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Tag: Women

  • C-sections aren’t coded as abortions in US hospitals

    C-sections aren’t coded as abortions in US hospitals

    During the June 27 presidential debate, former President Donald Trump said that Democrats support abortions “after birth” — a statement that is False and would be infanticide, which is illegal.

    However, amid the online rebuttals to Trump’s statement, some people shared other misleading claims.

    In response to a June 27 Threads post about the rarity of nine-month abortions, one user wrote that, “Technically there is. It’s called a cesarean section, also know(n) as a c-section. Coded in hospitals as an abortion. Remember abortion means termination/ending of a pregnancy and not murdering a child.”

    The Threads post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Threads, Facebook and Instagram.)

    This is not accurate. C-sections are not coded as abortions in hospitals.

    The Threads user linked to a Louisiana Department of Health webpage titled “Types & Risks of Abortion Procedures” with “cesarean section” listed. A department spokesperson couldn’t answer PolitiFact’s questions by deadline on whether the inclusion was an oversight, or whether any of its state’s hospitals would code C-sections as abortions. Meanwhile, the page doesn’t mention hospital coding, and stands in contrast to official coding data, and the input of health organizations and health care providers.

    The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists told PolitiFact that it has “never heard of this practice” and that C-sections have their own respective codes.

    Colleen Kincaid, a spokesperson for the American Hospital Association, a health care industry trade group, also called the claim inaccurate. 

    “There are specific diagnosis/procedure codes and diagnoses-related groups that distinguish Vaginal Deliveries, Abortions and C-sections in Major Diagnostic Categories,” Kincaid wrote in an email.

    A cesarean section, commonly referred to as a C-section, is a surgical procedure that involves delivering a fetus through incisions in the mother’s abdomen. Physicians may deem C-sections necessary because of the positioning of the fetus or placenta, or because of other health risks to the fetus or pregnant woman.

    The U.S. health care system typically uses CPT or ICD-10 codes to categorize different services and proceduresThe American Medical Association maintains CPT codes, which classify medical, surgical and diagnostic services. Codes 59510-59525 are the range for surgical procedures for maternity care and delivery, sometimes labeled as “cesarean delivery procedures.” The word “abortion” is not present in this section.

    ICD-10 stands for “International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision.” It’s a classification system “designed to promote international comparability in the collection, processing, classification and presentation of mortality statistics,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Department of Health and Human Services mandated that health care providers use the codes, which are used to track people through medical data systems, including insurance and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

    The ICD-10 code for C-sections is Z38.69, with Z38 categorized as “liveborn infants according to place of birth and type of delivery” and the subsection .69 referring to an infant born in a hospital by cesarean. The word abortion does not appear in this section.

    Some hospitals will use condition codes to signal whether a C-section was performed electively, or out of medical necessity. For example, Emblem Health, one of the U.S.’ largest nonprofit health insurers, uses condition code 81 for C-sections performed at or after 39 weeks of pregnancy for medical necessity, and condition code 82 for C-sections performed before 39 weeks electively.

    Dr. Jonas Swartz, a North Carolina OB-GYN, called the claim baseless.

    “I find the wording problematic because it suggests that we are talking about fetuses in the same developmental stage. 90% of abortions occur in the first trimester, 2/3 of cases under eight weeks,” Swartz wrote in an email. “These cases certainly do not get a hysterotomy (an  (incision on the uterus). For cases in the second trimester, patients get a D&E, a dilation and evacuation, or an induction abortion.”

    In general, medical experts said that abortions are provided in one of three ways:

    “C-sections require an abdominal incision and a hysterotomy to accomplish a delivery. While they are a very safe surgery, they have many more significant risks than a D&E,” Swartz said. “So, at a gestational age where someone might have an abortion, say 18 weeks, for example, we would avoid delivery via hysterotomy (like a C-section). Instead, the patient would be offered a D&E or induction abortion.”

    C-sections are considered a major invasive surgery, and can carry risks for health complications, such as hemorrhaging. The procedure is not necessary for abortion care and are never coded as abortions, said Dr. Leah Roberts, a reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist with Boca Fertility in Boca Raton, Florida.

    “Theoretically, the only time you would have a C-section and are taking out a deceased baby is if it was a stillbirth at term. But that still wouldn’t be an abortion, that would be management of a stillbirth,” she said. “And those are typically vaginal deliveries, not C-sections.”

    Roberts echoed Swartz on the higher risk of cesareans, and said that the procedure for an abortion later in pregnancy, while very rare, would depend on the situation but would likely be an induction of labor.

    “OB-GYNs have their patients’ best interest at heart,” she said, “and we aren’t going to do unnecessary or dangerous procedures that put our patients at risk.”

    Our ruling

    A Threads post said C-sections are coded as “abortions” in hospitals.

    Reproductive health experts and doctors called the claim inaccurate. C-sections have their own procedural codes to cover the surgical delivery. These codes do not mention, and are unrelated to, abortion. C-sections can be risky and are not typically used to facilitate abortions, health experts said. 

    We rate this claim False.

    RELATED: Donald Trump is wrong on Democrats’ abortion stance. They don’t support the ‘execution’ of babies. 

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  • Investing in Teachers, School Leaders Key in Keeping Girls in School UN-African Union Study Finds

    Investing in Teachers, School Leaders Key in Keeping Girls in School UN-African Union Study Finds

    Girls at Dabaso Girls School in Malindi, Kenya, pose with a ball during break time. Universal secondary education could virtually end child marriage and reduce early childbearing by up to three-fourths, according to an African Union and UNESCO report. Credit: Courtesy of Stafford Ondego for the EDT PROJECT
    • by Maina Waruru (nairobi & addis ababa)
    • Inter Press Service

    NAIROBI & ADDIS ABABA, Jul 04 (IPS) – Investing in teachers and school leaders in Africa is the most important factor in promoting educational opportunities for girls, keeping them in school and ending child marriage, ultimately reducing gender inequality through education.

    Having more female teachers in schools and having more of them lead the institutions is even more important for keeping the girls in school beyond the primary level and providing them with role models to motivate them to continue learning.

    While low educational attainment for girls and child marriage are profoundly detrimental for the girls, their families, communities, and societies, investments in teachers and school leaders are also key in ending lack of learning, identified as the single biggest cause of school dropout for girls, besides traditional factors including social and cultural ones.

    Despite data showing that less than a fifth of teachers at the secondary level for example, are women in many African countries, and the proportion of female school leaders is even lower, the teachers have been proven to improve student learning and girls’ retention beyond primary and lower secondary school.

    As a result, better opportunities must be given to women teachers and school leaders in order to bring additional benefits to girls’ education, as women often remain in teaching for a longer time, a report by the United Nations and the African Union says.

    The absence of the above has led to high drop-outs, resulting in low educational attainment, a higher prevalence of child marriage, and higher risks of early childbearing for girls across Africa, according to the report, Educating Girls and Ending Child Marriage in Africa: Investment Case and the Role of Teachers and School Leaders.

    “Increasing investments in girls’ education yields large economic benefits, apart from being the right thing to do. This requires interventions for adolescent girls, but it should also start with enhancing foundational learning through better teaching and school leadership,” the document tabled at the 1st Pan-African Conference on Girls and Women’s Education taking place July 2–5 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    The lack of foundational learning is a key cause leading to drop-out in primary and lower-secondary schools, it finds, further noting that while teachers and school leaders are key to it, new approaches are also needed for pedagogy and for training teachers and school heads.

    “Targeted interventions for adolescent girls are needed, but they often reach only a small share of girls still in school at that age; by contrast, improving foundational learning would benefit a larger share of girls (and boys) and could also make sense from a cost-benefit point of view,” it adds.

    Parents in 10 francophone countries who responded to household surveys cited the lack of learning in school—the absence of teaching despite children attending classes—for their children dropping out, accounting for over 40 percent of both girls and boys dropping out of primary school, it further reveals.

    The lack of learning, blamed on teacher absence, accounts for more than a third of students dropping out at the lower secondary level, meaning that improving learning could automatically lead to significantly increased educational attainment for girls and boys alike.

    “To improve learning, reviews from impact evaluations and analysis of student assessment data suggest that teachers and school leaders are key. Yet new approaches are needed for professional development, including through structured pedagogy and training emphasizing practice. Teachers must also be better educated; household surveys for 10 francophone countries suggest that only one-third of teachers in primary schools have a post-secondary diploma,” the survey carried out in 2023 laments.

    It calls for “better opportunities” for female teachers and school principals, noting that this would bring additional benefits as women also tend to remain in teaching for a longer time compared to men.

    Better professional standards and competency frameworks are also needed for teachers to make the profession more attractive and gender-sensitive, it finds, revealing that countries have not yet “treated teaching as a career” and lack a clear definition of competencies needed at different levels of the profession.

    Throughout sub-Saharan Africa, just over two-thirds of girls complete their primary education and four in ten complete lower secondary education explains the study authored by Quentin Wodon, Chata Male, and Adenike Onagoruwa for the African Union’s  International Centre for the Education of Girls and Women in Africa (AU/CIEFFA) and the UN agency for education, culture and science, UNESCO.

    Quoting the latest data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, it reveals that while nine in ten girls complete their primary education and over three in four complete their lower secondary education globally, the proportions are much lower in Sub-Saharan Africa, where slightly over two-thirds of the girls—69 percent compared to 73 percent boys—complete their primary education, and four out of ten girls—43 percent compared to 46 percent boys—complete lower secondary education.

    Providing girls and women with adequate opportunities for education could have large positive impacts on many development outcomes, including higher earnings and standards of living for families, ending child marriage and early childbearing, reducing fertility, on health and nutrition, and on well-being, among others.

