My New Blog, Where To Find Me, And How To Contact Me

If you read this blog or if you liked this blog, when it was alive, then I think you’ll like my new blog.
Check out my new blog: Forwrrrd
Forwrrrd is an activism, DIY, equal rights, feminism, human rights, riot grrrl, and women’s rights blog. If anybody wants to contribute something to the blog, email me: grrrlsvomitcandy@hotmail.com with the subject “blog” or “contribute”. Contributions must be activism, diy, equal rights, feminism, human rights, riot grrrl, and/or women’s rights focused. Any and all contributions will be appreciated and credited. Thanks!

Here are some websites I can be found on:
Riot Grrrl Online Website (RGO) link #1 or RGO link #2 or RGO link #3
Riot Grrrl Online News/Updates Page
Riot Grrrl Online Forum
Riot Grrrl Online Social Network
Free @riotgrrrl.co.uk Email Address
Riot Grrrl Chat
Riot Grrrl Online Updates and Other Riot Grrrl/Feminism Stuff
Riot Grrrl Online LiveJournal Community
Riot Grrrl Online Last.fm Group
Riot Grrrl Online on Myspace
Riot Grrrl Online Group on Myspace
Riot Grrrl Online Mailing List
Riot Grrrl Online on MyBlogLog

Here are some social networks I can be found on:
Care2
Delicious
DeviantArt
Digg
Last.fm
LiveJournal
Myspace
TakingItGlobal
Technorati
Twitter
Wikipedia
Windows Live Spaces

You can also email me, but just remove the NOSPAM part of the email address.

Feel free to email me: links, riot grrrl chapters, information, articles, submissions, contributions, etc. for the Riot Grrrl Online website or for the Forwrrrd Blog. Thanks!

McCain, Obama Indicate Abortion Views

8/18/2008- Presumptive Presidential nominees John McCain and Barack Obama outlined their positions on abortion Saturday night in nationally televised back-to-back appearances. Reverand Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California posed questions to each candidate about a range of issues, including abortion and gay rights.

When asked at what point is a baby entitled to human rights, McCain quickly replied “at the moment of conception.” He went on to say “I have a 25 year pro-life record in the Congress, in the Senate. And as President of the United States I will be a pro-life president and this presidency will have pro-life policies.”

In response to the same question, Obama chose to speak on abortion more generally. Among other comments, he stated: “I am pro-choice, I believe in Roe v. Wade and come to that conclusion not because I am pro-abortion, but because ultimately I don’t think women make these decisions casually. I think they wrestle with these things in profound ways…and so for me, the goal right now should be…how do we reduce the number of abortions? Because the fact is that although we’ve had a president who is opposed to abortion over the past eight years, abortions have not gone down.”

In relation to gay rights, the candidates were asked to both define marriage and comment on the possibility of amending the Constitution to define marriage. McCain defined marriage as “a union between man and woman, between one man and one woman” and said that he would favor a constitutional amendment “if a federal court decided that my state of Arizona had to observe what the state of Massachusetts decided.”

Obama said that he does not support a constitutional amendment to define marriage “because historically we have not defined marriage in our constitution. It’s been a matter of state law.” He proceeded to comment that he is “not somebody who promotes same-sex marriage but [that he does] believe in civil unions.”

Media Resources: Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency Transcript 8/16/08; LA Times 8/18/08

Mom: Girl, 8, Given Inappropriate Music At Camp

This news story was taken from katu.com.

PORTLAND, Ore. – A mother who sent her 8-year-old daughter to a Portland rock music-themed camp for girls says she is shocked by what she thinks is age-inappropriate material distributed to the young attendees.

The mother, who did not want to be identified, said her daughter returned home with music that contained graphic violent imagery and lyrics that were both sexually charged and racist.

The woman said the items were part of a welcome packet for girls attending the camp and that she checked them out before her daughter could listen to the music.

She said she’s worried that other camp attendees might be exposed to the materials and music if their parents don’t get to it first.

One CD featured packaging that depicted a murder scene with a dead body and a killing in progress.

