Business
Millions Dream of Having Children: World Fertility Project Expands Global ‘Break the Taboo’ Campaign to Address Stigma and Barriers to Care

NEW YORK, N.Y., June 10, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — As conversations around declining fertility rates and reproductive health continue to gain global attention, the World Fertility Project (WFP), produced by pregnantish, today announced the return of its international “Break the Taboo” campaign, launching June 17 in honor of World Infertility Awareness Month.
Image caption: World Fertility Project.
Following a breakout inaugural campaign that engaged over 3 million people across six continents, the initiative returns with expanded global participation, bringing together patients, healthcare professionals, advocates, public figures, and organizations worldwide to help break the stigma surrounding infertility and increase awareness of the barriers many people face in accessing fertility care and support.
According to the World Health Organization, infertility affects approximately 1 in 6 people globally. Yet despite its prevalence, infertility remains heavily stigmatized in many communities, leaving countless individuals and couples to navigate their struggles in silence.
Listen to the pregnantish podcast “Breaking the Silence” with global advocates: https://shows.acast.com/pregnantish/episodes/breaking-the-taboo-infertility-stories-from-around-the-world
Even as governments worldwide grapple with declining birth rates and the need for solutions, millions of people who hope to build their families continue to face significant barriers to care – including stigma, lack of awareness, financial obstacles, geographic limitations, and unequal access to fertility treatment.
“Infertility is a medical diagnosis, not a personal failure, yet too many people around the world continue to carry unnecessary shame while also facing issues accessing care,” said Andrea Syrtash, Founder of Pregnantish and creator of the World Fertility Project. “When (at least) 1 in 6 people experience infertility, this is not a ‘niche’ issue, it is a global health issue. Last year showed us the power of collective voices coming together to challenge stigma and spark conversation. This year, we’re expanding that movement and inviting even more people to share their stories, advocate for change, and help connect awareness to access.”
The campaign, first launched alongside the inaugural World Fertility Awards, invites participants to share videos and images of themselves tearing “Break the Taboo” signs in their native languages, a symbolic act that spread across social media, and to share why they are joining a growing global movement to increase awareness, reduce stigma, and support those struggling to conceive. The movement will continue throughout the year leading up to the second annual World Fertility Awards in New York City this December.
The 2026 campaign will kick off on June 17 with a synchronized global digital activation uniting voices across countries, cultures, and communities.
Returning campaign partner IVI RMA Global, one of the world’s largest and most respected reproductive medicine networks, will once again leverage its international network of physicians, researchers, and clinics to amplify the campaign across multiple regions.
Dr. Filipa Rafael, Consultant in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Reproductive Medicine Specialist, IVI RMA Porto, shared, “Being connected to a global fertility movement (through the World Fertility Project) reminds me that, although we work in different countries and healthcare systems, our patients share the same hopes, fears, and challenges.”
Additional WFP ambassadors and supporters from around the world will participate in this year’s campaign and awards event to underscore the global nature of infertility and the need for greater awareness, education, and access to care.
Dr. Joseph Sgroi, Fertility Specialist at Melbourne IVF, shares: “The ability to learn from different systems, advocate collectively, and push for more equitable family-building options worldwide is incredibly powerful and needed.”
Dr. Brian Levine, Founding Partner of CCRM New York underscores that infertility doesn’t recognize borders – and neither should the solutions. “From New York to Mumbai, I’ve seen firsthand that while the science of family building is universal, access to care is not. By working together globally, we can reduce stigma, expand access, and help more people build the families they dream of.”
Participants are invited to join the movement by sharing their own “Break the Taboo” moment on social media using #BreakTheTaboo and #WorldFertilityProject and by taking the free pledge at https://www.worldfertilityproject.com/.
Learn more about World Fertility Awards: https://www.worldfertilityawards.com/.
Learn more about pregnantish: https://pregnantish.com/.
To get involved, find out more or for press inquiries: worldfertilityawards@pregnantish.com
MULTIMEDIA:
IMAGE Link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/26-0610-s2p-world-fertility-300dpi.webp
VIDEO (YouTube) – “Break the Taboo” Campaign: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/–RczjmRdkQ
News Source: Pregnantish
To view the original post, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/millions-dream-of-having-children-world-fertility-project-expands-global-break-the-taboo-campaign-to-address-stigma-and-barriers-to-care/.
This press release was issued by Send2Press® Newswire on behalf of the news source, who is solely responsible for its accuracy. www.send2press.com.
Business
Mother Sues OpenAI, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Daughter’s Suicide
June 11 (Reuters) – A Canadian mother sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman in U.S. court on Thursday alleging that ChatGPT encouraged her daughter to commit suicide, the latest lawsuit to accuse the company of failing to address dangerous conversations between users and the company's chatbot.
Kristie Carrier said in a lawsuit filed in San Francisco state court that her daughter Alice told ChatGPT about her suicidal ideations more than a dozen times up to her death but OpenAI’s safety systems never flagged the conversations for human review or terminated them.
Instead, the lawsuit claims, the chatbot criticized Alice's partner and crisis hotlines, validated her suicidal thoughts, and urged her to keep speaking with it, leading to her suicide last year at the age of 24.
"ChatGPT took on the persona of a confidant, a best friend, a therapist at times, even though it was not capable of safely and responsibly engaging in this way with my child," Carrier said in a statement.
A spokesperson for OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the allegations.
