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity, Kyrgyztan.
5/31/2024 • 1 hour, 2 minutes, 42 seconds
What do Oral Contraceptives have to do with Human Rights Abuses in Sport?
In this important one-hour podcast episode, listen to moderator Professor Alice M. Miller, J.D. (co-director of the GHJP of Yale Law and Public Health Schools), and the authors of a recently published SRHM paper (What do oral contraceptives have to do with human rights abuses in sport?), Katrina Karkazis, PhD, MPH (Professor, Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies at Amherst College) and Michele Krech, J.S.D. (Bigelow Fellow and Lecturer in Law at University of Chicago Law School).
They discuss in detail how the Court of Arbitration of Sport and World Athletics rely on mistaken assumptions about oral contraceptives, and misused scientific evidence to uphold a coercive and medically unnecessary use of oral contraceptive pills for testosterone suppression, in female athletes with naturally high testosterone levels, as an eligibility criterion to compete in certain track events. This discussion took place a few days before an important event - the hearing of Olympic runner Caster Semenya's appeal against these regulations, by the European Court of Human Rights on May 15, 2024, on the grounds that these are discriminatory to people with differences in sexual development. Semenya, who is legally female, was coerced to take oral contraceptives to reduce her natural testosterone levels, to be able to compete in track events 400m. and beyond, a medical intervention that negatively impacted her health and career.
We also hear from Dr. Otmar Kloiber, Secretary General of the World Medical Association, who discusses his stance and concerns on these coercive regulations brought about by World Athletics. Moreover, we hear from Dr. Payoshini Mitra, an athlete rights defender who actively campaigns for the abolition of sex testing practices in female sports, talks to Ugandan former running champion Annet Negesa, who was coerced to undergo an invasive procedure mandated by the World Athletics to lower her testosterone levels.
Useful links:
What do oral contraceptives have to do with human rights abuses in sport?
5/21/2024 • 59 minutes, 59 seconds
Laws governing access to sexual health services and information: contents, protections, and restrictions
In this episode, we hear from two authors of the paper 'Laws governing access to sexual health services and information: contents, protections, and restrictions', Laura Ferguson and Sarah Emoto.
Laura Ferguson is the Director of Research at the University of Southern California Institute on Inequalities in Global Health and an Associate Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences. She is also an Associate Editor right here at SRHM. Sarah Emoto is a Research Program Specialist at the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health.
Their paper reviewed 40 laws in English, French, and Spanish from 18 countries to understand how many and which sexual health services and information countries ensure in their laws, which sexual health services are illegal, and which people are protected from discrimination in accessing these services.
They found that countries use many different types of laws to ensure access to sexual health services or information, and most countries do not cover the same types or number of sexual health services. There are also differences in which people are specifically protected from discrimination in the laws we reviewed.
These findings are important because they may help countries identify ways that access to sexual health services and information could be improved so as to improve people’s sexual health. They may also guide future research.
Useful links:
Laws governing access to sexual health services and information: contents, protections, and restrictions
SRHM Open Issue 2024
5/17/2024 • 12 minutes, 2 seconds
Call for Papers: SRHM 2024 Open Issue
In this episode, SRHM Associate Editor Nina Sun, talks to Executive Editor, Emma Pitchforth and Managing Editor, Pete Chapman, about an exciting new call for papers for the 2024 Open Issue.
SRHM is calling for submissions on all SRHR topics, particularly those which bring a rights focus to neglected and marginalised issues, as well as those whose lead authors are from the Global South. We hope that this year’s Open Issue will bring documentation and analysis of progressive examples of upholding SRHR, as well as addressing critical gaps in the field
Useful links:
Call for Papers 2024 Open Issue
Instructions for authors
More about SRHM
Read papers from the SRHM Journal
5/10/2024 • 6 minutes, 51 seconds
Tailoring Out of School Comprehensive Sexuality Education Interventions for Left-behind Populations
In our latest podcast episode, the Associated Editor of SRHM, Nina Sun, speaks to two colleagues from the United Nations Population Fund - Petar Mladnov, a Programme Analyst for youth-led advocacy, comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), and Ilya Zhukov, a Technical Specialist and global CSE focal point.
