Representative Ayana Pressley, a Democrat from the 7th district of Massachusetts, released a video yesterday via The Root’s Twitter revealing that she has alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss. For Ms. Pressley, she felt as though her hair story was both personal and political. She described her decision to publicly address her condition […]
South Carolina Bill Introduced That Would Compensate Pregnant People Forced to Give Birth
South Carolina state Senator Mia McLeod has introduced a bill called the South Carolina Pro Birth Accountability Act, or SB 928, that would compel the state to provide financial support to pregnant people forced to give birth due to the state’s proposed ban on abortion after six weeks. The legislation would mandate that the state […]
Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Obamacare Insurance Mandate
On December 18, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans struck down the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act as unconstitutional. This decision did not invalidate the entirety of the Act, but rather it sent the case “back to a federal district judge in Texas to ‘conduct a […]
Court Strikes Down Mississippi Law Banning Abortion After 15 Weeks
This past Friday a federal appeals court found Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks unconstitutional. The ban was blocked from taking effect in 2018 after Jackson Women’s Health Organization—the only abortion clinic in Mississippi—sued the state. The fight came down to the argument that there is no medical evidence that proves a fetus is […]
The Fight for Paid Leave Takes Center Stage in House Oversight Hearing
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform, chaired by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), held a hearing yesterday on the critical lack of paid leave for employees who need to take time off to care for a new child, a sick family member, or their own health. Committee members and witnesses discussed the ongoing need […]
Ohio Bill Requires Doctors to Reimplant Ectopic Pregnancies
A new Ohio bill requires doctors to reimplant ectopic pregnancies in the uterus, in an attempt to save the pregnancy. House Bill 413 was introduced in the Republican-controlled legislature in November by Representatives Candice Keller and Ron Hood. The 700-page bill defines a fertilized egg as an “unborn child” and outlaws abortions unless the mother’s […]
Monthly Birth Control Pill Developed by Scientists
In a paper published Wednesday, MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital scientists say they have made progress on the development of a contraceptive pill that only needs to be taken once a month. The gelatin-coated pill, which has only been tested on pigs so far, dissolves in the stomach where it releases a six-armed star-shaped […]
At the Height of the Opioid Crisis Walgreens Handled Nearly 20 Percent of the Most Addictive Pills Shipped to Pharmacies
At the height of the opioid epidemic, Walgreens handled nearly one out of every five oxycodone and hydrocodone pills shipped to pharmacies across the United States, according to a new report from The Washington Post. Walgreens dominated the country’s retail opioid market from 2006 to 2012, with the company buying about 13 billion pills — […]
Missouri’s State Health Department Tracked Patients’ Periods in an Attempt to Identify Failed Abortions
Missouri’s top health official testified Tuesday that the state health department kept a spreadsheet monitoring detailed personal information about Planned Parenthood patients, tracking patient’s menstrual cycles with the aim of identifying those who had failed abortions — news that has raised questions about patient privacy violations. The spreadsheet included patients’ medical identification numbers, dates of […]
Women Are Surprised By The “Hidden” Cost Of Mammograms
Women are surprised when they receive a bill for their second mammogram in the mail, even though their first mammogram was covered by insurance. Around 30 million women every year receive preventative mammograms. Mammograms are necessary for the early prevention of breast cancer. Every 2 minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the […]
Pete Buttigieg Releases Plan to Boost Women’s Economic, Social and Political Empowerment
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg unveiled a 26-page agenda focused entirely on women’s rights Thursday, one of the most detailed plans focused on women so far in the Democratic primary. The Indiana mayor’s agenda promises to close the gender pay and wealth gaps by guaranteeing equal pay for equal work while also addressing the ways […]
Abstinence-Only Medical Clinic Receives Title X Federal Funding
Obria Medical Clinics, a Christian chain of family health facilities, has received $1.7 million in federal family planning funding. The program, known as Title X, is meant to help low-income families and individuals prevent unplanned pregnancies. Additionally, clinics that receive this funding are expected to prevent and treat sexually transmitted diseases and provide resources like […]
Study Shows Women Are Dying From Heart Attack Gender Gap
A new briefing from the British Heart Foundation says women are dying of preventable heart attacks from a gender gap in treatment and a stigma that heart attacks mostly affect men. A study, funded by the BHF charity, found that over 10 years, 8,200 heart attack related deaths in the UK would have been prevented […]
French Lawmakers Approve IVF for Single and Gay Women
France’s lower house of Parliament approved a controversial draft of a bioethics law Friday allowing single women and lesbian couples to use medically assisted reproduction methods, but it still needs to make it through France’s upper house. The bill, which would allow women who are not in heterosexual relationships or single to access IVF treatment […]
New Report Says U.S. Abortion Rate is Lowest Since Roe v. Wade
According to a report by the Guttmacher Institute released Wednesday that outlines changes in abortion statistics between 2011 and 2017, the United States abortion rate has hit an all-time low since the procedure became legal nationwide in 1973. The 48-page research document, used by policymakers and activists on both sides of the abortion debate, provides […]
When a Woman’s First Sexual Experience is Non-Consensual Long-Term Health Problems Follow, Study Shows
According to a study published Monday, which surveyed women ages 18 to 44 in the United States, more than 3 million women experienced rape as their first sexual experience, resulting in long-term health consequences. The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that most respondents were adolescents when they were raped, and that these women […]
New Study Finds Pollution from Carbon Emissions Found in Placentas Could be Harmful to Fetuses
A new study reveals that black carbon, a result of air pollution, can be found in mother’s placenta, posing a potential health risk to unborn babies. The study examined the placentas of 25 non-smoking women who gave birth in Belgium. Researchers studied the side of the placenta previously facing the fetus and found black carbon […]
Pregnant Migrant Woman Had Labor Stopped By American Doctors, Taken Back to Mexico By U.S. Customs and Border Patrol
An eight-and-a-half month pregnant migrant woman travelling from El Salvador was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol after crossing the Rio Grande, and while the anonymous woman began experiencing labor contractions U.S. border agents took her to a hospital where American doctors gave her medications that would stop her labor and was quickly sent […]
Trump Administration Ends Deferred Action Program for Immigrants Seeking Medical Treatment
This week the Trump administration ended deferrals of deportation for immigrants with severe medical conditions, giving them only 33 days before they must leave the country and lose access to live saving treatment that they cannot receive in their home countries. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services sent out letters this week without any formal announcement […]
OR Exits Title X Program Due To Abortion Restrictions
Oregon’s public health agency said Tuesday that it will withdraw from the Title X program and no longer use federal funds for reproductive health clinics due to the Trump administration’s restrictions on abortion care, making it the third state to leave the program since last week. The Oregon Health Authority sent a letter to the […]