From cincotta@popact.org Fri Mar 14 07:43:57 1997 for ; Fri, 14 Mar 1997 09:43:44 -0500 (EST) Date: Fri, 14 Mar 1997 09:51:50 -0500 To: ppn@csf.colorado.edu From: Richard Cincotta Subject: 1997-03-12 First Lady Remarks for International Womens Day >> THE WHITE HOUSE >> >> Office of the Press Secretary >> >>________________________________________________________________________ >>For Immediate Release March 12, 1997 >> >> >> REMARKS BY THE FIRST LADY >> INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY >> >> Dean Acheson Auditorium >> The State Department >> >> >> >> MRS. CLINTON: We are gathered today to celebrate >>International Women's Day in the heart of the State Department. And we >>do, as Americans, have much to celebrate, starting with a Secretary of >>State who, yes, broke a barrier by virtue of her own gender, but who much >>more importantly is committed to defending the rights not just of >>Americans but of citizens around the world regardless of gender. >> >> Not only has Madeleine Albright broken many a glass ceiling, >>she has brokered many a peace. Not only has she opened many doors, she >>has opened many minds. And since she mentioned it, I would say that in >>my last conversation with Mrs. Roosevelt -- (laughter) -- she told me how >>pleased she was that her husband had appointed the first woman to the >>Cabinet in United States history, and how pleased she was that my husband >>had appointed the first woman Secretary of State. (Applause.) >> >> I thank Secretary Albright for her leadership, her courage >>and, on a personal note, her friendship. And I am delighted that she has >>agreed to serve as the new chair for the President's Interagency Council >>on Women, ably assisted on the issues by Teresa Loar and Tim Wirth and >>others of you here. >> >> We all know that countless responsibilities face our new >>Secretary of State and all of us. Our foreign policy does not lack for >>challenges. We must continue to reduce weapons of mass destruction. We >>must realize the century's dream of a wholly united, democratic and >>peaceful Europe. We must work to capture new opportunities in Asia, to >>seize opportunities for peace in the Middle East and other areas that are >>strategic not only to the United States but to the entire globe. We must >>work with our partners in Latin America, Africa, and elsewhere to build >>an inclusive and expanding global economy. We must safeguard our people >>from the threats of terrorism, extremism, international crime, drugs, and >>environmental degradation. >> >> While all of these require our attention and commitment, >>today I have come to advance a simple idea. That is the seamless >>inclusion of girls' and women's needs in American foreign policy. >>Despite the work they do, the families they raise, the communities they >>hold together, too many of the world's women, particularly in developing >>nations, live on the outskirts of opportunity and equality. But let me >>be clear: This challenge is not confined to the developing world. We >>still have plenty of work to do here in the United States and in other >>advanced economies of the world to ensure that women have a full stake in >>democracy. One goal in every country should be to see that all citizens, >>regardless of race or gender or ethnicity or religion, have a full place >>at their society's table. >> >> If you'll forgive just a slight diversion -- yesterday I was >>in Arkansas. I visited people who had been hit by a terrible tornado in >>the morning. Even before that disaster struck, these were people already >>working overtime to build good lives, to reach their aspirations. The >>full benefits of American society were still a long way away for them. >>After this tornado, all that they had worked for, all they had hoped for >>seems lost. >> >> Later that day I spoke at an event that helps raise funds to >>send single parents, primarily women, to college or vocational school. I >>heard stories from five women who told us what it had meant that their >>society, in the form of those who had raised these funds, reached out and >>told them that they could make something of their own lives, they could >>go to college, they could support themselves and their children. They >>had heard the message that is even still too often conveyed in America: >>that they weren't worth very much, that nobody really cared too much >>about them. >> >> As one young woman said, five years ago I was in a battered >>women's shelter in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I had nothing. I not only >>didn't have a car, I didn't have a driver's license, and my face looked >>as though it had been run over by a truck. All of a sudden there were >>people there who convinced me that I could make something of myself and >>care for my nine-month-old son. I thought to myself, how can these >>people believe in me, that I could go to college, that I could support >>myself? How could these people care about me when my own husband didn't >>care about me? >> >> Those stories, as I heard them, reminded me of stories that >>I have heard around the world. As women in Bangladesh or India or >>Nicaragua or Chile stood up and told me what it meant to them to have >>someone believe that they, too, could make a living for their family; >>that the skills they had would be valued in the marketplace; that their >>children, especially their daughters, could have a better life. The >>women last night were helped to return to school. And today they are >>citizens of the United States in the fullest sense of that word. >> >> Whatever disparities of wealth exist in our country and >>around the world means that people are left by the side of the road, >>detoured off the Information Highway, unable to take advantage of >>democracy's opportunities. What America must do for its own sake, as >>well as for the sake of its leadership in the world we are in today and >>that we are entering tomorrow, is to promote democracy and civil society >>in every nation, so that all citizens -- every man, woman, and child -- >>can live up to their God-given potential. >> >> But one may ask, well, it's fine for me to care about the >>women of Arkansas, but why should I or any American care about women in >>developing countries and around the world? Why should women, as >>Secretary Albright just eloquently explained, be a concern of ours and >>our foreign policy here in the United States? Well, what the Secretary >>said and what this administration believes is that if half of the world's >>citizens are undervalued, underpaid, undereducated, underrepresented, fed >>less, fed worse, not heard, put down, we cannot sustain the democratic >>values and the way of life we have come to cherish. >> >> If as a nation Americans care about opening foreign markets >>for American goods and services, if we care about making our country >>secure in the face of new threats, if we care about widening the circle >>of peace and prosperity, then we must address the conditions and >>circumstances of the world's women. >> >> You in this room know better than anyone else that our world >>is in a time of great transformation, heralding ever more democracies, >>leading, we hope, to ever more peace. But the great promise of this time >>is not without its challenges. Global competition, the information >>revolution, the rapid pace of change all create pressures on every >>society, from governments down to families. And these pressures pose >>unavoidable questions for us as we approach the 21st century. How do we >>figure out ways to balance individual and community rights and >>responsibilities? How do parents raise children in the face of the >>influences of the mass media and consumer culture? What do we make of >>what seems to be a conflict in many instances between personal identity >>and the work available in an age of globalization and high technology? >>What about the roles of women in society? How will people preserve their >>ethnic pride and value their national citizenship? And how will nations >>protect their sovereignty while cooperating regionally and globally with >>others? >> >> Thinking about these questions and how a free nation like >>ours will respond to them, we may need to be reminded that democracy is >>not just about legally protected rights, elections, or free market >>economies. It is about the internalization of democratic values in >>people's hearts and minds. It is about how, in the absence of either hot >>or cold wars, democracy is rooted in people's everyday lives. >> >> Given the changes that are going on around us, we can no >>longer gauge our interests around the world solely through power blocs >>and vast arsenals. Across the globe, here at home, at the end of the >>Cold War, we have been free to focus on issues that edge right up to our >>own front doors. How do we educate our children? How do we ensure that >>families have proper health care? How do we ensure that democracies and >>free markets produce citizens, not just consumers? >> >> I have said before that at this time of challenge around the >>globe, we know we will continue to cope with what is often thought of as >>the traditional balance of power among countries. But I would also argue >>that we must now add to that balance of power equation, often called >>realpolitik, the idea that real-life politik may be just as intimately >>connected with whether or not democracies