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Women's Health Alerts and News
Women's Health Specialists is dedicated to providing women with information so that they can make the most informed decisions about their health care. WHS Health Alerts and News gives women the tools to better understand important health issues by demystifying health news. WHS Health Alerts is a place for women to read, discuss, and share news and their experiences.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013 @ 4:30:00 PM - 0 comments
From Ms. Blog by Karuna Jaggar: When it comes to women’s health, corporate interests and profits have been driving the agenda for far too long. There’s no better example than breast cancer, where companies make billions selling pink ribbon products in the name of the disease, and yet we have too little to show for this money.
Friday, April 05, 2013 @ 10:50:00 AM - 0 comments
From RH Reality Check by Jodi Jacobsen: In a long-awaited decision released early this morning, U.S. District Court Judge Edward Korman ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make emergency contraception available over-the-counter to women of all ages, marking a major win for public health and women's rights.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013 @ 9:28:00 AM - 0 comments
From National Women's Health Network: Bisphosphonates are approved for both treatment and prevention of osteoporosis. While the NWHN has questions about long-term use of bisphosphonates for treatment, what we're most concerned about today is that many healthy women are taking these drugs today in the hopes that it will keep them healthy, in spite of evidence showing it can cause serious harm.
Friday, February 08, 2013 @ 4:52:00 PM - 0 comments
From American Public Health Association: Increased access to early abortion is a pressing public health need. Here's a comprehensive study comparing practitioners and doctors doing abortions.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013 @ 8:30:00 AM - 0 comments
From the New York Times: In a flood of lawsuits, Roman Catholics, evangelicals and Mennonites are challenging a provision in the new health care law that requires employers to cover birth control in employee health plans — a high-stakes clash between religious freedom and health care access that appears headed to the Supreme Court.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012 @ 11:16:00 AM - 0 comments
From Women's Health Issues: Publicly funded family planning clinics provide contraceptive care to millions of poor and low-income women every year. To inform the design of services that will best meet the contraceptive and reproductive health needs of women, we conducted a targeted survey of family planning clinic clients, asking women about services received in the past year and about their reasons for visiting a specialized family planning clinic.
Wednesday, December 05, 2012 @ 4:05:00 PM - 0 comments
One year ago on Friday, Secretary of Health & Human Services Kathleen Sebelius overruled the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and directed that the age restriction on non-prescription emergency contraception should be maintained.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012 @ 11:52:00 AM - 0 comments
It is shameful that servicewomen who have been raped must pay out-of-pocket for abortion, particularly when other federal employees have this coverage.
Friday, October 05, 2012 @ 10:26:00 AM - 0 comments
Last year, San Francisco became the first city in California to go after crisis pregnancy centers, faith-based non-profits that are often purposely vague about the services they offer in hopes of luring in pregnant women who expect to hear non-biased information about all of their options, but instead receive anti-choice rhetoric.
Friday, August 31, 2012 @ 11:21:00 AM - 0 comments
By Robin Marty, Senior Political Reporter, RH Reality Check: The fate of a bill intended to expand access to abortion in California looks brighter. The bill, which would enable more medical professionals to perform early abortions has been on a roller coaster ride of big intentions and political roadblocks.
Friday, August 10, 2012 @ 9:22:00 AM - 0 comments
A free event open to the public, will take place at the Berkeley Law School on the UC Berkeley campus on Tuesday, August 28, 2012 from 12:30 to 2 pm. Speakers at this public event will consider the long history of eugenics in California and explore continuities and discontinuities in the uses and misuses of genetic ideas and practices.
Wednesday, August 01, 2012 @ 12:18:00 PM - 0 comments
Sacramento - August 1 signals an all-access pass to maintain or support women's health, thanks to new provisions in the Affordable Care Act.
Friday, July 27, 2012 @ 11:15:00 AM - 0 comments
From Breast Cancer Action: Monday marked the 10th anniversary of the release of the groundbreaking results of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI).
Monday, June 25, 2012 @ 2:16:00 PM - 0 comments
From The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum: The Supreme Court ruled today that most of Arizona’s SB 1070—the state’s anti-immigration law—was preempted by federal law and therefore unconstitutional.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012 @ 12:11:00 PM - 0 comments
Join Breast Cancer Action on Monday June 25th or Tuesday June 26th for an important free webinar: Take Back Our Genes: Ending the Patents on Breast Cancer Genes to learn about how one company's control of the BRCA genes creates barriers to research and testing that could endangering your health and the healthcare of hundreds of thousands of women.
Monday, June 11, 2012 @ 4:01:00 PM - 1 comments
In the US, women age 17 and over have the legal right to get emergency contraception -- sometimes called Plan B or “the morning after pill -- over the counter and without a prescription at their pharmacy.
But not, it seems, if you're Native like me. I live on a reservation in South Dakota and when I went to get emergency contraception, the IHS workers told me I'd need to drive to a clinic over an hour away. I don't have a car and neither do many people on the rez.
But not, it seems, if you're Native like me. I live on a reservation in South Dakota and when I went to get emergency contraception, the IHS workers told me I'd need to drive to a clinic over an hour away. I don't have a car and neither do many people on the rez.
Friday, June 08, 2012 @ 4:55:00 PM - 0 comments
Published on May 10, 2012 by NAPW - Project Prevention, originally known as C.R.A.C.K. (Children Requiring a Caring Kommunity) is often described as a program that offers $300 for current and former drug users to get sterilized or to use certain long-acting birth control methods. It was founded by Barbara Harris.
Thursday, June 07, 2012 @ 12:39:00 PM - 0 comments
From Indian Country Today Media Network: Tens of thousands of women, men and even children were sterilized from the early 1900s through the middle part of the century. Often, the victims were misled about the treatments they were undergoing; sometimes they were pressured or even forced to cooperate. Most had been deemed unfit to reproduce, often because they weren’t white and sometimes because they were ruled mentally inferior.
