Pregnancy Loss and Miscarriage

Break Things and Leave Them Broken: The Next Stage for Fired Federal Workers

Federal judges ordered the reinstatement of workers terminated based on their probationary status—a blow to the Trump administration. But for many fired feds, this welcome news does not mean a return to work. For me and most of my colleagues in HHS’ Administration for Children and Families, for instance, we will continue to receive our pay and benefits, but we won’t be allowed to work. One might think that this is a pretty good deal—but only if you don’t know federal employees.

Some of my colleagues shared with me their stories of uncertainty, loss and an unfinished mission to serve the public.

—My first colleague, a change management specialist, was nervous about rumored changes to the federal workforce, but buoyed by the encouragement of his mentors who said, “This is your dream. The way you light up, this is the thing we want in federal employees. Roll the dice, go for it.”
—Another, a policy analyst specializing in children’s issues, said she was living out her dream job. When she found out she was fired, she was on bedrest for a high-risk pregnancy. In a cruel twist of fate, it was Valentine’s Day … and also the anniversary of her previous stillbirth.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Is Key to Improving Black Maternal Health and Families’ Economic Security

The enactment of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) marked a pivotal advance in safeguarding the health and economic security of Black mothers and their families. Black women are disproportionately represented in low-wage, physically demanding jobs where workplace accommodations are often necessary but frequently unavailable.

The PWFA is crucial in combating the maternal morbidity and mortality crisis in the U.S., where pregnancy-related mortality rates among Black women are over three times higher than those for white women.

(This essay is a part of Ms. and A Better Balance’s Women & Democracy installment, all about the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act—a groundbreaking civil rights law ensuring pregnant and postpartum workers have the right to reasonable workplace accommodations. Bipartisan, pro-family and boldly feminist, the PWFA is both a lesson in democracy and a battleground for its defense against antidemocratic attacks.)

If You’re Pregnant, Here’s What You Should Know About the Medical Procedures That Could Save Your Life

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Abortion laws are affecting how physicians treat pregnancy loss and other complications because the procedures used in these cases are also used for abortions. We spoke to women who survived terrifying experiences, and we interviewed family members of those who died without care. They all felt unprepared as they entered emergency rooms, unaware of how abortion laws were reaching into pregnancy care.

They wished they had known what to expect and how to advocate for themselves and their loved ones.

We created this guide for them and anyone who finds themselves in the same position.

Despite Pleas From Women and Doctors, Texas May Implement Even More Abortion Restrictions

Despite mounting evidence that Texas’ abortion bans are endangering women’s lives, Republican lawmakers are pushing for even stricter restrictions, including limits on essential abortion medications.

Legal challenges have failed to loosen the state’s near-total ban, leaving doctors fearful of prosecution and women suffering life-threatening complications. Cases like Amanda Zurawski’s near-fatal sepsis and Samantha Casiano’s forced pregnancy highlight the devastating impact of the law, yet the Texas Supreme Court has refused to clarify its vague medical exceptions. With no legal or citizen-led ballot initiatives available, advocates say the only path to restoring abortion rights in Texas is to vote out antiabortion legislators.

Texas Banned Abortion. Then Sepsis Rates Soared.

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ProPublica’s investigation reveals that Texas’ abortion ban has led to a sharp rise in life-threatening complications, particularly sepsis, for women experiencing pregnancy loss.

Since the ban’s enactment, the rate of sepsis during second-trimester pregnancy loss has surged by over 50 percent, and maternal deaths in Texas hospitals have increased significantly, even as the national maternal mortality rate declined. Doctors cite the law’s vague emergency exception and the threat of legal consequences as key reasons for dangerous delays in care.

While some Texas lawmakers now acknowledge the need for legal clarifications, the Republican-controlled legislature remains divided, with some pushing for even stricter abortion penalties.

Our Abortion Stories: ‘Without Abortion, You Would Be Visiting My Grave’

“There just aren’t any bereavement days for a child that never was. … . If you know me and love me: Without abortion, you would be visiting my grave. You would be remembering me. You would be telling my motherless children about me.”

Abortions are sought by a wide range of people for many different reasons. There is no single story. Telling stories of then and now shows how critical abortion has been and continues to be for women and girls. (Share your abortion story by emailing myabortionstory@msmagazine.com.)

“I truly am one of the lucky ones. We cannot go back. We need to forge ahead, shining the brightest of lights on this issue, to stand behind our fellow women in their darkest of hours. A wise woman once told me, our stories are powerful and this is my story. Dedicated to all six of my children, living and non-living, and to all of my fellow warriors who have suffered in silence.”

‘The Pill That Changes Everything’: The Ms. Q&A With Carrie N. Baker, Author of ‘Abortion Pills: U.S. History and Politics’

In recent years, the use of abortion pills has skyrocketed and now accounts for an estimated 65 percent of all abortions performed in medical settings, including through both brick-and-mortar clinics and telehealth providers.

Carrie N. Baker’s fascinating new book, Abortion Pills: U.S. History and Policy, tells the story of a decades-long struggle for acceptance of this safe, secure and private method of ending an early pregnancy. It’s also a story of antiabortion attempts to suppress abortion pills.

Keeping Score: Senators Grill Hegseth, Call Trump Pick Unfit to Lead DOD; Pregnancy Doubles Homicide Risk for Women; Federal Judge Strikes Down Biden Title IX Rules

In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.

This week: Getting pregnant doubles the risk of dying by homicide for women under 25; Biden has appointed a record 40 Black women to federal judgeships; Louisiana’s abortion ban has a chilling effect on maternal healthcare and miscarriage treatment; N.C. Republicans try to overturn the fair election of a Democratic justice; the psychological toll on children in Gaza is severe; Biden’s Title IX protections struck down; Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against actor and director Justin Baldoni for repeated sexual harassment and retaliation; Trump’s Cabinet will be the wealthiest in American history; and more.

‘This Work Is Not at the Fringe’: What It Was Like to Lead the White House Gender Policy Council

Jennifer Klein, head of the first-of-its-kind office, reflects on the wins and the challenges—most notably, the end of federal abortion rights.

Gender equity isn’t simply good for women, she stressed, but good for America, good for the world. “If you look at the data, there is a well-established link between political stability and the treatment of women,” she said, making gender equity essential for national security. 

When Nothing Bad Happens: Miranda July’s ‘All Fours’ Captures the Importance of Understanding Infant Health

When November’s announcement by the CDC that our infant mortality rate remains abysmal did not make even the tiniest of dents in the post-election news cycle, my thoughts pivoted from the patient’s I’ve lost as a doctor who cares for critically ill newborns to Miranda July’s blockbuster summer novel All Fours.

As I read, I could not help but wonder how to help parents like this narrator, the same parents I care for daily, feel in real time that NICU stories are a mainstream part of comprehensive reproductive healthcare.