This morning, North Dakota’s Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed into law three bills that will push the state past Arkansas in terms of having the country’s strictest abortion bans. The first measure he signed would ban abortion at the point that a “fetal heartbeat” can be detected (about six weeks). A second measure makes North […]
Health
North Dakota Lawmakers Pass Personhood Measure
North Dakota’s state insect is the lady bug, but right now the state is just bugging ladies (let alone everyone who cares about women’s rights). On Friday, North Dakota’s legislature approved a measure that would define life as starting at conception, giving personhood to fertilized eggs in the state Constitution. It’s the first time a […]
Counting Down to Even MORE Health-Care Coverage
I direct a women’s health advocacy organization, so I’m used to people asking me questions about all kinds of issues–Pap tests, mammograms, home birth, hot flashes. But lately, when people find out I that I advocate for better health care for women, they ask about one thing: health reform. “Will my co-pay for birth control […]
3 Years Later: The Positive Impact of the Affordable Care Act
Tomorrow, March 23, marks the third anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and presents us with a great opportunity to look back at what the law means now to millions of women and families throughout the U.S.—and what is still needed to ensure equal access to affordable, accessible and high quality health care coverage. […]
Making Heart Disease a Women’s Issue
In the past two months, two of my friends–both seemingly healthy women–became unlikely victims of cardiovascular disease. One, a woman who by any textbook definition would be considered at low risk for heart problems, nonetheless suffered a heart attack. Thankfully, she is recovering. The other, a longtime friend and a mentor of mine, tragically passed […]
Arkansas Adopts Nation’s Strictest Abortion Ban (With North Dakota Not Far Behind)
Arkansas has swiftly become a new battlefront of reproductive rights, with the most restrictive abortion ban in the nation. State lawmakers voted last week to override Governor Mike Beebe’s veto of a 12-week abortion ban, meaning it will go into effect this spring. This new law directly contradicts Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court […]
Clean More, Weigh Less!
If you’ve been struggling with weight management, better get back into the kitchen and make your man a sandwich or at least clean the bathroom floor—because, according to a new study, obesity is caused by a lack of housework. Sponsored by Coca-Cola, the Public Library of Science study was designed to examine the increased prevalence […]
States Continue to Threaten Abortion Rights
The past two weeks have not been very good for Team Pro-Choice. If you had any doubt about the War on Women continuing into 2013, look no further. Women’s reproductive rights continue to be eroded in Republican state legislatures across the nation. A list of the anti-abortion legislation passed recently: South Dakota: The South Dakota […]
When Catholic Universities Were in Favor of Birth Control
If you weren’t eagerly checking the bishops’ blog for their feelings on your health insurance, you may not have known that January 27 through- February 2 was Catholic Schools Week! I generally don’t participate in the bishops’ weeks (or fortnights), but I think this is an ideal moment to highlight the proud history of advocacy […]
New LGBT Health Journal on Horizon
This fall an LGBT-specific health journal will launch, the first of its kind. LGBT Health will be peer-reviewed, addressing the unique issues LGBT individuals face under the current healthcare system and cultural atmosphere. Publisher Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. hopes to draw support and awareness of LGBT healthcare both in the United States and worldwide. Editor-in-Chief […]