Also among the items was a tape by the band Bikini Kill that the concerned mom said had sexual content so explicit she was too embarrassed to repeat it. She said the music also had racially offensive content.

She said that if her daughter had heard the music and asked her what some of the words meant, it would have been “very difficult to explain to her.”

While officials with Rock and Roll Camp for Girls declined to be interviewed by KATU News, they did say they were going to look into the issue. On their Web site, the non-profit organization says the camp is designed to “build girls self-esteem through music creation and performance.”

The organization says it is for girls ages 8 to 18 years old.

The girl’s mother said she can’t understand how the materials could have been given to an 8-year-old without some sort of screening by camp operators.

“I trusted these adults to give her appropriate material,” she said.

The next session of the camp begins on Monday.

Feminism Friday: Rape, Sex Abuse Of Afghan Girls Continues

Afghan girls continue to be sexually exploited, reported the Afghan Interior Ministry Thursday. The Ministry told Reuters that the number of sexual assaults on children has significantly increased. The Afghanistan Human Rights Organization (AHRO) has reported that in January a 10 year-old girl was raped in Jowzjan province and that groups of men raped a 12 year-old girl in June in Sar-I-Pol province and a 3 year-old girl in July in Jowzjan province. Cases like these abound.

A 12 year-old girl who was raped at gunpoint by five men has publicly spoken about the gang rape. A video of the girl and her family was posted online by the Revolutionary Association of Women in Afghanistan. The girl pleads for help from Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Since the video became public, the family has met with Karzai, who has reportedly fired the police chief where the attack occurred, according to CNN.

Relatedly, an Islamic cleric was detained for allegedly presiding over a marriage of a 7 year-old girl to a 17 or 18 year-old man. Legally, girls under 16 and boys under 18 can not marry in Afghanistan. However, according to the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women 57% of Afghan girls are married before age 16, frequently to settle their family’s debts or other disputes.

Media Resources: Reuters 8/7/08; Australian Broadcasting Corporation 8/7/08; United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women 2/16/07; CNN 8/7/08

International AIDS Conference 2008 To Close Friday

Friday is the final day of the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City. The conference is a global forum regarding the prevention and treatment of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. Twenty-five thousand delegates from around the world assembled in Mexico City this week.

In a press release (see PDF), Dr. Pedro Cahn, the conference international co-chair, and Fundación Huésped, president of the International AIDS Society (IAS), said, “AIDS 2008 is taking place at a unique moment in the epidemic, when there is widespread consensus on the urgency of ensuring universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010. What we now need is action on the part of all stakeholders. As we gather in Mexico, each of us must ask ourselves: What can I do to end AIDS? In 2008, there are no longer bystanders in this global struggle.”

Many reports of the discussions covered during the conference have come to light via bloggers who attended the conference. According to blogger Janna A. Zinzi, of the Guttmacher Institute, the Fuerza Joven de Mexico (Youth Force of Mexico) promoted comprehensive sex education at the conference as a way to prevent the spread of HIV in young people. More than four in ten new cases of HIV are in young people.

RH Reality Check bloggers reported about the importance of women’s rights in the global fight against AIDS. The Bush Administration’s AIDS response, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), requires HIV positive women in Botswana to sign a contract promising not to become pregnant. Activists at the conference provided recommendations to improve PEPFAR in ways that respect women’s basic human rights.

Links between HIV and gender based violence has also been the focus at the conference. RH Reality Check reports that women who have experienced gender based violence are at greater risk for transmission of HIV. Comprehensive sex education programs and policy changes to hold perpetrators of violence against women accountable were recommended.

The conference was open to both delegates and the general public to foster comprehensive dialogue about the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Words of Welcome for the conference stated, “The AIDS 2008 theme, Universal Action Now, underscores the continued urgency of the pandemic and reminds us of the responsibility we have to take individual and collective action.”

Media Resources: XVII International AIDS Conference 2008 Press Release; feministing.com 08/05/08; RH Reality Check 08/06/08

Proposed Legislation In Iran Would End Death By Stoning

Iran’s state media announced Wednesday that Iran has suspended the use of stoning as a way to carry out the death penalty. According to AFP, Iran’s judiciary drafted legislation that would end stoning as a death penalty, the current Islamic punishment in Iran for adulterers.

