Final statement on Popline from Michael J. Klag, MD, MPH, Bloomberg School of Public Health

April 8, 2008

Follow Up Statement Regarding POPLINE Database

On Friday, April 4, I learned that the administrators of the POPLINE family-planning database had blocked the term “abortion” as a keyword, which made it more difficult for users of the database to find information on the topic. When I learned of this decision, I immediately reversed it. Full access to the database was restored within hours. I was also determined to find out why the restriction was instituted in the first place. I am reporting today on the results of my inquiry.

The POPLINE database, which is funded by USAID and administered by the Bloomberg School’s Center for Communication Programs, provides evidence-based information on reproductive health and family planning. It is the world’s largest database on these issues and it contains about 400,000 records. POPLINE has been administered by the Center for Communication Programs for approximately 30 years.

It is our understanding that USAID, the federal agency that funds POPLINE, is restricted by law from funding any abortion activities or supplies. The restrictions are stated at http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/pop/restrictions.html.

All awardees are informed of these restrictions and USAID has a long history of enforcing compliance.

In February, a search by USAID officials found two items in the POPLINE database that advocated for abortion. Because they were advocacy materials, they did not meet the criteria for inclusion in the database. The agency informed POPLINE administrators who removed them from POPLINE. POPLINE administrators also found and removed from the database five other items from the same issue of the same magazine, for the same reason: They were advocacy materials and did not meet the criteria for inclusion in the database. [Note: Citations to the removed materials are listed below.]

POPLINE administrators took the additional step of temporarily restricting “abortion” as a search term while the database was examined for other information that might not have been consistent with USAID guidelines.

USAID did not request this action, although the agency was informed that it had been taken. POPLINE administrators did not inform management of the Bloomberg School of Public Health of their decision.

In my judgment, the decision to block the search term was an overreaction on the part of POPLINE staff. Other measures are available to us for ensuring that items in the POPLINE database meets USAID guidelines.

Further, the decision to block “abortion” as a search term, even though it was intended as a temporary measure, was not consistent with the values of the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Our school is dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge and not to its restriction.

The Center for Communication Programs and the Bloomberg School of Public Health deeply regret the action that was taken to restrict the use of the search term. Unfettered access to information is essential for informed debate and rational choices in any field, especially in family planning.

We will work with our staff to reinforce their appreciation of the importance of academic integrity and of the central role of universities in our society in the dissemination of information.

Michael J. Klag, MD, MPH

Dean, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Citations Removed from POPLINE. All articles may be viewed at the following URL:
http://www.ipas.org/Publications/asset_upload_file661_3322.pdf

1. Marianne Mollmann.
Author: Greenlee-Donnell C
Source: Abortion Magazine
2008 Winter;3:14-15.

2. How can the human-rights system work for women?
Corporate Author: International Projects Assistance Services [IPAS]
Source: Abortion Magazine
2008 Winter;3:16-17.

3. Reproductive rights, sexual rights and human rights.
Author: Sherk K
Source: Abortion Magazine
2008 Winter;3:6-7.

4. The importance of teaching human rights.
Author: Rico B
Source: Abortion Magazine
2008 Winter;3:12-13.

5. Human rights in Latin America: From discourse to reality.
Author: Billings DL
Source: Abortion Magazine
2008 Winter;3:8-9.

6. An interview with Monica Roa.
Author: Batchelder E
Source: Abortion Magazine
2008 Winter;3:10-11.

7. Abortion is a human-rights issue.
Author: Skuster P
Source: Abortion Magazine
2008 Winter;3:2-3.

Original statement from Johns Hopkins.

Media contacts: Tim Parsons at 410-955-7619 at tmparson@jhsph.edu or Dennis O’Shea at 443-287-9960 or dro@jhu.edu.

Nadereh Chamlou to speak at Storrs on Tuesday

Tuesday, April 29, 3:30, BPB (Bio Physics Building) 130:

“The myth and reality of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Middle East and North Africa Region.”  Lecture by Nadereh Chamlou.

Sponsored by the Office of International Affairs (OIA), the Women’s Studies Program, and the Middle East Studies Group

About the Speaker:

Nadereh Chamlou is Senior Advisor at the World Bank’s Middle East and North Africa Region.  In this capacity she also leads the Region’s gender agenda and advises on the Bank’s policy and advisory work.  In her 27 years with the World Bank, she has worked in technical and managerial positions across the World Bank Group in such areas as economic management, private sector development, financial sector development, oil & gas, telecom, power, infrastructure, environment, corporate governance, and the knowledge economy.  In addition to the Middle East and North Africa, her country experience extends to Mexico, former Yugoslavia, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Papua New Guinea.  She co-authored a World Bank flagship report on “Corporate Governance:  A Framework for Implementation”; was the principal author of”  “Gender and Development in the Middle East and North Africa Region – Women in the Public Sphere”; and “The Environment for Women’s Entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa Region.”  She is a graduate of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service and holds a Masters Degree in Economics.

