Kaiser Updates

Heartbeat International and Care Net, both of which oppose abortion rights, have launched initiatives to increase the number of crisis pregnancy centers, which "seek to dissuade women with unplanned pregnancies from having abortions," in inner cities nationwide to help minority women, the AP/Washington Times reports. According to the AP/Times, data show that about 90% of women who undergo abortions live in urban areas and that the majority of those women are poor. In addition, Latinas are 2.5 times as likely as white women to undergo the procedure, and black women are nearly four times as likely as white women to have an abortion, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute. Some critics said it is hypocritical for people to support the initiatives but do not support other policies that have the potential to assist minority women and their families, the AP/Times reports.

The prevalence of herpes in the U.S. is declining, according to a study published in the Aug. 23 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Reuters reports. Herpes is treatable but incurable, according to the Washington Times. "Overall, this is good news," Xu said, adding "There is a decrease occurring in all youth, males and females, and in all racial groups".

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Monday profiled the Hope Crisis Pregnancy Centers in Florida. The centers' "efforts curtail the number of abortions," but critics say that women are deceived and are not well served when the crisis centers disregard or discourage the option of abortion, withhold certain information and use names similar to abortion providers, according to the Sun-Sentinel. The centers, many of which are affiliated with religious groups, "make no apologies about their work and deny using scare tactics," according to the Sun-Sentinel. About 100 crisis pregnancy centers in Florida, including the Hope centers, received state funding under the $2 million Pregnancy Support Program launched in 2005 by Gov. Jeb Bush (R). The program provides funding to help women make "life-affirming" choices, Terrye Bradley of the state Department of Health, said. The centers are expected to receive an additional $2 million in funding in the state's 2006-2007 fiscal year.

New Orleans' birthrate increased by 39% from May 2005 to May 2006, nine months after Hurricane Katrina, USA Today reports. Some residents have said that after Katrina they had "more immediate worries than contraception," USA Today reports. In addition, some residents could not find their physician and were unable to refill birth control prescriptions.

A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday in Denver denied an injunction to be issued on a 2005 Oklahoma parental notification law that requires physicians to notify in writing a parent or guardian of any minor seeking an abortion at least 48 hours before performing the procedure, the AP/KTEN reports. The law (HB 1686) -- which took effect in May 2005 after Gov. Brad Henry (D) signed it -- also requires health care providers to inform women of the medical risks of abortion at least 24 hours in advance of the procedure and give women certain information regarding the anatomical and physiological characteristics of a fetus at different stages of gestation. The Center for Reproductive Rights sought to block enforcement of the law on behalf of Nova Health Systems, the parent company of the Tulsa, Okla.-based clinic, Reproductive Services, in May 2005 after the bill was signed.

The first legal abortion in Colombia recently was performed following the legalization of the procedure in certain cases earlier this year, BBC News reports. The country's highest court, the Constitutional Court, in May voted to effectively legalize abortion in cases of rape, incest, to save the life of the woman or when the fetus is expected to die after birth because of severe fetal abnormalities. Under the ruling, abortion in all other cases still will carry a sentence of up to three years in prison for the woman undergoing an abortion and for the physician performing the procedure. According to BBC News, the abortion was performed on an 11-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by her stepfather. The Catholic Church has "condemned" the procedure, and protestors gathered outside the hospital where the abortion was performed, according to BBC News.