The lawsuit, which accuses OpenAI of negligence in the design of ChatGPT and in its failure to warn users of the product's dangers, seeks damages and a court order requiring OpenAI to automatically terminate conversations about self-harm and to display warnings about its platform.
OpenAI is already facing 18 similar lawsuits filed by families of people who committed or attempted suicide in a coordinated proceeding in California state court, according to lawyers for Kristie Carrier.
TROUBLESHOOTING PROBLEMS
Alice Carrier was working as a web developer in Montreal when she began using ChatGPT in 2023 to troubleshoot problems with computers and gaming consoles, according to the lawsuit.
The following year, her relationship with the platform changed, with Alice turning to ChatGPT with questions about what to do with her suicidal thoughts, as well as suicide methods.
The platform initially told Alice to seek help from a crisis hotline or emergency services. But as OpenAI updated ChatGPT to make its responses sound more human, her interactions with the platform deepened, with Alice sharing more personal information and ChatGPT responding in ways that mimicked a friend or therapist, the lawsuit said.
ChatGPT’s responses criticized Alice's partner, said her feelings were valid and encouraged her to keep chatting. When Alice said she had suicidal thoughts and had attempted to kill herself, it again suggested a crisis hotline, the lawsuit said.
Alice said crisis hotlines were not helpful, and ChatGPT echoed those statements, according to the filing.
“Maybe this is just the end,” ChatGPT told Alice, according to the lawsuit.
REAL-WORLD RESOURCES
OpenAI has said it trains its models to direct people who express intent to harm themselves to seek help and connect with real-world resources.
Its models are also trained to refuse requests that could "meaningfully enable violence," and to notify law enforcement when conversations suggest "an imminent and credible risk of harm to others," with mental health experts helping assess borderline cases, according to OpenAI blog posts.
The company is also facing lawsuits accusing it of assisting school shooters and failing to flag those conversations to law enforcement.
Florida became the first U.S. state to sue OpenAI earlier this month, accusing the company of harming children by providing information to school shooters, offering guidance on self-harm and addicting young users.
(Reporting by Diana Novak Jones; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Jamie Freed)
Business
FDA Grants Emergency Approval for Over-The-Counter Drug to Treat Screwworm in Pets
U.S. officials this month confirmed the first domestic cases of the parasite in more than six decades in cattle, a goat and a dog in Texas and New Mexico.
New World screwworm is a fly whose larvae feed on living tissue, entering animals through open wounds and burrowing into the flesh.
The agency said nitenpyram tablets, a fast-acting treatment, can be used in pets weighing at least two pounds and at least four weeks old, adding that the drug is expected to help kill most larvae within hours of the first dose.
A second dose should be given six hours after the first, the agency said, but added that the drug may not protect against reinfestation and veterinarians may still need to remove remaining larvae and treat wounds.
U.S. officials have warned that while most pets in the country face low risk, animals that have recently been in affected areas were more vulnerable.
The tablets, available in two dosage strengths, are the first generic animal drug cleared under an emergency pathway for this use.
Officials said the move was part of a broader push by U.S. health and agriculture agencies to limit the spread of the parasite and ensure pet owners have access to affordable treatment options.
The benefits of the treatment outweigh potential risks based on available evidence, the FDA said.
(Reporting by Sahil Pandey in Bengaluru; Editing by Jonathan Ananda)
Business
EU Assembly Will Back US Deal, but US Commitment Uncertain, Says EU Lawmaker
US News is a recognized leader in college, grad school, hospital, mutual fund, and car rankings. Track elected officials, research health conditions, and find news you can use in politics, business, health, and education.
BRUSSELS, June 10 (Reuters) – The European Union is set to fulfil its side of the EU-U.S. trade deal through a vote in parliament next week, a senior lawmaker said on Wednesday, while expressing little confidence that the United States will stick to the deal's terms.
Bernd Lange, who chairs the European Parliament's trade committee, said he expected a clear majority of the EU assembly to back the deal struck last July at U.S. President Donald Trump's Turnberry golf res
Source: U.S. News & World Report
Published: June 10, 2026 11:32 AM
Business
Soccer-World Cup Waterbreaks Offer Lucrative Opportunity for Broadcasters
Business
US and Iran Trade Attacks for a Second Day, Undermining Shaky Ceasefire
US News is a recognized leader in college, grad school, hospital, mutual fund, and car rankings. Track elected officials, research health conditions, and find news you can use in politics, business, health, and education.
By Ahmed Tolba, Enas Alashray and Bo Erickson
DUBAI/WASHINGTON, June 11 (Reuters) – The United States and Iran traded air attacks on Thursday for a second straight day, with President Donald Trump vowing further strikes if Tehran does not immediately agree to a peace deal.
The escalation in hostilities began earlier this week with the downing of a U.S. Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, which sparked a series of tit-for-tat attacks across Iran and on U.S. bases around the r
Source: U.S. News & World Report
-
Sports15 hours ago
‘Late Show’ set arrives, WGN-TV sued
-
Politics1 day ago
Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government
-
Food1 week ago
WeightWatchers plans help support summer weight loss goals
-
BBC News World6 hours ago
Football latest news & gossip
-
India Top Stories Feeds1 day ago
8 lesser-known facts about T-Series’ Made In India: A Titan Story that make the Jim Sarbh-starrer even more fascinating
-
Tech15 hours ago
BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF: Onterris, Greentown Labs to collaborate
-
Sports15 hours ago
Sorsby committed the ultimate sports sin
-
Business6 hours ago
Mother Sues OpenAI, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Daughter’s Suicide