Young people living with HIV, young people selling sex, and young people from marginalised backgrounds are often left behind from CSE interventions and there is a pressing need to tailor CSE programs in order to include them, and improve their sexual wellbeing.
In this episode, listen to the panelists engage in an enlightening discussion on how to improve CSE program integrity, quality, and fidelity for left-behind populations and how their work with local partners and research institutions are helping to address research gaps for the success of these programs in different countries. They also discuss how they measure and evaluate facilitators that enhance inclusive CSE programs, and efforts to improve the facilitators' performance in different contexts.
Useful links from the SRHM journal issue:
Comprehensive
sexuality education (CSE) programming adaptations in response to disruptions
caused by the COVID-19 pandemic
The
International Technical and Programmatic Guidance on Out-of-School
Comprehensive Sexuality Education – an evidence-informed approach for
non-formal, out-of-school programmes reaching young people from left-behind
populations
4/26/2024 • 13 minutes, 23 seconds
Battling Disinformation and Misinformation: Sexual and Reproductive Rights in the Digital Age
This episode was co-organised by SRHM and the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health, and moderated by the Institute's director and SRHM Trustee, Sofia Gruskin. With an introduction by Nina Sun, Associated Editor of the SRHM Journal, we hear from key actors, including Anne Philpott - Founder of the Pleasure Project, Eszter Kismödi - Chief Executive of SRHM, Kat Lowe - Content Moderation Lead for Medan, a global not-for-profit organisation, and Liza Mangaldas - India's foremost pleasure-positive content creator, on how information, misinformation, and disinformation in the current digital age impacts sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), with a particular focus on sexuality education, contraception, and abortion.
Listen to the panelists engage in a rich discussion on effective strategies to counter the challenges surrounding SRHR in the digital age, to ensure that the transformative potential of technology reaches those who need it most, and support agency, bodily autonomy, and decision making for all individuals.
Useful links:
SRHM journal issue 'Digital technology and sexual and reproductive health and rights'
Watch the video recording of this webinar
USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health
3/29/2024 • 58 minutes, 41 seconds
Editor's Summary: Donor funding for SRHR advocacy
In this episode, Nina Sun, Associated Editor for the SRHM Journal speaks to Sundari Ravindran, Senior Editor of the SRHM Journal, about a recently published issue titled, 'Donor Funding for SRHR Advocacy'.
Sundari speaks to the rationale and gap in knowledge that this issue addressess and why it was important for SRHM to publish on this topic. She also talks about specific findings that stood out to her personally. Lastly she discusses the next steps now that we have gathered this evidence in the SRHM Journal.
Useful links:
SRHM Issue: Donor funding for SRHR advocacy
Perspective: Is there an alternative to grant-funding for sexual and reproductive health advocacy? A survey of the income base of AmplifyChange grantees Alex le May & Lucie Hazelgrove-Planel
Commentary: “Effective social justice advocacy: a theory of change framework for assessing progress” – reflections on the terrain since its publication in 2011 Barbara Klugman
Commentary: Forgotten by donors: a call to action by persons with disabilities to resource disability justice within sexual and reproductive health rights funding Lisa Adams
Commentary: Advocacy for resourcing feminist and women’s rights movements: an interview with the association for women’s rights in development (AWID) Cindy Clark, Kasia Staszewska, Tenzin Dolker & T.K. Sundari Ravindran
3/15/2024 • 11 minutes, 46 seconds
The moral determinants of reproductive health—not “our lane”?
In anticipation of the International Conference on Family Planning, this episode focuses on reproductive power and aligning actions with values in global family planning.
The conversation is moderated by Sara Gullo who works as an Independent Consultant. Sara is joined by Christine Galavotti a Senior Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Feven Mekuria a Senior Advisor in Community Health systems at CARE.
This conversation is inspired by a recent article on reproductive power and family planning written by Christine and Sara which was published in the SRHM journal. The link to the article is available in the episode description or you can find it at SRHM.org.
