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BIRTH CONTROL
How Abortion Bans Change Medical Practice
What: One Indiana doctor shares how her practice has changed since the state passed an extreme abortion ban: “’The added part that I bring into my counseling is that abortion is now banned in our state, so while you’re thinking of various options when it comes to pregnancy prevention, please, keep in mind that abortion is no longer legal in our state,’”
Why it matters: “’This is no longer a discussion that can be put off for the next visit or is only applied to certain patients or certain gender patients,’ Wilkinson said. ‘It’s really, kind of, every moment is crucial.’”
Source: WBOI
MENSTRUATION
Menstrual Products from 1500 Years Ago
What: Curator Anna Weissman has a fascinating deep dive on the history of menstrual products in America. One device was found in southwest Colorado and dates to over 1,500 years ago. It is “made of yucca fibers and twine, the device would be worn like absorbent thong underwear. Interestingly, this ‘T-bandage’ or belt would remain the predominant design choice for menstrual wear for a long time. As patent drawings and more modern examples attest: women from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries would recognize this device immediately.”
Why it matters: “The evolution of menstrual products—from ancient devices to modern tampons—mirrors broader shifts in societal attitudes and medical knowledge. Despite some advancements, menstruation remains enveloped in a culture of concealment and stigma.”
Source: History Colorado
ABORTION ACCESS
Women Denied Abortions Share Stories and Grief at DNC
What: The Democratic National Convention opened today, and featured speakers on the first night include women who were denied abortions and as a result suffered grievous injuries and emotional pain. The women speaking include Amanda Zurawski, who developed sepsis after going into labor at 18 weeks and which affected her ability to have future children, and Haley Duvall, who was raped by her stepfather and became pregnant at 12 years old.
Why it matters: The DNC gets national attention, and this helps educate people on the real-life impacts of purposefully vague and punitive abortion bans, especially those that claim to have exemptions.
Source: New York Times
Large Majority of Florida Women Support Abortion Access
What: Over two-thirds (!!!) of Florida women support a nationwide right to abortion, according to the latest survey conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation.
Why it matters: Floridians are voting on a state amendment to guarantee abortion access, after the state effectively banned abortions earlier this year. It needs 60% of the vote to pass, and these results suggest it’s possible.
Source: Tampa Bay Times
MENOPAUSE
The Nuance to Delaying Menopause
What: The Guardian’s Amy Fleming has an excellent deep dive on multiple efforts to delay menopause, the benefits that could bring about, and the experts who question if putting off menopause is a good idea in the first place.
Why it matters: “Much of what we do know is based on associations, so there could be more to the ovaries and their power over women’s bodies than the oestrogen we give women for HRT (with progesterone to decrease the risk of uterine cancer). ‘We just don’t really understand so much,’ she says. ‘There’s certainly a lot of things that the ovaries produce that we haven’t really characterised and understood … Data just is extremely limited with regard to the complexity of the biology and a lot of assumptions are made.’”
Source: The Guardian
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