survive and flourish. >> >> These issues that we speak of today should not be considered >>women's issues. But certainly it is fair to say that women often, by >>necessity, become the world's experts on the hazards and vicissitudes of >>life. And they, therefore, often understand and appreciate more clearly >>that they have a vested interest in ensuring that their societies and >>governments address these real-life challenges. >> >> I have seen for myself on continent after continent the >>solutions that women are forging -- new mothers in JogJakarta, Indonesia, >>who gather every week to learn about family planning and better nutrition >>for their children; doctors and nurses in Belarus and Ukraine who are >>caring for the children of Chernobyl; women from Santiago to San Diego >>who are working on issues as diverse as education, crime, and the >>environment. These issues are central to our global democratic >>interests. For what distinguishes democracy is fair and genuine >>participation in every aspect of life. >> >> It should be too obvious to point out, but unfortunately it >>isn't, that giving women a stronger voice and fuller say over their >>futures is intimately related to the health of democracies because women >>are the majority in most countries and the world over. >> >> America's credo should ring clearly: A democracy without >>the full participation of women is a contradiction in terms. To reach >>its full potential, it must include all of its citizens. Clearly, >>whether we succeed in strengthening democratic values around the world is >>of special consequence to women, who in our country and elsewhere are >>still striving to attain, and even define their rightful place in >>government, the economy, and civil society, and to claim their rightful >>share of personal, political, economic and civic power. >> >> Raising the status of women and girls and investing in their >>potential means insuring that they have the tools of opportunity >>available to them. Education, health care, credit and jobs, legal >>protections and the right to participate fully in the political life of >>their countries. And that is why the United States must continue its >>bipartisan tradition of supporting initiatives that move our world closer >>to these goals. >> >> Today, more than 600 million women worldwide are denied the >>opportunity of an education. Women make up two-thirds of those who can >>neither read nor write. Yet the single most important investment any >>developing nation can make is in the education of girls and women. We >>are discovering that in country after country the benefits of educating >>women go far beyond the classroom and the schoolhouse. They go to >>stronger families, better health, nutrition, wages, and levels of >>political participation. >> >> I have seen how the support of the United States for the >>education of women and girls worldwide is paying off. I have seen how >>similar social investments, also many supported by the United States, can >>make a difference in countries as diverse as Brazil, the Philippines, >>Nepal, and Pakistan. >> >> Certainly, as I travel around the world and as many of you >>do likewise, we have seen with our own eyes that investing in girls and >>women helps to transform communities which in turn can transform >>societies. Women will not flourish and neither will democracy if they >>continue to be undervalued inside and outside the home. >> >> I have had many experts in economic development around the >>world say to me that women's work is not part of the economies of >>countries, that women do not participate in the economic markets of >>countries. And yet I have seen with my own eyes as I've traveled through >>urban areas and remote rural ones that women are bearing often the bulk >>of the load of the work that must be done -- to plant crops, to harvest >>them, to make it possible for small enterprises to flourish in market >>stalls. So I know that women are working. Their contributions may not >>be counted in the gross domestic product of their societies, but they are >>of value. If all the women in the world tomorrow said they would not >>work outside the home, the economies of every country would collapse. >>And it is time -- (applause) -- it is time that we honored and counted >>the contributions that women make, both in the home and outside. >> >> Investing in women also means investing in their health and, >>in turn, in the health of their families. I am especially pleased that >>the United States has provided assistance through the United States >>Agency for International Development to assure that women, children, and >>families have access to a full spectrum of low-cost, high-yield