Reproductive Health Matters

Organisational files relating to the administration and production of Reproductive Health Matters journal and associated publications.

A: Organisational papers relating to the composition of the RHM journal, including submissions, rights and permissions, and editorial notes and research into particular themes.

B: Minutes, Agendas and Notes from board, committee, donor and strategy meetings including funding proposals and annual reports.

C: Papers and correspondence on the promotion and distribution of the RHM journal including correspondence with publishers, materials for conference promotion and subscriber correspondence and surveys.

D: Correspondence with funders

E: Papers and correpondence with regional translators of the journal and special publications into Hindi, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, French, Portugese, and Arabic.

F: Publications and literature collected by the organisation on the subject of sexual and reproductive health.

1991-2016

23 boxes

Original file names from housing and hanging files have been recorded in quotation marks, which may follow or precede additional information given by the cataloguer for clarity.

Reproductive Health Matters was founded by Marge Berer in 1993, following workshops on the theme at Hunter College New York in June 1990 and the successful publication of her "International Resource Book on Women & HIV/AIDS" in 1992. The main aim was to deliver a feminist response to population policy through a publication accessible to both activists and medical professionals, encouraging new research and highlighting female perspectives to better influence law, policy and research in the area and promote exchange and co-operation internationally.

The first editor was also Marge Berer, formerly editor for Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights Newsletter, with the first co-editors TK Sundari and Ana Maria Portugal, based in India and South America respectively. The journal was led by all female boards; the editorial board was responsible for choosing subject areas and content and the governing board consisting of a chairperson and five members with expertise in the field, were responsible for overseeing organisational policy, structure and budget approval. Annual meetings would be held for both boards with joint meetings bi-annually. Additional steering groups included the International Advisory Committee which consisted of professionals and activists who could be called upon for technical advice, as well as ensure ongoing co-operation between medical professionals and activists as a key part of the RHM's agenda. The majority of the organisation's funding came from charitable foundations and government schemes, with short and long term grants for journal and book projects, but income also came from paid subscriptions and royalties.

The journal was published twice yearly in English from 1993-2014 and featured papers, a round up and review of publications on reproductive health, and letters from contributors to further debates. The first issue focused on abortion and anti-progestins but over the years contained a range of subject matter including sexuality, contraception, infetility, maternal mortality and related women's health issues with an appreciation of the wider contextual social, economic, racial, cultural, religious and political experiences which had an impact on approaches, as well as the effect, role and response of men. Papers included in the journal included commissions, unsolicited contributions, papers and presentations given at workshops and conferences, as well as papers reprinted from other publications and sources. There was also an effort to achieve a balance of material across countries and specialisations and free subscriptions were offered to areas and organisations which lacked access to up to date medical research and ideas. The journal was also translated into multiple languages including Portuguese, French, Russian, Spanish, Hindi, Arabic and Japanese. Special publications were also produced on subjects of particular international interest including HIV and Safety in Childbirth, and in different formats including CD-Roms and USB flash drives.

RHM celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2013 and from 2014 became an online publication only. In February 2019, they changed the name of the journal to Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters to make clearer the journal's expanding scope to now address 'universal rights for women, men and transgender people regardless of age or sexual orientation'.

For further information on the history and current activities of the journal, please visit their website http://www.srhm.org/

The former library collection of RHM, consisting of books, grey literature and some audio-visual materials, has been donated to Wellcome Collection:

A complete run of Reproductive Health Matters journal in English, along with foreign language editions, e-publication, and other associated publications produced by RHM have been catalogued and are available as follows: .

Reproductive Health Matters: English edition.
Reproductive Health Matters: Hindi edition.
Reproductive Health Matters: Chinese edition.
Reproductive Health Matters: Russian edition.
Reproductive Health Matters: Spanish edition.
Reproductive Health Matters: Portugese edition.
Reproductive Health Matters: Arabic edition.
Women and HIV/AIDS : reproductive and sexual health : selected papers for AIDS 2000, Durban .
Beyond acceptability : users' perspectives on contraception.

This collection has been catalogued and is available to library members. Some items have access restrictions which are explained in the item-level catalogue records.