More Events for Sexual Assault Awareness Month – Storrs Campus

UWomen Listserv

Stalking and Cyberstalking: Identification and Safety on Campus

Monday April 21, 4 pm, Women’s Center

Linda Blozie, Director of Public Affairs: Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence will discuss how we can define and recognize stalking, share information about prevalence on college campuses, review strategies for risk reduction and primary prevention education. In particular, she will focus technology as one method in a broader spectrum of behavior.

Healing from Childhood Sexual Abuse: From Surviving to Thriving

Wednesday April 23, Noon, Women’s Center

Stacy Karpowitz, Coordinator of Outreach Education and Laura Abbatemarco, Family Advocate from the Aetna Foundation Children’s Center of St. Francis Hospital will provide a basic overview of the common experiences of survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Special attention will be paid to the concerns of college students, who may be away from their perpetrators for the first time, and/or may be disclosing or recalling their story for the first time. The workshop will focus on pathways of healing and is appropriate for survivors, loved ones, friends, and faculty/staff who may be in a position to support survivor healing. This workshop was organized in partnership with UConn Student Mental Health Services.

Thursday Night at the Movies – Sisters In Law

Thursday April 24, 7 pm, Women’s Center

In the little town of Kumba, Cameroon, there have been no convictions in spousal abuse cases for 17 years. But two women determined to change their community are making progress that could change their country. This fascinating, often hilarious doc follows the work of State Prosecutor Vera Ngassa and Court President Beatrice Ntuba as they help women fight often-difficult cases of abuse, despite pressures from family and their community to remain silent. Six-year-old Manka is covered in scars and has run away from an abusive aunt, Amina is seeking a divorce to put an end to brutal beatings by her husband, the pre-teen Sonita has daringly accused her neighbor of rape. With fierce compassion, the two feisty and progressive-minded women dispense wisdom, wisecracks and justice in fair measure, handing down stiff sentences to those convicted.

Until Someone Wakes Up – (Play)

Tuesday April 29, 7pm, Student Union Ballroom – 3rd Floor

The “Performance Education Team” of VAWPP, along with dedicated recruits and allies, will be presenting this funny, serious and compelling play about gender, consent and communication. Lively and informative, this is your basic consent workshop, super-sized and VAWPP-o-fied! Don’t miss it!

Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831): Senate vote by next Wednesday (4/23)

From AAUW —

American Association of University Women – Two Minute Activist

The Senate is expected to vote by next Wednesday on legislation to address the Supreme Court’s decision in the Ledbetter v. Goodyear case. Due to procedural rules and the timing of the vote, they will be voting on the House version of the Fair Pay Restoration Act (S. 1843), the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831). While AAUW thanks you for your efforts on this legislation in the past, WE URGE YOU TO CONTACT YOUR SENATORS AGAIN TODAY to show a critical mas of support and send a strong signal that, as we approach Equal Pay Day, pay discrimination will not be tolerated. The time to act is now! Please share this alert with friends and family.

As Equal Pay Day approaches, AAUW members and coalition partners continue to support initiatives that seek to close the persistent and sizable wage gap between men and women. As you know, AAUW has been leading grassroots coalition efforts to pass fair pay legislation. The efforts of our Action Network members and coalition partners have led to an increase in the number of cosponsors and a Senate committee hearing on this legislation.

The Supreme Court’s decision in the Ledbetter v. Goodyear case in May severely limited the ability of victims of pay discrimination to vindicate their rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act restores the law to how it was previously applied to be consistent with Congress’ intent and the Court’s own precedents. The bill would also apply to all claims of discrimination in compensation. Thanks to the hard work of AAUW members and coalition partners, the House passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831) in July.

AAUW believes the outcome in Ledbetter v. Goodyear is fundamentally unfair to victims of pay discrimination, which is responsible for a significant portion of the wage gap experienced by women and people of color. Although the wage gap has narrowed over the years, success in closing the gap remains elusive, and the Supreme Court’s recent decision in the Ledbetter v. Goodyear case will make it even more difficult for women workers and employees of color to close the wage gap. With the exciting prospect of this bill moving forward in Congress, all AAUW members must do their part to promote this legislation.

Take Action!
Show the Faces of Pay Equity to Congress!