    It observes that gains made in earnings are substantial, especially with a secondary education, noting that women with primary education earn more than those with no education, “but women with secondary education earn more than twice as much, but gains with tertiary education are even larger.”

    Each additional year of secondary education for a girl could reduce their risk of marrying as a child and having a child before the age of 18.

    “Universal secondary education could virtually end child marriage and reduce early childbearing by up to three-fourths. By contrast, primary education in most countries does not lead to large reductions in child marriage and early childbearing,” it declares.

    The organizations make a strong case for the importance of secondary education for girls, explaining that universal secondary education would also have health benefits, including increasing women’s knowledge of HIV/AIDS by one-tenth, increasing women’s decision-making for their own healthcare by a fourth, helping reduce under-five mortality by one-third, and potentially lowering under-five stunting in infants by up to 20 percent.

    In addition, secondary education while ending child marriage could reduce fertility—the number of children women have over their lifetime nationally by a third on average—slowing population growth and enabling countries to benefit from the “demographic dividend.”

    Other benefits include a reduction in “intimate partner” violence, an increase in women’s decision-making in the household by a fifth and the likelihood of registering children at birth by over 25 percent.

    To remedy the crisis, there was a need to improve the attractiveness of the teaching profession as one way of getting more females heading schools, Wodon, Director of UNESCO’s International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA), said during the report’s launch at the conference.

    “Virtually all teachers are dissatisfied with their job, meaning that there is a need to improve job satisfaction in the profession besides improving salaries,” he noted.

    While retaining girls in school lowered fertility rates by up to a third in some countries, the study’s aim for advocating for more education for girls had nothing to do with the need for lower fertility but was in the interest of empowering girls and women in decision-making.

    Empowering girls through education places them in a better position in society in terms of power relations between them and males, observed Lorato Modongo, an AU-CIEFFA official.

    “It is a fact that we cannot educate girls without challenging power dynamics in patriarchal settings, where men make decisions for everyone,” she noted.

    Overall, the report regrets that gender imbalances in education and beyond, including in occupational choices, result from deep-seated biases and discrimination against women, which percolate into education. It is therefore essential to reduce inequality both in and through education, acknowledging that education has a key role to play in reducing broader gender inequalities in societies.

    “While educating girls and ending child marriage is the right thing to do, it is also a smart economic investment.”

    IPS UN Bureau Report


    Follow IPS News UN Bureau on Instagram

    © Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

    Global Issues

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  • Unbelievable facts

    Unbelievable facts

    A 2013 survey revealed that 46% of mothers found their husbands more stressful than their children.

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  • New campaign targets anti-abortion clinics

    New campaign targets anti-abortion clinics

    BOSTON — Beacon Hill leaders have rolled out a new public education campaign taking aim at pregnancy crisis centers, which have emerged as the latest battleground in abortion access following the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling overturning federal protections.

    The state Department of Public Health said Monday that it has partnered with the advocacy group Reproductive Equity Now Foundation on a new campaign to educate the public about the “dangers and potential harm” of anti-abortion centers that advocates say are providing misleading information to women.

    The campaign, which is funded by $1 million carved out in a fiscal 2023 supplemental budget, will appear on social media platforms, billboards, radio and transit, officials said.

    Gov. Maura Healey, who approved the funding, said the goal is to help protect access to “safe and legal” abortions. She said crisis pregnancy centers outnumber women’s reproductive health clinics by more than 2-1 and use “deceptive and dangerous tactics.”

    “This campaign is an important way to provide accurate information so residents can make informed decisions about reproductive care that are right for them,” Healey said in remarks Monday.

    The centers, which advertise free services and counseling for women struggling with unplanned pregnancies, have proliferated in the wake of the high court’s 2022 decision overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.

    But women’s reproductive rights groups argue the facilities are funded by anti-abortion groups with the sole intention of blocking women from getting abortions.

    Some communities have moved to limit or ban the centers amid complaints that they are using deceptive advertising and providing misinformation.

    “Information is power, and today, Massachusetts is putting power in the hands of our communities by alerting them to the dangers of deceptive anti-abortion centers,” Rebecca Hart Holder, the foundation’s president, said in a statement. “Together, we can combat anti-abortion centers’ predatory practices and ensure every person in Massachusetts has access to the health care they want and need, without deception or delay.”

    Despite the claims by Healey and other state leaders, anti-abortion groups say the centers are providing options to women other than abortions and being unfairly targeted by a “smear campaign” by proponents of the procedure.

    The conservative Massachusetts Family institute says it has documented acts of vandalism and intimidation at pregnancy centers across the state.

    The Pregnancy Care Alliance of Massachusetts said the network of pregnancy care centers in the state “provides millions of dollars in no-cost support and care for thousands of women annually who face planned and unplanned pregnancies, with services ranging from pregnancy confirmation services, parenting education, and community referrals to material goods like diapers and formula.”

    The group accused Healey and other state leaders of “furthering their extreme abortion agenda by using a taxpayer-funded campaign to discredit our centers.”

    “This politically motivated campaign will negatively impact women the most, specifically the many women who want to parent and rely on the free assistance we provide,” the group said in a statement.

    Abortion is legal in Massachusetts under a 2020 law, but advocates say the state has become a destination for women coming from other states that banned the procedure or tightened their laws following the Supreme Court’s ruling.

    State leaders took steps to shield providers and patients from potential lawsuits filed by groups of other states where abortion is now restricted.

    But advocates are pressuring the state to intervene to prevent crisis pregnancy centers from proliferating as more women come to Massachusetts seeking abortions. They’ve been pushing for funding for the public education campaign for several years.

    In 2022, then-Gov. Charlie Baker vetoed $1 million for the campaign from the economic development bill shortly before he left office. Baker said the spending was unnecessary because the state already posts public information about legitimate family planning services operating in the state.

    His rejection of the proposal prompted terse statements from women’s reproductive advocacy groups, which accused the pro-choice Republican of being “wildly out of touch” with his constituents, while it was praised by anti-abortion groups, which say the pregnancy centers are being unfairly targeted.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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  • Women are now less likely to be in top earning 1% of U.K. finance and professional services jobs than before the pandemic

    Women are now less likely to be in top earning 1% of U.K. finance and professional services jobs than before the pandemic

    Women in the U.K. are four times less likely than men to be among the top 1% of earners in financial and professional services, according to analysis by the London School of Economics. And despite decades of efforts to narrow the gender gap in pay and career progression, it’s gotten slightly bigger since before the pandemic.

    In brief

    Women occupy 19.4% of the top 1% highest finance and professional services roles, down slightly from the three year pre-Covid average of 19.7%. 

    However, while still far from equal, women’s share of the top 10% of positions was higher, at 28.3%, and has shown signs of progress, increasing by 2.5 percentage points over the period.  

    The LSE analysis, which drew on the U.K.’s main survey of economic activity, the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), from January 2017 to June 2023, also found some rebalancing in terms of seniority. Women now comprise 37% of senior managers and directors in professional services and finance, roughly the same as the percentage of female full-time employees.

    Why hasn’t gender equality improved more?

    The persistent gender seniority gap, which widens as you get closer to the top of the career ladder, suggests corporate efforts to narrow it—with all the well-documented benefits it brings of access to talent and more diverse thinking—have been insufficient. 

    The reasons behind it are complex, including a significant career penalty for mothers but not for fathers, bias—whether blatant or unconscious—and wider societal factors that disadvantage women’s careers, such as a higher average burden of household chores, and child and elder care responsibilities. 

    These factors have proven stubborn over many years, so in a way the question to ask is why would they have improved, in the absence of major changes in attitudes or behaviours?

    Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic may have set back gender equality, as layoffs disproportionately affected women, while businesses have a tendency to defund diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs when trading conditions are tough. In the U.S., this has been compounded by a conservative backlash against affirmative action, often through legal means.  

    “We are going backwards, but I am not surprised. For progress to be made there needs to be a bigger shift towards recognizing that diversity is good for business. There also needs to be significant investment in upskilling managers to become inclusive leaders recognizing that leading diverse teams is a skill. Without it, I will be giving the same quote 10 years from now,” said Dr Grace Lordan, founding director of The Inclusion Initiative at LSE and associate professor in its Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science.

    Hybrid working may have been expected to favor working mothers, but there is evidence that people who work remotely suffer a career disadvantage compared with those who come into the office, while return-to-office orders have started pushing moms out of the workplace. 

    What’s next?

    The trend towards more equal gender representation in mid-senior roles and among the top 10% of earners is encouraging, particularly coming in relatively male-dominated sectors like finance and professional services. 

    It would be reasonable to expect knock-on effects on the most senior and well-paid roles in the coming decade, simply because more women will have had the experience necessary to be considered. 

    However, the trend persists that women’s chances of progression decrease with every level of seniority. Until that dynamic changes, the gap will remain considerable. 

    Adam Gale

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  • These Young Dancers and Artists Have Entered Their ‘Bridgerton’ Era

    These Young Dancers and Artists Have Entered Their ‘Bridgerton’ Era

    If you ever fancied yourself as “fancy,” the Harlem School of the Arts gets you.

    The cultural arts center in upper Manhattan, New York, threw a 60th anniversary “Bridgerton” themed party that was the definition of it. But the school also gets the many students whose creativity, ingenuity and talents are nurtured and fostered there, with young people ages 2 to 18 engaging in everything from dance, theater and music to media and design. It’s HSA’s mission to ensure that “all children have access to the power of the arts,” inspiring more than 60,000 students over the years. This includes former students like rock ’n’ roll icon Lenny Kravitz, who welcomed attendees to the party in a video testimonial honoring the school that set him on his path to success.