Useful links:
Reproductive power matters: aligning actions with values in global family planning written by Christine Galavotti & Sara Gullo: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/26410397.2022.2082353
Jade Sasser’s book titled On Infertile Ground: https://nyupress.org/9781479899357/on-infertile-ground/
Reproductive Autonomy Scale: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24615573/
Contraceptive Autonomy: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24615573/
Op-Ed on contraception as ‘poverty cure’: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/02/opinion/iud-implants-contraception-poverty.html--
Summary of the project with married girls from Ethiopia: a4_tesfainvestigativeresearchbrief_print.pdf (care.org)
11/8/2022 • 27 minutes, 32 seconds
Pleasure Matters – shining a light on pleasure as a core element of SRHR
In this episode, four experts discuss the importance of pleasure for health and wellbeing and how it connects to family planning and contraception. They also discuss the pleasure deficit, why it exists and what we can do about it.
This episode is moderated by Anne Philpott who is the Founder and Co-Director of The Pleasure Project - an international education and advocacy organization working to eroticize safer sex. Anne is speaking with Ana Santos, an award-winning journalist who reports on the intersections of sexuality, sexual health, and female migrant labour. She is also a Pleasure Fellow at The Pleasure Project. Anne is also speaking with Mahmoud Garga, Lead Specialist in Strategic Communication, Media Relations and Digital Campaigning at the IPPF Africa Regional Office. He also leads their Treasure You Pleasure campaign across Sub-Saharan Africa. And lastly, Jessica Sanders is also joining the conversion. Jessica is an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah in the Division of Family Planning and Director of research at the ASCENT Center for reproductive and sexual health. She received her PhD in Public Health from the University of Utah with an emphasis in Women’s Health.
Useful links:
The Pleasure Project
The Pleasure Principles – guide to implementing pleasure based sexual health
The Systematic Review on 'What is the added value of incorporating pleasure in sexual health interventions?'
· Explanatory note
· Journal article
The World Association of Sexual Health Sexual Pleasure Declaration
The World Association for Sexual Health’s Declaration on Sexual Pleasure: A technical guide
World Sexual Health Day – Let’s talk Pleasure - 2022
Treasure your pleasure campaign
The campaign, in English, French and Portuguese aims to create a safe space for youth in Africa to talk about sex freely, reducing shame through bold communication that resonates with them and grabs their attention while also advocating for safe sex and the importance of pleasure.
Middle Me Podcast with Ana Santos
By Jessica Sanders:
Sex, poverty, and public health: Connections between sexual wellbeing and economic resources among US reproductive health clients
Measuring the Sexual Acceptability of Contraception: Psychometric Examination and Development of a Valid and Reliable Prospective Instrument
9/2/2022 • 59 minutes, 29 seconds
What just happened?: Abortion in the U.S. after Roe
On June 24, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe v. Wade and thus removed constitutional protection for abortion rights in the country. This decision will hurt millions of people – especially those who already face discriminatory obstacles to health care. In response, we recorded this episode of the SRHM Podcast to better understand the situation in the U.S. right now and the implications of this milestone ruling.
The conversation is moderated by Mindy Jane Roseman, Director of International Law Programs at Yale Law, the Director of the Gruber Program for Global Justice and Women’s Rights, and SRHM Associate Editor. Mindy is speaking with Elizabeth Nash, Principal Policy Associate, State Issues with the Guttmacher Institute in Washington, DC, and Rachel Rebouché, Interim Dean of Temple University Beasley School of Law and James E. Beasley Professor of Law.
Useful links:
The new abortion battleground by David S. Cohen, Greer Donley and Rachel Rebouché https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4032931
Updated map of abortion laws per state: https://states.guttmacher.org/policies/
New numbers on abortion in the US for 2019 and 2020: https://www.guttmacher.org/article/2022/06/long-term-decline-us-abortions-reverses-showing-rising-need-abortion-supreme-court
Take action:
If you can, consider donating to the Center for Reproductive Rights (https://reproductiverights.org/), Planned Parenthood (https://www.plannedparenthood.org/), or other advocacy groups or abortion clinics in the U.S.
7/5/2022 • 36 minutes
Sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice in the war against Ukraine 2022
In this episode, SRHM Chief Executive Eszter Kismodi speaks with five experts on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in relation to the war against Ukraine. Together, they cover issues such as access to SRHR in Ukraine and in neighboring countries, the complexity of delivering humanitarian aid, the nuances of surrogacy during wars, as well as the importance of humanitarian law, human rights law and criminal law.