health >>care services -- from safe birthing kits for expectant mothers, to basic >>immunizations for infants, to oral rehydration therapy to treat children >>suffering from diarrhea. >> >> I want to say a special word about family planning and its >>importance in this larger effort. Family planning is fundamental to >>letting women take responsibility for themselves and their children. >>Right now, however, roughly 100 million women worldwide cannot get or are >>not using family planning services because they are poor, uneducated, or >>do not have access to care. Some 20 million women will seek unsafe >>abortions. Of these women, some may become disabled for life, some will >>have other health problems, but fundamentally, the rate of unsafe >>abortions is in itself a tragedy. High abortion rates do not represent >>women's equality; they represent a failure on all our parts to help women >>prevent unwanted pregnancies in the first place. If we really care about >>reducing abortions and fostering strong families, we must not back away >>from America's commitment to family planning efforts overseas. >>(Applause.) >> >> If we really care about making women equal partners in >>societies the world over, we must do everything in our power to fight >>violence against women, whether it is a hidden crime of domestic abuse or >>a blatant tactic of war. >> >> No single social investment is a panacea for women or for >>developing countries. Nor should every just cause of the world be >>America's to embrace. >> >> But I do believe that as long as discrimination and >>inequities persist in a broad-scale way against women, a stable, >>prosperous world will be far from a reality. >> >> Taken together, our investments in social development are >>vital to strengthening free market interests, spreading our democratic >>ideal and enhancing our security. >> >> Over time, America has learned that our ideals and interests >>cannot be divorced from the political, economic and social cross-currents >>swirling around us. I hope we have also learned that engagement with the >>world represents opportunities at home as well as obligations abroad. >> >> Let me just give you one modest example. I spoke recently >>at a conference sponsored by USAID called Lessons Without Borders. At >>the conference, Baltimore's Mayor, Kurt Schmoke, told how government >>leaders from his city had gone to Africa to learn about simple, low-cost >>strategies used on that continent to encourage parents to immunize their >>children. Now similar programs are in place in Baltimore, with community >>clinics, a vaccination van, door-to-door visits and the resulting higher >>immunizations rates for children under three. >> >> We can learn from our neighbors around the world. And many >>of the lesson we can learn, we will find, are lessons that have been >>helped to be taught by our own foreign policy engagement -- less than one >>percent of our budget, yet countless lives can be improved and we can >>improve lives here at home. >> >> Before I close, I want to say a word about my forthcoming >>trip to Africa. I was very honored to be asked to make this trip because >>I think that America's engagement in the world must include an engagement >>with sub-Saharan Africa. Contemporary history is a story that citizens >>and countries are writing. And there is a new story that must be told. >>Every region is contributing its own chapter. >> >> Africa has a remarkable story if we will only pay attention >>to it. It is moving toward democracy. In the last six years, the number >>of democracies have jumped from five to 23. Africa is growing >>economically, moving from suffocating state-controlled economies to open >>markets that can give full life and scope to human endeavor. >> >> Last year, 30 countries reported positive economic growth. >>Africa is beginning to forge a new relationship with the United States -- >>one based not just on aid but on shared ideals, mutual responsibilities, >>integration into the world economy, and partnerships designed to resolve >>conflicts and to meet common challenges. To be sure, many of the African >>democracies are new and therefore fragile. Hope remains tenuous. Too >>much of the continent continues to be riven by disease, malnutrition, >>poverty, injustice, corruption, perilous conflicts and their terrible >>aftermath, refugee crises that trap women and children especially in >>lives that go from bad to worse. >> >> And yet -- and yet, in spite of these challenges, for the >>first time, we can say that, at this moment in history, there are in >>Africa grounds for far more hope than despair. And with the support of >>the United States, we can solidify that hope. >> >> I will be