For this campaign, in addition to sending an email, we encourage you to use a new feature of our Two-Minute Activist: “See Me” to show your senator that you are the face of pay equity. After you’ve drafted your message and completed the “Sender Information,” you’ll find the “See Me” feature. Just click on “Include SEE ME information,” and follow the instructions to upload a digital picture of yourself and attach it to your message to your senators. In the comment box type in “I Am the Face of Pay Equity.” See other AAUW activists who have already shown their senators what pay equity looks like. If you don’t have a picture, you can still send an email on its own.

To urge your senators to cosponsor the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, click on the “Take Action” link above or copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser. Please take action on this alert even if you aren’t able to include a photo of yourself.

http://capwiz.com/aauw/issues/alert/?alertid=10408586

Visit AAUW’s Pay Equity webpage and download the Pay Equity Resource Kit for ideas, tips, and resources to use in your community on Equal Pay Day and throughout the year. AAUW has “I am the face of pay equity” signs and stickers available for use at AAUW events. Finally, email AAUW’s Public Policy and Government Relations staff to let them know what you plan to do for Equal Pay Day in your community.

More from the Independent Women’s Forum

Independent Womens Forum – A Bargain At 77 Cents To a Dollar

(The name of this organization is misleading. Read their words very carefully. See my earlier post at https://wsliblog.wordpress.com/2008/02/10/ )

When women realize that it isn’t systemic bias but the choices they make that determine their earnings, they can make better-informed decisions. Many women may not want to follow the path toward higher pay — which often requires more time on the road, more hours in the office or less comfortable and less interesting work — but they’re better off not feeling like victims.

This snippet of a larger essay published by the Washington Post was written by Carrie L. Lukas, vice president for policy and economics at the Independent Women’s Forum and the author of “The Politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex, and Feminism.”

As we approach the Equal Pay date of April 22, I’m sure many more pieces will be out there for our pleasure reading. There’s Hilary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi — look at them. What is our problem???

But folks who don’t have their heads in the sand know there’s more to this than “choice”. Lilly Ledbetter was a manager at Goodyear. The only female supervisor in her department. She learned very late in her career that men in her same position were making much higher salaries than she. She took Goodyear to court and though the company tried its best to prove that she did not receive equivalent raises to the men because of poor evaluations of her work, she proved otherwise to the jury and was awarded a sum plus damages. Through appeal, a higher court reversed the decision. Ledbetter then appealed to the US Supreme Court who decided to hear the case. They sided with Goodyear stating that Ledbetter did not file her suit in the time allowed “after the alleged unlawful employment practice occurred” < Over Ginsburg’s Dissent, Court Limits Bias Suits > under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — which is 180 days.

Pay inequity is a long term issue, not like proving a firing or demotion was based on discrimination. Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg provided a searing dissent to the 5-4 decision. Clearly she understands the issues as she stated:

“In our view, the court does not comprehend, or is indifferent to, the insidious way in which women can be victims of pay discrimination,” she said.

Getting Off – Pornography and the End of Masculinity

Sexual Assault Awareness Month event:

Monday, April 7, at the Students Union Theater in Storrs

Robert Jensen: Getting Off – Pornography and the End of Masculinity:

Journalist, activist and author Robert Jensen will discuss his most recent book, Getting Off – “Expertly combining the ‘the personal’ with ‘the political,’ Robert Jensen exposes the pervasive misogyny of today’s pornography and forces us to face the ugliness of American masculinity.” Sonali Kolhatkar, host of Uprising. “Jensen’s brutally honest assessment of the increasingly pornographic world has never been more difficult to face, or more necessary. This book is essential reading for all of us who want to be part of the struggle for revolutionary social change.” – Gail Dines.  Jensen is also author of The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege.

Monday, 7 p.m. – Student Union Theater

Access to Abortion Search to be Restored in POPLINE

A very quick turn- around thanks to many activists in the feminist and library communities. Excellent!

Our Bodies Our Blog: Access to Abortion Search to be Restored in POPLINE; Johns Hopkins Releases Statement

Statement on POPLINE search term

Dean Klag has posted his official response to the change to Popline:

Statement on POPLINE search term

I could not disagree more strongly with this decision, and I have directed that the POPLINE administrators restore “abortion” as a search term immediately. I will also launch an inquiry to determine why this change occurred.The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge and not its restriction.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Klag, MD, MPH
Dean, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Why is a Government-Funded Reproductive Health Database Blocking Users from Searching for Abortion Articles? « Women’s Health News

Popline, which describes itself as “Your connection to the world’s reproductive health literature”, is blocking the term “abortion” in its keyword searches. In effect, it has required that its search engine ignore that term in all searches.  Since it is funded by Government monies, the Johns Hopkins database administrators have decided that this is a judicious move. They recommend using the terms “fertility control postconception” and a few others. Please read more at the post below.

Why is a Government-Funded Reproductive Health Database Blocking Users from Searching for Abortion Articles? « Women’s Health News