Men’s involvement in women’s abortion related care: a scoping review of evidence from low- and middle-income countries

Men’s involvement in abortion is significant, intersecting across the individual, community and macro factors that shape abortion-related care pathways. This scoping review maps the evidence from low- and middle-income countries relating to male involvement, including male abortion providers, in abortion trajectories. Five databases were searched, using search terms, to yield 7493 items published in English between 01.01.2010 and 20.12.2019. 37 items met the inclusion criteria for items relating to male involvement in women’s abortion trajectories and were synthesised using an abortion-related care-seeking framework. The majority of studies were conducted in sub-Saharan Africa and were qualitative. Evidence indicated that male involvement was significant, shaping the ability for a woman or girl to disclose her pregnancy or abortion decision. Men as partners were particularly influential, controlling resources necessary for abortion access and providing or withdrawing support for abortions. Denial or rejection of paternity was a critical juncture in many women’s abortion trajectories. Men’s involvement in abortion trajectories can be both direct and indirect. Contextual realities can make involving men in abortions a necessity, rather than a choice. The impact of male (lack of) involvement undermines the autonomy of a woman or girl to seek an abortion and shapes the conditions under which abortion-seekers are able to access care. This scoping review demonstrates the need for better understanding of the mechanisms, causes and intensions behind male involvement, centring the abortion seeker within this

Exploring the roles of men and masculinities in abortion and emergency contraception pathways, Ghana: a mobile phone-based mixed-methods study protocol

Introduction Global commitments have established goals of achieving universal sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) access, but critical obstacles remain. Emergency contraception and induced abortion are overlooked in policy and research. Men’s roles in the SRHR of others are significant, particularly as obstacles to universal SRHR. Evidence on gender, masculinities and SRHR is essential to understand and reduce the barriers faced by individuals seeking to avoid the conception or continuation of a pregnancy. Methods and analysis This study aims to understand men’s masculinities and their relationships with emergency contraception and abortion. The protocol presents a multimethod study of men aged over 18 years in James Town, Accra, Ghana. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the research will use two mobilebased methods: a survey and in-depth interviews. Using respondent-driven sampling, an estimated 789 men will be recruited to participate in the survey, asking questions on their knowledge, attitude, behaviours and roles in emergency contraception and abortion. In-depth interviews focused on constructions of masculinity will be conducted with a purposive sample of men who participated in the survey. Data will be analysed concurrently using multiple regression analyses of quantitative data and abductive analysis of qualitative data. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been granted by the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Ghana Health Service. The findings in this study will: engage with emerging research on masculinities and SRHR in Ghana and elsewhere; offer methodological insight for future research; and provide evidence to inform interventions to reduce obstacles for emergency contraception and abortion care seekers. Dissemination will occur at all levels—policy, academic, community—including multiple academic articles, policy briefs, workshops and presentations, conference papers, and theatre/radio-based performances of key messages

Abortion in the time of COVID-19: a study in structural violence

For many people, abortion and contraception were already hard to obtain. The effect of lockdowns and overstretched health systems has exposed the structural violence that shapes their experiences, write Rishita Nandagiri, Ernestina Coast, and Joe Strong (LSE)

COVID-19 and abortion: making structural violence visible

COVID-19 has compromised and disrupted sexual and reproductive health (SRH) across multiple dimensions: individual-level access, health systems functioning, and at the policy and governance levels. Disruptions to supply chains, lockdown measures and travel restrictions, and overburdened health systems have particularly affected abortion access and service provision. The pandemic, rather than causing new issues, has heightened and exposed existing fractures and fissures within abortion access and provision. In this viewpoint, we draw on the concept of “structural violence” to make visible the contributing causes of these ruptures and their inequitable impact among different groups

n-point QCD two-loop amplitude

We present an explicit expression for a particular n-gluon two loop scattering partial amplitude. Specifically we present an analytic form for the single trace ​ independent colour partial amplitude for the case where all external gluons have positive helicity

Full color two-loop six-gluon all-plus helicity amplitude

We present the full color two-loop six-point all-plus Yang-Mills amplitude in compact analyticform. The computation uses four dimensional unitarity and augmented recursion

Recent UK cuts to global health funding will cause irrevocable damage under the guise of ‘tough but necessary decisions’

Rishita Nandagiri, Joe Strong, Tiziana Leone and Ernestina Coast explain why recent cuts to global health funding by the UK are devastating for certain countries and groups, while they also create a dangerous vacuum into which ‘philanthrocapitalists’ and private foundations will step, allowing them to set global development agendas without any political mandate

Color dressed unitarity and recursion for Yang-Mills two-loop all-plus amplitudes

We present a direct computation of the full color two-loop five-point all-plus Yang-Mills amplitude using four dimensional unitarity and recursion. We present the $SU(N_c)$ amplitudes in compact analytic forms.Our results match the explicit expressions previously computed but do not require full two-loopintegral methods

Experiences of private sector quality care amongst mothers, newborns, and children in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

Background: Experience of care is a pillar of quality care; positive experiences are essential during health care encounters and integral to quality health service delivery. Yet, we lack synthesised knowledge of how private sector delivery of quality care affects experiences of care amongst mothers, newborns, and children. To fill this gap, we conducted a systematic review that examined quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies on the provision of maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) care by private providers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This manuscript focuses on experience of care, including respectful care, and satisfaction with care. Methods: Our protocol followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Searches were conducted in eight electronic databases (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, EconLit, Excerpta Medica Database, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Popline, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science) and two websites and supplemented with hand-searches and expert recommendations. For inclusion, studies examining private sector delivery of quality care amongst mothers, newborns, and children in LMICs must have examined maternal, newborn, and/or child morbidity or mortality; quality of care; experience of care; and/or service utilisation. Data were extracted for descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results: Of the 139 studies included, 45 studies reported data on experience of care. Most studies reporting experience of care were conducted in India, Bangladesh, and Uganda. Experiences of private care amongst mothers, newborns, and children aligned with four components of quality of care: patient-centeredness, timeliness, effectiveness, and equity. Interpersonal relationships with health care workers were essential to experience of care, in particular staff friendliness, positive attitudes, and time spent with health care providers. Experience of care can be a stronger determining factor in MNCH-related decision-making than the quality of services provided. Conclusion: Positive experiences of care in private facilities can be linked more broadly to privileges of private care that allow for shorter waiting times and more provider time spent with mothers, newborns, and children. Little is known about experiences of private sector care amongst children. Trial registration: This systematic review was registered with the PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews (registration number CRD42019143383)