This story was produced in partnership with Vox as part of the discrimination issue of The Highlight. Comedian Dulcé Sloan took to Twitter recently with a burning health question: “Soooo EVERY black woman has fibroids,” she wrote, injecting a bit of hyperbole, “and no one knows why?!” The tweet sparked a flurry of responses theorizing why 80% of […]
Reproductive Health
Posted inHealth, Reproductive Health
Amid Abortion Bans, Black Americans’ Support Remains
As abortion restrictions intensify across the U.S., Americans are more likely to say it should be easier to obtain an abortion than they were in 2019, a recent Pew Research Center survey reveals. And Black Americans are among the most likely to say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Since the U.S. […]
Posted inHealth, Reproductive Health
What is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, and Why Does It Go Underdiagnosed in Black Women?
My body stiffened at the news I received from my OB-GYN. I had been anxiously waiting for the results from a uterine ultrasound, a test that I desperately hoped would get to the root of my immensely painful and irregular periods. I had suffered in silence for years, then spent at least one more traveling […]
Posted inHealth, Reproductive Health
How Florida Restricting Abortion Access Affects Black People in the South
Florida’s law prohibiting most abortions statewide after six weeks has ignited fear among those who say the ban could have catastrophic — and potentially life-threatening — impacts on Black women’s health. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned 1973’s Roe v. Wade decision last summer, access to abortion in the South has become increasingly limited. It’s […]
Posted inHealth, Reproductive Health
What’s Missing From the ‘Abortion Pill’ Conversation
Two conflicting rulings on the legality of a drug often used to end pregnancies or manage miscarriages have many wondering how this could impact reproductive health care access for Black families in the months to come. Last Friday, a federal judge in Texas ruled that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s long-standing approval of the […]
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Has The Black Church Evolved on Abortion?
The Rev. Leonard Edloe doesn’t discuss abortion in the pulpit of his rural Virginia church. While the issue disproportionately affects Black women, members at New Hope Fellowship haven’t shared any abortion-related concerns or questions with him, he said. But outside of the church walls, some have come to him seeking guidance about the procedure. Edloe […]
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How Overturning Abortion Rights Affects Black Women
This story has been updated. In a historic reversal, the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, a decision that will limit abortion access in many states and potentially exacerbate racial disparities in maternal health. The impacts will fall disproportionately on Black people, who receive about a third of abortions nationwide. The opinion, released […]
Posted inHealth, Reproductive Health
The Fight Over Abortion Rights Is a Black Issue
Maternal health care advocates raised alarm Tuesday after a leaked U.S. Supreme Court opinion suggested that the nation’s highest court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, a decision that would limit abortion access nationwide and could exacerbate racial disparities in births. Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the authenticity of the leaked opinion, published Monday […]
Posted inHealth, Reproductive Health
The Reading List: Maternal and Reproductive Health in America
As racial disparities in maternal health complications rise and unequal access to comprehensive care continues, American women face potentially life-threatening health outcomes — and the outlook is particularly frightening for Black women. They are three times more likely to die due to pregnancy related causes than white women. In the United States, Black maternal mortality […]