|
FERTILITY
Republican Pushes Amendment to Ban IVF Funding, Calling it ‘Morally Wrong’
What: A Republican member of Congress from Montana offered an amendment that would defund “any infertility treatments or technologies” for military members, because he believes “the practice of IVF is morally wrong.”
Why it matters: Republican members of Congress have been trying to say IVF is safe since Alabama’s state supreme court declared all embryos as people, briefly freezing the practice in the state until a bill could be passed through the legislature. This amendment (and a subsequent vote on it) will show where the party really is.
Source: Twitter
MENSTRUATION
Including Menstruation in Sex Ed (…Should Be Common Sense!)
What: California’s legislature is considering a bill to expand sex ed curriculum to include menstruation: “Current sex ed instruction focuses on pregnancy, contraception and sexually-transmitted infections but not explicitly on menstrual health. The legislation also acknowledges the importance of teaching students about a wide range of topics related to the menstrual cycle such as premenstrual syndrome, menstrual disorders, menstrual stigma and menopause.”
Why it matters: “’There was one young girl who testified about PMS, and she said, ‘I didn’t even know what that was. I thought it was when guys call you angry,’’ Wilson said. ‘PMS — that’s a real thing. Learning is power. There shouldn’t be a stigma around menstrual health. Male, female, it doesn’t matter who you are, you should be well versed in it.”
Source: The 19th
ABORTION ACCESS
Being Pregnant Isn’t a Crime (But You Can Feel Like a Criminal)
What: Vox’s Anna North puts into words well the climate that two years of abortion bans has wrought: “…a disturbing progression from bans on abortion to a climate of suspicion around all pregnant patients. ‘People are increasingly scared even to be pregnant,’ said Elizabeth Ling, senior helpline counsel at the reproductive justice legal group If/When/How.”
Why it matters: “Even people who are not yet pregnant feel the widening effects of Dobbs. The If/When/How helpline has received calls from people who want to become pregnant, but are terrified that ‘they might experience an unexpected loss like a miscarriage, and still somehow be punished for experiencing that loss,’ Ling said. In recent months, she has heard herself say the words, ‘it is not a crime to be pregnant,’ she told Vox. And yet, more and more, it feels like it is.”
Source: Vox
Large Majority of Suburban Women Support Abortion Access
What: Kaiser Family Foundation polled suburban women about abortion, and found nearly 70% say they are pro-choice, and 75% say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Why it matters: As far as November’s election goes, suburban women “still lean Democratic and nearly half say they plan on voting for President Biden in November. Yet for many, inflation is top of mind – an issue that four in ten say neither political party does a better job of addressing. On the key issue of abortion, suburban women align most closely with the Democratic Party in terms of the policies they support.”
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation
MENOPAUSE
Making Menopause Like Puberty
What: The Wall Street Journal interviews actress Naomi Watts about her menopause skincare line, and what led her to found it in the first place.
Why it matters: “She’s still working to break the code of silence that surrounds menopause. ‘Why can’t we just normalize it, and actually go back as far as sex ed?’ Watts said. ‘There’s so much empathy for kids in puberty when they’ve got surging hormones. Why can’t there be some empathy when we’ve got plummeting hormones?’”
Source: Wall Street Journal
|