Across the globe, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are under increasing attack, putting lives and well-being at risk—especially among the most vulnerable, including people living with HIV, individuals with disabilities, adolescents, trans and LGBT communities, refugees, migrants and sex workers. Health workers are facing threats, undermining access to services, and vital SRHR and public health aid efforts are being undermined. Laws, policies, and regulations worldwide are being shaped by misinformation, disinformation, and fabricated evidence.
International restrictions—such as the Global Gag Rule and executive orders—are not only limiting access to safe abortion but also jeopardising essential SRHR and other health services, including those for HIV, TB, and STIs. We are facing a global public health crisis. In response, SRHM remains unwavering in its commitment to advancing evidence-based knowledge and ensuring that rigorous research informs policy and action. Our recent work reflects this dedication. Join us in standing firm against attacks on SRHR.
Your engagement, research, and advocacy are essential to ensuring that evidence-based action prevails. #EvidenceMatters | | | Using Evidence for SRHR Action in Today's World
On Friday, 14th March 2025, SRHM and the Guttmacher Institute convened a meeting at the Guttmacher Institute in New York, gathering approximately 25 SRHR experts to explore the role of evidence in political and policy advocacy for SRHR. | | On Friday, 14th March 2025, SRHM and the Guttmacher Institute convened a meeting at the Guttmacher Institute in New York, gathering approximately 25 SRHR experts to explore the role of evidence in political and policy advocacy for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The discussions acknowledged that 30 years after ICPD and Beijing, SRHR has seen both advancements and setbacks, with ideology-driven laws, misinformation, and political rhetoric threatening evidence-based policymaking.
The meeting sought to address the urgent need for new approaches to evidence generation, strategic communication, and coalition-building to counter misinformation, influence public opinion, and support rights-based advocacy.
Participants emphasised that in an era of rapid digital misinformation, it is essential to define what constitutes credible evidence, how it is generated, and how it can be effectively utilised to shape political and social outcomes.
| | | Discussion on the Roadmap of Repression: Trump's Executive Order on "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism"
Ali Miller, Mindy Roseman,
Susana Fried, Cynthia Rothschild, Eszter Kismödi | | | During the UN CSW meeting, a group of around 15 advocates and scholars gathered on 10 March for an ad hoc discussion on the implications of Trump's Executive Order (EO) on "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government." This EO, which weaves together multiple ideological claims, affects all of us. Our conversation focused on mapping its linked components and understanding its broader impact. While our group made no claim to global representativeness, we reflected a broad range of expertise and perspectives, spanning global south/north feminisms, queer and trans organizing, and academic scholarship. We began the discussion by noting that each part of the EO is important: the EO predicates political order on so-called biological "truth" of a sex/gender binary, frames the defense of [cis] women from trans-ness by demonizing transness; invoking carceral spaces as safe spaces for 'women'.
| | | DEFENDING ACADEMIC AND SCIENTIFIC FREEDOM | Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters has signed on to a statement published in The Journal of Sex Journal which responds to the call for U.S. government researchers to withdraw all research manuscripts which are being considered for publication by external scientific journals which contain terms, such as gender, transgender, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) and nonbinary so that they can be reviewed. It is the view of this statement, and Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, that these efforts constitute clear examples of censorship of science and thus a political attempt to obstruct the discovery of knowledge.
"We maintain our commitment to publish and promote research on these topics. Articles that have been accepted and are "in press" will be published without author changes. Articles that have already been published in our journals will not be removed. Academic research will not be controlled, and we continue to encourage submissions on these topics aligned with our aims, values, and missions".
| | As part of our ongoing work, we will soon launch a Call for Papers for a special collection focused on abortion, centring lived experiences, justice, and community-led approaches to destigmatising abortion. We welcome diverse contributions that help reimagine a world where abortion is understood without fear, shame, or discrimination. For updates, please visit srhm.org or contact us at info@srhm.org and make sure you are signed up to our mailing list. | | | ONLINE NOW Open issue 2025 The papers in the open issue are published throughout the year on a continuous basis and alongside the themed issues.
