#Reproductive Health Counseling

[jamesunderwater]

the yellowjackets s2e6 ending -- i was already so triggered just hearing the baby cry because he was starving and just shauna's desperation to feed him, i had to mute parts of it. then when she became conscious again...i... i just wish more people watching that scene understood how real it is. how it happens to birthing people all the time even today, not just in a freezing cabin in the middle of the woods, and how shauna's reaction was.....it was just.....it was very much what happens. she does still hear him crying. idk, i'm just sitting here still crying over it, and i can't stop. because people experience this loss and their brains have to make sense of it and it comes up with something that is as much real to them as the loss is, but no one around them understands, everyone wants to just shove the truth at them because they think it will be better. let her talk about him crying. let her talk about how it felt to feed him, to hold him. tell her you believe her. fuck, i'm just so fucking sad.

[mindfulnutritionsblog]

Empower Girls: Practical Tips for Periods

Embarking on the journey from girlhood to womanhood, where your body undergoes significant changes, is a pivotal experience. One crucial aspect of this transformation is the arrival of your period. In this article, led by the expertise of Dr. Shevon Joseph, a specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology, aims to simplify the conversation around periods and provide practical tips on self-care during this essential phase of life.

What are Periods?

Periods, also known as menstruation, are a normal part of growing up for girls. It's when your body releases blood and other materials from your uterus. This usually happens about once a month. While menstruation is a natural and healthy process, some individuals may experience menstrual disorders, which can affect the regularity, duration, and intensity of their periods.

Dealing with Period Pain:

Many girls experience cramps or pain during their periods. It's entirely normal, but there are things you can do to feel better. Taking a warm bath, using a heating pad, or taking over-the-counter pain relievers can help ease the discomfort. However, for some individuals, menstrual pain may be indicative of underlying conditions such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

Using Pads and Tampons:

During your period, you can use pads or tampons to absorb the blood. Pads stick to your underwear, while tampons are inserted into your vagina. It's essential to change them regularly to stay clean and comfortable.

PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome):

You might have heard about PMS. It's when some girls feel moody, irritable, or have physical symptoms like bloating before their period. Eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and staying active can help manage PMS.

Talking to Someone:

If you ever feel confused or worried about your periods, don't hesitate to talk to someone you trust, like a parent, older sibling, or a school nurse. They can provide support and answer your questions.

Taking Care of Your Overall Health:

Periods are just one part of being healthy. Eating nutritious food, staying active, and getting enough sleep are essential for your well-being. If you have concerns about your health, it's always a good idea to talk to a doctor. In addition to maintaining overall health, it's crucial to be aware of specific reproductive health issues, such as Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID).

Conclusion:

Remember, every girl goes through this, and it's a natural part of growing up. Taking care of your body and understanding what's happening can help you feel more comfortable and confident during this time. If you ever have questions, don't be afraid to ask for help from someone you trust.

[aleaqmcure]

Beyond Medications, IUI, IVF: Choose Natural Approach for Infertility Treatment

While Medications, IUI, and IVF are valuable options in infertility treatment for women, they may not be suitable or preferred by everyone. So if you are looking for a natural approach, beyond medications, IUI, IVF? Aleaqmcure- natural Infertility treatment center can be a promising option. Because Aleaqmcure suggests the natural approach for infertility treatment, beyond medications. With its emphasis on holistic care and support, it may help you achieve parenthood naturally.

[doctormarketingdoctor]

Decoding Destiny: A Comprehensive Exploration of Genetic Counseling in Pune

Nestled amidst the cultural tapestry of Pune, a city that seamlessly blends tradition with progress, a profound transformation is underway in the realm of healthcare - Genetic Counseling In Pune. In the era of groundbreaking scientific discoveries, the role of genetic counseling becomes paramount, offering individuals and families a compass to navigate the intricate landscape of their genetic code. Pune, with its vibrant healthcare ecosystem, emerges as a hub for this indispensable service, where the past and the future converge to illuminate the path to informed decision-making.

The Essence of Genetic Counseling:

At its core, genetic counseling is a bespoke service that empowers individuals to decipher the intricate language of their DNA. It involves expert guidance provided by genetic counselors who specialize in unraveling the complexities of genetic information. In Pune, this service has become an essential pillar of healthcare, offering a lifeline to those seeking a deeper understanding of their genetic predispositions and potential health risks.