Monday, June 04, 2012 @ 9:35:00 AM - 0 comments
Winnemem Wintu is calling for volunteers, donations and people with boats to sign up to help close 400 yards of river to hold our Coming of Age ceremony in peace and dignity June 30 - July 3. We need as many as possible to ensure a closure.
Friday, June 01, 2012 @ 10:34:00 AM - 0 comments
SACRAMENTO --This morning the California State Assembly voted to pass AB 2348 (Mitchell) – the Access to Birth Control Bill –with 43 Assembly members voting in favor of the measure, 28 voting against and 9 members not voting. The bill is expected to move to the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 @ 10:05:00 AM - 0 comments
By Shauna Heckert - Published in the Sacramento Bee: As a lifelong women's health activist, and Executive Director of Women's Health Specialists, I support AB 2348 because it will expand access to birth control services to low income, rural and underinsured women in California.
Friday, May 25, 2012 @ 10:48:00 AM - 0 comments
From National Partnership for Women & Families: In 12 lawsuits filed in federal courts, 43 organizations -- including Roman Catholic dioceses, schools and other institutions -- on Monday challenged the federal contraceptive coverage rules that have been proposed as part of the health reform law.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012 @ 9:43:00 AM - 0 comments
From Consumer Reports: 10 procedures to think twice about during your pregnancy
Tuesday, May 08, 2012 @ 12:31:00 PM - 0 comments
Cindy Pearson, Executive Director, NWHN - The National Women’s Health Network received the Grassroots Activism Award from the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) for our success in reducing the incidence of breast cancer.
Monday, May 07, 2012 @ 12:20:00 PM - 0 comments
Cindy Pearson, Executive Director, NWHN - Broken hips and wrists and painful bone fractures are one of the big worries many women have as we age. We want to keep our bones as strong as possible, and if we do develop osteoporosis we want to know: what should we do about it?ce fractures that could have been prevented if their osteoporosis had been treated.
Thursday, April 19, 2012 @ 10:16:00 AM - 0 comments
By Susan Yanow - The landscape for access to abortion is shifting quickly, as state after state passes restrictive laws. Particularly affected by these new laws are women who need abortions later in their pregnancies.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 @ 1:23:00 PM - 0 comments
by Katha Pollitt, the Nation - How urgently do low-income women need help paying for abortion care? In a few weeks I’ll be taking part in the National Network of Funds (NNAF) Annual Bowl-a-Thon, wearing funny shoes and rolling the big black ball to raise money for the New York Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF).
Monday, April 16, 2012 @ 1:20:00 PM - 0 comments
Bayer has agreed to pay at least $110 million to settle about 500 lawsuits alleging that its contraceptives Yaz and Yasmin caused blood clots that led to injury or death, according to people familiar with the settlement, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.
Friday, April 13, 2012 @ 1:31:00 PM - 0 comments
Cindy Pearson, Executive Director, NWHN - It’s time to speak out AGAIN against corporate profiteering at the expense of women’s health!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012 @ 2:08:00 PM - 0 comments
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has completed its review of recent observational (epidemiologic) studies regarding the risk of blood clots in women taking drospirenone-containing birth control pills. Drospirenone is a synthetic version of the female hormone, progesterone, also referred to as a progestin.
Monday, April 09, 2012 @ 3:32:00 PM - 0 comments
From California Healthline: Efforts to launch the California Health Benefit Exchange will continue regardless of an impending U.S. Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of the federal health reform law.
Friday, March 30, 2012 @ 10:25:00 AM - 0 comments
From Daily Women’s Health Policy Report: The Supreme Court requested that an appeals court reconsider its ruling that Myriad Genetics can patent two genes tied to breast and ovarian cancers, in light of a recent Supreme Court ruling in a similar case.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012 @ 3:14:00 PM - 0 comments
It is estimated that 5 million women in the United States currently suffer from endometriosis. Despite its massive prevalence, it is often referred to as an “invisible illness.” Many women who suffer from endometriosis do not realize it, most often mistaking their symptoms for simple period cramps.
Monday, March 12, 2012 @ 11:51:00 PM - 0 comments
The Native American Women's Health Education Resource Center (NAWHERC) in Lake Andes, South Dakota, once again calls upon the Indian Health Service to provide equal access to safe, emergency contraception.
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 3:33:00 PM - Written by Laura Eldridge, and Barbara Seaman (posthumously) - 0 comments
By 1975, there were nearly 2,000 official women's self-help projects scattered around the United States and countless unofficial ones...
Laura Eldridge, in a posthumous collaboration with
Barbara Seaman, reissued Seaman's book: Voices of the Women's Health Movement, Volume 1.
Laura Eldridge, in a posthumous collaboration with
Barbara Seaman, reissued Seaman's book: Voices of the Women's Health Movement, Volume 1.
Friday, February 17, 2012 @ 2:42:00 PM - Written by Brady Swenson - 0 comments
Today on Capitol Hill, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform assembled a panel to discuss the birth control mandate in President Obama's Affordable Care Act. The panel consisted of eight male anti-choice, anti-contraception religious leaders and one female anti-choice witness. None had health credentials.
