Mayday Health, a New York-based "reproductive health education nonprofit" founded after the Supreme Court killed Roe v. Wade in 2022, is one of countless organizations that have refused to abandon Americans who live in states where abortion is banned. Over the summer, they ran more than 120 mifepristone and misoprostol ads on billboards, trucks, gas stations, and in newspapers in states like Kentucky, West Virginia, and Texas-all of which have a near-total or total abortion ban.
But, infuriatingly, her symptoms were clear: throughout her first trimester, she seized regularly and would be unable to speak for up to 30 minutes at a time. At five weeks pregnant, doctors noticed her hypertension levels were high enough to indicate an imminent heart attack or stroke. At nine weeks, she told her aunt she had a dream of her dead relatives inviting her to the "other side." At 12 weeks, doctors noticed severe clotting in her leg.
Robert F Kennedy Jr is the father of six children. He's also the US health secretary. Two facts that might lead a reasonable person to assume he possesses a basic understanding of how foetuses develop. In a shocking development, however, it seems that Kennedy an anti-vaxxer who says his brain was partly eaten by a parasitic worm may not know what he's talking about.
➡️ We're starting our Friday roundup on a positive note, with a look at how groups like Invisible Histories and the Lesbian Herstory Archives are collecting records and keepsakes from the LGBTQ+ community. "Archiving lesbian history, queer histories, as they are being forcibly removed by fascist regimes ... is important to remind people that we exist." Also, a new, groundbreaking review of IVF outcomes is raising awareness of the risks facing lesbians and transgender men trying to get pregnant.