Expertise and Collaboration:

The success of genetic counseling in Pune is intrinsically tied to the wealth of expertise within the community of genetic counselors. These professionals, armed with a deep understanding of genetics and counseling techniques, work in tandem with healthcare specialists to provide a holistic approach to genetic well-being. The collaboration extends to various medical disciplines, ensuring that individuals receive comprehensive insights into their genetic makeup and its implications on their health.

Cutting-Edge Technology:

Pune's stride in the field of genetic counseling is further amplified by its access to cutting-edge technology. The city boasts state-of-the-art genetic testing facilities equipped with the latest advancements in genomic analysis. This technological prowess allows genetic counselors to conduct thorough and precise assessments, enabling individuals to make informed decisions about their health and the health of their future generations.

Personalized Care and Emotional Support:

What distinguishes genetic counseling in Pune is its commitment to personalized care and emotional support. Beyond the scientific data, genetic counselors in Pune invest time in understanding the unique concerns and aspirations of each individual. This human-centric approach not only demystifies the complexities of genetic information but also provides a supportive environment for individuals and families to navigate the emotional aspects of their genetic journey.

Reproductive Health and Family Planning:

A significant facet of genetic counseling in Pune revolves around reproductive health and family planning. Genetic counselors collaborate closely with reproductive health specialists to guide couples through the complexities of genetic compatibility, potential risks, and family planning decisions. This comprehensive approach ensures that families in Pune can make choices aligned with their values and aspirations, laying the foundation for a healthy genetic legacy.

Community Outreach and Education:

Pune's commitment to genetic well-being extends beyond the clinic walls. Genetic counseling services actively engage in community outreach programs, conducting workshops, seminars, and awareness campaigns. These initiatives aim to educate the public about the importance of genetic counseling in preventive healthcare, fostering a culture of awareness and empowerment.

Conclusion:

In the heart of Pune, genetic counseling emerges not just as a service but as a transformative force, decoding the intricate language of our genetic destiny. The city's dedication to providing expert guidance, leveraging cutting-edge technology, and fostering personalized care sets the stage for a future where individuals can navigate their genetic landscapes with confidence and resilience. Pune's genetic counseling is a testament to the harmonious integration of tradition and progress, offering a beacon of hope for a healthier and more informed tomorrow.

[shubhragoyal]

Pre-pregnancy counseling: Your stepping stone to parenthood. Get expert guidance and prepare for a healthy and informed pregnancy journey.

Learn more: https://www.drshubhragoyal.com/welcome/blogs/pre-pregnancy-counseling:-a-stepping-stone-to-parenthood

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The federal government has introduced legislation that would require charities providing reproductive health services to state clearly whether they offer abortion or abortion referrals. Organizations that fail to clearly tell their clients whether they provide these services could risk losing their charitable status. Marci Ien, the minister for women and gender equality, said Tuesday the legislation is meant to combat the spread of "misinformation" by some charities that operate crisis pregnancy centres. "People are walking in the doors of pregnancy crisis centres expecting to receive information on all options that are available to them," Ien told a press conference. "They are met with organizations that are imposing their anti-choice convictions on them."

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @newsfromstolenland

[mush-dooms]

MISSOURI VOTERS!!!

ABORTION RIGHTS ARE OFFICIALLY ON THE MO BALLOT THIS NOVEMBER 5

I know tumblr dot com doesn't give a shit about rural, deep red states, but this is HUGE. Missouri has one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the US, allowing exceptions only "to save the pregnant person's life" or "to prevent serious risk to the pregnant person's physical health," and even these have stipulations requiring a mandatory 72-hour waiting period and counseling, parental consent for minors, as well as banning Medicare and insurance from providing abortion coverage

WE CAN CHANGE THIS

Ammendment 3 would change the Missouri constitution, effectively reestablishing reproductive freedom. More specifically, this includes "the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions."

Ammendment 3 also only allows for future legislation restricting abortion access after fetal viability. While this is less than ideal, you have to understand that this is Missouri we're talking about, a state where Trump won in 2020 by a 15% margin. Republicans have already tried (and failed!!!) to have Ammendment 3 removed from the ballot-- they're scared, but we HAVE TO SHOW UP.

A "Yes" vote on Ammendment 3 is in favor of amending the MO constitution and restoring the right to choose what happens to OUR bodies.

