In this call, panelists discussed what the WHO grading system for family planning methods is, what impact a change in classification for DMPA and NET-EN has for women, programs and research, and what needs to happen next.
Listen to a recording of the call (mp3, YouTube).
AVAC has developed a plain language fact sheet on this topic and a full range of resources can be found here. This includes, “Now more than ever,” a statement from members of the Civil Society Advocacy Working Group on HC-HIV. This statement puts the developments with DMPA in the broader context of women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights which are needed—now more than ever. There is even more urgency in this work in light of today’s reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule prohibiting abortion-related services or advocacy by foreign recipients of US family planning dollars. The updated resource page also includes statement from the ECHO trial (an ongoing study of how different contraceptive methods impact women’s risk of HIV).
We continued this conversation with Dr. James Kiarie, coordinator of the Human Reproduction Team at the World Health Organization. To listen, visit here.