    Monday night’s event raised more than $2.5 million for the school, benefiting the students who not only performed, painted, danced and acted throughout the evening, but were also its greeters and hosts, all in full costume with British accents and precocious charm. About 75% of the students at HSA receive tuition assistance, which makes events like this both special and necessary.

    In the past this annual spring gala has been a masquerade ball, but for the Harlem school’s 60th, the black-tie event was transformed into a sumptuous, lavish fete full of “lords” and “ladies” dressed in period costumes as well as elevated tuxedo and ballgown fare, like a Regency-era, mini Met Gala.

    Held at a venue Queen Charlotte herself would have approved of (the opulent Ziegfeld Ballroom in midtown Manhattan), the evening honored HSA founder and world-renowned concert soprano Dorothy Maynor, alongside author Nicole Avant, a former ambassador to the Bahamas, and parents Jacqueline and Clarence Avant, who were honored posthumously for their philanthropy and influential work in entertainment and politics.

    The evening also honored ABC News’ Deborah Roberts; the NBC “Today” show’s Al Roker, with son Nicholas Roker; civil rights activist Jennifer Jones Austin, the CEO of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies; and the Herb Alpert Foundation. It featured an after-party hosted by Black Thought of legendary hip-hop band The Roots, with founding member Questlove deejaying throughout the remainder of the evening — because there’s nothing more “Bridgerton” than people in period costumes dancing the night away to a modern soundtrack of the finest R&B, electronic dance music and hip-hop that Questlove could offer.

    Watch how the night unfolded for the fancified guests and the dedicated students in the images below.

    Students Neriah, Nana, Aimony and Issys are shown after getting ready for HSA’a 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Amechi, Olander, Nana, Ellem, Calli, Khari, Mercedes, Eva, Min, Aimony, Marina, Issys and Neriah pose for a group photo before HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Amechi, Olander, Nana, Ellem, Calli, Khari, Mercedes, Eva, Min, Aimony, Marina, Issys and Neriah pose for a group photo before HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Student Neriah has makeup applied while preparing for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Student Neriah has makeup applied while preparing for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Students prepare for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students prepare for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Students Renea, Uma and Codie prepare for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students Renea, Uma and Codie prepare for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    A student prepares for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    A student prepares for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Student Amechi prepares for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Student Amechi prepares for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Student Lekia is shown after getting ready for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Student Lekia is shown after getting ready for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Student Ellem prepares for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Student Ellem prepares for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Students Ellem, Marina, Eva, Calli and Khari are shown after getting ready for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students Ellem, Marina, Eva, Calli and Khari are shown after getting ready for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Students prepare for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students prepare for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Student Eva is shown after getting ready for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Student Eva is shown after getting ready for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Student Nana prepares for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Student Nana prepares for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Student Logan is shown after getting ready for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Student Logan is shown after getting ready for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Dana helps student Min prepare for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Dana helps student Min prepare for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Students Sofia, Eduardo, Roen and Levi are shown after getting ready for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students Sofia, Eduardo, Roen and Levi are shown after getting ready for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Students Neriah, Ellem and Issys prepare for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students Neriah, Ellem and Issys prepare for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Students Ellem and Eva are shown after getting ready for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students Ellem and Eva are shown after getting ready for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Students Ellis, Everton and Logan take a break before HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students Ellis, Everton and Logan take a break before HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Student Dylan is shown after getting ready for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Student Dylan is shown after getting ready for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Student Marina, with the assistance of Mercedes, gets prepared for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Student Marina, with the assistance of Mercedes, gets prepared for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Students Nana and Aimony are shown after getting ready for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students Nana and Aimony are shown after getting ready for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Aaliyah takes a photo of Lekia, Amechi, Min, Eva, Alimony and Ellem, all students of the Harlem School of the Arts, as they prepare for the 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Aaliyah takes a photo of Lekia, Amechi, Min, Eva, Alimony and Ellem, all students of the Harlem School of the Arts, as they prepare for the 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Students Ellem, Amechi and Ellis chat while preparing for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students Ellem, Amechi and Ellis chat while preparing for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Student Amechi is shown after getting ready for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Student Amechi is shown after getting ready for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Sara helps students Nova'Jane, Raiyi and Zoe prepare for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Sara helps students Nova’Jane, Raiyi and Zoe prepare for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Students Min and Ellem prepare for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students Min and Ellem prepare for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Student Min is shown after getting ready for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Student Min is shown after getting ready for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Student Eva prepares for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Student Eva prepares for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Student Neriah is shown after getting ready for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Student Neriah is shown after getting ready for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Skylah and Brittany prepare for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Skylah and Brittany prepare for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Students Khari and Ellem prepare for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students Khari and Ellem prepare for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Student Issys is shown after getting ready for HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Student Issys is shown after getting ready for HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Rayon Richards for HuffPost

    Students attend HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students attend HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Craig Barritt/Getty Images

    Students perform at HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students perform at HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Craig Barritt/Getty Images

    Students perform at HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students perform at HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Craig Barritt/Getty Images

    Students attend HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students attend HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Craig Barritt/Getty Images

    Students perform at HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students perform at HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Craig Barritt/Getty Images

    Students attend HSA's 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan's Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.
    Students attend HSA’s 60th Anniversary Gala held at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York on Monday, May 20, 2024.

    Craig Barritt/Getty Images

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  • What women should know about Medicare coverage for health screenings and exams

    What women should know about Medicare coverage for health screenings and exams

    As women get older, our risk for certain chronic diseases increase. We can thank the aging process itself, and the loss of estrogen’s protective effects after menopause. Older women are more prone to conditions like osteoporosis, which can cause brittle bones. The chance of heart disease rises, as do the odds of developing dementia, in part because women tend to live longer than men, and risk increases with age.

    Diagnosing some conditions is more challenging, since the frequency, appearance and long term effects of many diseases often appear differently in women than in men. It’s a key reason not to neglect regular health screenings and wellness visits, since staying healthier through preventive care and screenings can make the health challenges of aging easier.

    Wellness exams are critical for older women

    Medicare pays for annual preventive care with no co-pay. That’s especially relevant for women, who made up more than half (55%) of all Medicare beneficiaries in 2021. Nearly 1 in 8 (12%) were 85 or older; many had functional difficulties, an analysis from KFF found. That included difficulty walking, bathing, vision loss, or other issues that significantly impacted their quality of life. People age 85 and older tend to have five or more chronic conditions, which can become more complicated to manage with age.

    Women know they should focus on their health, says Alina Salganicoff, director of women’s health policy at KFF. But, “sometimes the system is not set up for women to take care of themselves, because they have competing demands, like work, or family caregiving responsibilities.” This often creates limited windows of time for women to prioritize themselves.

    And, if women don’t have access to a primary care provider or don’t receive regular care, they could skip important preventive measures like mammograms, she says.

    “Having coverage is the first step, but many other factors affect whether women get the services they need,” Salganicoff says. That includes their relationships with their clinicians, their own prior experiences, access to care, fears about conditions like dementia or cancer, or social supports like transportation, mobility or cognitive issues, or having someone to accompany them.

    That first wellness visit is probably key to everything else in managing an older patient, according to Segen Chase, an internal medicine physician in private practice in Manhattan, Kansas. About 35% of her clinic’s patients are Medicare beneficiaries, including many who live at a nearby retirement community.

    “It’s so important that we will do anything we can to have them visit and work with the practice’s wellness coordinator to go through all of the needed assessments,” said Chase, who is part of the American Medical Women’s WEL leadership training program.

    Wellness exams include annual tracking of numerous behavioral and physical markers like vision, hearing, fall risk, sexual health, nutrition, alcohol and tobacco use, as well as psychosocial risks like depression, stress, loneliness or social isolation, pain, and fatigue. Patients also undergo cognitive screening, which can reveal subtle changes in brain health.

    Wellness screenings may also include questions about someone’s living situation, because it helps us to determine whether they might need additional help at home, Chase says. “That also gives us an opportunity to discuss advance care planning, when they’re not in a crisis situation.” Medicare pays for this as part of the Part B annual wellness visit.

    Women with Medicare overall experience higher rates of certain health conditions compared to men, according to the KFF analysis. Urinary incontinence (37% vs. 18%), depression (31% vs. 21%), osteoporosis (29% vs. 7%), and pulmonary disease (20% vs. 16%) were more common among women than men. Women are also more likely than men to live alone. More than one-third of all women with Medicare (36%) live by themselves and more than half of those 85 and older live solo. This can increase the odds of  loneliness and social isolation, which are connected to increased risk of depression, dementia and stroke, according to the American Medical Association.

    The wellness visit can help uncover some of the hidden issues, and together, the physician and patient can create a care plan to manage these and other chronic conditions, Chase says.

    Which preventive women’s health services does Medicare cover?

    Medicare Part B covers a range of preventive services that benefit women’s health, including:

    There are no copays, deductibles or coinsurance charges for these and other covered screenings, although certain other criteria may apply, according to the Medicare Rights Center. Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) and Medicare Part B (medical insurance) will even help pay for an osteoporosis injectable drug and visits by a home health nurse to inject the drug if you are eligible.

    This partial list of Medicare-covered screenings may seem daunting, which is why it’s so important for women to speak with their clinicians and discuss their health history, risk factors, and priorities, according to Salganicoff. “It’s a complicated program and can be difficult for people to navigate,” she says.

    These shouldn’t be one-off conversations, either, Chase says. As we age, priorities and what is realistic for a person to achieve may shift. So ongoing dialogue is a key to maintaining health.