WE HAVE A CHANCE TO FIX THINGS

- - - - -

Voter Resources:

October 9 is the deadline to register to vote, and you can do so here: https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri/register

Find a polling place: https://voteroutreach.sos.mo.gov/portal

Register for absentee voting:

Online: https://www.vote.org/absentee-ballot/missouri/

By Mail: https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri/howtovote

Confirm your registration status: https://voteroutreach.sos.mo.gov/portal/

Accepted Forms of Voter ID (required in MO): https://www.sos.mo.gov/voterid

REBLOG TO SPREAD AWARENESS

[trolagygirl2022]

⋆♱✮☽ astrology and education ☽✮♰⋆

🗡 having issues with picking your major? or just interested to see which major/job would suit you? astrology can help!

🗡 the planet we'd have to look at is jupiter! jupiter represents higher education! you can also look into your 9th house or jupiter aspects with other planets.

🗡this post will go over jupiter placements and list out possible majors suited for you!

🗡jupiter 1st house: cosmetology, fashion designs, dermatology, design, craniology. (The first house is also represented by the skull or head!).

🗡jupiter 2nd house: business, agribusiness, dietetics, agriculture, music theory, vocal, any music major (music business, composition, jazz studies, etc.), visual arts.

🗡jupiter 3rd house: communications, media research, advertising, education, journalism, creative writing.

🗡jupiter 4th house: child development, geology, environmental science, architecture, genealogy, biology,

🗡jupiter 5th house: film, theatre, dance, art history, reproductive biology, sculpting, interior design.

🗡jupiter 6th house: nursing, sports management, sports science, kinesiology, health and exercise science, public health, physical therapy, healthcare administration, animal science, forensic science.

🗡jupiter 7th house: romance studies, law and legal studies, business law, political science, (because the 7th house can also be about connections and contracts!! Also Libra rules the 7th house and Libra represents Justice).

🗡jupiter 8th house: thanatology, master of psychotherapy and spirituality, finance, business administration, mortuary science.

🗡jupiter 9th house: tourism, international relations, international business, theology and religious studies, english (or any other languages), physics, astronomy, computer science, foreign policy, history, cultural anthropology, philosophy.

🗡jupiter 10th house: entrepreneurship, sales, marketing, public relations, entrepreneurial studies, economics, public administration.

🗡jupiter 11th house: computer engineering, electrical engineering, cybersecurity, information systems, sociology, social work, humanities, human services.

🗡jupiter 12th house: affective science, neuroscience, psychopathology, psychology, counseling/therapy, pharmaceutical sciences.

[froody]

Hey Roanokers, avoid Blue Ridge Women’s Center with your life. It is a crisis pregnancy center, not a medical facility. They offer ultrasounds and “resources” and “abortion pill reversals” and “reproductive loss counseling”. Not abortions. Not abortion referrals. Not actual financial resources for pregnancy care.

I’m saying this because I’m they’ve starting putting up billboards around Roanoke offering ‘factual abortion inform’ and offering ‘men’s services’ which make it seem like a reproductive health clinic or perhaps a domestic abuse resource.

This place is straight up evil. There are stories of women going in to confirm a wanted pregnancy and the ultrasound tech trying to bully them into putting their potential child up for adoption, the main goal of this place is to guilt people out of abortion, not to help pregnant people. They provide grief counseling to men who’s partners decided to abort a pregnancy. Do not go there for any reason.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Judd Legum and Rebecca Crosby at Popular Information:

This November, Florida residents will decide whether to amend their state constitution to protect reproductive rights, overturning the state's near-total abortion ban after six weeks of pregnancy. If Amendment 4 passes, the following text would be added to the Florida Constitution: "No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider."  The primary group supporting Amendment 4, Floridians Protecting Freedom, is running television ads supporting its passage. One such ad is a first-personal narrative of a woman named Caroline who was diagnosed with brain cancer while pregnant with her second child. "The doctors knew that if I did not end my pregnancy, I would lose my baby, I would lose my life, and my daughter would lose her mom," Caroline says in the ad. "Florida has now banned abortion, even in cases like mine." Caroline urges voters to support Amendment 4 to "protect women like me." 

On October 3, the Florida Department of Health sent a letter to Mark Higgins, the General Manager of WFLA, Tampa's NBC affiliate. The letter, sent by Florida Department of Health General Counsel John Wilson, claimed that airing the ad violates Florida law. Wilson cites Florida's law against "sanitary nuisance," which prohibits "the commission of any act… by which… the health and lives of individuals… may be endangered." Wilson argues that WFLA's decision to air the ad could "threaten or impair the health and lives of women." Wilson advised Higgins that, now that he has been notified that the ad is creating a "sanitary nuisance," WFLA must stop airing it within 24 hours. Failure to do so, Wilson writes, would be a crime punishable by up to 60 days in prison under Florida law. The letter was first reported by investigative reporter Jason Garcia. 

