2017 Year in Review
Ibis conducts rigorous RESEARCH that makes a difference. We seek out and evaluate innovative strategies that have the potential to improve REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH and choices, make it easier to exercise reproductive AUTONOMY, and promote EQUITY and JUSTICE. We partner with health care providers, advocates, and other groups to ensure that our research impacts policy and practice.
We are committed to conducting
RESEARCH BOLD IDEAS ACCESS and
testing
Progress through technology
that advance abortion
We have expanded our work testing innovative approaches to abortion measurement and service delivery— particularly w here novel models may increase access to care.
APP DEVELOPMENT
We worked in close collaboration with our safe abortion hotline partner to design, develop, and beta-test the first-ever smartphone app that provides an interactive platform to support users with information about the WHOrecommended medication abortion protocols and links to other information and services.
TELEMEDICINE
We have established ourselves as a leader in the evaluation of telemedicine provision of medication abortion, testing the potential of these models to expand access in other countries and producing state-level data in the United States that are critical to fighting sham abortion restrictions.
Access to abortion and contraception
Our work also focused on improving reproductive health care, CENTERING WOMEN’S EXPERIENCES and evaluating ways to lessen or eliminate legal, policy, and social barriers to abortion care.
Over the last year, we made extensive progress in our work to generate evidence and build partnerships to fight abortion restrictions and bans on insurance coverage of abortion. We continue to partner with service-delivery organizations in Latin America, the Caribbean, and East Africa to provide support in evaluating ways to reduce abortion stigma and improve stigma measurement tools.
Our research on access to contraception and abortion for women in the US MILITARY continued to uncover areas for improvement. We published a groundbreaking study on US servicewomen’s experiences accessing abortion care. This research found that servicewomen report a lack of support and fears about confidentiality, stigma, and negative career impacts when they choose to have an abortion, and received widespread media coverage. We also produced a new brief on retired military officers’ perspectives on reproductive health access and policy and fielded a survey among servicewomen deployed since 2010 about their reproductive health needs and experiences. These results will provide an updated snapshot of reproductive health access and insight into servicewomen’s knowledge and opinions about current reproductive health policies.
We have worked to INCREASE ACCESS to the full range of contraceptive methods. CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS IN THE US
Working with our coalition partners, we are leading the charge to move a birth control pill over the counter in the United States that is affordable, accessible to people of all ages, and covered by insurance. We established an exciting partnership with HRA Pharma to submit an application to the US Food and Drug Administration to make a birth control pill available OTC.
UNDERSTANDING CONTRACEPTIVE STOCKOUTS
We published findings from our research on the impact of contraceptive stockouts in Uganda, which found that stockouts were common and pervasive and led to numerous negative consequences for women, including unwanted pregnancy, stress, domestic conflict, and increased costs. Providers experienced negative consequences such as emotional distress, blame, declining skills, and decreased demand.
Comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care We continued to COLLABORATE with a wide range of partners, including government, to strengthen access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care. Our objective is to improve systems, policies, knowledge, and practices, with a focus on YOUNG PEOPLE.
MMOHO CAMPAIGN
In South Africa, the mmoho campaign has grown exponentially. In 2017, our media workshops provided unique opportunities to engage with journalists and empower youth, and included an appearance by Ayanda Makayi of the MTV Shuga TV series.
SCHOOL TOURS
On behalf of Coal Stove Pictures, South African actor and producer Wandile Molebatsi invited the mmoho campaign to be part of the Hear Me Move theatrical school tours, which seek to tackle issues of genderbased violence globally and engage young people with SRH issues through dance.
Partnerships We have strengthened partnerships with groups who can best identify needs in their communities—including SERVICE DELIVERY and ADVOCATE COLLEAGUES around the world—to address gaps in evidence, fight abortion restrictions and funding bans, and identify ways to make services more user-friendly, particularly for those who have the most to benefit from improvements.
CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
We worked with the Center for Reproductive Rights to update our Evaluating Priorities report, which again finds that the more abortion restrictions a state has passed, the fewer evidencebased supportive policies exist, and the poorer health and well-being outcomes are for women and children. This report received widespread media attention, challenging the claims of politicians who have passed abortion restrictions under the guise of protecting women’s health and safety.
SISTERSONG WOMEN OF COLOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE COLLECTIVE
In partnership with SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, we launched a community-based participatory research study that explores how Black women conceptualize reproductive health and the broad range of factors that influence decision making.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S HEALTH COALITION
We are collaborating with the International Women’s Health Coalition to strengthen comprehensive sexuality education in South Africa’s public schools.
Support us A gift to Ibis supports our innovative work to improve women’s reproductive autonomy, choices, and health worldwide. Ibis Reproductive Health is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible.
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Contact information CAMBRIDGE OFFICE
Phone: 1-617-349-0040
Address: Ibis Reproductive Health 2067 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 320 Cambridge, MA 02140 United States of America
OAKLAND OFFICE
Phone: 1-510-986-8967
Address: Ibis Reproductive Health 1330 Broadway, Suite 1100 Oakland, CA 94612 United States of America
JOHANNESBURG OFFICE
Phone: 27-(0)-11-966-7741 Email: joburg@ibisreproductivehealth.org Physical Address: Room 160, First Floor Dunkeld West Centre 281 Jan Smuts Avenue Dunkeld West 2196 Johannesburg, South Africa Mailing Address: Ibis Reproductive Health Postnet Suite # 197, Private Bag X2600 Houghton 2041 Johannesburg, South Africa
GENERAL INQUIRIES
Email: admin@ibisreproductivehealth.org
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