pregnancy
Postpartum Medicaid expansion is the first step to maternal health equity, experts say
Arkansas has the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States: 43.5 deaths from 2018 to 2021 for every 100,000 live births, according to the latest federal data. But the state only extends postpartum Medicaid to 60 days after childbirth. A bill by Rep. Aaron Pilkington, R-Knoxville, aims to change that and would seek to […]
Idaho bans nearly all abortions — and just declined to expand postpartum Medicaid coverage
Without coverage from Idaho’s Medicaid program, Moscow resident Erin Singer is convinced she would have felt forced to seek an abortion when she got pregnant with her son in 2017. And without coverage from Medicaid after she gave birth, Singer wouldn’t have been able to afford the physical therapy required to treat the debilitating pelvic […]
Ending a pregnancy in 14 states leaves few options. Some look to Europe and India for help
The pills came in a dark salmon-colored envelope sealed with a plastic covering that traveled more than 7,000 miles, over a dozen time zones from Nagpur, India, in almost exactly one week. They were placed partially under the doormat of a home in a state with one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the […]
The US remains a grim leader in preterm births. Why? And can we fix it?
Tamara Etienne’s second pregnancy was freighted with risk and worry from its earliest days — exacerbated by a first pregnancy that had ended in miscarriage. A third-grade teacher at an overcrowded Miami-Dade County public school, she spent harried days on her feet. Financial worries weighed heavy, even with health insurance and some paid time off […]
Support systems for pregnant and parenting high schoolers become Arkansas law
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law Friday that would create support systems in public and charter schools for pregnant and parenting teenagers. The Support for Pregnant and Parenting Students Act, or House Bill 1161, passed both chambers of the Legislature without a single “no” vote. It was sent to Sanders’ desk on Wednesday. […]
Arkansas panel votes down requiring paid maternity leave of employers that cover abortion costs
An Arkansas Senate committee voted down a proposed law that would have required companies that pay for employees to receive abortions in other states to also provide 12 weeks of paid maternity leave. Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R-Knoxville) said he introduced House Bill 1006 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and left access […]
Attorneys general from Democratic-led states urge judge to keep abortion pill legal
WASHINGTON — Attorneys general from 21 Democratic-leaning states are calling on a Texas judge to keep the abortion pill on the market, rejecting claims anti-abortion medical groups made in a lawsuit that’s centered on the medication’s approval more than two decades ago. The latest brief in the case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food […]
Attorneys general from 23 GOP-led states back suit seeking to block abortion pill
WASHINGTON — Attorneys general representing nearly two dozen Republican states are backing a lawsuit that would remove the abortion pill throughout the United States after more than two decades, eliminating the option even in states where abortion access remains legal. The state of Missouri filed its own brief in the case Friday while Mississippi Attorney […]
Bill to support pregnant and parenting high schoolers passes Arkansas House
A proposed law meant to help teenage parents in Arkansas finish high school passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday with 98 votes for and none against. The Support for Pregnant and Parenting Students Act, or House Bill 1161, passed the House Education Committee unanimously on Tuesday and has bipartisan sponsorship in both chambers. “We have […]
Bill to help pregnant and parenting teenagers finish high school advances in Arkansas House
A bill that would create support systems for teenage parents in Arkansas schools passed the House Education Committee unanimously Tuesday and will go to the full House for approval. Arkansas has an 87% higher teen pregnancy rate than the rest of the United States and one of the lowest high school graduation rates, said Rep. […]
Remainder of $1M pregnancy resource center grant will be distributed this month
Arkansas’ grant for pregnancy resource centers will assist a total of 23 facilities after distributing the rest of the $1 million grant fund created in 2022, according to the state Department of Finance and Administration. The taxpayer-funded grant supports “crisis pregnancy centers,” maternity homes, adoption agencies, and “social service agencies that provide material support and […]
Mississippi moms and babies suffer disproportionately; Medicaid expansion could help.
During her 14 years working as an OB-GYN in Greenville, Dr. Lakeisha Richardson has seen five patients diagnosed with breast cancer during their pregnancies. Most of them did not have health insurance prior to pregnancy, so going to the doctor for annual checkups was neither affordable nor routine. They missed out on clinical screenings and […]