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Biomedical subjects

M F Fathalla

Publications and source records attributed to M F Fathalla.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Female genital cutting (mutilation/circumcision): ethical and legal dimensions.

The practice better described as female genital cutting (FGC) is of long standing in some communities, and has spread to non-traditional countries by immigration. It is of varying degrees of invasiveness, often including clitoridectomy, but all raise health-related concerns, which can be of considerable physical and/or psychological severity, and compromise gynecological and obstetric care. The practice is not based on a requirement of religious observance, although parents usually seek it for their daughters in good faith. It is directed to the social control of women's sexuality, in association with preservation of virginity and family honor. FGC is becoming increasingly prohibited by law, in countries both of its traditional practice and of immigration. Medical practice prohibits FGC. In compromising women's health and negating their sexuality, FGC is a human rights abuse that physicians have a role in eliminating by education of patients and communities.

Africa↗
PubMed2001

The Hubert de Watteville Memorial Lecture. Imagine a world where motherhood is safe for all women--you can help make it happen.

The neglected tragedy of maternal mortality is a health scandal of our time. Motherhood can be made safe for all women and obstetricians have a global social responsibility to make it happen. Ten propositions are outlined: safe motherhood is to be recognized as a woman's human right; a woman's life is to be considered worth saving; life-saving emergency obstetric care is to made accessible to all women when they need it; all deliveries are to be attended by skilled birth attendants; all pregnant women are to have access to prenatal care; motherhood must be a voluntary woman's choice; making motherhood safe for all women is to be an international commitment; lack of resources in developing countries is not to be accepted as an excuse for inaction; women, North and South should mobilize for women's right to life; and our profession should act without national frontiers. The challenge is great, but so also is the reward.

Female↗
PubMed2000

The girl child.

The health of the girl child is a concern for obstetrician-gynecologists. Pediatric gynecologic conditions deserve special attention. The obstetric performance of the adult woman depends in large part on the health and healthcare of the girl child. Gender discrimination against the girl child violates her human rights and adversely impacts on her health and her life. The profession has a social responsibility to advocate for the girl child's right to health.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Contraception-21.

A Contraception-21 strategy was adopted by the Rockefeller Foundation in 1993. The objective of the strategy is to mobilize and lift up the whole field of contraceptive research, to develop novel contraceptive approaches for the next century. The premise of the strategy is that, in spite of technological advances in the past few decades, current contraceptive choices are still inadequate to meet present and rapidly expanding future needs, particularly in developing countries. The central theme of the strategy is that it should be driven by the unmet needs of women, and not by a demographic imperative or by scientific opportunity alone. Two essential requirements are: mobilization of the science, particularly the new advances in cell and molecular biology, to provide the needed tools; and mobilization of industry to provide the needed resources.

Contraception↗
PubMed1999

Reproductive health for all: a commitment towards the new millennium.

The world government community made a commitment in 1994 to make reproductive health care universally available no later than the year 2015. The commitment has been confirmed by a special session of the United Nations General Assembly in July 1999. The commitment has to be backed up by resources, and the health profession has to provide the know-how. Social action will also be needed. Progress has been made, but challenges remain.

Contraception↗
PubMed1997

Global trends in women's health.

Global trends in women's health have to be looked at in the broader context of the definition of health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Our species is undergoing a historical bio-social evolution, with women positioned to have more power over their bodies and their lives. The implications for women's health are vast. Our profession has to face new challenges. The woman behind the mother is finally emerging, and making her presence felt. A reproductive evolution is sweeping the globe, with women having to lead a contraceptive life. A contraceptive technology revolution has benefited hundreds of millions, but the task is still unfinished. Demand for quality is substituting a desire for quantity in human reproduction. Sexual health is becoming an important psychosocial component of our health and well-being. The mature adult woman and the elderly woman are rising to an important place in our health care. The widening bio-social gap in adolescents dictates an increasing need for appropriate promotive, preventive and curative health care. One global trend in women's health unfortunately did not happen. Maternity is still, unnecessarily, a major cause of death and morbidity for women in developing countries.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

The global view of reproductive health.

Reproductive health is a condition in which the reproductive process is accomplished in a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and is not merely the absence of disease or disorders of the reproductive process. The Daily Reproductive Health News in our global village does not paint a bright picture. The past few decades have witnessed a revolution in reproductive behaviour, with a major expansion in contraceptive use in developing countries. Between 1960-65 and 1985-90, the number of contraceptive users in all developing countries has increased from an estimate of 31 million to 381 million. The major expansion in contraceptive use in developing countries has consequences for the quality of life, for the present and for the future, for the society at large and for the individuals and their families. Major challenges, however, still lie ahead. There is a major unmet need for family planning. The rhetoric about population and family planning is not matched by allocation of resources.

Contraceptive Agents↗
PubMed1994

Reproductive health: towards a brighter future.

In 1972 the World Health Organization initiated the Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction. Now cosponsored by the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund, the World Bank and WHO, the Programme has become the main instrument of research in reproductive health in the United Nations system. The progress that has been made, and the prospects for the future, are reviewed below.

Contraception↗