Aaron Terr, Director of Public Advocacy for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a non-profit dedicated to preserving free speech, told Popular Information that the Florida Department of Health letter stretches "the meaning of sanitary nuisance beyond recognition." The statute deals with issues like "untreated or improperly treated human waste," "[t]he keeping of diseased animals," and the "causing of any condition capable of breeding flies, mosquitoes, or other arthropods capable of transmitting diseases." While the statute includes a catch-all for "any other condition determined to be a sanitary nuisance," there is no mention of political ads.

Floridians Protecting Freedom, in an October 4 letter to WFLA, rejects the Florida Department of Health's contention that the ad is false. In the letter, Floridians Protecting Freedom notes that Caroline "was diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer at 20 weeks pregnant" and "the diagnosis was terminal." Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) has advised that abortion is permitted after six weeks of pregnancy only if there is "an immediate threat to the pregnant person's life." The AHCA has said that premature rupture of membranes, ectopic pregnancy, and molar pregnancy meet that standard. None of those exceptions applied to Caroline. 

Fascist bully Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his regime are threatening arrests of TV executives that dare to air the “Caroline” ad from pro-Amendment 4 group Floridians Protecting Freedom. This is all part of DeSantis’s war on freedom of speech and abortion rights.

[aleaqmcure]

Keep Yourself & Your Baby Healthy with Pregnancy Exercises for a Smooth Delivery

Incorporating prenatal exercises into your pregnancy routine is essential for ensuring both your well-being and your baby’s health. Let’s debunk common pregnancy exercise myths and explore the benefits of staying active during each trimester.

We at Aleaqmcure have experienced Physiotherapists and Yoga experts who can help you with the Prenatal exercises to solve your pregnancy problems.Aleaqmcure helps you with pregnancy exercises with keep yourself and your baby healthy for a smooth delivery.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Nick Anderson

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

October 8, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Oct 08, 2024

“It’s been a tradition for more than half a century that the major party candidates for president sit down with 60 Minutes in October,” host Scott Pelley said to the camera last night before 60 Minutes aired an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. This year, both Harris and Republican nominee former president Donald Trump accepted an invitation for an interview.

“Then a week ago,” Pelley said, “Trump backed out. The campaign offered shifting explanations. First it complained that we would fact-check the interview. We fact-check every story,” Pelley said. “Later, Trump said he needed an apology for his interview in 2020. Trump claims correspondent Leslie Stahl said in that interview that Hunter Biden’s controversial laptop came from Russia. She never said that.

“Trump has said his opponent doesn’t do interviews because she can’t handle them. He had previously declined another debate with Harris, so tonight may have been the largest audience for the candidates between now and election day. Our questions addressed the economy, immigration, reproductive rights, and the wars in the Middle East and Europe. Both campaigns understood this special would go ahead if either candidate backed out.”

And with that, 60 Minutes aired its interview with Vice President Harris.

Trump broke a fifty-year tradition so his false world would not be challenged by reality. He apparently wants to make sure voters cannot base their decisions about the country’s future on facts. Hiding reality is in keeping with his continued refusal to release his tax returns or a medical report—even after the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania—or the video from the incident at Arlington National Cemetery, instead insisting that people take him at his word about what happened. 

If voters trust his disinformation campaign, rather than thinking things through for themselves, who will his policies help? 

A bombshell story from a forthcoming book by veteran journalist Bob Woodward today revealed that in 2020, when he was president, Trump secretly shipped Covid-19 testing equipment to Russian president Vladimir Putin for his own personal use at a time when Americans could not get it.  

A Trump aide told Woodward that Trump and Putin have spoken as many as seven times since Trump left the White House, prompting Edward Luce of the Financial Times to comment: “What possible business could an out-of-office U.S. president have to call Vladimir Putin seven times?” Woodward recounts a moment when Trump told a senior aide to leave the room so “he could have what he said was a private phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin.” 

The Woodward book also says that when South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham was visiting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, in March 2024, Graham said “Hey, let’s call Trump.” According to Woodward, an aide brought MBS a bag full of burner phones, one of which was labeled “TRUMP 45.”

