Latest news with #reproductivehealth
Fox News
5 hours ago
- General
- Fox News
Michelle Obama facing backlash over claim about women's reproductive health
Former First Lady Michelle Obama is facing backlash after saying that creating life is "the least" of what a woman's reproductive system does. On the latest episode of the podcast "IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson," the former first lady and her brother were joined by OB/GYN Dr. Sharon Malone, whose husband, Eric Holder, served as Attorney General under former President Barack Obama. During the discussion, the former first lady lamented that women's reproductive health "has been reduced to the question of choice." "I attempted to make the argument on the campaign trail this past election was that there's just so much more at stake and because so many men have no idea about what women go through," Obama said. She went on to claim that the lack of research on women's health shapes male leaders' perceptions of the issue of abortion. "Women's reproductive health is about our life. It's about this whole complicated reproductive system that the least of what it does is produce life," Obama added, "It's a very important thing that it does, but you only produce life if the machine that's producing it — if you want to whittle us down to a machine — is functioning in a healthy, streamlined kind of way." In the same episode, the former first lady seemed to scold Republican men by saying that the men who "sit on their hands" over abortion are choosing to "trade out women's health for a tax break or whatever it is." Obama also criticized Republican women, suggesting they voted for President Donald Trump because of their husbands. "There are a lot of men who have big chairs at their tables, there are a lot of women who vote the way their man is going to vote, it happened in this election." The "Becoming" author's remarks drew criticism from pro-life activists, including Danielle D'Souza Gill, the wife of Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas. The couple announced the birth of their second child earlier in May. "Motherhood is the most beautiful and powerful gift God gave women. Creating life isn't a side effect, it's a miracle. Don't let the Left cheapen it," D'Souza Gill wrote in a post on X. Isabel Brown, a content creator and author, also slammed the former first lady as a "supposed feminist icon." "I am SO sick [and] tired of celebrities [and] elitists attempting to convince you that your miraculous superpower ability to GROW LIFE from nothing is somehow demeaning [and] 'lesser than' for women," Brown wrote. At the time of this writing, Obama's podcast is ranked 51 on Apple Podcasts and doesn't appear on the list of the top 100 podcasts on Spotify. However, it is ranked 91 on the list of 100 trending podcasts on Spotify. The entire episode with Malone is available on YouTube, where it currently has just under 41,150 views so far.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'Big beautiful bill' threatens family planning services in West Virginia
FAIRMONT — President Donald Trump's budget may defund women's health care in some areas should the bill passed by the House of Representatives move through the US Senate unchanged. The bill, H.R. 1, prohibits federal funds from reaching agencies that provide family planning services, reproductive health and related care. However, family planning encompasses more than just reproductive or abortion-related services. 'There's so much more involved than just planning for contraceptives,' Marion County Health Department Director David Whittaker said. 'There's many components. There is breast and cervical cancer screenings, there is sexually transmitted disease testing and pregnancy tests. They get to see a doctor, a physician they may not normally get.' The Marion County Health Department doesn't currently offer family planning, but is working on bringing it back. The service was discontinued during the pandemic. Whittaker said the Health Department is targeting July 1 as the return date for family planning services. Whittaker said broadly, family planning can be considered as women's health care. Family planning provides women with checkups for the underlining symptoms of breast and cervical cancer, which help reduce the risk of cancer. He said the teen pregnancy rate can also be lower in areas that provide a comprehensive family planning program. The rate of sexually transmitted diseases is also lower in communities where family planning programs are utilized. Brian Huggins, health officer at the Monongalia County Health Department, said abortion tends to get mixed into family planning because of Planned Parenthood. In states that haven't banned abortion, Planned Parenthood offers the service. However, abortion is banned in West Virginia, meaning health departments like Monongalia and Marion do not offer the service. Family planning, however, can prevent abortion in the first place by providing people with resources that prevent unintended pregnancies. Children born from unwanted conceptions face higher risks in life. 