Monday, February 13, 2012 - Written by Soraya Chemaly - 0 comments
Abstinence-only education creates a petri dish for bullying in schools. There is always a lot of back and forth about the efficacy of these programs, and I fall on the side that they demonstrably fail to reduce teen pregnancy, the rate of incidence of teen sex, or the transmission of sexutally transmitted infections (STIs) (all you have to do is look at Texas). In addition, however, I believe that the heyday of our federal investment in abstinence-only programs had a terrible collateral effect -
Wednesday, February 08, 2012 @ 2:49:00 PM - Written by Democracy Now - 0 comments
By Democracy Now:Rick Santorum’s Republican campaigning against a new Obama administration rule requiring health insurance plans, including those provided by Catholic-affiliated hospitals and universities, to offer free birth control methods.Democracy Now looks at reproductive rights and how they could become major issues in the 2012 race with three guests: Michael Brendan Dougherty of Business Insider and The American Conservative, Loretta Ross of the SisterSong Reproductive Justice Collectiv
Tuesday, February 07, 2012 @ 2:48:00 PM - 0 comments
Opponents of Proposition 8 celebrate as the ban on same-sex marriages is reversed because it's unconstitutional.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 @ 12:48:00 PM - Written by Carol Downer - 0 comments
If working in the abortion movement for over 40 years qualifies me to gaze into my crystal ball to see the future for abortion rights in the United States, here goes. I see clinics closing down due to restrictive regulations and lack of doctors, especially in areas far from an urban center. This lack of access will mostly affect young women and poor women of color. But, as was the case before the decision in Roe v. Wade, the majority of unwillingly pregnant women will continue to get abortions,
Friday, January 13, 2012 @ 4:44:00 PM - Written by Guttmacher Institute - 0 comments
By almost any measure, issues related to reproductive health and rights at the state level received unprecedented attention in 2011. In the 50 states combined, legislators introduced more than 1,100 reproductive health and rights-related provisions, a sharp increase from the 950 introduced in 2010.
Friday, January 06, 2012 @ 4:21:00 PM - 0 comments
In an unprecedented move today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) overruled a decision by the scientists at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow Plan B One-Step® to be sold over-the-counter to women of all ages.
Friday, January 06, 2012 @ 4:15:00 PM - 0 comments
On January 5th, the Governor released his 2012/2013 budget proposal. The budget eliminates the CA Commission on the Status of Women. The budget also proposes steep cuts to health and human services, including CalWORKs, child care and Medi-Cal.
Please call or email to the Governor urging him to fund the Commission on the Status of Women. Women and girls deserve a voice in California’s government!
Please call or email to the Governor urging him to fund the Commission on the Status of Women. Women and girls deserve a voice in California’s government!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 @ 2:24:00 PM - Written by Caitlin C. of Breast Cancer Action - 0 comments
The IOM (Institute of Medicine) was asked to review the current evidence on breast cancer and the environment, consider gene-environment interactions, review challenges in investigating environmental contributions to breast cancer...“The IOM Report fails to turn the tide on this epidemic because it misses some important opportunities to implement real changes,” said Breast Cancer Action's Executive Director Karuna Jaggar.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 @ 3:34:00 PM - Written by By Sujatha Jesudason and Susannah Baruch - 0 comments
By Sujatha Jesudason and Susannah Baruch, Generations Ahead. The issue of sex selection is often perceived to be of concern only in Asian countries with demographic disparities in the number of girls and boys being born. However, son preference, gender stereotyping and gender bias are evident in most societies,including in the United States.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 @ 3:27:00 PM - Written by Molly Redden - 0 comments
By Molly Redden.
In October, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance that banned misleading advertisements for the city’s crisis pregnancy centers. The ordinance allows courts to fine crisis pregnancy centers, which counsel pregnant women against abortion, up to $500 every time they falsely imply in advertisements that they offer abortion services.
In October, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance that banned misleading advertisements for the city’s crisis pregnancy centers. The ordinance allows courts to fine crisis pregnancy centers, which counsel pregnant women against abortion, up to $500 every time they falsely imply in advertisements that they offer abortion services.
Thursday, December 08, 2011 @ 3:06:00 PM - Written by Associated Press - 0 comments
In a surprise move with election-year implications, the Obama administration’s top health official (Kathleen Sebelius)ruled her own drug regulators and stopped the Plan B morning-after pill from moving onto drugstore shelves next to the condoms.
Monday, November 21, 2011 @ 5:41:00 PM - Written by Cindy Pearson, National Women's Health Network - 0 comments
Did you ever hear your mother tell you “People are like snowflakes…no two are exactly alike”? Well the same goes for vulvas. When it comes to female genitalia, there is no single size, length, color, shape, taste, or texture that every woman will resemble. For as many different women as there are in the world, there is a unique vulva to match.
Unfortunately, media images and descriptions of women’s genitals...give a different impression.
Unfortunately, media images and descriptions of women’s genitals...give a different impression.
Friday, November 18, 2011 @ 4:07:00 PM - Written by Caitlin C. of Breast Cancer Action - 0 comments
Posted on November 18, 2011 by Caitlin C. of Breast Cancer Action.
Today, FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg announced the revocation of the drug Avastin for treatment of metastatic breast cancer, agreeing with the recent unanimous recommendation of the Oncologic Drug Advisory Committee (ODAC).
Today, FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg announced the revocation of the drug Avastin for treatment of metastatic breast cancer, agreeing with the recent unanimous recommendation of the Oncologic Drug Advisory Committee (ODAC).
Tuesday, November 15, 2011 @ 3:42:00 PM - Written by Hana Askren - 0 comments
By Hana Askren
WeNews commentator
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
In her doula work Hana Askren finds that women who want a vaginal birth after a Caesarean often cannot find a doctor or hospital to provide this kind of care.
WeNews commentator
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
In her doula work Hana Askren finds that women who want a vaginal birth after a Caesarean often cannot find a doctor or hospital to provide this kind of care.
Friday, November 04, 2011 @ 4:59:00 PM - Written by Naral Pro-Choice California - 0 comments
Press Release From NARAL November 4, 2011
SAN FRANCISCO – On Thursday, November 3, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee signed the Pregnancy Information Disclosure and Protection Ordinance, which was introduced by Supervisor Malia Cohen and passed 10-1 by the Board of Supervisors on October 26.