Amnesty International reports in their call to end stoning in Iran, “The majority of those sentenced to death by stoning are women. Women are not treated equally with men under the law and by courts, and they are also particularly vulnerable to unfair trials because their higher illiteracy rate makes them more likely to sign confessions to crimes they did not commit.”

Amnesty International, the Volunteer Lawyer’s Network, the European Union, the Stop Stoning Forever Campaign, and many other human rights groups have been pressuring Iran to end this practice of execution for years. In 2002, Ayatollah Shahroudi, the head of Iran’s judiciary banned the practice of stoning but did not remove the laws from the books. Execution by stoning continued, including the stoning of Jafar Kiani in 2007, which sparked international outrage.

BBC News reports that eight women and one man are currently awaiting death by stoning in Iran.

Media Resources: AFP 08/06/08; BBC News 08/05/08; Amnesty International 01/15/08; Stop Stoning Forever Campaign; Feminist Newswire

Indian Court Rejects Couple’s Plea For Abortion

An Indian Court rejected a couple’s petition on Monday for an abortion of a 25-week-old-fetus with a congenital heart problem. According to the Associated Press, Niketa and Haresh Mehta and their gynecologist, Dr. Nikhil Dattar, petitioned the court last month because they are concerned about the quality of life a child with congenital heart problems would have and because they cannot afford the pacemaker required to treat the condition.

Dr. Dattar told the Associated Press, “My plea was that the decision is best left to the parents who will take care of the child. We sought the opinion of many doctors and we were worried about the quality of life the child would have.”

In India, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act legalizes abortion up to twelve weeks. Women can obtain abortions between twelve and twenty weeks only if they or the fetus face a health risk. After twenty weeks, abortions are only legal if the mother’s health is at risk. However, many birth defects are only detected after the fetus is 20 weeks old.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act was passed in 1971, but the government has ruled out amendments to the law. Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss told the Times of India, “As it is today going by just one case, I do not think the law can be amended.”

Media Resources: Associated Press 08/04/08; BBC News 08/04/08; The Times of India 08/04/08; Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act

First Afghan Woman Elected To CEDAW

Zohra Rasekh has been elected to the United Nations’ Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). She is the first woman to represent Afghanistan. Rasekh received 110 votes and will begin her four-year term on January 1, 2009.

Rasekh and other members of CEDAW will develop strategies to improve anti-discrimination policies and will respond to questions and complaints from concerned individuals or groups when any suspected violations of CEDAW occur.

Afghan Ambassador to the UN Zahir Tanin described the significance of Rasekh’s victory: “The election of Afghanistan’s candidate indicates the continuing support of UN member states for Afghanistan. It also reflects attempts of the Afghan government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the UN at strengthening the role of Afghanistan in the international arena,” according to theOnline International News Network.

The US is the only industrialized western country that has not ratified CEDAW, which has been ratified by 185 countries.

Media Resources: Online International News Network, 8/1/08; United Nations, 8/4/08

Congress Repeals HIV Travel Ban

The House of Representatives voted Friday to repeal a discriminatory law that prevents HIV-positive foreigners from entering the country. The law, originally enacted in 1987, prohibits foreign nationals with HIV to obtain visas for travel to the U.S. and prevents them from becoming legal permanent residents, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) secured the provision to repeal the travel ban in the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR). The bill also includes a $48 billion five-year plan to fight HIV/AIDS and other diseases internationally, a significant increase from the $15 billion allotted previously, reports the Associated Press.
“Our government still treats individuals with HIV/Aids as modern-day lepers, categorically banning these individuals from entering into the US,” said Senator Smith, according to BBC News. “To fully embrace our global leadership on HIV/Aids, we must remove our unwelcome mat and overturn this ridiculous ban.” The US is currently one of only 12 countries with such a ban.
The bill will go to President Bush for approval. According to the Associated Press, Bush supports the bill and is expected to sign it into law.

