Vital

News & commentary about the global health workforce

The Other 16 and Pregnant

Without access to reproductive health services, adolescents' plans could be interrupted by unintended pregnancy.

Let's Talk About It

Family planning seems to be on everyone’s minds these days. How can we keep the momentum going?

Star of Senegal: A Midwife Fights for Affordable Family Planning

Aïssatou Dia Fall has become a star in Yeumbeul, Senegal.

Why Does a Woman Use Contraception? For a Better Life.

I consider myself a strong advocate for the wide availability of family planning methods, and of women being able to decide if and when they want to become pregnant.

National Conventions and International Issues: The DNC Provides Great Opportunity to Promote Global Health

Women’s reproductive health rights are a heated topic in the United States (US) this election year. I had the opportunity to attend an advocacy event focused on reproductive rights and access at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) last week.

Frontline Workers Can Provide High-Touch Solutions to the Family Planning Conundrum

This weekend I returned from a long period of travel, having visited programs in eight countries in six weeks—some where I have lived, others where IntraHealth has had a significant commitment in partnership with the local government and communities, and still more where I feel I have spent so much time visiting over the past 25 years that I have come to feel at home.

Family Planning: It Takes a Health Worker—and Saves Money and Lives

We need to invest more, globally, to ensure that health workers are there to expand access and offer services.

Letter to the Editor: Maurice Middleberg Defends Contraception as Preventive Medicine

Charles Krauthammer questioned the classification of contraception as preventive medicine, stating that “categorizing pregnancy as a disease equivalent is a value decision disguised as science.”

Accelerating Family Planning Momentum: What I Am Hearing from Leadership

Earlier this month, during the Dakar International Family Planning Conference, the President of Senegal, Mr. Abdoulaye Wade, took a bold and unprecedented stance in his address in the opening ceremony of the conference saying, “Senegalese families should limit the number of children to better battle poverty.”

Political Support and Popular Opinion on the Largest-Ever Family Planning Conference: Part I

Wrapping up earlier this month, the International Conference on Family Planning brought together more than 2,000 participants for three days of science and advocacy on family planning.