'A lot of the research has show that children that were unwanted conceptions are at greater risk of being born at low birth weight, of dying in the first year of life, of being abused and not receiving sufficient nutrition for healthy development,' Huggins said. Huggins said funding for family planning is handed down by the federal government to the states, and the state distributes the funds. Funding for family planning programs is paid through Title X grants, handled by the Office of Population of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. According to the office's website, Title X family planning clinics have ensured access to a broad range of services for more than 50 years. According to a locator tool on the website, Fairmont Statue University Student Health receives Title X funds, as does the Harrison-Clarksburg Health Department and Community Care of Clarksburg. Whittaker said the Marion County Health Department has received a notice of award for its family planning clinic from the state government. Huggins said family planning does not fall under basic public health services, meaning it can't use state funds which are reserved for things like immunization. Family planning is considered an enhanced service, so the program either has to make money on its own or the funding has to come from an outside source. The federal government covers the funding for a lot of these services, but few Title X programs exist in the state. If H.R. 1 cuts funding for family planning, Huggins said realistically, family planning wouldn't be available in the state. 'It's just another way that people that are already struggling are probably now potentially going to lose access to birth control they need and may end up with unwanted pregnancies, which comes with additional costs,' Huggins said. 'And I talked about the risks to the babies in those situations. 'And our foster care system in West Virginia is also overwhelmed. To lose family planning services could put more kids into that system.' The teen pregnancy rate in West Virginia is 22.5 births per 1,000 girls. Overall, the teen birth rate declined by 50% from 2007 through 2020. According to Mission WV, a community welfare organization, only 50% of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by 22 years of age. Ninety percent of women who do not give birth as teens graduate high school. With funding for family planning being cut, public health experts like Whittaker and Huggins worry the drop in teen pregnancy might reverse. 'A lot of the people that come in are between the ages of 16 into their late 20s, and that's when you're trying to get your life off the ground,' Huggins said. 'So really being able to give them their choice in this, is really critical and important.'
CBS News
4 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Palm Springs fertility clinics resumes seeing patients after bombing
The American Reproductive Centers in Palm Springs, which was the center of an alleged attack last week, reopened at a temporary location on Tuesday. Less than two weeks after a car bomb destroyed its original building, the full-service IVF lab moved its facilities to the El Mirador Medical Plaza just across the street on Indian Canyon Drive. Now, Dr. Maheer Abdallah and his staff will resume seeing patients looking to build their families and start their reproductive journeys. On the morning of May 17, a 25-year-old who the FBI says has "nihilistic ideations" allegedly bombed the center, destroying it and damaging several other businesses in the process. The suspect, Thousand Palms resident Guy Bartkus, died in the explosion. Bartkus used commercially available chemical products to create the blast, the FBI says. PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA - MAY 17: The damaged front of the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic stands following a bomb blast on May 17, 2025 in Palm Springs, California. A suspected bomber is believed to have post a manifesto to social media before the explosion. One person was confirmed dead at the scene, according to police. David McNew / Getty Images First responders managed to save the embryos located inside the clinic in a fast-acting recovery mission. A tearful Abdallah last week thanked firefighters during a news conference, who he says acted swiftly to preserve the future of many families that day. "I'm thankful that my staff, the patients and all the embryos are safe," Abdallah said. Abdallah vowed that the attack wouldn't deter him from his mission of helping families achieve healthy pregnancies. While the original building is demolished and rebuilt – a process which could take a lengthy amount of time – they'll work out of the El Mirador building and continue to see patients. "We will rebuild," he said. "And I promise it will be on the same site and it will be better than before."
