Amazing work from ProPublica continues - voices of women who nearly died due to pregnancy
As part of their ongoing investigation into the maternal health crisis in the US called "Lost Mothers", ProPublica posted a thought-provoking article "If you hemorrhage, don't clean up: Advice from Mothers Who Almost Died." They received stories from 3100 women after their initial article in this series was published. These stories further demonstrate the lack of priority we place on the health of women during and after childbirth. Highly recommended read for all women and th
What is the "Global Gag Rule" and why should you care?
Photo credit: K Culwell, 2013. Family Planning counselor in Ethiopia. The Global Gag Rule, also known as the Mexico City Policy, and now by the new ironic name, "Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance" has been been in and out of effect since it was first signed by Ronald Reagan in 1984. Each Democratic president repeals it and each Republican president re-instates it. The rule prevents any US-government global health funds (previously limited only to family planning fun
My Sheroes and Heroes on the front lines
Photo credit: K Culwell, 2016. Wonder Woman, Art of the Brick. There is a great article published on Vice this week about seven clinics that stand alone in their states as providers of abortion care. These personal stories provide deeper understanding of why 90% of US counties have no abortion provider at all. Providing care in these settings is incredibly challenging and in some cases, life threatening. I am in awe of my colleagues and friends such as Dr. Willie Parker who d