    We know certain conditions show up differently in women, so “a lot of medicine comes back to communication, keeping the sanctity of the relationship while honoring their independence and finding out what’s most important to that person,” she says. Chase finds these discussions help women open up more about both their physical and emotional challenges, especially those who are caregivers. “They’re often exhausted but don’t want to admit it.”

    Providing women with clear, simple information so they can learn about all of their Medicare benefits and receive the necessary support to get the preventive care and other needed services, can go a long way towards keeping women healthy well into older age.

    Liz Seegert

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  • Would Sen. Britt’s bill create a pregnant women ‘registry’?

    Would Sen. Britt’s bill create a pregnant women ‘registry’?

    Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., recently introduced a bill that would establish a federal website with resources for pregnant women and mothers. But critics are raising alarm over the legislation, which they say has dangerous implications for women.

    Democrats and other blue check users on X said Britt’s bill would “create a national registry” or “federal database” of pregnant women. Some news outlets, including The Guardian, Salon and Raw Story, ran headlines that made similar claims about the bill.

    “So (Britt) creates a database of pregnant women so Trump then knows who to prosecute if any of those women get an abortion,” Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said on X.

    Kentucky Democrat Amy McGrath, who unsuccessfully ran to unseat Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in 2020, said on X, “According to the GOP, America needs a national registry for pregnant women.”

    The bill text doesn’t mention the words “registry” or “database.” Britt’s spokesperson, Sean Ross, told PolitiFact that “these social media posts are intentionally, flagrantly false.”

    The measure says that if website users consent to provide their contact information, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services may call or email them to share additional resources. The bill neither defines other ways users’ contact information might be used, nor says who would, or would not, have access to the data beyond the department’s secretary.

    Critics say the bill’s ambiguity poses data privacy concerns for the site’s users. The bill has also been criticized for excluding from the website’s resource list any information from organizations that offer abortions.

    What would Britt’s bill do?

    The bill, titled the More Opportunities for Moms to Succeed (MOMS) Act, says it would establish the government website pregnancy.gov as “a clearinghouse of relevant resources available for pregnant and postpartum women, and women parenting young children.”

    The bill says the website would include “a series of questions” users could answer to generate a list of “relevant resources” within a ZIP code. The website would show online resources and organizations that provide services within 100 miles of that ZIP code.

    The website’s resources would include public and private entities that provide mentorship opportunities; health and well-being services; financial assistance; material or legal support; mental health services; child care, adoption or foster care services; and information on abortion risks or alternatives to abortion, according to the bill.

    The bill says pregnancy.gov would also contain an “assessment” through which users could “provide consent to use the user’s contact information, which the (Department of Health and Human Services) Secretary may use to conduct outreach via phone or email to follow up with users on additional resources that would be helpful for the users to review.”

    The bill prohibits information from organizations, including any affiliates, subsidiaries, successors and clinics, that “perform, induce, refer for, or counsel in favor of abortions, or provide financial support to any other organization that conducts such activities.”

    People using pregnancy.gov would not be required to disclose personally identifiable information, Ross said, nor does the bill say that the website would ask users about their pregnancy status. Although the bill does not specifically address this, Ross said no login or registration would be required to use the site.

    Ross said the “assessment” would ask users about the website’s accessibility and helpfulness, and enable them to opt in with a phone number or email address; the Department of Health and Human Services may then contact these users with additional resources. Ross said Britt envisions this outreach to be a one-time occurrence.

    Receiving this outreach is voluntary, Ross said, and people could use a “burner” email address or pseudonym to remain anonymous. The additional resources provided would vary by person and be largely up to the department’s discretion, he said, although they would exclude entities that provide abortions.

    Another bill provision would provide grants to nonprofit organizations that “support, encourage and assist women to carry their pregnancies to term and to care for themselves and their babies after birth.” Entities providing abortions would be excluded from these grants.

    Because Democrats have a slim majority in the Senate, Britt’s bill is unlikely to pass if it is brought to a vote.

    We contacted the Department of Health and Human Services with questions about the potential impact of the legislation but did not hear back.

    Critics say the bill poses data privacy concerns

    Dr. Rob Davidson, a west Michigan-based emergency physician, shared in a series of X posts his concerns about Britt’s bill, including that it would “create a database of pregnant women in the U.S.” Davidson is also the executive director of the Committee to Protect Health Care, a national organization advocating for expanding health care access, lowering medical costs and protecting reproductive rights.

    Although Davidson acknowledged users would have to voluntarily provide contact information and consent to receive outreach on the proposed website, he told PolitiFact that many people don’t read the fine print to know what that information sharing entails.

    Davidson said it’s “very concerning to me” that this bill would have “women who are pregnant, who are considering their options, hand over their information and just the fact that they are pregnant to a government database. Where does that information go?”

    Shannon Watts, founder of the gun violence prevention advocacy group Moms Demand Action, also criticized the bill on social media, saying it would “create a federal database of pregnant women.”

    “The website would create a ‘database’ of user contact information that could be used for ‘outreach via phone or email,’” Watts told PolitiFact. “The public has no guarantee (or reason to trust) how that information would actually be used.”

    The bill doesn’t have provisions about the dissemination or destruction of the data the website collects, said Mary Ziegler, an abortion historian and law professor at the University of California, Davis.

    “So, I think it’s fair for people reading the bill to ask questions and be concerned about how the information would be used,” Ziegler said.

    Because of the limitations on what kind of resources the website would offer, critics said people seeking information would be directed only to crisis pregnancy centers, or facilities that dissuade or prevent people from seeking abortions.

    “The law doesn’t require the creation of a registry at all. It’s not mandatorily requiring anyone to give information or interact with the website at all,” Ziegler said. “So, in that sense, it doesn’t create a registry or mandate compliance with a registry, but it’s certainly setting up the information people will receive and the information that people will use in a way that’s designed to help the antiabortion movement.”

    Our ruling

    Social media users claimed Britt introduced a bill “to create a national registry of pregnant women.”

    The bill would create pregnancy.gov, a website designed as a clearinghouse of information and resources for pregnant women. It would bar information from organizations that provide abortions.

    The legislation does not mention the words “registry” or “database.” It says that if website users choose to take an “assessment” available through the website, they can consent to share their contact information and may receive additional resources from the Department of Health and Human Services. Britt’s spokesperson said the bill would not require a login or registration to access, although the bill doesn’t specify this.

    Critics counter that the bill is vague about how collected data would be handled or who would have access to it.

    But to describe this as a “national registry” of pregnant women is inaccurate. We rate that claim False.

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  • The World Must Not Abandon the Mothers of Gaza

    The World Must Not Abandon the Mothers of Gaza

    The Al-Helal Al-Emirati maternity hospital in Rafah is one of the last remaining functioning health facilities in southern Gaza. Midwives are delivering more than 70 babies per day in dire conditions and while drastically under-supplied. Credit: UNFPA Palestine/Bisan Ouda
    • Opinion by Natalia Kanem 2 (united nations)
    • Inter Press Service

    UNITED NATIONS, May 10 (IPS) – Today, as millions of children and families celebrate their mothers, my thoughts turn to the pregnant women and new mothers our teams at UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, support in more than 130 countries around the world. And I hold in my heart all those who, tragically, will never live to see their newborns.

    Natalia Kanem

    More than 800 women a day – one woman every two minutes – die needless deaths from entirely preventable complications of pregnancy and childbirth. The situation is particularly dire for women and girls caught up in the world’s escalating crises and conflicts. Globally, more than half of all maternal deaths take place in countries affected by humanitarian crisis or fragility.

    In Gaza, women face appalling conditions before, during and after birth. At a moment when new life is beginning, what should be a moment of joy is being overshadowed by death, destruction and despair. Severely limited access to health services and emergency obstetric care put the lives of women and newborns at risk.

    Today, major hospitals lie in ruins across Gaza and not a single health facility is fully operational following more than 440 attacks on health care since the war began in October.

    At the Al-Helal Al-Emirati Maternity Hospital, one of Gaza’s few remaining health facilities and now the main facility for pregnant women in Rafah, at the time of writing there are only five beds for deliveries and around 60 deliveries every day. Women hoping to give birth on the ward are told to bring their own mattress and pillow.

    “We are delivering babies nonstop,” says midwife Samira Hosny Qeshta. “We tell the woman who has just given birth: we need the bed. Get up and sit on a chair.”

    Most women have had no prenatal care, she says. They just arrive at the hospital hoping for the best. Many are suffering from infections, due to the unhygienic living conditions in the overcrowded camps, where hundreds of people may share a single toilet and there is a lack of clean water and hygiene supplies.

    “We live in a tent, and every time it rains the tent floods, and our beds get wet,” says Suhad. She is nine months pregnant and scheduled for a C-section. Hours later, she will be back in the tent.

    “It will be extremely difficult after the birth,” she says. “From the physical pain to the ice cold – and there are no clothes for the baby. What has she done to be born into a situation like this?”

    Even if their babies are delivered safely, thousands of women like Suhad face the inevitable question: What next? How will they keep their newborn clean, warm, fed, alive?

    Many of these mothers are themselves too dehydrated and malnourished to breastfeed their children, and there is no formula to be had.

    UNFPA has delivered reproductive health kits that have enabled safe births for more than 20,000 women in Gaza. We have set up a mobile maternity clinic in Rafah, with two more on the way. Hundreds of UNFPA-trained midwives are supporting pregnant women and new mothers unable to access a health clinic or hospital. We have also distributed hygiene supplies, diapers, baby clothes, blankets and other essential items to thousands of new mothers. Yet all of this is just a drop in an ocean of need.

    The world must not abandon the mothers of Gaza. They, their newborns, and all civilians must be protected and their needs met. Hospitals and health workers must never be targets.

