Michelle Chen's Posts

A Bitter Pill: Birth Rates Fall, But It’s No Reproductive-Rights Victory

It seems that the Great Recession may have done for America’s teens what countless hours of puritanical preaching have failed to: dissuaded them from having babies. Federal health authorities reported last week that the birth rate among U.S. girls between 15 and 19 fell six percent from 2008 to 2009 to a record low of [...]

Hearing Women’s Voices at the Cancun Climate Conference

In hopes of picking up where the failed 2009 Copenhagen climate conference left off, international delegates have convened in Cancun, Mexico to work on a global plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions. On the agenda are target emissions caps and a climate assistance fund for poor nations. At the same time, women’s rights advocates are [...]

America Goes Hungry for the Holidays

With Thanksgiving drawing closer, many of us look forward to stuffing ourselves like turkeys and plunging into the sugared gluttony that is the hallmark of the classic American holiday. And the news reports say the economy is regaining some steam, so our families should have something to be thankful for this year, right? So why [...]

This Thanksgiving, Remember the Migrant Hands That Feed You

There will be an unexpected guest at Thanksgiving this year, one you’ll barely notice. You only know her by her hands, which pick, process and package that rich feast your family will enjoy. And it’s easy to overlook what her mind and body endures each day to put food on tables, yours and hers. Building [...]

The Wars Come Home

For military families, the war front and the home front are, increasingly, one and the same. The trauma of war invades the lives of men, women and children every day, whether they’re active duty, veterans or partners and children of service members. The very absence of a loved one because of military service can cripple [...]

Arizona’s Disappearing Abortion Providers

It’s a simple political calculation: If you want to stop women from getting abortions and you can’t ban abortions outright, then limit the number of people qualified to provide them. In Arizona, after clearing a legal hurdle in the Maricopa County Superior Court, a new law is poised to further obstruct access to abortion in [...]

Montana Tries to Push The Pill Out of Public Health Care

Debates on reproductive health care tend to center on abortion, but pay close attention to a stealth war on a kind of reproductive choice that many women take for granted: the cost of birth control. The Obama administration has come under pressure to make free contraception part of its array of preventive services under the [...]

The Bible-Belt Miseducation of Pregnant Teens

Contrary to the preachings of anti-abortion zealots, a teenage girl’s chances of getting pregnant before she’s ready may have more to do with her race, region and economic status than with her values or “self control.” According to new statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), many teen pregnancies are clustered around the Bible [...]

Bachelet Launches UN Agency to Empower Women

A new U.N. agency strives to put women front and center, and it’s headed by a lady with plenty of experience being at the helm. Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet will preside over the new super-agency, UN Women, which will incorporate the Division for the Advancement of Women, the Office of the Special Adviser on [...]

Getting Crisis Pregnancy Centers to Confess

If only “crisis pregnancy centers” came with their own FDA warning labels: “contains misinformation,” or “may result in poor decision-making.” Generally, however, crisis pregnancy centers have long operated under the radar in communities around the country, quietly suppressing a woman’s right to choose under the pretense of offering reproductive health care. There are an estimated [...]

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