Worrying article on the rise in female genital mutilation (FGM) in Africa, particularly in conflict zones where the rights of women and girls are being eroded.
Senator Katie Britt would like to turn The Handmaiden’s Tale into reality, because she has religious beliefs she wants to see imposed on everyone else.
>2 decades ago, the shocking results of a major women’s #health study challenged the safety of menopause #hormone medication, & overnight, millions of #women & their #doctors abandoned the drugs….
Now, a long-term follow-up of the #WomensHealth Initiative (WHI)…found that for many younger menopausal women—under 60—the benefits…outweigh the risks for short-term treatment of symptoms, incl’g hot flashes & night sweats.
The new analysis, published in JAMA, shows that younger #women starting #menopause & experiencing symptoms can take hormone treatments for several years w/a lower likelihood of adverse effects.
“Women in early menopause w/bothersome symptoms should not be afraid to take #HormoneTherapy to treat them, & clinicians should not be afraid to prescribe them,” said JoAnn Manson, chief of the division of preventive medicine at Brigham & Women’s Hospital & the paper’s 1st author.
A landmark study that scared women & doctors
The importance of the #WHI & its impact on #WomensHealth can’t be overstated. The study enrolled >160k postmenopausal #women between the ages of 50 & 79. But in 2002, part of the study’s #menopause hormone trial was abruptly stopped after monitoring data suggested that women in the hormone group had an increased #health risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, pulmonary embolism & breast cancer.
The results disrupted #medical care for millions of #women …, many of whom had been advised by doctors that the drugs not only relieved symptoms, but also offered long-term protection against heart attacks, which was widely believed…. The sudden about-face…meant that scores of baby boomer & GenX women were forced to navigate the vexing symptoms of #menopause —incl’g hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia & mood disturbances—w/o the benefit of highly effective #HormoneTreatments.
Later, it became clear that the design of the study, which included large numbers of older #women, may have skewed the results. The risks were seen largely among older women, long past #menopause, who would not normally need to use the drugs for symptoms. Younger women in the study seemed to fare better.
"...menstruation has been understudied for decades, creating a knowledge vacuum in which patients with pain or heavy bleeding wait years for a diagnosis. In recent years, however, more scientists have begun to study the process and menstrual fluid — research that could uncover crucial information about human health that’s been unjustly ignored."
Being personally affected for decades, this is one of the most emotional and convincing speeches of hers.
It is about #MyBodyMyChoice and the life-threatening health impact her pregnancy has had on her and why there should be a right to an access to #BirthControl and to an #Abortion.
"One woman miscarried in the lobby restroom of a #Texas emergency room as front desk staff refused to admit her... [another horror story]... And in #NorthCarolina, a woman gave birth in a car after an emergency room couldn’t offer an ultrasound. The baby died.
#Iowa’s Supreme Court heard oral arguments Thurs in a case that could decide the future of #abortion in that state, the latest in a series of #legal battles that threaten abortion #access across the country during a historic #election year.
The #Iowa justices questioned whether the case should be sent back to the district court for further arguments & review.
“Every justice on this court has recognized that the state plays a vital role in protecting unborn life. The legislature & the governor agree,” Solicitor Gen Eric Wessan said in his opening stmnt. He urged the 7 justices, all of them #Republican appointees, to rule so that the #6weekBan can proceed.
For now, #abortion remains #legal in #Iowa up to 22 wks of pregnancy. The #law, if upheld, would limit the procedure to a time frame in which many women don’t yet know they are #pregnant. It has limited exceptions for #rape & #incest or if the woman’s life is in danger.
This latest legal battle comes at the end of a flurry of abortion developments nationwide that could have major implications for the presidential election in Nov.
Putting aside the callousness of the denial of #BodilyAutonomy to women [yeah. I know. Hard to do.] But seriously, #Trump is basically in #racist#blackface in this video. WTAF?
It was 2014, & #ErinHawley was fighting against the egg-laying hens of #Missouri. Specifically, a new req that chicken cages have enough space for the hens to stand up, turn around & stretch out. [#AnimalCruelty]
A #law prof rom 5 generations of ranchers & the wife of Sen #JoshHawley, Ms. Hawley joined a challenge to #California, which req more spacious enclosures for hens laying eggs to be sold there.
The writer does not link to the study, so I looked it up myself.
Despite formulating the definitions differently, all maternal deaths increased from 2018 to 2021, with more significant increases in indirect obstetric deaths and late maternal deaths.
Please note: TheGuardian's framing here is very, very fashy, "Tip of an iceberg, you know, the thing that wrecked the Titanic and is a maritime killer."
TheGuardian COULD say: preliminary data suggests abortion access more integral to women's health than previous thought, mifepristone particularly vital.
Climate organization puts $120M into 2024 election
League of Conservation Voters statement:
"Trump and MAGA Republicans have been clear that if they are in control, they will stop at nothing to dismantle #climate progress and our democratic institutions in favor of fulfilling Big Oil’s agenda. Meanwhile, President Biden has done more to fight the climate crisis than any other president in our country’s history.”
#Arizona's conservative Supreme Court ruled today that an abortion ban dating to 1864 -- before Arizona was even a state -- will soon go into effect. Arizona's upcoming #abortion ban will have NO exceptions for rape or incest.
Every sitting AZ Supreme Court justice was appointed by a #Republican governor; their 4-2 decision comes one day after #DonaldTrump fully endorsed states making decisions like this.