Latest Pregnancy and childbirth News
In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Taylor Cagnacci moved from California to Tennessee with hopes of starting a new chapter in a state that touts a low cost of living and natural beauty. But she's infuriated by Tennessee's meager social services, which leave her and many other moms struggling...
Regional court faults El Salvador for denying a mother's access to abortion, violating her rights
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — The Inter-American Court of Human Rights on Friday found El Salvador’s government responsible for violating the rights of a young Salvadoran woman who was denied an abortion of her anencephalic fetus in a country with a total ban on abortions. The...
Man sentenced for helping pregnant Chinese women travel to give birth in the US
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California man was sentenced Monday to nearly 3 1/2 years in prison for running an extensive business that helped pregnant Chinese women travel to the United States to deliver babies who would automatically have American citizenship. U.S. authorities had sought...
Idaho's strict abortion ban faces scrutiny in federal appeals court hearing
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — A federal appeals court scrutinized the impact of Idaho's strict abortion ban on emergency medical care on Tuesday, weighing whether the ban criminalizing abortions should be enforceable in life- and health-threatening situations. John Bursch, an attorney...
Maternal mortality review panels are in the spotlight. Here's what they do
Efforts to reduce the nation's persistently high maternal mortality rates involve state panels of experts that investigate and learn from each mother's death. The panels — called maternal mortality review committees — usually do their work quietly and out of the public eye. But...
Prenatal blood test can sometimes hint at cancer in moms-to-be
Many moms-to-be opt for blood tests during pregnancy to check for fetal disorders such as Down syndrome. In rare instances, these tests can reveal something unexpected — hints of a hidden cancer in the woman. In a study of 107 pregnant women whose test results were unusual, 52 were...
Rural providers, advocates push Texas Legislature to "rescue" maternal health care system
Twenty five years ago, the Texas Legislature passed a sweeping set of reforms to resuscitate the state’s collapsing rural health care system. Now, health care providers, advocates and local leaders are proposing similarly aggressive action to pull the rural maternity care system...
Zimbabwe court rules against law that denies abortion to marital rape victims and girls below 18
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — A law prohibiting abortion services for women raped by their husbands and girls under the age of 18 is unconstitutional, Zimbabwe’s High Court has ruled. In his ruling handed down on Nov. 22 and made public this week, Judge Maxwell Takuva said since...
Idaho’s ‘abortion trafficking’ law mostly can be enforced as lawsuit proceeds, court rules
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A federal appeals court on Monday ruled that most of Idaho's first-in-the-nation law that makes it illegal to help minors get an abortion without the consent of their parents can take effect while a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality continues. The...
Listeria outbreak tied to Yu Shang Food leaves California infant dead and 10 people sick
A California infant has died and at least 10 other people have been sickened in an outbreak of listeria food poisoning tied to ready-to-eat meat and poultry products that include chicken feet, duck neck, beef shank and pork hock, federal health officials reported Friday. Yu Shang...
