Photo by Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition The Biden-Harris administration’s proposed rule to expand access to affordable contraception under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a timely and essential move, especially in the current political landscape where reproductive rights have been systematically eroded. This proposal would provide over-the-counter birth control without any cost sharing for women with […]
The Criminalization of Pregnancy
Photo by freestocks The Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in 2022 has profoundly influenced how pregnancy is viewed in the United States, leading to an increase in the criminalization of pregnancy-related behaviors. Pregnancy Justice released their September 2024 report “Pregnancy As a Crime: A Preliminary Report on the First Year After Dobbs” by Wendy Bach and Madalyn […]
Body Neutrality as a Form of Resistance
Photo by Fuu J In a world where diet culture pervades nearly every aspect of our lives, the emergence of body neutrality offers a refreshing perspective. Body neutrality emphasizes acceptance of our bodies for their functionality rather than their appearance, encouraging a focus on well-being instead of aesthetic ideals. Instead of the body positivity approach saying, […]
The Deadly Cost of Racial Bias: Addressing the Disparities in Black Maternal Healthcare
Photo by Mustafa Omar The disparities in medical treatment for women of color, particularly Black women, starkly reflect the deep-rooted racial inequities in the U.S. healthcare system. These disparities are evident in higher rates of C-sections, elevated maternal mortality rates, and a lack of adequate pain management compared to white women, even when receiving care from […]
Afghanistan’s Health System in Decline: More Clinics Forced to Close Under the Taliban Rule
Photo by Hush Naidoo Jade Photography Before the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, “donor development aid for Afghanistan’s public health system was approximately six times the government’s own expenditure on health.” Since August 2021, after the Taliban took power by force, international funding has significantly decreased as many donors pulled their funds. Given Afghanistan’s heavy […]
The High Costs of Pregnancy
Photo by Janko Ferlič Over the past decade, the cost of giving birth in a hospital has skyrocketed, leaving many new families burdened with medical debt on top of the stress of caring for a newborn. On average, hospital births cost $18,865, encompassing pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care. Even with private insurance, families can expect […]
Senate Republicans Block a Bill to Protect IVF
Photo by noelle On June 13, the GOP blocked a bill aimed at protecting and expanding access to in vitro fertilization (IVF). The rejection of this bill demonstrates a concerning trend throughout the country condemning the use of IVF. The Right to IVF Act, introduced by Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), planned to expand access to fertility […]
Contraception Bill Fails to Pass in the Senate
Photo by David Knox On June 5th, a bill to protect Americans’ access to birth control was thwarted by Senate Republicans. Democrats unanimously supported the bill with two Republicans, Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), crossing party lines to back the legislation. However, the vote failed 51 to 39, short of the 60 votes needed […]
Texas woman denied care while experiencing ectopic pregnancy
Earlier this month, 25 year old Kelsie Norris-De La Cruz was denied a life saving surgery in Texas after experiencing an ectopic pregnancy, a pregnancy complication in which a fertilized egg attaches itself to a fallopian tube, ovary, or somewhere else outside the uterus. Ectopic pregnancies are very dangerous complications and can be fatal, where […]
Crossing State Lines: The Vital Role of Telehealth Shield Laws in Reproductive Healthcare Access
Telehealth has emerged as a transformative force in healthcare, breaking down barriers to access and revolutionizing the way patients connect with their healthcare providers. Particularly in the realm of reproductive healthcare, telemedicine has become an indispensable tool, offering a lifeline to individuals facing obstacles in accessing vital services. From the convenience it offers patients to […]
With maternal mortality and preterm birth rates at an all time high, reversal of Roe is a major factor
According to data from the 2022 study completed by the U.S. GAO office, maternal death rates in the U.S. are at an all time high, where significant factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the reversal of Roe v. Wade greatly exacerbated the situation. From 2019 to 2021, maternal death rates rose 40%, a number […]
With increasing Taliban restrictions against Afghan women, the mental health crisis worsens. “I feel like an empty shell of a human being.”
For nearly two years, Afghan women find themselves at the forefront of a mental health crisis over the bleak outlook for their future and the future of their country. Afghan women and girls in Afghanistan are suffering from depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, as a direct result of being forced into isolation by the Taliban. […]
Google Made Millions from Advertising Fake Abortion Clinics
Photo from JASIATIC CLC As a growing number of U.S. states enact bans on abortion, pregnant individuals are overwhelmingly turning to online resources for medical care. From telehealth providers to abortion travel services, virtual healthcare is now vital for abortion-seekers across the country. But despite the increased use of online services, the internet can also […]
Taliban Bans the Selling of Contraceptives in Afghanistan
In the latest attack on women, the Taliban has ordered pharmacies in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif to stop selling any form of contraceptives. The Taliban has called family planning and the use of contraception “Western” and “forbidden” in their interpretation of Sharia law. Mazar-e-Sharif is the largest city in northern Afghanistan, where many family planning programs […]
Birth Control and Contraceptive Coverage Guaranteed Under Affordable Care Act
Though birth control has overwhelming support across the United States, Justice Clarence Thomas continues to challenge access to contraception. In recent news, however, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has actually been able to reaffirm contraceptive coverage. President Biden issued an Executive Order on July 28, 2022, which ensured that people would have access to reproductive […]
Biden Administration Takes Steps to Combat Maternal Mortality
The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of any developed nation in the world and has a rate more than double that of peer countries. Recently, the Biden Administration has taken many steps to tackle this, as a part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis. According to CNN, […]
Tens of Thousands of People Rally for Abortion Justice in DC and Throughout the US
Tens of thousands of protesters marched in DC on Saturday to protest Texas’s SB8, a recently passed law that bans 85% of abortions and gives private citizens the power to sue anyone who provides financial or logistical assistance to someone in getting an abortion. Washington, DC’s march started at Freedom Plaza, and marchers walked over […]
Department of Justice Sues Texas Over Law that Effectively Bans All Abortion
On Thursday, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Texas to challenge the state’s new law, SB 8, which prohibits abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, effectively banning all abortion in the state. “The Act is clearly unconstitutional under longstanding Supreme Court precedent,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland in a statement. “The United States has […]
Mexico Supreme Court Rules to Decriminalize Abortion
Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that the criminalization of abortion is unconstitutional in a unanimous vote Tuesday. This decision sets a precedent to decriminalize abortion throughout the country, which has the second-largest Catholic population in the world. At question was a law in the northern state of Coahuila which stated people who had an abortion, or […]
Texas Judge Temporarily Blocks Anti-Choice Group from Suing Planned Parenthood
On Friday, a U.S. district judge in Texas granted Planned Parenthood’s request for a restraining order against Texas Right to Life, an anti-abortion group in Texas. The group is temporarily blocked from suing Planned Parenthood under Texas’s newly enacted six-week abortion ban, called S.B. 8. Judge Maya Guerra Gamble of the District Court for Travis […]
