{
  "id": "RS21773",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RS21773",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 104620,
      "date": "2004-03-17",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-08T14:24:44.903590",
      "title": "Reproductive Health Problems in the World: Obstetric Fistula: Background Information and Responses",
      "summary": "Obstetric fistula has gained increased attention in the 108th Congress when a number of\nbriefings\nwere held to discuss the impact of this debilitating condition on millions of women. Additionally,\n H.Con.Res. 447  and  H.R. 3810 , were introduced to recognize the effects\nof the affliction, and to reserve a portion of the U.S. contribution to the United Nations Population\nFund (UNFPA) for fistula prevention and repair. Finally,  P.L. 108-199 ,  2004 Omnibus\nAppropriations,  provides $1 million to the International Medical Corps to expand its fistula\nrepair\nservices in Sierra Leone. It also supports the establishment of airborne medical transport services\nin Africa to fly medical personnel, supplies, and anti-retro viral therapies to rural areas on a regular\nschedule. \n It is estimated that at least 2 million women and girls suffer from this affliction worldwide. \nFistula occurs from prolonged labor, particularly when labor lasts two days or more. When a woman\nor girl is unable to push the baby out, the pressure from the baby\u2019s head can interrupt blood\nflow to\ntissues in the pelvic area. Ultimately, the woman passes the baby after it dies, as the decomposed\nbody is smaller than the live one. After pushing for a number of days a hole develops in the tissue\nbetween the vagina and bladder (and at times the rectum), causing incontinence. Fistula survivors\ncan also suffer nerve damage, which can make walking difficult. Women with this condition are\nstigmatized and usually shunned, due to their strong odor. Some are abandoned by their husbands\non whom they are financially dependent, and are forced to leave their homes. Many live a life of\nsolitude. Those who are cast out often resort to begging, and in some cases sex work. This report\nwill discuss the prevalence of this condition, the impact that the condition has on affected girls and\nwomen, and describe efforts of USAID and other organizations to raise awareness, prevent, and treat\nfistula.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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          "encoding": "utf-8",
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RS21773",
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RS21773",
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      ],
      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Appropriations"
  ]
}