    From time immemorial, cultures across the globe have honoured the sacredness of motherhood. On this Mother’s Day, let us pay tribute to that sacred bond by remembering all the women who create, protect and nurture life, even under the most catastrophic circumstances. The mothers in flooded tents or fleeing bombs. The mothers of hostages still waiting for their families to be made whole. The mothers and newborns fighting for their lives in overcrowded hospital wards without adequate medicines or supplies. They need life-saving health services and support. They need dignity. Above all, they need peace. This war must end now.

    Dr. Natalia Kanem is UNFPA Executive Director

    IPS UN Bureau


    Follow IPS News UN Bureau on Instagram

    © Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

    Global Issues

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  • First Person: Women in Madagascar too ashamed to seek help giving birth

    First Person: Women in Madagascar too ashamed to seek help giving birth

    The predominantly rural region of Androy has been beset by a series of humanitarian crises which have affected the most vulnerable people there, including mothers-to-be, however the delivery of simple, inexpensive maternity kits is encouraging more women to access a range of services that will help keep them and their babies healthy.

    Ahead of the International Day of the Midwife, celebrated annually on 5 May, Jeanne Bernadine Rasoanirina, a midwife in Behara, in Androy, spoke to UN News’s Daniel Dickinson about the challenges of reaching the poorest women.

    “This is a very poor rural area, and many women are too ashamed to come to the health centre to have their babies delivered because they don’t even have the money for transport or to buy clean cloth in which to wrap their newborn. They don’t want other people to know they are poor.

    UN News/Daniel Dickinson

    The mothers-to-be who come here get all the support they need to give birth, and it’s free of charge, thanks to the government as well as UN agencies, including [the UN reproductive health agency] UNFPA.[The UN Children’s Fund] UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) provide important nutrition advice and support, which complements our work and is essential to keeping mothers and their children healthy.

    Even though I have done this job for 19 years, it still really saddens me when women arrive who don’t have the means to look after themselves. They may be wearing dirty clothes, which is a sign of poverty, but also a lack of knowledge or respect for cleanliness.

    In the last week, I have delivered three babies and over the past month, I attended over 330 antenatal and postnatal consultations, so there is definitely a demand for services.

    Jeanne Bernadine Rasoanirina sits at her desk with the recently delivered maternity kits.

    UN News/Daniel Dickinson

    Jeanne Bernadine Rasoanirina sits at her desk with the recently delivered maternity kits.

    Maternity kits

    I think more women will be encouraged to come to the health centre, as yesterday we had a delivery of 240 maternity kits [supported by UNFPA] for the first time in over a year, which will last about three months.

    The kits include everything a mother needs to give birth – gloves, gauze, umbilical cord clip and a syringe for the delivery and then cloth wraps and clothes in which to dress the baby. They will remove the shame that mothers feel.

    It is frustrating that we have not had a consistent supply as this small item can make a big difference. It means more women will come to our health centre, which is a safer place to give birth. In 2023, we had only successful births; there were no deaths. We don’t know how many women gave birth at home nor how many children and mothers died as a result. There is definitely a risk of death if a woman doesn’t come here to deliver her baby.

    Polygamy

    There are still many cultural barriers to safe childbirth in the south of Madagascar. Children are considered a sign of wealth, even if families don’t have the means to look after them properly, so it is common to have many children, sometimes as many as 10.

    Polygamy is also practiced, and some men have up to five wives and want to have children with all of them. We provide information here and offer training about these issues, but we must always be sensitive about the local culture.”

    Global Issues

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  • Biden misleads on Trump’s abortion remarks to Time magazine

    Biden misleads on Trump’s abortion remarks to Time magazine

    Democrats wasted no time blasting former President Donald Trump over his comments about abortion in interviews with Time magazine.

    Within 24 hours of Time’s April 30 online rollout of its cover story about Trump’s vision for a second term, top Democratic lawmakers nationwide issued condemnations, including President Joe Biden.

    “Trump did a long interview in Time magazine,” Biden said at a May 1 campaign reception. “It’s coming out. You got to read it. It’s a mandatory reading. And he said in that magazine, he said states should monitor women’s, now, get this, states should monitor women’s pregnancies and prosecute those who violate abortion bans. Monitor women’s pregnancies?”

    Some of Biden’s allies made similar points on X. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Trump “said again that women should be punished for abortions.” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Trump “endorses punishing women who get an abortion.”

    But these claims go further than what Trump said. Trump didn’t endorse either policy, and instead acknowledged to the Time reporter, Eric Cortellessa, that states may decide to introduce criminal abortion penalties or monitor women for legal compliance. He wouldn’t share his opinion on whether they should, calling his comfort “irrelevant.” 

    Vice President Kamala Harris was more careful in her Jacksonville, Florida, campaign stop, saying Trump told the magazine that states have the right to monitor and punish women over abortion. That more accurately summed up Trump’s remarks, though he was not that direct.

    Biden campaign spokesperson James Singer told PolitiFact that Trump was “clear” in his interview. 

    “He believes states should be allowed to ban abortion, monitor women’s pregnancies and prosecute women if they violate those bans,” Singer wrote in an email. “That is what the President was speaking about. Neither the President nor our campaign are going to allow Donald Trump off the hook on this.”

    PolitiFact reached out to Trump’s campaign to get more clarity on his position and received no response. 

    What the Time magazine story and transcript show

    Time published transcripts from two interviews Cortellessa had with Trump in April.

    Cortellessa tried asking Trump several abortion-related questions, including whether he would veto federal abortion restrictions and how he would vote on Florida’s proposed constitutional amendment that would enshrine abortion access. Trump turned the focus onto the states without giving his personal take.

    Then, Cortellessa asked, “Do you think states should monitor women’s pregnancies so they can know if they’ve gotten an abortion after the ban?” 

    Trump replied, “I think they might do that. Again, you’ll have to speak to the individual states.” 

    As Trump began talking about Roe v. Wade, the legal precedent that allowed federal abortion access until the U.S. Supreme Court overturned it in 2022, Cortellessa jumped in. The journalist mentioned states “prosecuting women” who received illegal abortions and he asked Trump whether he was comfortable with that.

    Trump said his comfort was irrelevant. Here’s the transcript:

    Cortellessa: “States will decide if they’re comfortable or not —” 

    Trump: “Yeah the states —”

    Cortellessa: “Prosecuting women for getting abortions after the ban. But are you comfortable with it?” 

    Trump: “The states are going to say. It’s irrelevant whether I’m comfortable or not. It’s totally irrelevant, because the states are going to make those decisions. And by the way, Texas is going to be different than Ohio. And Ohio is going to be different than Michigan. I see what’s happening.”

    Cortellessa featured Trump’s abortion comments high in the Time story, characterizing them by saying Trump “would let red states monitor women’s pregnancies and prosecute those who violate abortion bans.” 

    Democrats have been focusing on the possibility of state-level abortion penalties. So far, such efforts to punish women have foundered.  

    Lawmakers in states such as Texas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Kansas and South Carolina have offered bills that could allow the prosecution of women who have abortions. None has advanced far; some Republican leaders have come out against them as too extreme. PolitiFact couldn’t find any bills introduced so far that would require monitoring of pregnancies to prevent abortions.

    This is not the first time Biden has said that Trump supports punishing women for getting abortions. We have rated previous claims Mostly False. In a 2016 MSNBC town hall, host Chris Matthews asked about penalties for abortion, and Trump said there has to be “some form of punishment” for women. But Trump retracted the comment that same day, amid criticism, and issued a statement that said he meant that physicians should be held legally responsible, not women.

    Our ruling

    Biden said Trump said that states “should” monitor women’s pregnancies and prosecute women who violate abortion bans. 

    Trump didn’t tell Time that he believed states should do this. He said they might. 

    His comments allowed for the possibility that states could monitor and punish women for getting illegal abortions. He wouldn’t explain how he felt, telling the reporter to ask the states about monitoring and punishment because “it’s irrelevant whether I’m comfortable or not.” 

    Biden’s statement contains an element of truth that Trump’s position would allow states to monitor and punish women over illegal abortions, but it ignores the critical detail that Trump did not say states “should” do this. We rate Biden’s statement Mostly False.

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  • Do men really sleep better than women? Experts explain

    Do men really sleep better than women? Experts explain

    Women and men sleep differently, so their sleep disorders shouldn’t be treated the same way, suggests new research that explores the biological sex characteristics of getting shut-eye.

    Men are more likely to have obstructive sleep apnea, while women are more likely to experience insomnia and report lower sleep quality. These are among the findings of a literature review published in April in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews. The researchers hailed from Harvard University, Stanford University, and the University of Southampton in the U.K.

    This research is as much about precision medicine as it is sleep disparities between the sexes, says coauthor Renske Lok, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the Stanford Center for Sleep and Circadian Sciences.

    “We’re trying to move away from the one size fits all,” she tells Fortune. “[Medicine] needs to be more tailored.”

    Understanding how and why biological sex impacts various sleep disorders is a critical step toward individualized treatment. However, the long-standing lack of inclusion of women in biomedical and behavioral research is a hindrance. The National Institutes of Health didn’t require studies to account for sex as a biological variable until 2016.

    “The biggest finding is that we absolutely have to do better in including women in our research designs,” Lok says. “Historically, women have not been included as much as men, in part because it was always assumed results from men would translate automatically to women. And we’re starting to find out more and more that this is not the case.”

    Sex and circadian rhythm

    The mental, physical, and behavioral changes your body experiences in a 24-hour period are called circadian rhythms. Almost all your organs and tissues have their own rhythms, and together they form a kind of master biological clock that’s particularly sensitive to light and dark.