SAN FRANCISCO – On Thursday, November 3, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee signed the Pregnancy Information Disclosure and Protection Ordinance, which was introduced by Supervisor Malia Cohen and passed 10-1 by the Board of Supervisors on October 26.
Friday, October 21, 2011 @ 2:57:00 PM - Written by Zoe Christopher - 0 comments
I always get teary when things like this happen. I wept many times during the OccupySF march for the same reason: people are waking up. “One at a time” has become thousands. I believe that if every one of us would take a stand for all of us, we will see change. Corporate profiteering at the expense of the vulnerable and pinkwashing on the backs of women living with breast cancer must stop.
“In a time of universal deceit — telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” -George Orwell
“In a time of universal deceit — telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” -George Orwell
Monday, October 17, 2011 @ 12:48:00 PM - Written by Carol Downer - 0 comments
I witnessed the efforts of the anti-natalists who force birth control on women and want to limit the number of babies they have, such as in China. And I witnessed the pro-natalists, who want to force women to have more babies, such as the Catholic Church, but are also bankrolled by reactionary wealthy upper class people. I knew activism was needed to stop these forces, as well.
On the Issues, Fall 2011
On the Issues, Fall 2011
Friday, October 07, 2011 @ 3:05:00 PM - Written by Breast Cancer Action - 0 comments
Pinkwashing has reached a new low this year with “Promise Me,” a perfume commissioned by the giant of the breast cancer movement, Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Susan G. Komen for the Cure, has commissioned a perfume that harms women’s health (it is a hormone distruptor) and is selling it in the name of breast cancer.
Watch the video to see why so many people are Raising a Stink! about it, and sign a petition of protest to Komen.
Watch the video to see why so many people are Raising a Stink! about it, and sign a petition of protest to Komen.
Friday, September 23, 2011 @ 3:46:00 PM - Written by National Women's Health Network - 0 comments
That’s the message we need to send immediately to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. HHS is seeking comments until September 30 on its proposed religious employer exemption from the contraceptive coverage requirement it announced in August. Write to Kathleen Sebelius Now! National Women's Health Network.
Friday, September 23, 2011 @ 3:35:00 PM - Written by Cindy Pearson - 0 comments
by Cindy Pearson.There’s good evidence that osteoporosis drugs called bisphosphonates (brand names Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva and Reclast),drugs can help people who have osteoporosis, especially those who have had bone fractures. But drug companies convinced the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve them for use in healthy postmenopausal women who had no symptoms of osteoporosis and no risk factors other than their age and the test showing...
Wednesday, September 07, 2011 @ 3:32:00 PM - Written by California National Organization for Women - 0 comments
AB 568 has passed both the California state assembly and state senate and now sits on Governor Brown's desk awaiting his signature. This bill would require that the standards used by the Board of State and Community Corrections ensures that inmates who are pregnant not be shackled by the wrists, ankles, around the abdomen, or to another person. From the California National Organization for Women.
Thursday, September 01, 2011 @ 11:20:00 AM - Written by National Women's Health Network - 0 comments
The findings confirm several of the concerns the National The National Women’s Health Network expressed about these implants before they were approved. It turns out that women who get implants are even more likely to experience local complications, including infection and painful scarring – forcing them to have repeated surgeries -- than previous studies have shown.
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 2:48:00 PM - Written by Victoria Colliver, Chronicle Staff writer - 0 comments
Pregnant women participating in a pilot study at San Francisco General Hospital had the highest levels of banned chemicals used in flame retardants in their bodies compared with other expectant mothers in other studies conducted worldwide.
Friday, August 19, 2011 @ 2:41:00 PM - Written by Breast Cancer Action - 0 comments
WHS recently joined Breast Cancer Fund and MomsRising.org to demand that Campbell’s Soup Company stop using Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, in their canned food products. Take action today by signing a petition to Campbell's...
Friday, August 12, 2011 @ 4:21:00 PM - 0 comments
Check out Hollaback!
… a movement dedicated to ending street harassment using mobile technology. Street harassment is one of the most pervasive forms of gender-based violence and one of the least legislated against. Comments from “You’d look good on me” to groping, flashing and assault are a daily, global reality for women and LGBTQ individuals. But it is rarely reported, and it’s culturally accepted as ‘the price you pay’ for being a woman or for being gay.
… a movement dedicated to ending street harassment using mobile technology. Street harassment is one of the most pervasive forms of gender-based violence and one of the least legislated against. Comments from “You’d look good on me” to groping, flashing and assault are a daily, global reality for women and LGBTQ individuals. But it is rarely reported, and it’s culturally accepted as ‘the price you pay’ for being a woman or for being gay.
Monday, August 01, 2011 @ 2:25:00 PM - Written by by Cindy Pearson of the NWHN - 0 comments
Today marks an historic advance for women’s health. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced this morning that insurance companies must cover without co-pays such key women’s preventive health services as contraception, breastfeeding supports and screening for gestational diabetes, HIV infection and domestic violence. By Cindy Pearson of the National Women's Health Network.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 @ 11:47:00 AM - Written by By Amy Allina - 0 comments
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) released their report detailing recommendations for preventive services that support women's health, including contraceptive methods.
Friday, July 15, 2011 - Written by Ed Pilkington - 0 comments
The creeping criminalization of pregnant women is a new front in the culture wars over abortion. Rennie Gibbs is accused of murder, but the crime she is alleged to have committed does not sound like an ordinary killing. Yet she faces life in prison in Mississippi over the death of her unborn child.
The Guardian / By Ed Pilkington
Linked here to article in AlterNet.org
The Guardian / By Ed Pilkington
Linked here to article in AlterNet.org
Monday, July 11, 2011 @ 11:16:00 AM - Written by National Women's Health Network - 0 comments
National Women's Health Network: we know that using the CA-125 blood test to screen for ovarian cancer is a bad idea – it doesn’t prevent women from dying of the disease, and even worse, it actually causes harm. In the end, the study showed no lives were saved, but 1080 women had unnecessary surgery to follow up on false alarms and over 15 percent of the time, that unnecessary surgery caused serious complications, like perforation of the bowel.
Wednesday, July 06, 2011 @ 4:08:00 PM - 0 comments
Join Women's Health Specialists and SisterSong Let's Talk About Sex 2011 Conference
Wednesday, July 06, 2011 @ 3:12:00 PM - Written by On the Issues Magazine - 0 comments
Barbara Seaman was an author who persistently challenged the "givens" of the medical establishment. In the 1970s, she became a pioneer in a bustling new feminist health movement that focused on patient knowledge and decision-making. From On the Issues Magazine.
Friday, July 01, 2011 @ 3:10:00 PM - Written by Ms. Blog - 0 comments
Will Kansas become the first state in the nation without an abortion provider? It looked for a while this week as if that might happen by Friday, when a host of new state regulations takes effect.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 - Written by Breast Cancer Action - 0 comments
Today, the FDA’s Oncological Drug Advisory Panel (ODAC) unanimously voted to revoke Avastin as a treatment for breast cancer. They rejected a compromise proposal made by Genentech that the approval be retained while the company conducts another clinical trial to confirm that the drug works. Recent studies have not shown that the drug prolonged women’s lives or improved the quality of their lives.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 @ 3:52:00 PM - 0 comments
Thanks to increasingly restrictive state laws, we're seeing a return to pre-Roe "back-alley abortions" and criminal treatment of women.
Monday, June 20, 2011 @ 11:46:00 AM - 0 comments
Reproductive, health, rights and justice organizations were alerted about racist and offensive billboards targeting Latinas, "The most dangerous place for a LATINO is in
the womb," to appear throughout Los Angeles beginning June 11th. CLRJ moved into action calling on a broad range of support from Latina/o Civil, Health, Women, Immigrants and
Environmental Justice organizations, our close allies and young Latina activists.
the womb," to appear throughout Los Angeles beginning June 11th. CLRJ moved into action calling on a broad range of support from Latina/o Civil, Health, Women, Immigrants and
Environmental Justice organizations, our close allies and young Latina activists.
Friday, June 17, 2011 @ 4:24:00 PM - 0 comments
Read Trust Black Women’s analysis of the opposition, and what you can do to get involved in this anti-woman, anti-abortion and racist campaign.
Tuesday, June 07, 2011 @ 3:43:00 PM - Written by Breast Cancer Action - 0 comments
On June 4, 2011, research was presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference regarding the use of the drug exemestane (Aromasin), an aromatase inhibitor, for use in healthy postmenopausal women to reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer.
Friday, May 27, 2011 @ 2:51:00 PM - Written by Nia Robinson - 0 comments
Nia Robinson calls for the need of activists to build a movement to combat social and economic injustice. Women of color, indiginous women, and low income women are disproportionately effected by an economy that is addicted to fossile fuels, despite its damaging effects on the environment and population.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011 @ 1:55:00 PM - Written by By Jeff vonKaenel - 0 comments
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones is pushing hard to get Assembly Bill 52 passed. The bill would give him authority to reject excessive health insurance rate increases for Californians.
Monday, May 23, 2011 @ 3:05:00 PM - Written by National Women's Health Network Newsletter - 0 comments
Long-time NWHN members know that we are critical of U.S. gynecologists for doing way too hysterectomies. Now research confirms that both having a hysterectomy for many common conditions, and removing the ovaries during hysterectomy, can have dangerous impacts on women’s health.
Thursday, May 19, 2011 @ 3:33:00 PM - Written by by Eleanor Bader - 0 comments
Three years ago, The International Journal of Chemistry published an article positing Biphenyl-A, or BPA, as a primary culprit in the breast cancer epidemic of the past 50 years. The report sounded an alarm because BPA has not only been used to make plastic and epoxy resins, but has become embedded in American life, found in everything from food packaging to children’s sippy cups to flame retardants. by Eleanor Bader
Monday, May 16, 2011 @ 3:06:00 PM - Written by Guttmacher Institute Report - 0 comments
Despite the fact that most women use at least one contraceptive method during their lifetimes and a "strong body of evidence demonstrating that contraceptive use and the prevention of unintended pregnancy improves the health and social and economic well-being of women and their families," contraceptive use remains "controversial among some policymakers and is opposed by the Catholic hierarchy and some other socially conservative organizations," according to a Guttmacher Institute report
Friday, April 29, 2011 @ 2:59:00 PM - Written by Selina McGee - 0 comments
The safety of Bayer's oral contraceptive Yasmin has been called into question on the back of new research, published in the British Medical Journal, which suggests the pill's drospirenone component may present a higher risk of blood clots than levonorgestrel-based rivals. By Selina McGee
Friday, April 22, 2011 @ 2:27:00 PM - 0 comments
April 22, 2011 — States are passing controversial restrictions on abortion care at a fast pace, and new Republican majorities in state legislatures, supported by GOP governors, have paved the way for more antiabortion-rights legislation, Washington Post reports. State lawmakers have proposed 374 antiabortion bill this year, compared with 174 such bills last year.
Thursday, April 14, 2011 @ 4:05:00 PM - 0 comments
Twenty-one year old Akira Eady died a few days after giving birth at Mount Sinai Medical Center at her Bronx home in 2007. Eady is one of 1.7 million* women who face birth problems that harm their health every year, according to Amnesty International. By Miriam Zoila Perez
Friday, April 08, 2011 @ 4:27:00 PM - Written by Anna North - 0 comments
Three new bills in Alabama would redefine "person" as "any human being from the moment of fertilization or the functional equivalent thereof" — and require that all uses of the word "person" in the state constitution be accompanied by "all humans from the moment of fertilization." In addition to no doubt upping the state's printing budget, the bills could have the effect of banning all abortions.
Thursday, April 07, 2011 @ 1:04:00 PM - Written by National Women's Health Network - 0 comments
“Estrogen pills found to lower cancer risk.”
“Estrogen lowers breast cancer and heart risk in some.”
Did you see those surprising headlines earlier today over articles about the latest report from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI)?
“Estrogen lowers breast cancer and heart risk in some.”
Did you see those surprising headlines earlier today over articles about the latest report from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI)?
Wednesday, April 06, 2011 @ 1:20:00 PM - Written by Breast Cancer Action - 0 comments
Methyl iodide is a cancer-causing pesticide commonly applied to crops, including strawberries, in the United States. We come into contact with this toxin via the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. That’s the bad news. The good news is that we have a unique opportunity to remove this carcinogen from our world. The EPA is currently taking public comments about whether to revoke their approval of methyl iodide, and we need to send them a resounding YES!
Friday, March 25, 2011 @ 2:28:00 PM - Written by Yale University - 0 comments
A study conducted by Yale University and released by the American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday found that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) students are 40 percent more likely to be punished by schools, police, and the justice system than heterosexual students. Notably, its findings indicate that lesbian and bisexual girls are two to three times more likely to face unequal punishment than heterosexual girls.
Friday, March 18, 2011 @ 4:12:00 PM - Written by Loretta Ross - 0 comments
Reproductive Justice sheds light on how race, gender, class, sexuality, and institutions work together to either uplift or oppress a woman's ability with reproductive life decision making.
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 2:57:00 PM - Written by Message from Alexis Zepeda - 0 comments
When she looks at the piece of paper with your phone number on it, she wonders who will watch her kids, will she have to travel to a different state, does her credit card have enough space on it, how much will she get when she pawns her TV, will he come through with the $300 he promised her…can she do this?
Friday, March 04, 2011 @ 3:12:00 PM - Written by National Organization for Women (NOW) - 0 comments
Send a message to your Congress members that the House budget (H.R. 1) -- which makes deep cuts in our social safety net and other key human resource investment programs -- is unacceptable. Read more of the National Organization for Women's analysis of the "War on Women."
Tuesday, February 22, 2011 @ 2:32:00 PM - Written by Sistersong - 0 comments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Atlanta, GA - February 21, 2011: On Friday, February 18, 2011 the U.S. House of Representatives passed the "Pence Amendment" (Amendment 11), offered by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) as an amendment to the federal spending bill. From e-alert from Sistersong, www.sistersong.net.
Monday, February 14, 2011 @ 2:34:00 PM - Written by Raising Women's Voices - 0 comments
The health reform law is supposed to make women's preventive health care - including comprehensive contraceptive care - available without co-pays and other out-of-pocket costs. Speak up to make sure that this will include comprehensive contraceptive care. Raising Women's Voices
Friday, February 04, 2011 @ 4:09:00 PM - 0 comments
Drugged, raped, and pregnant? Too bad. Republicans are pushing to limit rape and incest cases eligible for government abortion funding. By Nick Baumann
Monday, January 31, 2011 @ 4:18:00 PM - Written by Janette Robinson Flint - 0 comments
LOS ANGELES -- Black Women for Wellness joined with others nationally and locally last week to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a holiday that marks important milestones in our African-American experience. By Janette Robinson Flint.
Friday, January 21, 2011 @ 4:21:00 PM - Written by Jessica Erons - 0 comments
Rep. Smith’s claims that his new bill, HR3 (introduced January 20), would “only” codify, or make permanent, the Hyde Amendment. This bill goes far beyond current law, and seriously compromises women’s access to reproductive health care. By Jessica Arons
Thursday, January 13, 2011 @ 2:40:00 PM - Written by Ginny Cassidy-Brinn - 0 comments
I had an Intrauterine Devices (IUD) in the 70s, when a feminist outcry exposed serious problems caused by the Dalkon Shield IUD, including infertility, uterine perforation, and death...
By Ginny Cassidy Brinn
By Ginny Cassidy Brinn
Friday, January 07, 2011 @ 3:44:00 PM - Written by National Women's Health Network - 0 comments
View a short documentary film that follows the National Women's Health Network's activism and progress in women's health advocacy, from Congressional hearings on safety of birth control pills through research on menopause hormone replacement therapy to the new health care reform law.
Friday, January 07, 2011 @ 3:25:00 PM - Written by Breast Cancer Action - 0 comments
BCA commends the FDA’s December 16th recommendation that Avastin not be used to treat breast cancer. By Breast Cancer Action
Friday, December 17, 2010 @ 1:27:00 PM - 0 comments
Studies claiming to find a relationship between abortion and subsequent mental health problems often suffer from serious methodological limitations that invalidate their conclusions. Guttmacher Institute
Friday, December 10, 2010 @ 3:41:00 PM - 0 comments
The United States has failed to meet most goals for women’s health—largely federal objectives drawn from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2010 agenda. National Women's Law Center
Friday, December 03, 2010 @ 2:35:00 PM - Written by Population and Development Program - 0 comments
Fears of overpopulation are pervasive in American society. From an early age we are taught that population pressure is responsible for poverty, hunger, environmental degradation and even political insecurity. Conventional wisdom, however, is not always wise. By the Population and Development Program at Hampshire College.
Friday, November 19, 2010 @ 2:46:00 PM - Written by By Cynthia Pearson - 0 comments
Fifty years after the approval of the first birth control pill, over 80 percent of U.S. women old enough to have needed it have taken it, at one point or another in their reproductive years. By Cynthia Pearson
Friday, November 12, 2010 @ 4:21:00 PM - Written by By Tracy Weitz, PhD, MPA - 0 comments
After four decades of fighting over abortion rights, we are all tired: advocates, the public, politicians, clinicians….everyone. We long for an end to the “abortion wars.” By Tracy Weitz, PhD, MPA
Friday, November 05, 2010 @ 4:20:00 PM - Written by Tracy Clark-Flory - 0 comments
Join other women and twitter your abortion experience. Is the Twitter "#ihadanabortion" trend effective empowerment or needless provocation?
Friday, October 29, 2010 @ 2:53:00 PM - Written by Kierra Johnson - 0 comments
Driving down many highways in the US, one sees billboards that read, "Virgin: Teach your Kids It's Not a Dirty Word" or "Wait for the Bling." These billboards, funded by conservative organizations, perpetuate a myth that teen sex is a problem, a crisis and even an epidemic.
Friday, October 22, 2010 @ 2:46:00 PM - 0 comments
On October 21, 2010, The National Women’s Health Network reported that: "Women considering long-term use of menopause hormones (HT) received even more bad news yesterday."
Friday, October 15, 2010 @ 2:27:00 PM - Written by TBW - 0 comments
Watch the video, Abortion Conspiracy, which exposes the attacks on rights of Black women by conservatives using Black fronts.
Friday, October 08, 2010 @ 4:09:00 PM - Written by Breast Cancer Action - 0 comments
Breast Cancer Action (BCA) believes women need access to unbiased information in order to make informed choices about breast cancer and it's detection, and treatment options.
BCA announces their plan for the future, presented by Barbara Brenner, BCA Executive Directer
BCA announces their plan for the future, presented by Barbara Brenner, BCA Executive Directer
Tuesday, October 05, 2010 @ 1:42:00 PM - Written by Raising Women's Voices - 0 comments
Over 40 national and state women's health organizations signed on to our formal comment letter to HSS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and more than 750 people from 49 states sent personal emails to HHS. Thanks to those of you that have already raised your voices! For those of you that haven't, there's still time. We need to keep the pressure on! This time, we're targeting the White House. We need to you take action!
Tuesday, October 05, 2010 @ 1:21:00 PM - Written by Jill Battalen, Director of Individual Giving, NWHN - 0 comments
The National Women's Health Network celebrates 35 years of action and presents the 3rd annual Barbara Seaman Awards for Activism in Women's Health. Our guest this year will be Barbara Ehrenreich. The event is an evening reception to be held on Wednesday, November 3, 2010 in Washington, DC.
Friday, October 01, 2010 @ 4:36:00 PM - Written by Breast Cancer Action - 0 comments
In response to similar comments from our members, BCA launched the Think Before You Pink® campaign in 2002 to address concerns about the overwhelming number of pink ribbon products and promotions on the market.
Monday, September 27, 2010 @ 2:13:00 PM - Written by Raising Women's Voices - 0 comments
Raising Women's Voices (RWV) is launching a campaign: Tell Washingtion NOW:
Safeguard Women's Health - Don't Ban Abortion Coverage!
Safeguard Women's Health - Don't Ban Abortion Coverage!
Thursday, September 23, 2010 @ 1:46:00 PM - Written by Raising Women's Voices - 0 comments
Raising Women's Voices (RWV) is dedicated to helping women gain access to quality, affordable health care. RWV is working hard to make the promise of health reform a reality...and to improve provisions that fall short in meeting women’s needs.
A new resource from RWV - What Women Get: The (updated) Top 10 List
A new resource from RWV - What Women Get: The (updated) Top 10 List
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 @ 4:18:00 PM - Written by Raising Women's Voices - 0 comments
Now is the time to tell Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius that we want her to make sure comprehensive contraceptive care is included in the list of preventive services for federal health reform.
Friday, September 10, 2010 @ 3:17:00 PM - Written by Amie Newman - 0 comments
The National Assoc. for Pregnant Women recently hailed a victory in which they played a part related to a woman who had given birth three years ago and had her newborn swiftly whisked away by a child protective authority.
Friday, September 10, 2010 @ 2:59:00 PM - Written by A New View Campaign - 0 comments
The New View Campaign, a women's health and sexuality advocacy group, confronts the medical model's definition of women's sexuality as dysfunctional, the search for a "female Viagra", and the rise of female genital surgery.
Thursday, September 02, 2010 @ 5:01:00 PM - Written by By Nicholas Kristof - 0 comments
Could the decades-long global impasse over abortion worldwide be overcome — by little white pills costing less than $1 each? That seems possible, for these pills are beginning to revolutionize abortion around the world, especially in poor countries. One result may be tens of thousands of women’s lives saved each year.
Friday, August 27, 2010 - Written by By Adriane Fugh-Berman, M.D. - 0 comments
The exodus from menopausal hormone therapy after the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) proved that the risks of this therapy outweighed its benefits has resulted in a stunning drop in breast cancer rates.
Friday, August 20, 2010 @ 3:11:00 PM - Written by By the National Women's Health Network - 0 comments
On August 13th, the FDA announced its approval of "Ella" (ulipristal acetate), giving women another effective method of preventing unintended pregnancy.
Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 3:57:00 PM - Written by National Women's Health Network - 0 comments
Women who use EvaMist to treat their hot flashes need to take precautions to ensure that children and pets don't come into contact with skin sprayed with the estrogen mist.
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 12:39:00 PM - 0 comments
An advisory committee recommended on Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration revoke approval of the drug Avastin as a treatment for breast cancer, saying the drug was not helping patients.
Friday, July 30, 2010 @ 10:13:00 AM - 0 comments
By Amie Newman
Good news from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), on VBACs (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). New guidelines were released by the organization marking a significant change in their recommendations regarding VBACs.
Good news from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), on VBACs (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean). New guidelines were released by the organization marking a significant change in their recommendations regarding VBACs.
Monday, July 26, 2010 @ 2:46:00 PM - 0 comments
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, June 8, 2007 – At the 2007 meetings of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research, members discussed current consumer and medical interest in extended hormonal contraceptives to reduce or eliminate menstruation (cycle-stopping contraception).
Friday, July 16, 2010 @ 2:03:00 PM - Written by By Lois Uttley - 0 comments
Yesterday, the Obama administration shocked women’s health organizations by announcing it had decided to sharply restrict abortion coverage in the new federally-subsidized “high-risk pool” insurance plans that will be offered to people with pre-existing conditions, such as breast cancer and diabetes.
Friday, July 02, 2010 @ 2:52:00 PM - 0 comments
National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) works on behalf of all pregnant women including pregnant women who have been arrested and charged with child abuse or some other crime because they continued a pregnancy to term in spite of a drug problem.
Monday, June 21, 2010 @ 5:28:00 PM - 0 comments
Lana Kahn, 89, passed away June 13, 2010 at home with family, friends and her beloved dogs Sassy and Molly.
Friday, June 18, 2010 @ 2:30:00 PM - 0 comments
The New "Morning After Pill" approved by The Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Thursday, June 10, 2010 @ 12:18:00 PM - 0 comments
By Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Matt Corley, Benjamin Armbruster, Zaid Jilani, and Alex Seitz-Wald.
Monday, June 07, 2010 @ 4:41:00 PM - Written by Freedman, Landy, Darney and Steinauer - 0 comments
By Lori Freedman, Uta Landy, Philip Darney and Jody Steinauer.
Monday, June 07, 2010 @ 3:33:00 PM - Written by Barbara Ehrenreich - 0 comments
When the US Preventive Services Task Force recommended, last fall, that routine mammography for women start at age 50 -- instead of the previous recommended age of 40. Women felt abandoned by the medical establishment.
Friday, May 28, 2010 @ 3:01:00 PM - Written by Carol Downer - 0 comments
“By overcoming barriers between us and hearing each other's stories, we may come to see what we have in common…”
Wednesday, May 26, 2010 @ 2:43:00 PM - 0 comments
Women's health activists challenged the pill and its dangers to women after it became available 50 years ago. 40 years ago, Barbara Seaman was a voice for women about the high dose pills that caused strokes, heart attacks, blood clots, and depression.
Friday, May 21, 2010 @ 2:50:00 PM - 0 comments
Author Betsy Hartmann doesn't buy into the standard notion of overpopulation and that it causes global warming. In this article she states:
Friday, May 14, 2010 - 0 comments
By Laura Eldridge, Good history of the Pill and how it has helped - and hurt - women.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010 @ 1:28:00 PM - 0 comments
The National Women's Health Network (NWHN) published an e-alert on Sunday, May 10. "Unproven hormone use - are we repeating history?", about a NY Times story written by Cynthia Gorey. The NWHN called Gorey's article "a compelling personal story...about her experience with debilitating depression during perimenopause and the relief she found when she started taking estrogen."
Friday, May 07, 2010 @ 1:51:00 PM - 0 comments
Insightful article on the current politics of abortion and the myth of making abortion rare. By Aimée Thorne-Thomsen.
Friday, April 23, 2010 @ 4:39:00 PM - 0 comments
SisterSong, a Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, is headquartered in Atlanta.
Thursday, April 22, 2010 @ 2:16:00 PM - 0 comments
Women in the women's movement and people of the civil rights movement mourn the passing of a great leader, Dorothy I. Height. She was a community activist and stood by Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr. during his historic "I have a dream" speech, and was present when President Lyndon Johnson signed the civil rights act of 1964 into law.
Thursday, April 15, 2010 @ 3:56:00 PM - 0 comments
Access to abortion services is still under threat while Congress continues to debate how the logistics of the reform will take place, and the effects of banning coverage for abortion under the Stupak Amendment.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010 @ 3:52:00 PM - 0 comments
The Governor of Nebraska signed an anti-abortion law that will take effect in October. The law makes it illegal to perform abortions after 20 weeks gestation, or after "viability" which is generally thought to be 22 weeks.
Friday, April 09, 2010 @ 4:12:00 PM - 0 comments
Two television commercials for Bayer AG's birth control pill Yaz (which is a combination of progestin and estrogen-like drugs) give a misleading impression of its benefits, U.S. health regulators warned the company in a letter released on Tuesday.
Friday, April 09, 2010 @ 3:24:00 PM - 0 comments
Rebecca Chalker's article, "The 'Perfect' Porn Vulva: More Women Demanding Cosmetic Genital Surgery" was recently published in August 2009.
Friday, November 20, 2009 @ 3:45:00 PM - 0 comments
On November 16, the US Preventive Services Task Force announced their recommendation that women under 50 not get routine screening mammograms. They also recommend women over 50 have mammograms only once every two years instead of every year.
Friday, November 20, 2009 @ 3:26:00 PM - 0 comments
On Friday, November 20, 2009, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
announced that women should have their first cancer screening at age 21 and can be
rescreened less frequently than previously recommended. Read more...
announced that women should have their first cancer screening at age 21 and can be
rescreened less frequently than previously recommended. Read more...
Friday, June 26, 2009 @ 3:05:00 PM - Written by WHS - 0 comments
Alert: Women have reported that taking Mucinex - an over-the-counter medication for reducing mucus for colds - can effect cervical mucus. For women who are using Fertility Awareness as a method of birth control or to become pregnant, taking Mucinex can interfere with detection of fertile mucus. Since mucinex makes Fertility Awareness less effective, women might want to use a backup method of birth control or not take Mucinex.
Sunday, July 17, 2005 @ 11:58:00 AM - 0 comments
On July 17, 2005, the Associated Press (AP) published an article on deaths and serious health risks of strokes that may be related to the birth control patch. The birth control patch is a square patch that is placed on the skin. It contains hormone-like drugs, similar to those found in the birth control pill, which prevent ovulation.