Media Resources: Human Rights Campaign 7/25/2008; Associated Press 7/27/2008; BBC News 7/17/2008; Library of Congress

Feminism Friday: Catholic Organizations Ask Pope Benedict To Lift Anti-Contraception Ban

Over 50 Catholic organizations published a letter addressed to Pope Benedict XVI last week urging the Pope to lift the Church’s anti-contraception policy introduced in the Humanae Vitae, the1968 Encyclical Letter of Pope Paul VI. The letter was advertised in the Corriere della Sera, Italy’s largest circulating newspaper, according to Catholics for Choice.

The letter marked the 40 anniversary of the Humanae Vitae, which, according to the letter, “holds significant sway over many national family planning policies, obstruct[ing] the implementation of good public health policies on family planning and HIV prevention.” Teachings of the encyclical have been defended by late Pope Paul VI’s successors, John Paul and Benedict. At the end of the letter the Catholic organizations asked Pope Benedict to use the anniversary to lift the ban “to allow Catholics to plan their families safely and in good conscience.”

The anniversary also reignited the debate in the Philippines over the eight year contraception ban with the Conference Episcopal Commission on Family Life in Manila where Catholic Bishops renewed the Church’s support of the Humanae Vitae, according to GMA News.

Media Resources: Catholics for Choice 7/25/08; Feminist Daily News Wire 2/5/08; GMA News 7/10/08

South African Woman Named Human Rights Commissioner For UN

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon named South African judge Navanethem Pillay the UN high commissioner for human rights Thursday. She will serve a five-year term, replacing Louise Arbour, after her nomination is confirmed by the General Assembly Monday, reports the Washington Post.

The U.S. has accepted her nomination, despite initial objections to her vocal support for abortion access, according to BBC News. She co-founded the international women’s rights organization, Equality Now, and continues to support a woman’s access to abortion, contraceptives and reproductive freedom, according to the Associated Press.

Pillay is currently a judge at the International Criminal Court and has worked tirelessly in the past defending anti-apartheid activists in her native South Africa. She was the first woman to start a law practice in Natal Province in South Africa and also served as the first non-white woman to serve in the country’s High Court, according to BBC News.

“She has to be the voice for human rights, focus on the violations of human rights, speak clearly and focus world attention on the egregious violations of human rights that unfortunately still take place in many places around the world,” said Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador, reports the Associated Press. “We look forward to working with her.”

Media Resources: Washington Post 7/25/2008; Associated Press 7/25/2008; BBC News 7/25/2008

Northern Ireland Proposes Abortion Rights Amendment

Nearly Half Of Egyptian Women Harassed Daily

This news story was taken from here.

A study released last week found that nearly half of Egyptian women are sexually harassed on a daily basis. The report, released by The Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights, stated that 46 percent of Egyptian women were harassed daily and 98 percent of foreign women were harassed while in the country, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Nihad Abu El-Qoumsan, head of The Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights, said most Egyptian women blame themselves for the harassment, reports the BBC. Contrary to popular belief, findings stated that unveiled women were not more likely to be harassed.

This self blame may be only one reason why only 12 percent of victims reported incidences to police last year, as reported by AFP. According to the Windsor Star, victims were also reluctant to report harassment because of a perceived lack of response from authorities. The centre that released the study is campaigning to elucidate the current sexual harassment law in hopes of making reporting the crime easier for Egyptian women.

Media Resources: Agence France-Presse 7/17/2008; BBC News 7/18/2008; Windsor Star 7/21/2008

Need for Survival Fuels Sex Work, High Birth Rate Kills Mothers In Afghanistan

This news story can be found at Feminist Daily News.

Women and young girls are being pushed to commercial sex work due to high food prices and widespread unemployment in Afghanistan. High fertility rates, poor health services, and a high maternal mortality rate compound these issues.

Sex work is considered to be a serious crime in Afghanistan, where offenders can face the death penalty or lengthy prison sentences for engaging in sex outside of marriage. Fariba Majid, Director of the Balkh Province Women’s Affairs Department, calls sex work “an abhorrent deed and an appalling crime”, according to Irin News. However, many sex workers do not have other means to survive or feed their families.

