Pennsylvania-based abortion providers and reproductive rights lawyers filed their brief in a lawsuit—Allegheny Reproductive Health Center v. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services—asking the state’s Supreme Court to strike down the Pennsylvania ban on Medicaid funding for abortion as a violation of the Equal Rights Amendment and equal protection provisions of the Pennsylvania Constitution.
Tag: Health Care
Sexual Healthcare and Sexuality Education are Suppressed by Texas Policies
Texas does not provide access to comprehensive sexuality education that would allow young people to make informed choices about sex and their bodies. Then, they take away their ability to make informed choices by limiting access to sexual healthcare services. It is a one-two punch hurting the most vulnerable Texans.
21 Years After FDA Approval, Abortion Pill Is More Critical Than Ever
On the 21st anniversary of FDA approval of the abortion pill, now is a good time to remember the courageous and tenacious people who fought for decades to make this life-saving medication possible.
Texas Abortion Ban Called Out for Women’s Rights Violations at the U.N.
As leaders from around the world gather in New York for the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly to discuss urgent problems, the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has a message for the United States: New abortion restrictions in Texas violate women’s fundamental rights.
The Trauma of COVID-19 Persists as College Reopens
“Everyone is just wanting to have a collective sigh of relief—‘Oh, we’re back in school and everything’s gonna be okay again’—when in fact, there are people who are still struggling significantly and will continue to do so.”
“The pandemic isn’t over. But even if and when it is, your trauma doesn’t just miraculously go away the day everyone is vaccinated and there’s no more spread of the illness, it takes time to recover.”
From Greater Education Access to Higher Quality of Life, The Revolutionary Power of Birth Control
It’s important to raise awareness of birth control’s many benefits—from greater education access, to general well-being, to the management of chronic health conditions. But must also consider birth control is not available equitably to all.
Fifth Circuit Reinstates Near-Total Abortion Ban in Texas: “Offensive Deprivation of an Important Right”
We spoke with Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey about Texas’s extreme six-week abortion ban (S.B. 8), its impact and what state attorneys general plan to do in response.
“The amount of anger and outrage I’ve heard from women and men around the country that I’ve spoken with in recent days is something I haven’t seen before. I think providers and reproductive rights organizations anticipated this, but I’m not sure that it was on the radar of the American public. Now it is. I think everybody is waking up.”
Nurses Must Take the Lead on Mandatory COVID Vaccines for Health Care Workers
As new cases of COVID-19 continue to climb across the country, a polarizing spirited debate regarding mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for health care workers rages on social media.
It is unconscionable that nurses should openly reject proven vaccines against COVID-19 while allowing willfully unvaccinated nurses to continue to place people in their communities at risk.
When Human Life Begins Is a Question of Politics—Not Biology
A recent amicus brief in the latest abortion case at the Supreme Court claims biologists agree on which point in fetal development marks the beginning of a human life. They don’t. And as a biologist and philosopher, I have been watching lawmakers and players in the national abortion debate make claims about biology for many years.
Returning to Schools Without Mask and Vaccine Mandates, Moms Must Choose: Their Jobs, or Their Kids’ Health
Despite children under 12 being unable to get vaccinated and the Delta variant surging across the country, most schools are reopening in-person this month, presenting parents with a tough choice—especially in states and localities without mask and vaccine mandates.
Moms—particularly Black and low-income moms—are bearing the brunt.