Speakers:
Galina Maistruk - Obstetrician-Gynecologist in Ukraine
Wanda Nowicka - Member of Parliament in Poland
Alison Motluk - Freelance Journalist specialized in assisted reproduction
Dr. Henia Dakkak - Head of Policy and Liaison Unit, Humanitarian Office, UNFPA in Moldova
Christina Zampas - Associate Director of Global Advocacy at the Center for Reproductive Rights
Resources:
SRHM editorial on SRHR in Ukraine
Ukraine’s Surrogacy Industry Has Put Women in Impossible Positions by Alison Motluk published in The Atlantic
HeyReprotech newsletter by Alison Motluk
Ukraine Surrogacy Dispatch newsletter by Alison Motluk
3/23/2022 • 57 minutes, 53 seconds
Poetry for sexual and reproductive justice
Following a call for poetry in September 2021, SRHM published its first poetry anthology on sexual and reproductive justice. To celebrate the release of the collection, we invited five poets and a member of the Selection Committee to read their poems and share what inspired them to write. This episode of the SRHM Podcast is the recording from the launch event.
SRHM's poetry collection is available online at http://www.srhm.org/poetry-for-sexual-and-reproductive-justice/
Poets:
Megan Spencer (poem: on mother’s day, our first together.)
Carmen Barosso (poem: Forgive me, Father)
Haiber Andres Logos Lemus (poem: Libertad + Amor / Freedom + Love)
Elizabeth Wright Veintimilla (poem: For the women who came before us)
Mahamuda Rahman (poem: My body is my soul)
Jane Cottingham (poem: This is where)
3/21/2022 • 37 minutes, 17 seconds
Trans reproductive justice
This episode features Avery Everhart, Blas Radi and A.J. Lowik. Together, they discuss the importance of inclusive language and best practices, how social movements for trans rights and reproductive justice are influenced by geographic contexts, and how the criteria for political participation are too often based on cisnormative logic. The episode concludes with several recommendations on how to be more inclusive.
Read Blas Radi’s article published by SRHM: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/26410397.2020.1824318
The transcript for this episode is available here: http://www.srhm.org/news/trans-reproductive-justice-podcast-transcript/
Other resources:
Florence Ashley: https://www.florenceashley.com/
Pregnancy: Reproductive Futures in Trans of Color Feminism by micha cárdenas: https://read.dukeupress.edu/tsq/article-abstract/3/1-2/48/91814/PregnancyReproductive-Futures-in-Trans-of-Color
Dr. A.J. Lowik’s manual on trans inclusive abortion services: https://www.ajlowik.com/transinclusive-abortion
2/1/2022 • 34 minutes, 24 seconds
US foreign policy and abortion
In this episode, Emily Maistrellis, Senior Program Officer at the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health is hosting a conversation with three colleagues on the impact of US foreign policy on abortion worldwide. More specifically, they discuss the Global Gag Rule, or the GGR, and how even though the policy was rescinded in January 2021, the effects continue to be seen globally.
Speakers:
Patty Skuster, Beck Chair in Law at Temple Law School and fellow with the Center for Public Health Law Research
Anand Tamang, Founding Director of CREHPA, a research organization based in Kathmandu, Nepal
Evelyne Opondo, Senior Regional Director for Africa at the Center for Reproductive Rights
This episode builds on a special journal issue published by SRHM and Columbia University titled Exporting harm: impact of the expanded Global Gag Rule on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
12/14/2021 • 38 minutes, 17 seconds
Surrogacy and reproductive justice
In today’s episode, Mindy Jane Roseman, SRHM Associate Editor, Director of International Law Programs at Yale Law and Director of the Gruber Program for Global Justice and Women’s Rights is speaking with Dr. Marcin Smietana, Research Associate in the Reproductive Sociology Research Group at Cambridge University and Sarojini Nadimpally, Founder of Sama Resource Group for Women and Health and the former Co-chair of People's Health Movement Global.
Together, they discuss the evolution and complexities of surrogacy worldwide. They explore how surrogacy is viewed in different areas of the world, how laws vary, and how to frame the issue from a reproductive justice perspective.
This episode builds on an article co-authored by Marcin titled, “Moral frameworks of commercial surrogacy within the US, India and Russia”, which was published in the SRHM Journal last spring.
