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PREGNANCY + POSTPARTUM
Georgia Police Investigating Miscarriage?
What: Jessica Valenti at AED flags a story out of Georgia that has police “investigating” a miscarried fetus that was disposed in a dumpster. A local outlet reported that “the fetus was not old enough to survive outside of the womb” and that it was the result of a miscarriage.
Why it matters: As Valenti points out: “There are no laws in Georgia that dictate how fetal remains must be disposed of—nor should there be! …Still, [Investigator Philip] Clark says, ‘It’s something we have to look into code sections about, see what we can find if there is anything.’” Recall the case of Brittany Watts in Ohio, who was prosecuted for a miscarriage and flushing the fetal remains.
Source: AED and WJBF
Teen Birth Rates Keep Dropping in the United States
What: The teen birth rate in the United States dropped a whopping 71% between 2000 and 2022, marking a major public health victory. The “decline in teen births stems from less sexual activity among teen girls and increased use of contraception among sexually active teenagers, according to the CDC.”
Why it matters: “Decreasing teen births can positively affect adolescents’ physical and mental health, lifetime income and education attainment, according to research organization Child Trends.”
Source: Axios
MENSTRUATION
Knix Pays Athletes to Talk Periods
What: One way to break the stigma around periods? Pay athletes to talk about them…especially around the Olympics. That plan come from Knix, a period underwear company, which has set aside $100,000 for the cause. And the athletes don’t even have to mention the company to get paid.
Why it matters: As Knix spokesperson and former Olympic soccer player Megan Rapinoe puts it: “One in two teens skip sports to hide their period… all these kids ashamed of something as human and natural as their period.”
Source: Campaign US
ABORTION ACCESS
Kamala Will Force GOP to Talk About Their Abortion Bans
What: With VP Kamala Harris taking over the Democratic candidacy for president, abortion access has re-entered the campaign trail. Politico reports that Harris “is leaning into abortion to mobilize voters as she builds out the rest of her policy platform.”
Why it matters: Renewed attention from the candidate at the top of the ticket means Republicans can’t avoid the topic (like they did at their convention): “Both abortion-rights and anti-abortion groups say they are eager to have Harris bring the topic back into the spotlight and force GOP candidates to respond.”
Source: Politico
ONCOLOGY
How Breast Cancer Goes to the Brain
What: When breast cancer reaches the inner membranes of the brain or spinal cord, patients end up with a median survival time of six months. So doctor and scientist Dorothy Sipkins at Duke spent ten years figuring out how, exactly, cancer spread there in the first place.
Why it matters: Her team found that in mice, breast cancer cells were infiltrating the brain through “emissary blood vessels.” It may sound obvious, but identifying that pathway means they may be able to slow or stop the spread to the brain by identifying proteins that help cells move via the blood vessels.
Source: Duke University Medical School
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