Childbearing goals have remained remarkably consistent over the decades. What has changed is when people start their families and how many kids they end up having.
Conversations between patients and their doctors about permanent birth control procedures can at times be fraught and influenced by long-standing stigmas.
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The term voluntary sterilization, referring to the choice to receive permanent birth control, arose as a contrast to the involuntary, or forced, sterilization that stems from the eugenics movement.
Lack of pharmaceutical industry interest has stymied the development of new male contraception options.
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There hasn’t been a new form of male birth control since the 1980s. More contraception options for all partners could help reduce the rate of unintended pregnancies.
Research shows hormonal contraceptives may have small but significant effects on behaviour.
This year, many vasectomy patients are young or single men concerned about unwanted pregnancy at a time when abortion care may not be as available as before.
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As more younger, single men ask for one following the Supreme Court abortion decision, a urologist explains what to expect with a vasectomy.
Activist Jason Hershey reads from a Bible as he protests in front of the U.S. Supreme Court with the anti-abortion group Bound for Life in 2005 in Washington, D.C.
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Faith can inform opinions about abortion on both sides of the political debate, but the Bible itself says nothing directly about the topic, a biblical scholar explains.
There’s an interesting evolutionary benefit for some women if the consequences of casual sex are high.
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Some reasons people oppose abortion seem to be at odds with other positions they hold. Evolutionary social science points to a surprising motivation for anti-abortion attitudes.
Same-sex marriage and contraception rights could be under threat, if the same legal principle is used as in the recent abortion case.
Research shows that short spacing between childbirth and another pregnancy comes with heightened health risks.
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Many people do not realize they are delivering at a Catholic hospital, and others may not have a choice. But where one receives care has a profound impact on the birth control options they’re offered.
Medicinal plants and the associated indigenous knowledge could offer alternatives for women who lack access to modern contraceptives.
Reproductive rights are at the center of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case before the Supreme Court.
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The Supreme Court is considering a case that could restrict abortions. One argument is that birth control eliminates the need for abortion. But contraception doesn’t offer an easy fix.
Warming the testicles using nanorods affects sperm production.
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Growing applications of nanotechnology include using nanorods for male birth control. The technique has had some success in animals, and offers the potential of human male contraception.
The Supreme Court appears on the cusp of ending Roe v. Wade.
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In past rulings, the court has acknowledged that there’s a connection between the ability of women to control their reproductive lives and the economic health of the nation.
Benin’s new abortion law considers a woman’s socioeconomic situation.
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The legacy of eugenics is still active in the U.S. Paternalistic attitudes and policies on the reproductive agency of disabled people is one way it manifests.
A provision of the Affordable Care Act makes it easier for patients to receive preventive care.
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The Affordable Care Act has allowed many preventive health services, including cancer screenings and vaccines, to be free of charge. But legal challenges may lead to costly repercussions for patients.
Men largely determine the fertility rate in Nigeria. These men are drumming for dancers at a festival.
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The Nigerian government must design more interventions to improve education, employment opportunities and the economy in order to control the country’s population growth.
A young Kenyan mother holds her baby bump.
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Anthropologue et démographe, professeur émérite au Muséum national d’histoire naturelle et conseiller de la direction de l'INED, Muséum national d’histoire naturelle (MNHN)