2015
SEE THE IMPACT
RESEARCH CAN HAVE
RIGOROUS RESEARCH
Our research is instrumental in supporting legal challenges to abortion restrictions. In 2016, the US Supreme Court will hear the case against the Texas law that has forced a dramatic decrease in the number of abortion clinics in the state. Ibis partners with the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and University of California, San Francisco, to form the Texas Policy Evaluation Project (TxPEP). TxPEP has generated data directly responding to the restrictive law, documenting increased wait times and distances women must travel to get an abortion. TxPEP research will be crucial to proving to the Court that the Texas law poses an undue burden for women exercising their constitutional right to abortion.
We are addressing critical gaps in reproductive health evidence and knowledge. Our work on contraceptive stockouts in Uganda will help us to understand how this under-researched issue affects women and their ability to access contraception. Our new nationally representative survey on women’s attitudes toward an over-the-counter (OTC) birth control pill will take the pulse on US women’s demand for OTC access and help to ensure that a future OTC pill is responsive to women’s priorities.
BOLD IDEAS
We partner with advocates, providers, government departments, and other stakeholders, responding to needs as they arise in the field. In partnership with the Sea Change Program, we provided technical support to five service-delivery organizations in Latin America, the Caribbean region, and sub-Saharan Africa to assess abortion stigma and to develop, implement, and evaluate pilot interventions to reduce stigma. Abortion stigma is a barrier to quality, safe abortion care, and this project will provide key insights that can make an impact around the world.
We are harnessing technology to improve access to contraception and abortion. In Southeast Asia, we are developing a mobile application that will increase access to quality abortion care. From the US Midwest to subSaharan Africa, our groundbreaking work on telemedicine is unlocking the potential of medication abortion to bring safe and effective choices to women where they are.
IMPROVING WOMEN’S LIVES
Our work impacts women’s lives. Our clinical research has identified ways to improve the safety and quality of later abortion services. In South Africa, we found that use of the mifepristone-misoprostol regimen for second-trimester abortion was associated with significantly shorter induction times and shorter hospitalization compared to the use of misoprostol alone, leading to changes in service delivery. Our research identified key barriers to reproductive health access for US servicewomen, which led to crucial policy changes on contraceptive access in the military, recently signed into law by President Obama.
At Ibis Reproductive Health, we believe in the power of rigorous research to help push forward strong, women-focused policies and effective, high-quality reproductive health information, services, and product innovations. In 2015, we were proud to see our work contribute to concrete progress that improves women’s lives. We hope you’ll join us and contribute to our work. Your support allows us to deliver sound science and women’s voices to policy and practice. To make a donation, visit www.ibisreproductivehealth.org/support-us.
SEE THE IMPACT YO U C A N H AV E ON RESEARCH
Connect with Ibis www.ibisreproductivehealth.org Twitter: @IbisRH Facebook.com/IbisReproductiveHealth admin@ibisreproductivehealth.org 1.617.349.0040