This news highlights the fact that Trump retained classified documents when he left the White House, carrying them with him to Mar-a-Lago, where he tried to hide them from federal officials. A grand jury indicted him on 37 felony counts for those actions, but Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, dismissed the case in July after concluding that Special Counsel Jack Smith was improperly appointed.  

Trump’s campaign came out swinging after the story broke, with Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung calling Woodward “a total sleazebag who has lost it mentally.”

In contrast to Trump’s disinformation campaign, Vice President Harris is running a normal campaign, offering policy proposals. Today she proposed a plan to permit Medicare to help cover the costs of long-term home health care aides for seniors. Harris announced the plan on ABC’s The View, where she spoke of the so-called sandwich generation, people—mostly women—who are taking care of their elderly parents at the same time they are also taking care of children. “[I]t’s just almost impossible to do it all, especially if they work,” Harris said, adding that many end up having to leave their jobs. She also called for Medicare to cover vision and hearing care to enable seniors to live independently for longer.  

Harris said the money to pay for the new services will come from savings realized through Medicare’s new ability to negotiate drug prices—an ability Republicans are eager to end—and through cracking down on Medicare fraud. A fact sheet about the plan emphasizes that it will enable the government to work with the private sector to expand the home care workforce and provide more access to telehealth. 

Her plan also calls for stopping states from seizing family homes of recently deceased Medicaid beneficiaries to restore funding, a program called “Medicaid estate recovery.” Those seizures particularly hurt rural and minority populations, she noted, preventing them from building wealth. 

Reed Abelson and Margot Sanger-Katz of the New York Times note that both expanded home care benefits and drug negotiations are popular. KFF, which conducts health policy research, reports that Medicaid estate recovery has been criticized because it “falls primarily on individuals with limited incomes, raises little revenue, and is applied very unevenly across the states.” 

Deepa Shivaram of NPR noted that a relatively large percentage of middle-aged and older women remain undecided in this race and Harris’s plan speaks to their needs. The plan would also bring more money and care workers into rural towns with aging populations, giving those areas an economic boost.  

In a fact sheet, the Harris-Walz campaign noted that Trump is focused on tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, has repeatedly called for cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, and gave clemency to those abusing the system. As Amy B. Wang and Azi Paybarah explained in the Washington Post: “In his last year in office, Trump commuted the sentences of at least five people who collectively filed nearly $1.6 billion in fraudulent claims through Medicare or Medicaid.”

On The View, Harris said, “In this election, people are ready for a new generation of leadership that’s about fixing problems.” 

The 2020 60 Minutes interview for which Trump demanded an apology last week was the one in which he promised his health care plan was “fully developed,” then angrily walked out. His exit was apparently planned, for shortly after his departure, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany walked up to Stahl with a giant book, saying: “Lesley, the President wanted me to deliver his health care plan. It’s a little heavy.”

Trump and McEnany likely expected that the audience would remember their theatrical move rather than the reality, which was that the book contained no Trump healthcare plan because one didn’t exist. 

Four years later, it still doesn’t. Trump said at the September 10 presidential debate that he has the “concepts of a plan.”

CNN today set a deadline of Thursday for Trump to accept its invitation for an October 23 presidential debate. Harris has already accepted. 

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[shubhragoyal]

Pre-Pregnancy Counseling: A Stepping Stone to Parenthood

Do you have a baby bump? Yes! Then, before you jump in the air with joy, you should take a look at pregnancy counseling, because expecting a baby requires a lot of acceptance and awareness, and that makes it a stepping stone to parenthood, a path of responsibility and mindfulness.

Pre-pregnancy counseling is a motto that pre-empts the certain risk factors pertaining a women’s, the fetus and neonatal health from entering an unfavorable phase. The one-to-one interaction with the professional can be a great aide in optimizing the health care of mother and child, which also extends to the family ties, as their care is invested from the first days.

Education about the pregnancy journey in pre-pregnancy course is open to all genders, sexualities and parents, as they offer a holistic approach to better parenting. Regardless of whether you are planning a pregnancy or using contraception, the pre-pregnancy counseling is applicable to both parties.

As the saying goes, health status can't be the same forever, over growing time potential risks can occur anytime. Thus, pre-pregnancy counseling does not last for a day, but it occurs several times for ensuring a healthy and happy baby journey!

Day in and out whenever an expectant mother gets counselled, fresh knowledge is added to her advantage for handling the situation. There is a certainty of several chronic conditions viz; diabetes, hypertension, thyroid and mental health require monitoring during pre-pregnancy for a desirable outcome.