11/30/2021 • 31 minutes, 22 seconds
Texas abortion ban: what it means and what happens next
In September 2021, the state of Texas implemented Senate Bill 8 (SB8) banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, including in cases of rape and incest. This is one of the most restrictive state laws on abortion in the country. To better understand what this means, SRHM gathered expert speakers to discuss how SB8 was implemented, the strategies being pursued to stop its enforcement and the ban’s implications for sexual and reproductive health and rights in the US and beyond.
Speakers:
Dr. Kari White - Associate Professor in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work and Faculty Research Associate at the Population Research Center at The University of Texas
Melanie Fontes - Fellow at the Center for Reproductive Rights
Dr. Samuel Dickman - Medical Director for Primary Care at Planned Parenthood South Texas
More resources:
What if Roe fell? by the Center for Reproductive Rights
They Say They Are Attacking Abortion. They Are Really Hurting the Poor, Op-ed by Dr. Dickman in The New York Times
I’m an abortion doctor in Texas. My patients are desperate, Op-ed by Dr. Dickman in The Guardian
Texas Policy Evaluation Project
How Texas Banned Almost All Abortion, The Daily Podcast
11/4/2021 • 55 minutes, 21 seconds
Rethinking abortion legal reforms in India and South Korea
in this episode, Rupsa Mallik, Director of Programs and Innovation at CREA, a feminist international human rights organization based in the Global South and led by women from the Global South, is in conversation with Na Young who is the co-founder and representative of the Centre for Sexual Rights and Reproductive Justice or SHARE, in South Korea.
Together, they discuss abortion legal reforms by comparing India and South Korea’s journeys to advance safe and legal abortion.
This episode builds on a commentary published by SRHM titled “The MTP 2020 Amendment Bill: anti-rights subjectivity” which focuses on the Indian context.
10/27/2021 • 39 minutes, 2 seconds
The effectiveness of self-managed abortion using misoprostol alone
In this episode, Dr. Ruvani Jayaweera is in conversation with her colleagues Dr. Heidi Moseson, Ijeoma Egwuatu, and Ika Ayu Kristiangrum about recent research from the SAFE study on the effectiveness of self-managed abortion using misoprostol alone. Together, they discuss how these findings can be contextualized within the clinical literature and the implications of these findings for those who need access to abortion and those who support them.
This episode builds on a commentary published in the SRHM journal entitled, “A love letter to misoprostol, the original abortion medication,” by Dr. Ruvani Jayaweera, Dr. Heidi Moseson, and Dr. Caitlin Gerdts.
SAFE pilot paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33444174/
SAFE protocol paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7588945/
To learn more about GIWYN: https://giwynn.org/
To learn more about Samsara: https://samsara.or.id/
Watch the 'Misoprostol' song video: http://giwyn.simplesite.com/442733386
9/27/2021 • 31 minutes, 19 seconds
Rights-based SRHR research: concepts, principles and methodologies
In this first episode of a series on rights-based research and knowledge creation, SRHM Chief Executive, Eszter Kismodi, speaks with three leading experts in the field and together they discuss the important concept of rights-based research and explore why it matters for sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The speakers in this episode are Sundari Ravindran, Laura Ferguson and Sabina Faiz Rashid.
5/12/2021 • 29 minutes, 42 seconds
Menstrual hygiene in Chennai, India during COVID-19 and beyond
In this episode, Dr. Ankitha Manohar, a practicing OBGYN from India, interviews her friend and colleague, Dr. Nuzrath Jahan, a Master of Public Health Research Scholar from India. In their conversation, Drs Ankitha and Nuzrath discuss the ongoing effects of the pandemic on menstrual health as well as the link between access to safe water and menstrual hygiene.
Read Dr Nuzrath Jahan's commentary here: Bleeding during a pandemic, the politics of menstruation
4/29/2021 • 16 minutes, 41 seconds
Reflections on research published in 2020 and what's ahead
In this short episode, Nina Sun, SRHM Associate Editor, and Julia Hussein, SRHM Editor-in-Chief, look back at the research published in the SRHM Journal in 2020 and share their thoughts on emerging trends in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights.