By Tessa Ruff “I have had transmasculine patients who have told me they would not feel comfortable seeking an abortion in a clinic—a waiting room full of female-identified people can be triggering. I have had a patient tell me that taking any more time off of work would risk them getting fired or that finding … Continued
By Negar Esfandiari and Madelyn McKeague When we think of reproductive justice, our minds tend to gravitate towards subjects like abortion rights, maternal health, and access to birth control. In Trump’s America, it’s become easy to manufacture divisions among different advocacy issues simply because everyone is fighting to make their communities visible in the face … Continued
In the United States, pregnant people are often discouraged from revealing their pregnancies in the first trimester. Many people feel like they can only discuss their miscarriages or abortions with their closest friends or family members, creating a veil of secrecy and shame around a very normal part of human reproduction. Fake women’s health clinics (sometimes … Continued
You’ve probably seen ads for “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs, also called “pregnancy resource centers”), those fake clinics designed to appear like real comprehensive reproductive health clinics. Sometimes they set up right next to real clinics, mimicking the real clinic’s name and logo. They advertise under “abortion services,” burying in fine print that they don’t really … Continued
With stigma, situational factors or personal opinions surrounding a woman’s right to make her own reproductive decisions, it can be hard for young women to feel comfortable sharing this decision with their parents. Currently, all 50 states allow women under the age of 18 to get an abortion, but with varying restrictions. States have their … Continued
In exciting news this week, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against the FDA in an effort to remove medically unnecessary barriers and make medication abortion more accessible. Since its approval in France in 1987, scientists and doctors have known that medication abortion, also called abortion with pills, is a safe and … Continued
Last week, The National Women’s Health Network was proud to host the 10th Annual Barbara Seaman Awards for Activism in Women’s Health. Supporters and members of the National Women’s Health Network celebrated the Network’s recent achievements and recognized the work of two remarkable women, Susan F. Wood and Renee Bracey Sherman. Board Member, Zipatly Mendoza … Continued
When I looked up the word “autonomy” in the Webster’s dictionary, it was defined as the right to self-government. Nowhere near that word did I find Democrat or Republican or any other political party affiliation. For years, anti-choice politicians have made it their mission to decrease a woman’s access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare options. This … Continued
Medication abortion is the method of safely and effectively inducing a miscarriage using FDA-approved abortion pills What is medication abortion? The two most common methods of safely and effectively ending a pregnancy are in-clinic abortions and abortions with FDA-approved pills, also known as medication abortion. During an in-clinic abortion (sometimes called a “surgical abortion”), a … Continued
When I decided to write The Story of Jane, a history of Chicago’s underground, feminist abortion service that operated before Roe v. Wade, I had a few goals in mind: first, the Abortion Counseling service, aka Jane, was an important piece of the women’s movement’s history that needed to be better known. I also thought … Continued