In the pre-pregnancy counseling sessions, a crucial assessment for examining STDs is a must with a vivid screening for any probable genetic conditions that might pass down to the life growing inside.

The other important matter of concern here is to debrief on possible strong addictions namely, liquor, nicotine consumption, drugs or any other medicines taken for some underlining or nonmedical reasons.

There is also a significant survey conducted on partner violence during intimacy during prepregnancy counseling as it has entirely a direct impact on the mother and child both.

The expert guidance - Suggestions from the desk of the American College of Obstetrician and Gynecologists

The ACOG institute emphasizes the opportunity to stroke the iron hard and discuss overall wellness, and healthy habits as a routine irrespective of the patient for a successful outcome.

“Would you like to become pregnant next year?” Serves the purpose, of the right to speak out one's heart for suitable guidance without coyness.

The goal of prepregnancy counseling is to ensure a pregnancy that is away from the instructions and if any challenges occur one has the tact to handle it with expert guidance.

An annual influenza inoculation is mandatory for every patient unbiased as it is for additional benefit.

Prepregnancy is not limited to basic health checkups and discussions a patient's lifestyle and underlining conditions are crucial to tap on! If discovered to be a specific virus prone or any infection or allergies due to climate/ certain food types must be cautioned beforehand as travelling is a massive no.

Appropriate nourishment and vitamins are so significant for a healthy pregnancy tenure. Always fall back on your medical adviser for the proportion of food intake that suits your body the best during the prepregnancy period.

Read More: https://www.drshubhragoyal.com/welcome/blogs/pre-pregnancy-counseling:-a-stepping-stone-to-parenthood

[celestialprincesse]

Support Palestine🇵🇸

Hello! I'd just like to jump on here to boost an idea I saw on tiktok of how to support those protesting for Palestine.

Obviously, not everyone has the ability to go out and protest, participate in the current encampments on local campuses etc, however, that doesn't mean that you can't help.

Protecting encampments not only supports the safety of those protesting, but also shows solidarity in numbers.

Check to see if any encampments near you have any sort of organised supply drop-off. Food, water, sunscreen and other essentials ensure the safety of those actively protesting, and allow protests to be longer and stronger.

Everyone can amplify the voices of those fighting for Palestine.

Catt Knarr - Communications Director at the U.S Campaign for Palestinian rights

Amnesty International - five Palestinian voices

Al Jazeera - digital apartheid and the silencing of Palestinian voices on social media

If you can, donate to a trusted source. I've linked a few below.

UN Crisis relief

UN Population fund - the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, aiming to support pregnant Palestinian women through supplying medicines and providing counselling services.

Medicins sans frontières - Work to supply medical essentials and humanitarian support to those in Gaza. They also provide frequent updates as to how they're responding to the ongoing crisis and how best to support the cause.

PCRF - Palestine Children's Relief Fund provides medical and humanitarian relief to children throughout Palestine, regardless of their nationality or religion.

Hirbawi is the only current active producer of Keffiyeh/Kufiya, a symbol of resistance against occupation, in Palestine.

[mariacallous]

Right-wing American Christian groups that oppose sexual and reproductive rights are significantly increasing their spending in Africa, according to a new data analysis published ahead of a U.S. election, which could prove pivotal to abortion access both inside and outside the country.

Research by the nonprofit Institute for Journalism and Social Change (IJSC) found that 17 groups increased their Africa spending by 50% between 2019 and 2022, the most recent year for which data is available. The researchers say the data represents only a handful of Christian Right groups but indicates that they are making an increasingly concerted effort to influence abortion policy internationally as well as domestically.

A 2020 investigation by openDemocracy revealed that $54 million dollars flowed from mostly the same U.S. Christian Right organizations to Africa between 2008 and 2018. In Africa, their activities range from helping like-minded politicians obstruct key reproductive health legislation to supporting domestic groups in their fight against progressive abortion-related court rulings—tactics borrowed from the anti-abortion playbook in the United States.

While abortion laws have slowly liberalized across the continent, reproductive rights advocates say campaigning by American right-wing groups that brand themselves as “pro-family” could reverse those changes.

“The work of these groups has multifaceted effects on the continent,” said Martin Onyango, senior legal adviser for Africa at the Center for Reproductive Rights, a U.S.-based advocacy group. “We have seen a proliferation of anti-rights legislation on the continent of Africa, from Ghana to Uganda to Kenya to Malawi. We have groups that are now proposing legislation in parliament to take away fundamental rights—access to reproductive health care—that have been in place on the continents for decades.”