Afghan women face high fertility rates and one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Only 14% of women receive skilled birthing attention during childbirth. Access to health services is limited by a lack of awareness, economic barriers, and men’s willingness to take women to health centers. One of six Afghan women will die from complications during pregnancy or childbirth; the average woman will have six or seven children.

Parental responsibility is often tied to sex work in Afghanistan. An Afghan prostitute, Najiba, told Irin News, “I am a widow and I have to feed my five children. I am illiterate and no one will give me a job. I hate to be a prostitute but if I stop doing this job my children will starve to death.”

Media Resources: Irin News 7/14/08, 7/16/08; Feminist Majority Foundation

Two Afghan “Prostitutes” Allegedly Murdered by Taliban

The following news story was taken from here

Two Afghan “Prostitutes” Allegedly Murdered by Taliban

Two Afghan women were killed last weekend outside Ghazni City for allegedly running a prostitution ring for US military personnel and foreign contractors. The women were allegedly killed by the Taliban. A spokesperson for the Ghazni governor described the women as “innocent local people” who were killed in an “undescribable and cruel way.” Nathan Perry, a US Military spokesperson, said that he was unaware of allegations of a prostitution ring or “anything close to that nature” BBC News reports.

The Taliban purportedly released photos on the Internet of the women’s decapitated bodies. According to Times Now, the Associated Press had a camera crew and began filming the shooting as soon as they heard gunshots. There has been speculation that the execution was meant to be a warning to women of the community.

Media Resources: BBC News, 7/13/08; Adnkronos International 7/15/08; Times Now 7/14/08

Feminists Express Outrage Over New Yorker

Feminists Express Outrage over New Yorker

7/15/2008 – Feminist groups immediately expressed outrage over the New Yorker’s cover for the July 21 issue that depicts a caricature of Michelle and Senator Barack Obama. Editor David Remnick Claims the Caricature is Satirical.

The cover features Michelle and Barack Obama in what appears to be the oval office, with a portrait of Osama bin Laden over the fireplace and a U.S. flag burning in it. The Michelle caricature has an afro, is wearing camouflage, and carries a machine gun while the Barack caricature’s attire mirrors that of bin Laden. The two caricatures are doing a fist bump that Fox News has previously described as a terrorist fist jab.

Chair of the National Congress of Black Women, Dr. E. Faye Williams’ response was that “the New Yorker cover is not satire; it’s racism and sexism at its worst! Never again, will I purchase a New Yorker. Some people understand nothing less than the ‘power of the purse’.”

The National Organization for Women (NOW) is encouraging its membership to e-mail letters to the New Yorker urging that the cover be removed.

The Feminist Majority (FM) has also sent out an action alert. FM President Eleanor Smeal remarks that “Of course some will say that feminists have no sense of humor, but there is absolutely nothing satirical or funny about it. This is a vicious attack masquerading as satire.”

The blogosphere has also lit up. Michelle Obama Watch calls the cover “reprehensible” and calls for its “immediate removal”. Feministing calls the cover “a perfect visual summary of what Fox News spews and what right-wing emails allege every day”. The Diary of an Anxious Black Woman asks “are we, as a nation, truly sophisticated enough to make these kinds of jokes?.

Media Resources: National Organization for Women 7/14/08; Feminist Majority Foundation 7/14/08; Women’s Media Center 7/13/08; Feministing; Diary of an Anxious Black Woman 7/13/08; Michelle Obama Watch 7/14/08; YouTube

Cynthia McKinney Will Be Green Party Presidential Candidate

Cynthia McKinney will be Green Party Presidential Candidate

7/14/2008 – Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney was nominated by the Green Party to be its presidential candidate at the party’s convention in Chicago on Saturday. McKinney represented Dekalb County, Georgia’s 4th district, for six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat.

Journalist, activist and community organizer Rosa Clemente will be McKinney’s running mate. Clemente has remarked that “Cynthia McKinney is a hero to me and many others across this country and around the world for her courage in standing up to George Bush while the Democratic Party establishment caved.” McKinney is known for initiating legislation to impeach Bush during her last days in Congress.