    At night, your brain produces more of the sleep hormone melatonin, which makes you feel tired. In one study reviewed by Lok and her colleagues, women secreted melatonin earlier in the evening than men. This aligns with other research showing men typically are later chronotypes; that is, they go to bed and wake up later than women. As such, men tend to have worse social jetlag, when their biological clock doesn’t align with the traditional timing of societal demands, like working a 9-5 job.

    Another study showed that core body temperature—which is highest before sleep and lowest a few hours before waking—also peaked earlier in women. Other research found that women’s circadian periods were about six minutes shorter than men’s: 24.09 hours compared to 24.19.

    “While this difference may be small, it is significant. The misalignment between the central body clock and the sleep/wake cycle is approximately five times larger in women than in men,” Lok said in a news release about her team’s work. “Imagine if someone’s watch was consistently running six minutes faster or slower. Over the course of days, weeks, and months, this difference can lead to a noticeable misalignment between the internal clock and external cues, such as light and darkness.

    “Disruptions in circadian rhythms have been linked to various health problems, including sleep disorders, mood disorders, and impaired cognitive function. Even minor differences in circadian periods can have significant implications for overall health and well-being.”

    Cognitive behavioral therapy is one option for getting your circadian rhythm on track—especially if your biological and social clocks don’t match up—says Alaina Tiani, PhD, a clinical psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center.

    “It differs patient to patient, but we have them take melatonin (supplements) earlier in the evening and then we have them use some bright-light exposure in the morning,” Tiani tells Fortune, referring to night owls who need to wake earlier. “Those two things help anchor their sleep window as they’re working on shifting things.”

    Man sleeping while wearing a CPAP mask for sleep apnea.
    Women and men sleep differently, so their sleep disorders shouldn’t be treated the same way, suggests new research that explores the biological sex characteristics of getting shut-eye.

    rdegrie—Getty Images

    Work-life stress may influence women’s insomnia

    You’ve likely experienced bouts of acute insomnia, stressful periods throughout your life when you’ve had difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting high-quality sleep. They may have lasted just days or as long as a few weeks. Chronic insomnia, though, is when you experience these sleep disruptions at least three times a week for more than three months, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. In addition, chronic insomnia can’t be explained by other health problems you may have.

    Insomnia is about 1.5 times more common in women, previous research has shown. Lok and her colleagues theorized this may be due to certain risk factors more prevalent in women, such as anxiety and depression.

    Dr. Eric Sklar is a neurologist and medical director of the Inova Sleep Disorders Program in northern Virginia. Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders he treats, and he was unsurprised by the review’s findings.

    “There is a high correlation with underlying psychiatric disorders and insomnia,” Sklar tells Fortune. “Some of the underlying societal stressors for men and women may be different.”

    Women still are often pigeonholed into the role of family caregiver, while also clawing their way up the career ladder, Sklar notes, not to mention fielding life’s other stressors. In addition, evening downtime is essential for healthy circadian rhythms and women sometimes have to fight harder for it, he says. And when so-called “revenge bedtime procrastination” involves screen time, women may be further disrupting their body clocks.

    By some objective measures, women sleep better than men, the review shows. Women have higher sleep efficiency, which refers to the percentage of time in bed actually spent sleeping. Women entered the dream-heavy rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep earlier, and spent about eight minutes longer in non-REM sleep. However, women self-reported poorer sleep quality than men.

    While new parents face a variety of sleep disruptions, Tiani tells Fortune a swath of her postpartum patients and women with young children report diminished sleep quality.

    “Almost like their brain was half-listening out for their children in the middle of the night, in case they needed something,” Tiani says. Patients who are caregivers in other capacities have reported the same thing, “that listening out in the night.”

    Why do men and women sleep differently?

    Women did catch a break with one common sleep disorder: obstructive sleep apnea, when the upper airway becomes blocked repeatedly during sleep. The disorder is almost three times as common in men, however, it’s only associated with an increased risk of heart failure in women, the review noted.

    “It is well known that men are at a higher risk,” Sklar tells Fortune, adding that biological sex is used in sleep apnea risk assessment. “Men tend to have larger necks, and neck size is also a risk factor.”

    Lok’s review also noted these sleep differences between the sexes, among others:

    One key factor remained inconsistent across the nearly 150 studies Lok and her colleagues analyzed: women’s menstrual phases. Menstruation correlates to numerous changes that impact sleep, such as elevated body temperature during the luteal phase of the cycle. What’s more, some research failed to consider subjects’ oral contraception usage, which may have skewed results.

    “It’s tricky because, for example, if somebody doesn’t use hormonal contraceptives, it means that you have to include women at the same menstrual phase,” Lok tells Fortune. “Otherwise, you get all kinds of variation due to changes in hormonal levels.”

    Having tackled some of the hurdles standing in her team’s way—namely, thin evidence of some biological sex differences—Lok is hopeful about future research.

    In some instances, “we’re not sure if there are any sex differences because, simply, nobody has ever looked at it,” Lok says. “At the same time, it’s a very encouraging article because it definitely identifies where the gaps are still present.”

    For more on biological sex and health:

    Lindsey Leake

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  • Retiring WEWS News 5 Investigator Joe Pagonakis is praised by activists, Women’s March Cleveland for his coverage on women’s issues and Black issues, with activists saying he is legendary and irreplaceable….By Clevelandurbannews.com

    Retiring WEWS News 5 Investigator Joe Pagonakis is praised by activists, Women’s March Cleveland for his coverage on women’s issues and Black issues, with activists saying he is legendary and irreplaceable….By Clevelandurbannews.com

     

     

    Staff article by: Clevelandurbannews.com / Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

    CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland activists and Women’s March Cleveland, the largest grassroots activist women’s rights group in Northeast Ohio, are praising Cleveland WEWS News 5 Investigator Joe Pagonakis (pictured) after he and the news station announced earlier this week that he will retire, effective Mon., April 29, after nearly five decades in television news.

    Pagonakis will sign off from WEWS News 5 for the final time Monday, ending a storied 48-year career in television, with 40 years on the air reporting in local communities and more than 30 years at News 5, the news station reported this week.

    “My sincere thanks and gratitude to Northeast Ohio viewers for turning to News 5 and trusting me to tell their stories for more than three decades,” Pagonakis said via the story. “It has been such an honor and a blessing to have the opportunity to try and help others in need in my hometown for all these years.”

    Women’s March Cleveland head organizer Kathy Wray Coleman, a longtime Black Cleveland organizer and community activist who also leads the Imperial Women Coalition, called Pagonakis a Cleveland television media legend who is widely respected and intuitive on issues impacting women, Blacks, poor people, and other marginalized groups, and that he is “irreplaceable.”

     

    Coleman said that when organizing for women’s marches and rallies in the fight against violence against women and for reproductive and other rights for Cleveland and Ohio women it was sometimes exhausting trying to engage the mainstream media in event coverage due in part to political and other reasons, particularly when key organizers were Black women, but Joe Pagonakis would often step to the plate and do worthwhile stories.

     

    “His coverage was always thorough and fair, and he was always professional, even when the women would sometimes tease him about his suave-style and good looks,” said Coleman, who has led  Women’s March Cleveland for about six years, including helping relative to the successful passage of the Issue 1 referendum approved by voters last November that enshrined the legal right to abortion and other reproductive measures into the Ohio Constitution. It came after the U.S. Supreme Court, in June of 2022, overturned the longstanding Roe. v. Wade and gave respective states broad-ranging authority to regulate and legislate abortion.

     

    Coleman said that Pagonakis also covered rallies she led for the Imperial Women Coalition as to the unprecedented murders of 11 Black women on Imperial Avenue by the late serial killer Anthony Sowell, who died in 2021 while on death row.

     

    His presence in sometimes covering anniversary rallies on the murders helped to minimize routine harassment, she said, from former city officials who told her that “the rallies made the city look bad because they highlighted heightened crime against Black women at a time when city leaders wanted to position the city as a great place to live and raise a family.”

     

    When her group pushed for more local, county and federal funding for the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center and the Journey Center for Safety and Healing (domestic violence center) as cases of rape were increasing, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, activists could count on him to publicize the effort, Coleman said, adding that his coverage and that of News 5 on the issue was neutral, timely, and unbiased.”

    “He would sometimes say Kathy I must tell both sides,” the activist said, “sometimes to my annoyance, particularly regarding the fight by activists to preserve the right to abortion access for Ohio women currently, and for generations to come.”

     

    Coleman said that her response would sometimes be that there is “only one side to equality for women and we cannot reach equality when men in power, primarily White men and some state lawmakers, seek to deny Ohio women the choice to decide what to do with our bodies through draconian, anti-female policies that we view as unconstitutional in every respect.”

     

    Activists say they worry that as some seasoned television journalists respected in the Black community and other community circles like Pagonakis prepare to retire, the largely Black major American city of Cleveland and activists will be left with a void.

     

    “As women in Cleveland, Northeast Ohio and nationwide prepare to likely take to the streets in protests before the 2024 presidential election against an anticipated and potential national ban on abortion at the federal level we hope that our mainstream media of Cleveland that Blacks and women have continually supported over the years will be on the right side and with women every step of the way.”

     

    Activist Alfred Porter Jr. of Black on Black Crime Inc, who often helped Coleman in organizing women’s marches and rallies, described Joe Pagonakis as “a part of Cleveland’s history and a legendary and  investigative reporter who was fair to activists and the Black community.”

    Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper in Ohio and in the Midwest, and the most read independent digital news in Ohio. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO’S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.

    editor@clevelandurbannews.com (Kathy)

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  • Retiring WEWS News 5 TV Investigator Joe Pagonakis is praised by activists, Women’s March Cleveland for his coverage on women’s issues and Black issues, with activists saying he is legendary and irreplaceable….By Clevelandurbannews.com,

    Retiring WEWS News 5 TV Investigator Joe Pagonakis is praised by activists, Women’s March Cleveland for his coverage on women’s issues and Black issues, with activists saying he is legendary and irreplaceable….By Clevelandurbannews.com,

     

     

    Staff article by: Clevelandurbannews.com / Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

    CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland activists and Women’s March Cleveland, the largest grassroots activist women’s rights group in Northeast Ohio, are praising Cleveland WEWS News 5 Investigator Joe Pagonakis (pictured) after he and the news station announced earlier this week that he will retire, effective Mon., April 29, after nearly five decades in television news.

    Pagonakis will sign off from WEWS News 5 for the final time Monday, ending a storied 48-year career in television, with 40 years on the air reporting in local communities and more than 30 years at News 5, the news station reported this week.

    “My sincere thanks and gratitude to Northeast Ohio viewers for turning to News 5 and trusting me to tell their stories for more than three decades,” Pagonakis said via the story. “It has been such an honor and a blessing to have the opportunity to try and help others in need in my hometown for all these years.”

    Women’s March Cleveland head organizer Kathy Wray Coleman, a longtime Black Cleveland organizer and community activist who also leads the Imperial Women Coalition, called Pagonakis a Cleveland television media legend who is widely respected and intuitive on issues impacting women, Blacks, poor people, and other marginalized groups, and that he is “irreplaceable.”

     

    Coleman said that when organizing for women’s marches and rallies in the fight against violence against women and for reproductive and other rights for Cleveland and Ohio women it was sometimes exhausting trying to engage the mainstream media in event coverage due in part to political and other reasons, particularly when key organizers were Black women, but Joe Pagonakis would often step to the plate and do worthwhile stories.

     

    “His coverage was always thorough and fair, and he was always professional, even when the women would sometimes tease him about his suave-style and good looks,” said Coleman, who has led  Women’s March Cleveland for about six years, including helping relative to the successful passage of the Issue 1 referendum approved by voters last November that enshrined the legal right to abortion and other reproductive measures into the Ohio Constitution. It came after the U.S. Supreme Court, in June of 2022, overturned the longstanding Roe. v. Wade and gave respective states broad-ranging authority to regulate and legislate abortion.

     

    Coleman said that Pagonakis also covered rallies she led for the Imperial Women Coalition as to the unprecedented murders of 11 Black women on Imperial Avenue by the late serial killer Anthony Sowell, who died in 2021 while on death row.

     

    His presence in sometimes covering anniversary rallies on the murders helped to minimize routine harassment, she said, from former city officials who told her that “the rallies made the city look bad because they highlighted heightened crime against Black women at a time when city leaders wanted to position the city as a great place to live and raise a family.”

     

    When her group pushed for more local, county and federal funding for the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center and the Journey Center for Safety and Healing (domestic violence center) as cases of rape were increasing, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, activists could count on him to publicize the effort, Coleman said, adding that his coverage and that of News 5 on the issue was “neutral, timely, and unbiased.”

    “He would sometimes say Kathy I must tell both sides,” the activist said, “sometimes to my annoyance, particularly regarding the fight by activists to preserve the right to abortion access for Ohio women currently, and for generations to come.”

     

    Coleman said that her response would sometimes be that there is “only one side to equality for women and we cannot reach equality when men in power, primarily White men and some state lawmakers, seek to deny Ohio women the choice to decide what to do with our bodies through draconian, anti-female policies that we view as unconstitutional in every respect.”

     

    Activists say they worry that as some seasoned television journalists respected in the Black community and other community circles like Pagonakis prepare to retire, the largely Black major American city of Cleveland and activists will be left with a void.

     

    “As women in Cleveland, Northeast Ohio and nationwide prepare to likely take to the streets in protests before the 2024 presidential election against an anticipated and potential national ban on abortion at the federal level we hope that our mainstream media of Cleveland that Blacks and women have continually supported over the years will be on the right side and with women every step of the way.”

     

    Activist Alfred Porter Jr. of Black on Black Crime Inc, who often helped Coleman in organizing women’s marches and rallies, described Joe Pagonakis as “a part of Cleveland’s history and a legendary, investigative reporter who was fair to activists and the Black community.”

     

    Delores Gray, also a community activist, organizer and community advocate, also agrees that Pagonakis will be missed by activists in the trenches of Cleveland as they continue their fight for equal opportunity and fair play for disenfranchised Blacks, women and poor people.

    Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper in Ohio and in the Midwest, and the most read independent digital news in Ohio. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO’S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.

    editor@clevelandurbannews.com (Kathy)

    Source link

  • Colorado takes action to fight deadly spike of syphilis in newborns

    Colorado takes action to fight deadly spike of syphilis in newborns

    Colorado is experiencing an alarming spike in syphilis among newborns, leading the state to issue a public health order Thursday aimed at curbing the disease’s spread through wider testing.

    In 2023, 50 infants in Colorado were born with syphilis, up from only seven in 2018. So far this year, the state is halfway to last year’s total, with five infected babies who were stillborn and two who died in their first months of life, state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said.

    “We’ve already had 25 cases so far this year, putting us on track to have maybe 100 cases,” she said at a news conference, addressing what Gov. Jared Polis’s office called a “growing epidemic.” 

    Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that sometimes causes no symptoms in adults, though the bacteria can eventually damage the heart and brain if a person doesn’t receive treatment. But roughly two out of five babies born to infected mothers will be stillborn or die in infancy, and those who survive are at risk of intellectual disability, bone deformities and other lifelong health problems, Herlihy said.

    The new public health order from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment requires all health care providers to offer syphilis testing at least three times to pregnant patients: in the first trimester, in the third trimester and at birth.

    Nearly all insurance plans cover the testing, and people without insurance can receive it for free at public health clinics or by ordering a home test kit.

    “We hope to save many babies from death and suffering,” Polis said at the news conference.

    On Thursday, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a recommendation that all pregnant patients receive testing three times. Previously, it only recommended more than one test if a patient had certain risk factors for getting infected while pregnant.

    “The cases of congenital syphilis are definitely climbing, and they’ve been climbing over the last 10 years. And it’s completely preventable… It’s unacceptable,” said Dr. Laura Riley, who chairs the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine and helped with the guidance. “We need to be able to do better diagnostics and treatment.”

    The Colorado order also requires offering tests to prisoners who are pregnant, and to people who have experienced a stillbirth after 20 weeks of pregnancy, when spontaneous miscarriages are rare. While it would be too late for that particular fetus after a stillbirth, antibiotic treatment would protect the mother, her sex partners and any future pregnancies.

    Patients and prisoners aren’t required to undergo testing if they don’t want to, but their providers have to give them the option, said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of the state health department. State law already required that providers offer everyone syphilis testing in the first trimester.

    Last year, 3,266 people in Colorado received a syphilis diagnosis, which was a 5% increase over the previous year and more than three times the number diagnosed in 2018. Most of the diagnoses are still in men, because the bacteria became entrenched in the community of gay and bisexual men. About one-third are in women, though, and diagnoses have risen faster among women than among men.

    Nationwide, syphilis diagnoses reached their highest rate since at least 1950 in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases peaked in the 1940s, before antibiotics became widely available, and fell throughout the 20th century.

    People of color and those who lack access to reliable health care, such as the homeless population, have been hit disproportionately hard in the resurgence over the last few years.

    Earlier this year, the state health department asked for $8 million over four years to fund an opt-out syphilis screening program at two hospital emergency departments in Denver and Pueblo County, which both have a significant share of new infections.

    The department also proposed to distribute rapid tests to organizations that work with at-risk people; to fund delivering treatment to some people in their homes; and to build up a stockpile of the antibiotics used to treat syphilis. Most antibiotics are cheap, but the best option for syphilis, Bicillin, is relatively expensive and in short supply, so providers don’t always opt to stock it.

    The legislature appropriated about $1.9 million for the first year of the syphilis response, and will have to vote on additional money in subsequent years.

    The state and the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment already run a small pilot program to bring treatment to people in their homes. Jails in Pueblo, El Paso and Jefferson counties also have started screening female prisoners and offering treatment to anyone who tests positive.

    Meg Wingerter

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  • Trump leads Biden in 6 of 7 swing states, new poll shows

    Trump leads Biden in 6 of 7 swing states, new poll shows

    Trump leads Biden in 6 of 7 swing states, new poll shows – CBS News


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    A new Wall Street Journal poll shows former President Donald Trump leading President Biden in several key battleground states. Robert Costa, CBS News chief election and campaign correspondent, and Jessica Taylor, Senate and governors editor for Cook Political Report, join “America Decides” to break down the numbers.

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  • All-women mariachi band takes on male-dominated genre

    All-women mariachi band takes on male-dominated genre

    All-women mariachi band takes on male-dominated genre – CBS News


    Watch CBS News



    Dinorah Klingler grew up with mariachi music but never saw herself in the male-dominated genre. When the pandemic hit, however, she started an all-female mariachi band, and they’re still going strong. Danya Bacchus has the story.

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  • Does crypto have a misogyny problem? #hearsay sushi, models, and Copper Technologies | Opinion

    Does crypto have a misogyny problem? #hearsay sushi, models, and Copper Technologies | Opinion

    Picture a dimly lit red-lacquered room in a fancy hotel. A group of men in hoodies, some in business suits, others in sunglasses, stands ominously around a table not with energy drinks or laptops but with women used as serving platters for sushi. 

    Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to the author and do not represent the views and opinions of crypto.news’ editorial.