Many of the groups named in the report have close ties to former President Donald Trump and his administration and have influenced Trump on reproductive rights issues. Several are on the advisory board for Project 2025, a set of policy proposals seen the probable playbook for a second Trump term.

American anti-abortion groups have campaigned in Africa for decades in tandem with their fight at home. Bolstered by conservative Republican politicians, the 1973 Helms Amendment, which limits the use of U.S. foreign aid for abortion, was passed after the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling. President Ronald Reagan then enacted the Mexico City policy, known as the global gag rule, which restricts U.S. funding to any international organization that provides, or even counsels on, abortion. The U.S. Christian Right has found Africa, with its strong tradition of Evangelical Christianity, fertile ground for further promoting and spreading its ideology. The result is a global movement that unites anti-abortion groups, religious leaders, and politicians around a common goal: eliminating the right to safe, legal abortion services worldwide.

Despite some liberalization, abortion remains highly restricted in many African countries. As of 2022, abortion was essentially illegal in six African countries and permitted only to save the life of the mother in another 13 countries.

Research has shown that banning abortions increases maternal mortality due to unsafe abortions. As of 2019, sub-Saharan Africa had the highest abortion case-fatality rate of any world region, at roughly 185 deaths per 100,000 abortions, a total of 15,000 preventable deaths every year.

Uganda’s Penal Code prohibits abortion except to save the mother’s life. In 2015, the Ministry of Health approved standards and guidelines on the provision of safe abortion, but those were quickly withdrawn. Onyango says this was partly due to lobbying by right-wing groups, including Family Watch International (FWI), a fundamentalist Arizona-based Christian organization whose spending in Africa increased nearly five-fold from 2019 to 2022.

Court cases challenging the withdrawal of those guidelines have not yet been heard, says Onyango.

“When they’re set for hearing, the bench is quickly reconstituted and the exercise starts again from ground zero,” he said. “And it is not by default. It is by clear design that that conversation is not intended to be concluded.”

According to reproductive rights advocates, American right-wing groups are playing the long game in Africa.

“Kenya, Uganda, Ghana appear to be the epicenter of a lot of anti-rights action, and that is where they build a lot of their strategy before exporting them to other countries. … When they leave Kenya, they go down to Malawi, and they replicate the same actions,” said Onyango.

Abortion was illegal in Kenya until 2010, when a new constitution permitted the procedure in a handful of circumstances, including during emergencies or if the life or health of the mother is in danger. Subsequent court decisions allowed abortions in cases of rape and incest and expanded the definition of “health” to include mental health.

But access remains limited, and studies have shown that most Kenyans have limited or inaccurate knowledge of their country’s abortion laws and policies. The legal landscape is confusing, even for medical providers who hesitate to perform the procedure to avoid criminal prosecution.

Ever since Roe v. Wade was overturned in the United States in 2022, reproductive rights advocates have worried that the same thing could happen in Kenya.

“We export a lot of our values and cultures from the United States, so the Roe v. Wade decision was completely misinterpreted here, because in our setting what we got was that abortion has been made illegal in the United States. That’s the message that we got because Roe was overturned,” said Dr. Ernest Nyamato, associate director of quality of care at the reproductive health care nonprofit IPAS.

In Kenya, a conservative group called the Kenya Christian Professionals Forum (KCPF) is appealing two recent court decisions: one affirming that abortion is a fundamental constitutional right, making the arrest of patients and providers illegal, and a second upholding the constitutional right to access abortion when there is a risk to the pregnant person’s health.

The KCPF’s chairperson, Charles Kanjama, denies receiving funding from any American organizations. But its annual report shows that its parent organization, the African Christian Professionals Forum (ACPF), was sponsored in 2023 by FWI. That same year, FWI’s president, Sharon Slater, was a featured speaker at ACPF’s annual conference.

FWI said it was unable to provide comment on this story within the requested time frame.

Part of the challenge of tracking the funding flows is a lack of transparent documentation. “We’re treating what we found as the tip of the iceberg,” said Claire Provost, co-founder of the IJSC. “We didn’t capture all funding from U.S. anti-rights actors into Africa. It’s a diverse and evolving ecosystem, with new organizations being set up all the time.”

The influence of these groups is clearly visible. Their members share training materials with African organizations, travel to the continent for conferences, and sponsor events such as Kenya’s March for Life, an annual demonstration against abortion, says Saoyo Tabitha Griffith, a Kenyan lawyer and women’s rights advocate.