privileged to visit Senegal, South Africa, >>Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda and Eritrea. And I am pleased that so many of >>the ambassadors from those countries and other countries in Africa are >>with us today. >> >> I hope to witness first hand and to highlight each country's >>efforts to build democracy and a strong civil society. I will focus >>particularly on grassroots initiatives and on efforts that affect women >>and children. >> >> I hope this trip will give the American people a renewed >>sense of the importance of our commitment to Africa. I hope it will lay >>out exactly why we must do our utmost to support democracy and social >>investment in Africa and to strengthen Africa's place in the community of >>nations. >> >> And I hope it will show that American engagement must be >>measured not just in aid dollars or humanitarian efforts in the wake of >>tragedy and crisis, but in the democratic values we reinforce, in the >>human rights we defend, and in the conflicts we help resolve >>preventively. >> >> There are, to be sure, issues of America's national security >>at stake. Instability in Africa, whether it is rooted in war, in >>terrorism, in organized crime, in disease, in environmental degradation >>or poverty, it touches us too. >> >> There are also economic issues at stake. Right now, the >>United States holds only 7 percent of the African market of 600 million >>people. By forging stronger economic ties with Africa, we will do much >>to secure the prosperity of our own people as well. >> >> But finally, our greatest reasons for engagement with Africa >>are built on a positive foundation. Africa is on the move, with a new >>generation of leaders, the fresh air of political reform, and thriving >>multi-ethnic societies. >> >> As we look at the future for America's engagement around the >>world, we can see that wherever we help to seed the ground for democracy, >>wherever we reach out to people out of mutual respect to help them help >>themselves, wherever we understand clearly that in this time of >>interdependence and interconnection that we all have a stake in the >>success of the other, we will make progress together. Whether it comes >>to assisting and working with our friends in the new democracies in >>Africa, or understanding the importance of our commitment to women and >>girls, America's interests are at stake. >> >> But far more importantly, America's values are at stake. If >>we act upon those values, we will help to lead the world into the kind of >>new future we envision as possible for our children and all the children >>around the globe. >> >> Thank you very much. (Applause.) >> >> END >> >> >> >> > > ************************************************* Richard P. Cincotta, Ph.D. Population Action International 1120 19th St., NW Suite 550 Washington, DC 20036 USA (202)659-1833 x168 (202)293-1795 (fax) cincotta@popact.org See "Why Population Matters" on the Web: http://www.interaction.org/mb/pop.html See "Press release on saving U.S. programs in International Family Planning" http://www.interaction.org/pressrel/savefp.html ***************************************************** From cincotta@popact.org Fri Mar 14 08:33:51 1997 for ; Fri, 14 Mar 1997 10:33:45 -0500 (EST) Date: Fri, 14 Mar 1997 10:34:15 -0500 To: ppn@csf.colorado.edu From: Richard Cincotta Subject: Contraceptive Pearl - DMPA and Infertility To effectively exercise one's reproductive choice, one needs access to both a broad range of available safe contraceptive methods, the professional care required of each, and to information (on effective use and risks) about these methods. In the interest of disseminating this information, Dr. James Shelton of USAID sends out a weekly email with a "contraceptive pearl" -- a bit of information from recent research on a particular contraceptive methodology. I'll be forwarding them through ppn. Here's this week's. ------------------------------------------------------------ >Return-Path: > >Q: Does Depo-Provera(DMPA) cause permanent infertility? > >A: No. Although there is generally a delay in return to >fertility once Depo is discontinued, return to fertility studies >have found no difference in ultimate ability to get pregnant. >The average delay is a few months. For example in a study in >Thailand, among women who discontinued OCs (oral contraceptives) it took about three >months for the first 50% to get pregnant. For women who >discontinued DMPA (following the three months period of >effectiveness), it took about 5 and 1/2 months for the first 50% >to get pregnant. Ultimately about 96% got pregnant in both >groups. > >(This message brought to you by the Maximizing Access and Quality >-MAQ Initiative) > > > ************************************************* Richard P. Cincotta, Ph.D. Population Action International 1120 19th St., NW Suite 550 Washington, DC 20036 USA (202)659-1833 x168 (202)293-1795 (fax) cincotta@popact.org See "Why Population Matters" on the Web: http://www.interaction.org/mb/pop.html See "Press release on saving U.S. programs in International Family Planning" http://www.interaction.org/pressrel/savefp.html ***************************************************** From cincotta@popact.org Fri Mar 14 09:03:47 1997 for ; Fri, 14 Mar 1997 11:03:44 -0500 (EST) Date: Fri, 14 Mar 1997 11:09:20 -0500 To: ppn@csf.colorado.edu From: Richard Cincotta Subject: Contraceptive Pearl - Age and Oral Contraceptive use >>Q: Are some women too old or too young to be eligible to receive >>oral contraceptives? >> >>A: Combined oral contraceptives may be used at any age at which >>the woman is at risk of pregnancy (e.g. past menarche and through >>menopause.) However, if older women such as women over 40 have >>known cardiovascular risk factors (such as smoking, diabetes, >>high blood pressure) combined oral contraceptives are generally >>not recommended. Women 35 and over who also smoke cigarettes >>should generally not use the pill. >> >>Reference: Improving access to quality care in family planning: >>Medical eligibility criteria for contraceptive use. WHO, Geneva, >>1996. >> >>from ************************************************* Richard P. Cincotta, Ph.D. Population Action International 1120 19th St., NW Suite 550 Washington, DC 20036 USA (202)659-1833 x168 (202)293-1795 (fax) cincotta@popact.org See "Why Population Matters" on the Web: http://www.interaction.org/mb/pop.html See "Press release on saving U.S. programs in International Family Planning" http://www.interaction.org/pressrel/savefp.html ***************************************************** From cincotta@popact.org Fri Mar 14 09:03:50 1997 for ; Fri, 14 Mar 1997 11:03:45 -0500 (EST) Date: Fri, 14 Mar 1997 11:07:38 -0500 To: ppn@csf.colorado.edu From: Richard Cincotta Subject: Contraceptive Pearl - IUD Lifetime//from Jim Shelton (USAID) >>Q: What is the lifetime of the Copper-T-380A IUD? >> >>A: The Copper-T-380A has an FDA approved lifetime for use of 10 >>years. In addition the Copper-T-380A has as approved shelflife >>of 7 years. (The actual lifetime and the shelflife are probably >>even longer than the formally approved timespans.) >> >>It is not uncommon for providers to recommend removal earlier >>than 10 years with immediate reinsertion of a new IUD or to >>recommend a "rest period" from the IUD before a subsequent >>reinsertion. Unless there is some specific legitimate reason for >>removal, such practices do a disservice to women. In addition to >>the nuisance and the possible increased risk of infection >>associated with the unnecessary procedure, the woman may be >>exposed to an increased risk of unwanted pregnancy during a "rest >>period." >> >> ************************************************* Richard P. Cincotta, Ph.D. Population Action International 1120 19th St., NW Suite 550 Washington, DC 20036 USA (202)659-1833 x168 (202)293-1795 (fax) cincotta@popact.org See "Why Population Matters" on the Web: http://www.interaction.org/mb/pop.html See "Press release on saving U.S. programs in International Family Planning" http://www.interaction.org/pressrel/savefp.html ***************************************************** From 92jainsu@scar.utoronto.ca Tue Mar 18 18:50:53 1997 Date: Tue, 18 Mar 1997 20:50:23 -0500 (EST) From: Sumeet Jainsu <92jainsu@scar.utoronto.ca> To: ppn@csf.colorado.edu Subject: re: POPULATION POLICIES IN THAILAND Dear Friends, My two classmates and I are currently enrolled in a course entitled "Ethics of Development" at the University of Toronto at Scarborough. As part of this course, we are required to conduct an ethical analysis of a case study in development. As we have an interest in population and family planning issues, we have decided to try to examine the operations of the Population and Development Association (PDA) in Thailand (founded by Mechai Viravaidya). So far we have not been able to find very much critical literature or other materials on the activities of PDA. We would like to request any possible information leads on PDA's work; on population policy in Thailand; and/or broad ethical issues relating to family planning. Kindly reply to the email address given below. Thank-you for your assistance in advance. Yours sincerely, Sumeet Jain International Development Studies, University of Toronto at Scarborough 20 Carlton St. Apt. 831 Toronto, Ontario Canada M5B 2H5 tel: (416) 599-4621 fax: (519) 649-7762 email: 92jainsu@wave.scar.utoronto.ca