Population, Reproductive and Sexual Health
Section Newsletter
Fall 2003

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Message from the Chair

Section Chair Cynthia Green, Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Centre for Development and Population Activities, 1400 16th St. N.W., Suite 100, Washington, DC 20036 Phone: (202) 939-2690 Fax: (202) 332-4496 E-mail: cgreen@cedpa.org

Dear Colleagues,

Just when it seems that the political climate for reproductive health (RH) programs couldn’t get any worse, some new outrage is perpetrated that pushes the envelope. Today both domestic and international RH programs have moved into the realm of doublespeak, in which certain words are given new interpretations and thus become verboten among agencies receiving government funds. Even “reproductive health” has become a forbidden term, since it could be construed to include abortion. Terms such as “unsafe abortion” and “commercial sex workers” have been eliminated from our nomenclature. Researchers applying for NIH grants have resorted to using code words for groups at risk of HIV/AIDS.

It's not enough to try to guess which words conjure up unpleasant associations, but we also have to screen every document on our Web sites to be sure that they do not give the wrong impression. Politically motivated agencies are reviewing the Web sites of many RH agencies, seeking to identify examples of our failure to advocate abstinence and any mention of abortion.

Check out <www.ngowatch.org>, a Web site set up by the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research and the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies. The purpose of this site is to monitor the activities of non-governmental organizations. Although the Web site claims to "compile factual data," it focuses on policy positions antithetic to AEI's views. For example, CARE's listing highlights the fact that its president signed a petition in 2001 against the Bush administration's Mexico City policy (see <www.planetwire.org/details/1263>).

But enough of this gloom! It's all the more reason for you to join us at the APHA Annual Meeting in San Francisco on Nov. 16-19. We can commiserate! We can devise new names for the technical terms we've been using for years! We can reassure each other that we are perfectly sane! We can relax and enjoy ourselves without fear of letting a "no-no" word slip!

Claire Brindis has organized an exciting program that will be stimulating and educational. (Thanks, Claire!) The RH field is moving ahead with new ideas and improved program strategies. Come to Frisco and get updated and inspired!

In the meantime, don't abstain from activism. Here are some simple steps you can take to make your voice heard:

1. Recruit a colleague to join APHA, preferably signing up for our Section;
2. Meet with your Congressional representatives when they're visiting their district/state; and
3. Become a cyberactivist. I’m repeating the list of my favorite RH activist listservs from the previous newsletter:


Use the PFPRH Section's listserv to post information or just to feel in touch with like-minded souls. (Not that we all agree on everything, but we can at least have a rational discussion.) Here's how to sign up:


  • In the "To" line of the e-mail, type: pop-hlth-l@liststar.apha.org. Note: use lower-case letter “L” and not the number one.

  • In the “Subject” line of the e-mail, type: subscribe pop-hlth-l. Note: use lower-case letter “L” and not the number one.

  • Leave the body of the message blank and send.



To post a message to the listserv, send an e-mail addressed to <pop-hlth-l@liststar.apha.org>.

Everyone: hang tough!

Cynthia

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Nominations Committee Report

Chair Sheryl Thorburn Bird, Associate Professor, Department of Public Health, College of Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-6406 Phone: (541) 737-9493 Fax: (541) 737-4001 E-mail: Sheryl.Bird@oregonstate.edu

Thanks to everyone who voted in the recent Section election! Congratulations to the following Section members who have been elected to the listed PFPRH positions! They will assume office after the close of the 131st APHA Annual Meeting in November.














Chair-Elect Timothy R. Williams, Ma, MEM
Secretary-Elect Rebecka Lundgren, MPH
Section Councilors Jane Boggess, PhD; Laureen Tews, MPH
Governing Councilor Barbara Seligman, MA, MPP



I would like to thank everyone who agreed to run in this year's election!! We had a slate of excellent candidates. I hope that those who were not elected this time will consider running for one of the Section's elected positions in future. We need your involvement and leadership!

Just a reminder… To be eligible, you must be a current member of APHA with a primary affiliation in PRPRH. If you are interested in running for one of the