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Kamala Harris cackles about Playboy magazine and delivers 'awe-inspiring' word salad in bizarre interview
Former Vice President Kamala Harris left Australians confused on Sunday during a question and answer session at the Australian Real Estate Conference, as she tried to share a funny story about her mother. Harris sat with real estate industry veteran John McGrath for over an hour during the conference and recalled that her mother was very focused on women's reproductive health, which included sharing her thoughts about 'fibroids' and 'hormones.' 'My mother was actually very funny because she would say, 'You look at the cover of Playboy magazine, let me just tell you, the reason that people are looking at these things, understand what they were developed for the perpetuation of the human species,'' Harris recalled laughing. 'She was very practical that way.' 'A great lady,' McGrath replied shortly before shifting immediately to another question. Video of the exchange in Australia emerged on social media as an attendee at the conference recorded and shared it. Harris also spoke at length about issues important to her but struggled with the concept of humility, circling the idea in a way that suggested she was unclear about what it was. 'I don't aspire to be humble. And I don't recommend it, I think that one must be humble. But to aspire to be humble would be quite inauthentic. If one understands that, just, I mean, there's so much that is magnificent and awe-inspiring about this world and its people. And when you take the moment to just listen to an individual's story, whether it's someone you're sitting next to on the plane or standing in line with at the grocery store, there is so much about this world that we know and we don't know. And that is very humbling to realize the dreams that people have, the struggles that they've overcome and the magnificence of that. To realize the beauty of the human spirit, that we are by nature, I think, as a species, we don't give up.' she said. But Harris wasn't finished, emphasizing the importance of ambition outside of humility. 'Part of the key to our survival is that we are adaptable but we are also ambitious. I applaud ambition. I applaud ambition. I think it is a good thing, to reach, but not without also understanding that in so doing, one must do the hard work. One must understand the context in which they exist. One must be respectful,' she said. Harris also included throwbacks to famous word-salads of her political career including a mention of being 'unburdened by what has been,' the importance of 'speaking truth' and being aware of the significance of the 'passage of time.' 'I think it's very important to understand that people who fight for equality, fight for freedom, they see what can be and are unburdened by what has been they believe in what is possible. So even though it may be characterized as a fight, it really is it should I think be thought of in the context of a fight for something as opposed to against something,' she said. At one point the moderator said he believed her 'best work is ahead of you, for sure, 100 percent.' 'I am unemployed right now,' she said with a smile. 'Go on, let's speak truth.' When she was asked to give advice to young women in the real estate industry, she repeated her motto about not listening to people who tell them to wait their turn. 'I don't hear no. I eat no for breakfast,' she said.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Doctors Dismiss Woman's 'Gut-Wrenching' Pain for Months. Then, She Loses an Organ in Emergency Surgery (Exclusive)
Savannah Stuthers should have been enjoying college, but instead, she was dealing with unknown pain she thought was stemming from her IUD After being consistently denied an ultrasound by her doctors, the 18-year-old's only option was to rush herself to the emergency room A recommended male OBGYN made Stuthers feel heard and was ultimately the one doctor who discovered the real cause of her symptomsAt 18 years old, Savannah Stuthers stopped taking birth control pills and opted for a non-hormonal alternative, eventually deciding on a copper IUD. The full-time student from Fayetteville, Ark., had never experienced irregular or painful periods in high school. It was only after the contraceptive device was inserted in March 2023 that Stuthers started to feel constant pressure, cramping, and persistent spotting. Trusting her intuition, Stuthers sought help from her doctors about the unbearable pain, but her concerns were often invalidated. Months passed and her discomfort deepened into a piercing pain, but by the time she was taken seriously, a scary diagnosis left one of her ovaries beyond saving. In a viral TikTok video series, she explained the condition in more detail using graphic images. 'During the IUD insertion was when I had a feeling something was wrong,' Stuthers tells PEOPLE exclusively. Two weeks into her new IUD, the part-time waitress began bleeding every day and had occasional cramping. However, it wasn't until July 2023 that she started to experience intense symptoms. 