Sexual and Reproductive Health on agenda

Sexual and Reproductive Health on agenda

Four of the most high-profile experts in global sexual and reproductive health are speaking at the Family Planning Conference being held in Wellington this week.

Family Planning Chief Executive Jackie Edmond says the five conference themes – positive sexuality, young people, contraception, sexually transmissible infections and abortion – were chosen because they’re most reflective of the issues facing those who work in sexual and reproductive health both in New Zealand and internationally.

“There’s an increasing reluctance by many to discuss the tough issues in sexual and reproductive health – unplanned pregnancies, patchy sexual and reproductive health education, high rates of sexually transmissible infections and inequitable access to abortion services,” Ms Edmond says.

“This conference is an opportunity to have those discussions, to learn from the international experts and to do what we can to turn up the volume on the conversations that need to be had if New Zealanders are to benefit from improved sexual and reproductive health.”

More than 300 conference delegates – doctors, nurses, health promoters, teachers and policy makers - will hear from some 49 speakers during the three-day conference.

Family Planning Conference is being held at the Wellington Convention Centre and runs from Friday 15 October until Sunday 17 October. The keynote speakers are:

Ann Furedi
Since 2003, Ann Furedi has been Chief Executive of the sexual and reproductive healthcare charity bpas (the British Pregnancy Advisory Service). She is also the Contraception and Abortion Care specialist advisor to the Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV.

Since 1992, she has championed in the United Kingdom the introduction of early medical abortion (used under 9 weeks), which experts now credit for allowing abortions to take place at much earlier stages on average in England, Scotland and Wales. In 2008, an unprecedented 73% of all abortions in England and Wales took place below 10 weeks.
Dr Douglas Kirby
Dr. Douglas Kirby is internationally known for his work in the field of adolescent sexuality, particularly for his reviews of the research on school and community programmes to reduce adolescent sexual risk-taking behaviours.

One of these reviews is the widely acclaimed Emerging Answers 2007: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

In that review and others, Dr Kirby has also painted a more comprehensive and detailed picture of the risk and protective factors associated with adolescent sexual behaviour, contraceptive use, pregnancy, and STIs; and has identified important common characteristics of effective sexuality education and HIV education programmes throughout the world.

Dr Gill Greer
Dr Gill Greer is a highly experienced and committed sexual and reproductive health professional. Since 2006 she has been Director-General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) an organisation overseeing the delivery of over 66 million services worldwide.

The post of Director-General of IPPF is one of the most challenging in the field of international development. As the strongest global voice for sexual and reproductive health and rights, IPPF’s network of national Member Associations (including New Zealand) works to provide vital, often life saving, services to some of the poorest and most marginalised people in more than 180 countries worldwide.

Irving Sivin
Irving Sivin is a senior scientist at the Population Council's Center for Biomedical Research. He joined the Council in 1969 to analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of family planning programs in developing countries.

Sivin designed and analysed clinical trials of a number of long acting reversible contraceptives including the Mirena intrauterine system and contraceptive implants such as Jadelle which has recently become subsidised in New Zealand.

The full conference programme can be found at www.familyplanning.org.nz

ENDS

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