Microcephaly Revives Battle for Legal Abortion in Brazil

“Abortion shouldn’t be a crime” reads a sign held in one of the numerous demonstrations held in Brazil to demand the legalisation of abortion. Credit: Courtesy of Distintas Latitudes

“Abortion shouldn’t be a crime” reads a sign held in one of the numerous demonstrations held in Brazil to demand the legalisation of abortion. Credit: Courtesy of Distintas Latitudes

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 8 2016 (IPS) – The Zika virus epidemic and a rise in the number of cases of microcephaly in newborns have revived the debate on legalising abortion in Brazil. However, the timing is difficult as conservative and religious groups are growing in strength, especially in parliament.

“We…

Will the UN “Leave No One Behind” and Improve LGBTI Health and Well-Being?

Dr Felicity Daly is the Global Research Coordinator for OutRight Action International

Will the UN “leave no one behind” and improve LGBTI health and well-being?

Participants at a gay pride celebration in Uganda. Credit: Amy Fallon/IPS

NEW YORK, Jul 10 2017 (IPS) – While there has been progress in researching the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people and responding to certain emerging health threats in high-income countries elsewhere in the world such research is inadequate and incomplete.

A new report published by , the highlights that wherever research has been conducted, LGBTI people’s health is s…

How the Rise of Timor-Leste’s Aquaculture Sector Is a Blueprint for Other Small Island Nations

Dr. Jharendu Pant is Senior Scientist – Sustainable Aquaculture Program, WorldFish

Fish farmers harvest genetically improved farmed tilapia. Credit: Shandy Santos

PENANG, Malaysia, May 3 2023 (IPS) – For Timor-Leste, as with most other islands in the Pacific, fortunes are to be found in fish – an equity food available to all regardless of status.

Nevertheless, the island is highly exposed to the impacts of climate change, hampering domestic food production and contributing to Timor-Leste’s ranking of out of 121 countries for malnutrition. Meanwhile, the country is highly dependent on imported foods – including aquatic foods.

But a na…

White Supremacists, Yellow Peril & “Chinese Virus” Add to a Volatile Political Mix

Credit: United Nations

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 24 2020 (IPS) – When US President Donald Trump repeatedly characterized the fast-spreading COVID-19 as a “Chinese virus” last week, it prompted some white supremacists to resurrect an age old ethnic slur against Chinese and East Asians: the “Yellow Peril” which, in a bygone era, was touted as a xenophobic threat to the Western world.

But Tendayi Achiume, UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination and Xenophobia, is highly critical of the racist interpretation to a disease which has claimed over 16,500 deaths worldwide and accounted for more than 378,000 infections, with the epice…

Navigating Mental Health Challenges in West Africa

The acute shortage of qualified mental health specialists in West Africa is a major obstacle to tackling mental health issues in the region. Credit Credit: Unsplash /Melanie Wasser - An analysis of mental health in West Africa, highlighting the shortage of specialists and efforts to integrate traditional and modern treatments

The acute shortage of qualified mental health specialists in West Africa is a major obstacle to tackling mental health issues in the region. Credit Credit: Unsplash /Melanie Wasser

NAIROBI, Jul 24 2024 (IPS) – Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, people in the African region were living with mental health conditions. A large proportion of mental dis…