We publish a wide range of article types from across the spectrum of SRHR. | | RECENTLY PUBLISHED Empowerment in prevention: a qualitative inquiry into Black girl-centred strategies for reducing HIV/STI and drug misuse risk Ijeoma Opara,Emmanuella Asabor,Jaleah Rutledge, et al. Extending the concept of "obstetric violence" to post-partum experiences: cautions regarding the "first ever" pill for post-partum depression Alicia Ely Yamin & Lisa Cosgrove Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and gender-diverse people with disabilities in Canada: a qualitative study Meredith Evans, Alexandra Rego, Nkem Ogbonna, et al. Service providers' perspectives and reproductive (in)justice among Roma women: a qualitative study in Spain María Félix Rodríguez-Camacho, María José Sanchís-Ramón, Gaby Ortiz Barreda & Diana Gil-González Approaches to a crisis in early pregnancy: an explorative qualitative study of medical students and doctors in training in Ireland, using a story completion model Mary Higgins, Sharon Cooley, Deirdre Hayes-Ryan & Brendan Dempsey Attitudes toward sexual and reproductive health and rights and their associations with reproductive agency: a population-based cross-sectional study in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe Karin Båge, Anna Kågesten, Olalekan Uthman, et al. Reflections on using Talanoa methodology to engage with Pacific youth in Aotearoa New Zealand about their sexual and reproductive health Radilaite Cammock, Tengihia Pousini & Malcolm Andrews "It was a foregone conclusion": a qualitative study of women's experiences and meaning-making of later-in-life abortion in Belgium Kato Verghote, Nathalie Neeser, Tenzin Wangmo, Guido Pennings & Veerle Provoost Sexual and reproductive health awareness and practices among adolescents and adults in a rural farming community in Baja California, Mexico: a quantitative and qualitative cross-sectional study Cristina Espinosa da Silva, Margarita Santibanez, Adrienne RS Lee, et al. Seeking and encountering online information for menstrual health:
a qualitative study among adolescent schoolgirls in Gianyar Regency and Denpasar City, Bali, Indonesia Heather Suttor, Kadek Putri Yamayanti, Ni Luh Eka Purni Astiti, et al. Empowerment in prevention: a qualitative inquiry into Black girl-centred strategies for reducing HIV/STI and drug misuse risk Ijeoma Opara, Emmanuella Asabor, Jaleah Rutledge, et al. Experiences of menstrual health in the Nordic countries: a scoping review of qualitative research, applying an intersectional lens Eva Åkerman, Anna Wängborg, Maria Persson & Marie Klingberg-Allvin | | | | Global Day Of Action To Destigmatise Abortions
SRHM joins a global movement to eliminate stigma and discrimination in abortion care.
| | | Fighting Back Together:
Five Things You Can Do for Reproductive Rights in the US and the UK
Dr Rebecca Steinfeld, Special Projects Lead at BPAS, and Chiara Capraro, Gender Justice Programme Director at Amnesty International UK | | | We Can and Must Safeguard SRHR Progress and Resist Regression:
We Have Come Too Far to Let It All Slip Away
Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli and Robert Blum
| | Every Friday we bring you thought-provoking discussions with leading experts in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights. Together, we'll dive into the latest research, pressing current events, and the powerful movements shaping SRHR around the world. The SRHM Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. | | | Attitudes Toward Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Their Associations with Reproductive Agency
| | | Bridging the Gap: Maternal Care Challenges for Black & Latine Women in Indiana
| | In this episode, we're tackling a pressing issue: the maternal health disparities faced by Black and Latine women—and how systemic barriers within healthcare contribute to these inequities.
The conversation is based on the paper "Provider perspectives on maternal care challenges for Black and Latine women in Indiana: a qualitative interview study" published in the SRHM Journal. | | | Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to sexual and reproductive health services for women and gender-diverse people with disabilities in Canada
| | | Extending the concept of "obstetric violence" to post-partum experiences:
Cautions regarding the "first ever" pill for post-partum experiences
| | In this episode, we dive into acrucial yet often overlooked issue: post-partum obstetric violence—and how the pharmaceuticalization of post-partum depression treatment might be contributing to it.
The conversation is based on the paper, "Extending the concept of "obstetric violence" to post-partum experiences: cautions regarding the "first ever" pill for post-partum depression", published in the SRHM Journal. | | | As we reflect on 2024, we are filled with gratitude for the unwavering commitment of our global community to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The past year has been one of both progress and profound challenges, underscoring the critical role of evidence-based knowledge in shaping policy, practice, and advocacy in SRHR. The fight for SRHR is far from over. As we confront ongoing attacks on sexual and reproductive freedoms, we reaffirm our commitment to supporting researchers, academics, policymakers, programme specialists, service providers, activists and members of diverse communities in their efforts to protect SRHR.
Our mission is about generating evidence-based knowledge, and using it to drive real, transformative change in people's lives.
We extend our deepest thanks to our authors, reviewers, editorial board, funders, and partners. Your contributions sustain our work and strengthen the collective fight for SRHR worldwide. Together, we will continue to push boundaries, challenge misinformation and disinformation, and advocate for a world where everyone can exercise their sexual and reproductive rights free from discrimination and violence.
With gratitude and determination,
Eszter Kismödi, Jane Cottingham, and Sapna Desai
Chief Executive and Co-Chairs of the Board of Trustees
Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters (SRHM)
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