Tag Archive for "maternal health"

Posts Tagged maternal health

Quick Hit: What Ireland Can Teach the US About Abortion

Over the weekend, Ireland voted to end their longtime abortion ban. What can American reproductive rights advocates learn from the Irish approach, and from the death of Savita Halappanavar, the woman whose story inspired so many Irish voters to overturn the ban? In a piece for the Huffington Post I argue that the answer might lie in articulating the connection between abortion access and maternal mortality.

By Maya Dusenbery • 6 years ago

Serena Williams had to push for treatment for life-threatening postnatal complication

The headline of one of ProPublica’s recent articles in an excellent and devastating series on maternal health in the United States reads: “Nothing Protects Black Women From Dying in Pregnancy and Childbirth.” The subtitle continued: “Not education. Not income. Not even being an expert on racial disparities in health care.” You can apparently add to that: Not even being the greatest athlete in the world.

By Gigi DeJoy • 9 years ago

Delivery deserts: a reproductive justice challenge beyond abortion access

Ed. note: This post was originally published on the Community site.

If I had gone into labor last summer in my tiny guest house on a Maine island, I would have had to drive an hour to reach the nearest hospital with a labor and delivery (L&D) ward.

Ed. note: This post was originally published on the Community site.

If I had gone into labor last summer in my tiny guest house on a Maine island, I would have had to drive an hour ...

By Alexandra Brodsky • 11 years ago

Daily Feminist Cheat Sheet

If you haven’t yet, go read @ClinicEscort‘s account of explaining the importance of abortion rights to an Amtrak-full of students heading home from Saturday’s “March for Uterine Conscription” (scroll down to January 26).

The NYT on the BS lawsuits challenging religious groups’ responsibility to provide insurance that covers birth control under the new health care law.

The Boy Scouts are close to ending their ban on gay members and leaders.

In case you haven’t heard, Hillary Clinton might be the next U.S. president.

And her supposed disinterest in running has become a bit less convincing over time.

Family Inequality ranks workplace gender discrimination bills.

Spoiler Alert: What we should learn from Downton Abbey about maternal health.

On queer rights, ...

The NYT on ...

By Lori Adelman • 12 years ago

New maternal mortality estimates released; maternal health still a feminist issue

We deal with a lot of issues related to motherhood on the blog, and in feminism writ large: paid maternal leave, work/life balance, stay-at-home moms, single moms, mother’s day, breastfeeding. And the list goes on.

But an aspect of motherhood that is sometimes overlooked in feminist spaces is maternal death, when a woman dies in pregnancy or childbirth.

When a woman dies in this manner, it can feel so tragic that it may at first seem apolitical. Who in the world would not condemn a tragedy of this nature? What is there left to say or do about such a sad situation besides cry, or mourn, or offer condolences?

But tragedy, sadness, mourning, and condolences only go so far. How many ...

But ...

By Courtney • 13 years ago

Quick hit: the medical revolution in sub-Saharan Africa

There’s an important article about expanded access to health care in Sierra Leone in today New York Times. An excerpt:

Sierra Leone is at the vanguard of a revolution — heavily subsidized for now by international donors — that appears to be substantially lessening health dangers here in one of the riskiest countries in the world for pregnant women and small children.

Country after country in sub-Saharan Africa has waived medical fees in recent years, particularly for women and children, and while experts acknowledge that many more people are getting care, they caution that it is still too early to declare that the efforts have measurably improved health on the continent.

My question: what happens when the international donors lose interest?

There’s an important article about expanded access to health care in Sierra Leone in today New York Times. An excerpt:

Sierra Leone is at the vanguard of a revolution — heavily subsidized for now by international donors ...

By Jessica • 14 years ago

My new normal

As you may already know, I had a baby – a daughter named Layla Sorella Valenti-Golis. That’s the good (nay, wonderful!) news. The bad news is that she was born way too early; I developed severe pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome and had to deliver Layla when I was 29 weeks pregnant.

I was hospitalized after a routine exam showed I had dangerously high blood pressure – Andrew and I assumed it was all an overreaction because I didn’t feel sick. Even though the doctors were telling us I wouldn’t leave the hospital until I gave birth and that I might need to deliver in days, we didn’t really buy it. We even pooh-poohed the neonatologist who spoke with ...