By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Poverty drives people to do some drastic things, and bearing a child for money is one of them. Commercial surrogacy is defined as when a woman is financially compensated beyond expenses associated with the pregnancy for carrying the child of another couple. India is home to a large number of surrogate mothers,
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Today is celebrated as World Contraception Day.  Perhaps there are not actually a billion reasons to celebrate it, but there is a case to be made that a billion dollars would go a long way in meeting the need for contraceptives for women and families all over the world. Banks or
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee recently introduced a bill that puts a ceiling on funding for family planning and reproductive health programs at $461 million; this is 23 percent, or $94 million below the current level (and $174 million less than President Obama’s budget request). The bill also calls
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org. Here we are halfway through the year 2013 and it’s time for another World Population Day, officially recognized on July 11th.  This United Nations-designated day is meant to raise awareness on all facets of human population growth.  Given that the world is at 7.2 billion and counting, this is truly a
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Mothers across the U.S. and many other countries were celebrated this past Mother’s Day.  Despite this special day, American women across the country face avoidable harms to their health and that of their babies when giving birth.  A newborn’s actual birth day is the most dangerous time for mothers and babies.
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org There is nothing like going out into the field and seeing first-hand what is happening on the ground to validate your work and experience.  That’s when you learn how projects, ideas and initiatives can really work (or in some cases, not work). Here in Ethiopia, after the recent conference of the
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org It’s easy, if you’re not in the Beltway, to disregard all the machinations emanating from our nation’s capital.  Do or die elections, fiscal cliffs, and now sequestration – budget cuts to end all cuts. $85 billion in federal spending reductions just for this year alone is not a joking matter.  The
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org Kudos to Eve Ensler, performer, playwright and activist. For the past year, Ensler has spearheaded a global campaign called One Billion Rising to draw attention to the sadly pervasive crisis of violence against women. This coming Valentine’s Day, One Billion Rising actions will take place all over the world, in at
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By Suzanne York, HowMany.org One of the biggest returns on investment for people and the planet is supporting the health of women and girls, especially in terms of voluntary family planning services. As we recognize the International Day of the Girl this October 11th, it is a good time to go beyond traditional development ideas
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By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org World Contraception Day is September 26th. There are numerous reasons why this day should be celebrated and awareness raised on using contraceptives. Contraception makes it possible for couples to enjoy the pleasures of intimacy without the consequences of pregnancy. Fully 61 percent of all couples in the world today are having
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