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Doulas play essential roles in reproductive health care – and more states are beginning to recognize it
A growing share of Americans, especially in rural areas, are losing access to reproductive health care. At the same time, American women are dying during or after pregnancy at higher rates than in any other high-income country.
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Wisconsin still allows child marriage — but efforts to end it have stalled
In Wisconsin 16- and 17-year-olds can still be married with written parental permission submitted to a county clerk along with a standard marriage license. Between 2015 and 2024, 297 minors were married in Wisconsin, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau.
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The Best U.S. Cities For Kids’ Outdoor Play This Summer
Now that school is out, or nearly out for the summer for many families, play will be important during these hot summer months. Unstructured play, as research shows, helps children learn to socialize, gives them a break from their devices, helps them understand their bodies, and helps them enjoy the outdoors.
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Top 10 States for Working Moms in 2026
With Mother’s Day around the corner and 74% of mothers with children under 18 participating in the workforce in 2025, personal finance company WalletHub has released its 2026 report ranking the best and worst states for working moms. To determine which states provide the most support for working mothers, WalletHub evaluated all 50 states and…
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5 Affordable Ways to Celebrate Earth Day With Your Family
Celebrating Earth Day does not mean you have to be involved in a huge celebration. You can start right at home today by making small, intentional steps to make your life greener. Here are five ways you can celebrate Earth Day without breaking the bank.
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Florida Pregnant Women Are Having Court Hearings Forcing C-Sections from Hospital Beds
I recently read one of the most horrifying articles I have read in a very long time. ProPublica wrote an investigative report, Florida Courts Ordered Them To Have C-Sections, about women who wanted to have vaginal births but were met with resistance from the hospital and the courts.
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Spilling the Inequali-Tea with Oxfam
In 2025, billionaire wealth increased three times faster than the average over the previous five years. The United States also has more billionaires than any other country, while 40 percent of Americans are considered poor or low income.
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CDC Releases Maternal Mortality Rates for 2024
The new maternal mortality rates from 2024 were released this week from the National Center for Health Statistics. Most of the data remain the same as in 2023, with a modest decrease in maternal deaths from 669 to 649.
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Celebrate Women’s Day: Get Your Free E-Book
We are giving away our e-book, Simple Steps to Become a Maternal Health Advocate, for free to members of our community only.
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The Best States for Women’s Health
Did you know there are 169 million women in the United States? Studies show that one-third of women postpone necessary medical care due primarily to a lack of access and rising health care costs.
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Social Activism Rankings: Best and Worst States in 2026
Social activism in the United States has long been a powerful force shaping the nation’s identity, challenging injustice, and expanding rights and opportunities for marginalized communities. From modern digital movements to global advocacy networks, activists have used collective action, storytelling, and grassroots organizing to push for systemic change. While the methods and platforms have evolved,…
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Where Families Thrive—and Struggle: Best and Worst States to Raise a Family in 2026
Some states provide better living conditions than others. WalletHub analyzed 50 key factors, including median income, education, childcare, family fun, and affordability, to determine the best and worst states for families to live. Where does your state rank?
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The Top 20 Most Charitable States. Where Does Your State Rank?
Did you know Americans donate $592 billion to charities every year? According to the World Giving Index that ranks the United States sixth in annual giving. With the holidays coming up, more charities will be looking for additional funding to round out their year. Many Americans find this to be the time of year when…
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Arizona’s Now-Repealed Abortion Ban Serves As a Cautionary Tale For Reproductive Health Care Across the US
When the Arizona Supreme Court ruled on April 9, 2024, that the state’s Civil War-era law banning nearly all abortions was enforceable, it brought into stark reality the potential impacts of leaving reproductive rights up to the states to regulate, and the related consequences for women’s health.
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Breaking: Supreme Court Ruling Allows Mifepristone to Stay on the Market
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled today that FDA-approved mifepristone can stay on the market. That is, mifepristone can still be prescribed by physicians and accessed by telehealth and mail-order. The Court stayed the lower courts’ decision to ban the use of the pill stating that the plaintiffs lack standing. We recognize that many citizens, including…
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The Right to Contraception Up for Vote in Senate
In light of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Senate Democrats advanced the Right to Contraception Act today to create federal legislation to guarantee contraceptive rights nationwide for women. The bill will need 60 votes today to officially begin work on the bill. “Today, we live in a country where not only tens of millions…
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Study Shows Increase in Maternal Mortality by Race and Ethnicity Over Last 20 Years
Another recent study, Trends in State-Level Maternal Mortality by Racial and Ethnic Group in the United States published in JAMA, has provided data showing that maternal health outcomes in the United States are worsening despite state and national interventions to decrease maternal mortality.
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Kansas Scores Victory for Abortion Rights
In the first statewide referendum after the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, Kansas voters overwhelmingly voted to protect abortion rights. Before yesterday’s primaries polls suggested an abortion ban would ultimately prevail in Republican-led Kansas. Still, even in some of the most conservative counties, “no” votes outpaced overall votes for Republican candidates. With a massive…
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New Documentaries About the Maternal Health Crisis, Sex Trafficking Coming to VOD This Year
When I want to learn more about a subject I always turn to documentaries. They provide a quick way to get the facts and crucial information about an issue I am interested in and then if I want to learn more I turn to other resources including books, news articles, research papers, and the like.…
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U.S. Support of Formula Over Breastfeeding is a Race Issue
Andrea Freeman, University of Hawaii When the United States threatened Ecuador with trade and aid restrictions if it did not withdraw a World Health Assembly breastfeeding promotion resolution that most people considered benign, if not banal, reactions ranged from shocked to amused. Experts explained that the U.S. resistance, although extreme, was nothing new. The United…