Media Resources: rosaclemente.com; runcynthiarun.org; greensforgreens.org; Associated Press 12/8/06

Changing Hearts And Minds On Gay Marriage

Changing Hearts and Minds on Gay Marriage

This story comes from Alternet.
Young activists are trying to reach out to conservative voters.

A famous Chinese proverb teaches that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.

For Meg Sneed, a 25-year-old Arizona lesbian, journeys to change a thousand hearts begin with a single thought: There’s power in sharing personal stories.

In 2006, she and other young activists in Soulforce, a gay-rights group devoted to the kind of peaceful confrontation practiced by Gandhi and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, traveled eight weeks by bus to evangelical colleges to share what it’s like to be gay.

The next year, Sneed, who was fighting cancer, was weak from chemotherapy but walked 60 miles to help raise money for breast cancer research.

Now, with her home state set to vote on banning same-sex couples from marrying, Sneed is back on the move: Starting Aug. 8, she and other young Soulforce activists will walk 96 miles to the state capitol to share touching accounts of how the amendment would hurt real people.

She picked 96 miles for the six-day trek through egg-frying heat because that’s the number of years gay Arizonans haven’t had equal rights. (Arizona became a state in 1912.)

“Walking 96 miles,” Sneed says of her bold adventure, “is nothing compared to a gay or lesbian person being told they can’t see their partner in their dying moments at a hospital because they don’t have full marriage rights.”

Obama Reaches Out To Women With Economic Plan

Obama Reaches Out to Women with Economic Plan
July 11, 2008

Sen Barack Obama focused on women yesterday and unleashed his economic plan for women. In New York, he attended a breakfast for women with Sen. Hillary Clinton before speaking at a town hall meeting in Fairfax County, VA.

Obama’s economic plan for women includes increasing the minimum wage to $9.50 per hour by 2011, giving 8.4 million women a raise of up to $4,700 a year. He also proposes to increase retirement saving options for 45 million women by providing a new automatic workplace pension and a $500 matching tax credit for their savings.

Obama’s plan supports closing the gender wage gap. He voted in favor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007, which is currently stalled in the Senate following a Republican filibuster in April. If passed, this bill would correct the US Supreme Court decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire Rubber Co., Inc. that guted the ability of women workers to sue for wage discrimination..

“We won’t truly have an economy that puts the needs of the middle class first until we ensure that, when it comes to pay and benefits at work, women are treated as the equal partners that they are,” said Obama, according to the Washington Post.

The presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain, did not cast a vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, but said, according to the Associated Press, he “thinks the Supreme Court got it right,” and “this kind of legislation … opens up to lawsuits for all kinds of problems.”

Media Resources: Associated Press 7/11/2008; Washington Post 7/10/2008, Feminist Daily News Wire 4/24/2008; Report: The Impact of the Obama Economic Plan for America’s Working Women

Feminism Friday: Family Planning Vital To Improving Maternal Health, UN Officials Say

Family planning vital to improving maternal health, UN officials say

11 July 2008 – Family planning is a critical element to improving maternal health, one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) or global targets world leaders have pledged to achieve by 2015, senior United Nations officials said today, urging that women everywhere have access to this vital service.
In messages to mark World Population Day, which is observed annually on 11 July, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) noted that improving maternal health – MDG 5 – is lagging the furthest behind among all the targets.

“The rate of death for women as they give birth remains the starkest indicator of the disparity between rich and poor, both within and among countries,” Mr. Ban said.

He noted the three basic interventions necessary to improve maternal health: skilled attendance at the time of birth, facilities to provide emergency obstetric care and family planning.

“Studies show that family planning has immediate benefits for the lives and health of mothers and their infants,” he stated. “Ensuring basic access to family planning could reduce maternal deaths by a third and child deaths by as much as 20 per cent.

“And yet the benefits of family planning remain out of reach for many, especially for those who often have the hardest time getting the information and services they need to plan their families, such as the poor, marginalized populations and young people,” he said.