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Political Diagnosis: Global Gag Rule; Update on Conscience Clause; New Violence Against Women Advisor; The Last Word on Sarah Palin? …

Supreme Court Decisions and You: The National Women’s Law Center has released an analysis of 2008-2009 Supreme Court decisions that have a direct effect on women’s lives. Here's the report (pdf); more discussion at the NWLC blog, Womenstake: In Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee, the Supreme Court safeguarded women’s and girls’ rights by ...

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What You Need to Know for Judge Sotomayor’s Senate Confirmation Hearing

Judge Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court confirmation hearing begins today at 10 a.m. (EST). C-SPAN will have live television coverage. Streaming video will be available at newshour.pbs.org. Viewers and listeners can expect statements today from each of the Senate Judiciary Committee members (reminder: 17 men, two women) and possibly Sotomayor’s opening statement. For a look at ...

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Political Diagnosis, Part II: Reduce Healthcare Costs, Support Midwives; Healthcare Reform Should Leave Out Moral Values; Funding Long-Term Care …

A continuation of the latest in health reform politics and discussions ... Speaking of reducing bureaucratic interference, Lois Uttley of Merger Watch wrote the definitive get-your-act-together letter to Congress warning against drafting healthcare legislation that shortchanges women. Referring to numerous Senate amendments, such as no funding for abortion, that "would deny health care ...

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Political Diagnosis: Legislation by August Looks Like a Longshot; The Democrat/Republican (and Democrat/Democrat) Divide; Public Insurance Plan is Not Single Payer, Repeat …

This Week’s Super Fun Health Reform Graphic: This Washington Post graphic looks at the potential upsides and downsides of the various proposals under consideration and attempts to answer bottom-line questions, such as: Will you get the care you need? Can you avoid financial ruin? Got Time?: It's unlikely Congress will agree on healthcare ...

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Award-Winning Videos About Pregnancy and Childbirth

Birth Matters Virginia has announced the winners of a video contest created to educate women about their choices and options during pregnancy and childbirth: First prize -- "Prevent Cesarean Surgery," by Ragan Cohen (California); second prize -- "The Nature of Natural Birth," by Laura Alvarez (Wisconsin); and honorable mention -- ...

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The American Prospect Interviews Judy Norsigian on Healthcare Reform

Dana Goldstein of The American Prospect interviewed Our Bodies Ourselves Executive Director Judy Norsigian about OBOS's support of a single-payer health plan. Though there's little momentum in Congress around a single-payer plan, Norsigian argues that health reform won't be sustainable unless costs are controlled, and single payer does more than any other ...

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ACOG Issues New Practice Bulletin on Continuous Electronic Fetal Monitoring

This is going to be a long one, readers, so sit tight! The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has issued a new practice bulletin on continuous electronic fetal monitoring in labor. Given how thoroughly this practice has been embraced by obstetricians - it was used in more than 85% ...

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One Easy Way to Be Beautiful (Just the Way You Are)

Picture this: You walk up to a magazine rack at your favorite bookstore and you're confronted with numerous self-improvement suggestions: "10 Easy Ways to Lose Weight" ... "Exercises to Get a Bikini Body" ... "Fashion Tips to Look More Like [Someone Else] ... OK, you've been here before. You know ...

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Female Condom to be Reintroduced in Uganda, United States

We've written about the female condom - including the recently approved FC2 - several times in the past. Serra Sippel of the Center for Health and Gender Equity has an update on this topic at RH Reality Check, noting that Uganda is working on plans to reintroduce female condoms, with ...

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Double Dose: Fat is Not a Death Sentence; Google AdWords Prohibits Abortion Ads; Survey: Sex After Kids; What Would Buffy Do?

Excess Pounds, Longer Life?: It wasn't so long ago that we heard calorie restriction was linked to longevity. Now it seems the scales have shifted: A new report, published online in the journal Obesity, found that people who are moderately overweight live longer. "[W]hy is it so hard to believe, even ...

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