Articles about Sexual Health

Raising Awareness for World Mental Health Day  Adopting a comprehensive approach to sexual and reproductive health and rights is critical to ensuring sexual and reproductive well-being and bodily autonomy.   International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) joins the international community in commemorating World Mental Health Day and acknowledges the connection of mental health with overall health and wellness, which are intrinsically linked with sexual and reproductive health.   Since 1992, the World Federation for Mental Health observes October 10th as a day to improve knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human. The federation’s member associations and collaborative partners are committed with ensuring that all services related to sexual and reproductive care are carried out with a comprehensive approach in mind that strives to ensure sexual and reproductive well-being and bodily autonomy.   The Americas and the Caribbean Regional Director, Eugenia Lopez Uribe shares her sentiments on the importance of mental health by stating that:  “IPPF has a client-centred approach that aims to promote healthy and satisfying sexuality and reproduction, which its impacted by mental health. Everyone deserves to be able to access quality care that acknowledges their needs and prioritizes their overall well-being holistically. As a region, we are committed to continuing or work challenging stigma and contributing to the promotion of dignified care and lives.”  Sexual and reproductive Health and Rights are an integral element of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, as it is recognized by the Special Rapporteur on the right to health of the United Nations.   Today, IPPF ACRO recognizes and celebrates our member associations who continue to deliver client-centered approaches in their day-to-day work and are working to expand access to all in their home countries and at the regional level, as we continue to champion sexual and reproductive care for all that acknowledges the impact of mental health in our ability to feel and give pleasure as well as our relationships with other people and loved ones.  

15 February 2023  For immediate release: Statement on the Penal Code of The Dominican Republic  International Planned Parenthood Federation - Americas and The Caribbean Regional Office (IPPF ACRO)  Two decades' worth of attempts by national feminist movements to reform the Dominican Republic's brutal Criminal Code has failed. The Caribbean country is one of the five countries in the world where ending a pregnancy is strictly prohibited under any circumstances. Abortion is now the third leading cause of maternal death in the country. The current Criminal Code dates back to 1884 and despite the Chamber of Deputies approving a revision to the Criminal Code in 2014 to allow abortion in the following three circumstances: where the pregnancy poses a risk to the life of a pregnant person, where the fetus could not survive outside the womb, and where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. The revision was struck down by the Constitutional Court in 2015. Despite President Luis Abinader vocal support of decriminalising support in certain circumstances, the decision today fails all pregnant people and will undoubtedly force more to turn to unsafe abortion methods that could be fatal.   Eugenia Lopez Uribe – IPPF Americas and Caribbean Regional Director said: “ For twenty years the strong feminist movements in the Dominican Republic have fought to reform the barbaric Criminal Code that denies pregnant people access to safe and legal abortion. The Criminal Code is 140 years old, it did not serve the population then and it does not serve them now. IPPF will continue to stand side by side with the movement in the Dominican Republic to fight for reform, freedom and justice. All people must have the freedom to decide what happens to their body and that includes being able to end a pregnancy safely. Noone should have to die because of this Criminal Code that has caused so much harm and death.”  IPPF - Americas and the Caribbean Regional Office stands in firm solidarity with the people of Dominican Republic and the feminist movements as we continue to fight for bodily autonomy, freedom, and reproductive justice. We acknowledge the enormous contribution of the Dominican leadership to the social justice movements in the region including the struggle for racial justice.  

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) celebrates the launch of the first report of the High-Level Commission on the Nairobi Summit (HLC). The commission is a full independent advisory board comprised of 26 members from different sectors, tasked with monitoring progress on The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action.  Whilst we acknowledge that some progress has been made, IPPF regrets to read that no region is on track to fully implement and deliver on their ICPD commitments.   Monitoring the implementation of life-saving sexual and reproductive health and gender-responsive services is crucial to ensure accountability and human rights for all. This is why IPPF launched its ICPD+25 Nairobi Summit report - A roadmap to fulfilling the promise, and our ICPD commitments tracker database, which analyses the commitments made by governments of 137 countries who participated in the Nairobi summit in 2019 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the ICPD Programme of Action.   IPPF fully supports the sexual and reproductive justice frame and is committed to following the recommendations of the call to action of the report:  1) making justice the end goal,   (2) putting rights and development at the core of action,   (3) thinking differently and pursuing innovations in health-care service delivery,   (4) reaching further and prioritizing marginalized groups facing the worst disparities in terms of sexual and reproductive justice,   (5) tracking and increasing funding for SRHR, and   (6) creating new narratives around sexual and reproductive justice that are accurate and powerful enough to counter ongoing oppositional voices.  Anamaria Bejar, Global Director of Advocacy said:  “We are facing a critical crossroad – the report makes it clear that governments need to act now and fast. Sexual and reproductive health and rights can no longer hang in the balance; they are non-negotiable. The pandemic has shown us just how fragile access to sexual and reproductive health services is, and how the opposition has used the cover of covid to attack hard-won rights including access to safe abortion care. IPPF Member Associations will continue to deliver on our commitments to ensuring that everyone, no matter where they are or who they are, access high-quality healthcare and realize their full rights." Dr Alvaro Bermejo, IPPF’s Director-General added:  “The report is a sobering reminder that we are far from reaching the commitments made at ICPD. Cairo was a historic moment for sexual and reproductive health and rights, but over 25 years later, we are still falling short of its vision, and have made little progress since Nairobi. Women, girls, and people from marginalized communities cannot wait any longer, nor should they. Governments need to do more; this means more financial investment, more political will, and a sense of urgency to get us back on track.”