In 2019, Nairobi hosted the ICPD25, a global population and development conference. Across the street from the venue, a few hundred people gathered in opposition to sexual and reproductive rights, including several groups tracked by the IJSC.

Former Trump administration delegates, including Valerie Huber, who was U.S. special representative for Global Women’s Health, were also there. Huber was a chief architect of the Geneva Consensus Declaration, a document submitted by the United States to the United Nations that encourages governments to improve women’s health care without abortion. She now travels across Africa promoting anti-abortion ideology for her nonprofit, the Institute for Women’s Health (IWH), another Project 2025 sponsor.

In a statement, an IWH spokesperson wrote that no IWH funds had been spent in Africa, other than for routine travel expenses, and that IHC has not provided any grants to African groups or individuals, is not partnering in Kenya, and has no plans to increase spending in Africa.

Huber hopes “to improve health and thriving for women, their children, their families, and their communities through high-quality, research-based policy guidance to nations,” the spokesperson wrote.

America’s global abortion policy seesaws back and forth depending on which party holds office, and Griffith said she witnessed years of damaging changes during Trump’s presidency. “I do not think I want to even imagine what a Trump reelection would mean for the women of Kenya,” she said.

[so-i-did-this-thing]

Trans Floridians: "Informed Consent" guidelines are shaping up to be worse than the Harry Benjamin days

The Florida Board of Medicine is discussing the "informed consent" standards today. These will affect trans people, including adults, who are both starting and continuing care.

In short, the guidelines require a prohibitively expensive and difficult to access number of regular assessments for the life of "treatment". (Which, for most of us on HRT is the rest of our lives.) The guidelines look for any opportunity to deny care, from lack of social support to "co-morbidities" that are likely targeting autism, depression, etc.

The specific requirements for you to receive and continue HRT treatment include the following: 1. Meets the current DSM or ICD criteria for gender dysphoria; 2. Mental health and physical conditions that could negatively impact the outcome of treatment have been assessed, with risks and benefits discussed 3. Gender dysphoria is marked and sustained; 4. Demonstrates capacity to consent for the specific gender dysphoria hormone treatment; 5. Does not suffer from psychiatric comorbidity that interferes with the diagnostic work- up or treatment; 6. Has adequate psychological and social support during treatment; 7. Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the risks, benefits, and expected outcomes of HRT as well as the medical and social risks and benefits of sex reassignment surgery; 8. Understands the effect of gender-affirming hormone treatment on reproduction and they have explored reproductive options; 9. Undergoes an evaluation by the prescribing physician at least every 3 months 10. Undergoes a suicide risk assessment by a licensed mental health care professional at least every 3 months; 11. Undergoes laboratory testing, including blood tests, at least every 6 months; 12. Bone (DEXA) scan once a year to allow monitoring of your bone density (bone strength) during treatment, which can be altered by HRT; 13. Annual mental health assessments by a board-certified Florida licensed psychiatrist or psychologist; and 14. Continued counseling with a licensed mental health care professional during the treatment period, with the frequency recommended by the licensed mental health care professional.

Erin covers here:

From Representative Anna V. Eskamani:

Beginning on page 264 of the meeting packet is the draft informed consent forms for tomorrow's meeting. In part it reads -- "Before beginning or continuing HRT, the individual needs to undergo a thorough psychological and social evaluation performed by a Florida licensed board-certified psychiatrist or a Florida licensed psychologist. The psychiatrist or psychologist must submit a letter to the prescribing physician confirming this." https://ww10.doh.state.fl.us/.../06232023_JRL_Publicbook.pdf Licensed mental health counselors and licensed social workers are trained to write evaluation letters. They know most providers have an LCSW or mental health on staff. This is cruel for the sake of bring cruel and designed to make access more difficult.

I experienced the gatekeeping during the Harry Benjamin days, including the mandatory one year "real life test" where you have to live as your gender in all aspects of your life without the benefits of HRT. It was a very stressful and dangerous practice that was designed to crush us.

This is so much worse. Even with my current salary, health benefits, and work from home schedule, I don't see how I could afford the time and money for all the assessments, nevermind how insulting and discriminatory they are.

Trans Floridians should watch this story closely as the Board of Medicine discusses and finalizes these requirements. As of today, these are not final, but in the current state, would mean the end of informed consent in Florida, and all but bans care entirely.