The discovery of microplastics in the ovaries of women has raised an alarming question for scientists in Japan: Are tiny plastic particles harming our ability to reproduce? https://www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/2025/05/25/sustainability/microplastics-fertility-concerns/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #environment #sustainability #plastic #recycling #waster #familyplanning #health #pollution
Koskenoja, Harriman, & other local #healthcare providers have been strategizing privately to figure outwhat to do to help people #access everything from #PapSmears to #IUDs. The local #health dept can provide #TitleX #FamilyPlanning services 1½ days a week, but that won't be enough.
There are a few private "providers in town that offer #medication #abortion to their #patients only—very, very quietly," Harriman said. But that won't help patients who don't have good #insurance or are on waitlists.
Clinics are also bracing for the #Trump admin to again exclude them from #TitleX, the federal #funding for low- & no-cost #FamilyPlanning services, as the previous Trump admin did in 2019.
#PlannedParenthood of #Michigan (#PPMI) says the cuts are painful but necessary for the organization's long-term sustainability.
Though more women in Japan are opting for epidurals, they are mostly still only available around major cities, while prohibitive costs and fears about safety persist. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/04/22/japan/science-health/epidural-rate/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #tokyo #children #familyplanning #population #women039sissues #pregnancy #tokyometropolitangovernment #medicine #depopulation
https://www.alojapan.com/1253949/cases-of-epidural-use-in-labor-rise-in-japan-alongside-concerns/ Cases of epidural use in labor rise in Japan alongside concerns #children #FAMILYPLANNING #Japan #JapanNews #JapanTopics #news #Population #Tokyo #women; The number of women opting for epidurals during childbirth is on the rise in Japan, with Tokyo even kickstarting a subsidy program from this fiscal year. However, there is a notable disparity in availability around the nation, with new data showing that in some prefectures, there has not bee…
https://www.europesays.com/1965506/ Reproductive Rights in Europe: The Power of Advocacy #europe #EuropePopulation #FamilyPlanning #WomensRights
To listen to oral arguments before #SCOTUS in the dispute over #SouthCarolina's attempt to defund #PlannedParenthood:
#law #ReproductiveRights #BirthControl #CancerScreenings #FamilyPlanning #AbortionIsHealthcare #USpol
https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/live.aspx
Follow #SCOTUS’ opinion announcements today at below link, the court will also be hearing oral arguments in Medina v. #PlannedParenthood South Atlantic.
#law #ReproductiveRights #BirthControl #CancerScreenings #FamilyPlanning #AbortionIsHealthcare #USpol
https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/04/announcement-of-opinions-for-wednesday-april-2/
Of the ~25M #women who receive #ContraceptiveCare annually, 18% receive it from publicly supported #clinics, including #TitleX-funded centers, Baden said. They include women who are #LowIncome or #underinsured.
In 2019, during #Trump’s first term, his admin altered the half-century-old program banning clinics receiving Title X aid from referring patients for abortions.
The WSJ reported last week #RFKJr’s #HHS planned an immediate freeze of $27.5M in #FamilyPlanning grants for groups including #PlannedParenthood.
PPFA says >300 #health centers are in the #TitleX network & Title X-funded centers received >1.5M visits in 2023.
The loss of funding will mean that “cancers go undetected, access to #BirthControl is severely reduced, & the nation’s #STI crisis worsens,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, PPFA president.
#Trump admin to cut funds to #PlannedParenthood
The #nonprofit said that 9 of its affiliates received notice that funding would be withheld under a program known as #TitleX, which has supported #healthcare services for the #poor since 1970.
#FamilyPlanning #ReproductiveHealthcare #ReproductiveRights #MaternalMortality #CancerScreenings #BirthControl #AbortionIsHealthcare #law #USpol
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/trump-administration-freeze-family-planning-funds-planned-parenthood-2025-04-01/
New legislation means that Ukrainian soldiers can freeze their sperm for free, and many clinics are already offering the service. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/06/world/society/ukrainians-peace-children/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #society #families #children #familyplanning #ukraine #russia #russiaukrainewar
South Korea's fertility rate increased for the first time in nine years in 2024. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/02/26/asia-pacific/society/south-korea-fertility-rate-up/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #society #southkorea #familyplanning #parenthood #children #population
The number of births in Japan has fallen to another record low, underscoring the growing challenge of how to shoulder ballooning social security costs for an aging society. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/02/27/japan/fewest-births-new-record/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #parenthood #children #depopulation #surveys #familyplanning #taxes #mhlw
African health activists fear a new crackdown on abortion across Africa after U.S. President Donald Trump reinstated an anti-abortion pact that cuts off U.S. funds to foreign charities that provide or promote abortions. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/01/28/world/society/trump-african-abortion-activists/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #society #africa #abortion #donaldtrump #republicans #familyplanning
Plans are underway for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to start offering a subsidy for epidural births from April, but the tradition of giving birth naturally may be hampering the city's ability to meet demand. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/01/14/japan/science-health/tokyo-subsidy-epidurals/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #yurikokoike #tokyo #children #familyplanning #population #women039sissues #pregnancy #tokyometropolitangovernment #medicine #depopulation #localgovernment
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is looking to ease the physical and financial pain of childbirth by introducing a subsidy for epidurals as early as in fiscal 2025. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/01/07/japan/society/tokyo-epidural-birth-subsidy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #yurikokoike #tokyo #children #familyplanning #population #women039sissues
Marriage-themed festivals in China aimed at encouraging couples to tie the knot are having the opposite effect, some say, compounding the nation's efforts to reverse its shrinking population. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/11/06/asia-pacific/society/china-babies-population-birth-rate/ #asiapacific #society #china #population #familyplanning #parenthood #children
Italian lawmakers have extended the country's ban on surrogacy, making Italians who enter into such arrangements in other countries liable for prosecution on their return home, amid warnings the move would damage children's rights. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/10/17/world/society/italy-surrogacy-ban-abroad/ #worldnews #society #giorgiameloni #italy #families #children #familyplanning #lgbtq
Japan has been trying to boost its fertility rate for over 30 years. Now the rest of the rich world is too. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/10/14/world/society/can-government-more-babies/ #worldnews #society #parenting #familyplanning #population #demographics #children