'At one point, I was questioning if my IUD had moved because it felt like a knife was being held on the left side of my uterus,' she recalls. As a result, Stuthers asked her doctor for an ultrasound to ensure that the device was in the right place, but her request was turned down. 'The doctor told me she had done this many times and knew it was in the correct spot and everything felt normal and to not worry,' Stuthers reveals. She was even told that it might take her body a year or two to fully adjust to the IUD. Accepting that her pain had become an uninvited constant, Stuthers focused on staying engaged with the other important aspects of her life. In August 2023, she moved to St. Charles, Mo., for college, but her symptoms felt like they were holding her back. 'I downplayed most of my pain because of the doctors never validating my pain," Stuthers explains. "Walking around campus, I would have to walk with a hunched back because it seemed to be the only way to relieve some of the pain." 'I had very low amounts of energy because of this pain, which made me stay in bed most days and nights, which was weird for me because I am very outgoing and like to go do things with friends," she continues. "Since I was told this pain was normal, I felt so weak and lazy for not just powering through it.' Then, in September 2023, Stuthers remembers sending a frantic text to her mother complaining about cramps that felt like they shot up the left side of her body. 'I had this horrible gut-wrenching amount of pressure and pain in my lower left abdomen that made simple tasks feel impossible…the light bleeding turned into very scary, large amounts of bleeding that I had never seen before,' she admits. It was an incredibly frustrating time in her life, and led her to question whether she was just "making things up" because she "had a low pain tolerance." However, one month later, she found herself in the emergency room. After an ultrasound at the emergency room in October 2023, it was revealed that Stuthers had an 8-centimeter cyst on her left ovary and was referred to a male OBGYN in the area. 'He said he was very concerned about the size of the cyst and wanted to perform a laparoscopic surgery that same week,' she said. 'I went into surgery three days later.' Stuthers says it was shocking to have so many female doctors dismiss her concerns in the months leading up to her surgery. 'I didn't feel seen or validated until I was treated by a male doctor," she says. Unfortunately, the procedure failed to reduce the size of the cyst, and Stuthers was notified that it had actually grown to 10 centimeters – the size of her doctor's fist. 'That is when he decided to cut me open like a C-section,' she tells PEOPLE. To his shock, the left ovary was completely detached, cutting off blood flow and ultimately killing it. When he cut into the cyst, he found teeth, hair and fat. The dermoid cyst was identified as a teratoma – 'a rare type of germ cell tumor that may contain immature or fully formed tissue, including teeth, hair, bone and muscle,' according to Cleveland Clinic. 'The doctor was very shocked, he said they are very rare. He also was very upset about me losing my ovary,' Stuthers says. 'When he was telling my mom and I that the cyst grew so big it twisted and killed my ovary, I could see the genuine concern and devastation on his face.' Stuthers' family and friends were also stunned – her mother was especially unsettled by the discovery. Within a day of the surgery, word had spread, and even people she barely knew were texting her about the teratoma after her mom shared the photos. 'That was the last thing I would have ever expected the doctor to tell me,' Stuthers admits. 'I was absolutely disturbed to know I had a tumor that had fully grown molar teeth, hair, and fat growing with me as I grew. That is something you don't want to think is real.' Nevertheless, Stuthers' recovery went smoothly. The most difficult part, she says, was navigating daily life on campus. 'Getting in and out of my tall dorm bed was the biggest struggle of them all,' she explains. 'My roommates were angels and helped me in and out of it for a week.' One year after the surgery, a few more cysts appeared on Stuthers' remaining ovary, though they ruptured on their own. Now, the 20-year-old takes daily birth control pills and skips the placebo week to suppress her menstrual cycle and preserve her right ovary – so far, it's worked. Sharing her story online, however, came with both support and backlash. 'The ones saying I faked it bothered me,' Stuthers admits. 'I am not creative [enough] to make up that kind of thing, nor would I ever lie to get 'views.' It also goes to show that most people don't believe women and the things most of us go through.' She was especially disturbed by comments accusing her of killing a baby. 'Those truly made me realize that not many people are educated or aware of dermoid cysts or teratoma,' she tells PEOPLE. Following her terrifying experience, Stuthers' advice is simple yet powerful: 'Don't let anyone invalidate how you feel… A simple ultrasound could have saved my left ovary and a lot of ongoing pain.' Read the original article on People