    Every week, crypto.news brings you #hashtag hearsay, a gossip column of scoops and stories shaping the crypto world. If you have a tip, email Dorian Batycka at [email protected]

    No, this is not a Hollywood Weinstein-era casting call in the 1990s, but another episode of #hearsay, my weekly gossip column looking into the sultry underbelly of crypto. 

    In this week’s episode, we take you behind the story of Copper’s sushi model kerfuffle after the digital asset manager was busted by Financial Times using scantily clad models as serving platters for sushi during the company’s Digital Asset Summit afterparty.

    The backstory? Of course it happened at the Mandrake Hotel, one of seediest in London, owned by the eponymous Lebanese party boy turned hotel entrepreneur Rami Fustok. Welcome to the world of underground crypto ‘bro’ culture, where cringe-core hotels serve as the backdrop for degen deals and misogyny gone amuck.

    Copper Technologies, the digital asset company hosting the party, is no activist social justice enterprise either. The company has reputed links to weapons dealers and sanctioned bankers from Russia. In 2023 and 2024, both Jonatan Zimenkov and Mikhail Klyukin were found to have made transactions with the company in excess of $4.8 million and £15 million (approx. $18,9 million), respectively, both of whom are sanctioned by UK and US authorities.

    Let’s be honest, though—crypto is a total sausage fest, a testosterone-fueled echo chamber where women are as rare as a Bitcoin in a bear market. Worse, they are often also the target of outright abuse.

    In 2018, famed cryptocurrency journalist and host of the “Unchained” podcast Laura Shin wrote about her experiences with online harassment and threats from individuals within the crypto community. Over the years, she has documented specific instances of misogynistic comments and derogatory messages directed towards her on social media platforms such as X and Reddit. On March 24, the crypto influencer Jeremy Cahen (Pauly0x) called Shin a “whore” in an X space after she canceled (later postponed) an interview she had planned with the Porkcoin bro. Cahen himself is no stranger to controversy, having been found guilty alongside Ryder Ripps of fraudulently profiting from and defaming Yuga Labs, known as one of the greasiest crypto bros in the game.

    Tron (TRX), a token launched in 2018, faced waves of criticism after its launch featured a prominent partnership with a blockchain-based porn platform. Since crypto’s inception, it seems, women have fared as mere side pieces, mantles to be objectified rather than listened to. 

    Walk through any conference from Singapore to Miami: it’s no surprise that there are mostly men. Companies within the industry should do more or face criticism for their lack of gender diversity in executive teams and boardrooms, with names and statistics readily available in public reports. It’s all in the open; this is what decentralized governance can and should be about—greater equality and more equilibrium in markets and participants.

    That’s not to say women are entirely excluded from crypto altogether. In fact, just last weekend, I attended DeSci in London, which featured an all-female panel including representatives from AthenaDAO, AsteriskDAO, and HairDAO. In London, there are women in web3-focused events, presumably because the men in London only want to meet at the Mandrake Hotel for female-plated sushi. One of my best friends in the industry, Aleksandra Artamonovskaja, is a crypto industry veteran with a penchant for digital art who studied at Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

    My boss at Crypto.news, Catherine Mychka reminds me at least once a week that my EU shift is dominated by male writers. The evidence is, fellow men, right in our faces. While there are women in the industry, they remain the minority, thanks —I think—to the toxic male culture that tends to permeate our industry like a stinky fart. 

    What’s more, it’s hard to make it in crypto in less you are handed many structural conditions at birth: access to regular internet, not to mention food and shelter, schools for maths and coding, etc. But when keynote speaking engagements for marquee industry events feel dominated by self-proclaimed industry evangelists full of Christ-like white boys, the problem becomes that these Lamo-espousing industry figures permeate the industry like a foul-smelling bad body odor. I get it. You want to look like a baller, but please, crypto bros—chill! 

    Back when I first got into crypto, it felt like I was partaking in some new utopian vision and hope for a world empowered by decentralization. Instead, that promise seems foregone, replaced by some Kafkaesque caricature of an industry cannibalizing itself with greed and toxicity. Effective altruists whose only pursuit seems to be a twisted Silicon Valley 2.0 logic personified by white men feels, well, a bit boring to me. The thing with diversity is that it breeds innovation. Having more voices, more perspectives, and more ideas breeds those very forms exponentially.

    As I finish my regularly plated sushi, a cautionary note. For one to condemn the crypto ‘bro’ culture I feel ashamed and apart of would be amiss to the fact I myself both a man and white. Dipping my sushi roll into its bath of soy and wasabi, I wondered: am I apart of the problem? Or could the future of crypto, a world where greed and misogyny seem to go hand in hand, be replaced with one where we’re talking about SushiSwaps instead of sushi rolls?


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    Dorian Batycka

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  • WHO Calls for More Data on Violence Against Older Women and Women With Disabilities

    WHO Calls for More Data on Violence Against Older Women and Women With Disabilities

    Older women and women with disabilities are underrepresented in global data on violence against women. Credit: WHO/Kiana Hayeri
    • by Naureen Hossain (united nations)
    • Inter Press Service

    UNITED NATIONS, Mar 29 (IPS) – Older women and women with disabilities experience abuse that is unique to their demographics, yet they are underrepresented in national and global databases, according to findings shared by the World Health Organization (WHO).

    On Wednesday, WHO and UN-Women released two new briefs, the first in a series that will discuss neglected forms of violence, including gender-based violence. The two briefs, titled Measuring violence against older women and Measuring violence against women with disability, investigate the types of violence that these groups face through the data available. Through reviewing existing studies into violence against women, the research team was able to synthesize the information available on this topic and its scope across different countries.

    As was noted by Dr. Lynnmarie Sardinha, Technical Officer at WHO and the UN Special Programme on Human Reproduction (HRP) for Violence against Women Data and Measurement, and author of the briefs. The limited data on older women and women with disabilities undermines the ability of programmes to meet their needs. “Understanding how diverse women and girls are differently affected, and if and how they are accessing services, is critical to ending violence in all its forms.”

    One in three women is affected by gender-based violence in these forms. For older women—aged 60 years and over—and women with disabilities, they are also subjected to other forms of abuse and neglect, usually at the hands of caregivers, family members, or healthcare institutions such as nursing homes. Examples of this include controlling behaviors such as withholding medicine and assistive devices, and financial abuse. Though these forms of neglect and abuse have been observed, the studies that the briefs reviewed seemed to focus more on intimate partner violence through physical and sexual abuse. The briefs acknowledge, however, that violence against women should not only be exemplified by intimate partner violence. The prevalence of this example hints at further nuances that are not sufficiently captured in the studies due to their limitations.

    Violence against older women can manifest in other ways as they and their partners/perpetrators age. Although women aged 15–49 are at higher risk of intimate partner and sexual violence, older women are still likely to experience it, and this can shift towards other forms of abuse, such as neglect, economic abuse, and psychological abuse. The brief on older women reveals, however, that there is limited data to definitively state its prevalence. This is particularly the case for low- and middle-income countries; the data that was compiled for this brief comes largely from high-income countries, a gap that the reports are aware of. Older women are represented in only ten percent of the data on violence against women.

    Only 6 percent of the studies reviewed for women with disabilities included measures of violence specific to this group. The lack of questions specific to this demographic indicates that they are, perhaps unconsciously, unaccounted for when measuring the scale of violence against women. Data collection procedures may not be designed to accommodate women with disabilities or prevent them from self-reporting, such as deaf or hard-of-hearing women who are unable to participate in surveys conducted through the telephone.

    The briefs also suggest that women who live with lifelong disrespect and neglect may not recognize the specific forms of violence, which could account for fewer instances being reported. This could also apply to older women, where surveying and reporting mechanisms are geared towards women of reproductive age, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

    This may also speak of socio-cultural attitudes towards violence against older women that are steeped in ageism, harmful stereotypes, and discriminatory cultural norms that prevent them from sharing their experiences.

    The WHO briefs make several recommendations to address the evidence gaps. Among them are extending the age limit for survey participation and incorporating questions that relate to different types of violence. Data collection should also account for cultural-specific contexts of violence and abuse across different countries. Women with disabilities should be consulted in research at every stage when designing surveys targeted at them, which will allow for a broader spectrum of disabilities to be accounted for.

    Read the briefs on women with disability and older women.

    IPS UN Bureau Report


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    © Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service

    Global Issues

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  • UTEC teams up with Lowell artist for Women’s History Month

    UTEC teams up with Lowell artist for Women’s History Month

    LOWELL — Nearly 30 young women in UTEC programming recently came together to celebrate Women’s History Month. The day opened with a peace circle focused on community building, finding your voice, and empowerment. The group also worked with local artist John Pierre Smith Sr. to create a special mural at FlipFlop Vintage in Downtown Lowell.

    UTEC helps young adults overcome the challenges of poverty, gang involvement, and unemployment. Building positive relationships is an essential part of UTEC’s model to reduce community violence. Recognizing Women’s History month not only gives young women an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of the women in their lives, but also helps them form a supportive community of peers.

    “Our Women’s History event allowed the group to come together as a community, build relationships, and learn from one another,” said UTEC Director of Clinical Services Elena Ansara. “It’s important to pause every now and then to get to know each other in a different capacity and strengthen the connections we have.”

    At FlipFlip Vintage, the group expressed themselves creatively by building a collage with images representing what being a woman means to them.

    “I felt a lot of power in the room. It was delightful to watch their willingness to get their hands dirty without complaint and work as a team,” said Smith, owner of FlipFlop Vintage. “I think everybody that day learned how to wear their crown correctly and I witnessed young women learning to be strong and impactful adult women.”

    UTEC was founded in 1999 and now serves young adults in Lowell, Lawrence and Haverhill. To learn more about UTEC and its 25th anniversary, visit utecinc.org.

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