Health Highlights: Nov. 14, 2012

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Birth Control a Human Right: U.N. Report

Access to birth control is a universal human right that could significantly improve the lives of women and children in poor countries, according to the United Nations Population Fund's annual report.

It's the first time the report has clearly described family planning as a human right, and it said that legal, cultural and financial barriers to birth control and other family planning measures are infringements of women's rights, the Associated Press reported.

Increasing funding for family planning by $4.1 billion could save $11.3 billion a year in health costs for mothers and newborns in poor nations, the document said. The U.N. does not consider abortion a family planning measure.

The report, released Wednesday, isn't binding on nations, the AP reported.

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