Author: Anonymous

When Serving the Country Means Erasing My Trans Child

A military mom on the heartbreak of watching her country strip away the rights, safety and dignity of her trans child:

“In recent months, lawmakers voted to strip military families of the right to access life-saving, evidence-based medical care for their trans loved ones. In a one-two punch, the House and Senate then voted to ban trans girls and women from playing on teams that align with their gender. Since then, President Donald Trump has signed multiple executive orders targeting trans kids, including language erasing our child’s existence, prohibiting access to medical care, and directing schools to call my child by the wrong name and pronouns. … As a result, my child is no longer able to live as freely as other children.

“We tried therapy, new pronouns, and ways to socially transition James, but it wasn’t enough. We took the next step and met with specialists to begin a low dose of testosterone.  … James is flourishing, despite living in a country seemingly intent on erasing kids like him.”

My Daughter Was Assaulted in a Hospital. Body Cams Could Have Brought Us Justice.

Six people assaulted or aided the assault on my daughter for no medical outcome. Her first experience with penetration in her private area was by an adult male, decades older, who overpowered her and refused to listen to her.

Especially when male doctors are going to be in the vicinity of female private parts, there must be consent, at all ages, at all times. If the ER staff wore body cams, if I had a video of that hospital room to offer as evidence of the sexual assault of a minor—a toddler—as evidence that the Hippocratic oath was breached, then I would be less likely to be seen as a mother overreacting.

The Weekly Pulse: The Fight for Abortion Rights Continues; The Problem with Booster Shots

covid vaccine abortion

In this edition: The Fifth Circuit Court upholds Texas’s 15-week D&E abortion procedure ban; Arizona sued by reproductive rights groups and physicians over new abortion law; Planned Parenthood sues Montana over 20-week abortion ban; unvaccinated pregnant women are dying from COVID-19 at an alarming rate; and when it comes to booster shots, is it ethical to disburse a third round of vaccines in wealthy countries when the rest of the world is struggling to catch up?

The Weekly Pulse: How to Keep Students Safe from Delta; Latest Attacks on Abortion; “Pregnant People Do Well With the Vaccine”; Officials Greenlight Booster Shots

The Weekly Pulse: How to Keep Students Safe from Delta; Latest Attacks on Abortion; "Pregnant People Do Well With the Vaccine"; Officials Greenlight Booster Shots

For The Weekly Pulse (a revisit of an old Ms. column!), we’ve scoured the most trusted journalistic sources—and, of course, our Twitter feeds—to bring you this week’s most important news stories related to health and wellness.

In this edition: Texas may become the first state in the U.S. to impose a ban on a common abortion procedure; The American Medical Association recommends dropping sex labels from birth certificates; hospitals are experiencing a surge of child COVID cases as back to school looms closer; top U.S. health officials announced that booster shots will become available in September; and more.

The Weekly Pulse: CDC Urges Vaccines During Pregnancy as Delta Surges; U.N.’s Reality Check on Climate Crisis

The Weekly Pulse: CDC Urges Vaccines During Pregnancy as Delta Surges; U.N.'s Reality Check on Climate Crisis

For The Weekly Pulse (a revisit of an old Ms. column!), we’ve scoured the most trusted journalistic sources—and, of course, our Twitter feeds—to bring you this week’s most important news stories related to health and wellness.

In this edition: The U.S. Senate passes a $1 trillion infrastructure bill in rare showing of bipartisanship; in a new U.N. climate report, climate scientists say there are known measures we can take to protect the world, but we must be brave enough to act; Senate subcommittee passes the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act; CDC issues new vaccine guidance for pregnant people; and active-duty service members and teachers may face a vaccine mandate. 

The Weekly Pulse: House Bill Passes Without Abortion Restrictions; Breakthrough Cases *Not* the Cause of Recent COVID Surge; Delta Variant as Contagious as Chicken Pox

The Weekly Pulse: House Bill Passes Without Abortion Restrictions; Breakthrough Cases *Not* the Cause of Recent COVID Surge; Delta Variant as Contagious as Chicken Pox

In this edition: Hundreds of Republican lawmakers have signed onto Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health amicus briefs; House spending bill excludes federal abortion restrictions for the first time in years; CDC report suggests the Delta variant is as contagious as chicken pox; and a Kaiser Family Foundation report finds breakthrough cases among the vaccinated are not the cause of America’s COVID surge.

The Weekly Pulse: Has the GOP Changed Their Minds on Vaccines? Will the Supreme Court Overturn Roe?

The Weekly Pulse: Has the GOP Changed Their Minds on Vaccines? Will the Supreme Court Overturn Roe?

For The Weekly Pulse, we’ve scoured the most trusted journalistic sources—and, of course, our Twitter feeds—to bring you this week’s most important news stories related to health and wellness.

In this edition: Mississippi asks the Supreme Court to re-evaluate the constitutionality of Roe v. Wade; the FBI unsurprisingly ignored 4,500 tips against Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018; Fauci warns Americans the U.S. is going in the “wrong direction” as COVID cases increase by 300 percent; and key Republican lawmakers and media personalities are now urging conservatives to get the vaccine.

The Weekly Pulse: Will We Need COVID Booster Shots?; Low-Vaccine States Hit Hard by Delta Variant; Texas GOP Continues Crusade Against Abortion

The Weekly Pulse: Will We Need COVID Booster Shots?; Low-Vaccine States Hit Hard by Delta Variant; Texas GOP Continues Crusade Against Abortion

In this edition: Pop star Olivia Rodrigo joins President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in a campaign to boost youth vaccination rates; Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) calls for a special legislative session to restrict voting and abortion rights; Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) introduces legislation for parental-paid leave for miscarriages; and the FDA and CDC say fully vaccinated people do not need booster shots.