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What Fla.’s 6-week abortion ban signals to the rest of usFlorida's recent abortion ban, which went into effect on May 1, has drastically reduced access to abortion in the state, shortening the timeframe from 15 weeks to just six weeks. Despite this restriction, Floridians will get to vote on whether to add protections for abortion rights to the state’s constitution through an amendment on the November ballot, as reported by Capital B. However, this change has raised concerns among reproductive justice advocates and healthcare providers, especially regarding Black reproductive health. The outlet cites data that shows Black women are more likely than white women to seek abortions, and Florida's Black women have experienced a doubling in pregnancy-related deaths compared to white women from 2010 to 2020.
In the outlet's interview with the Florida Access Network, reproductive justice organizer Ciné Julien bluntly said, “Pretty much in the South, abortion care is null and void.” Alexia Rice-Henry from Access Reproductive Care-Southeast added, “This ban, shrouded in white supremacy, is another attempt to take away our autonomy.”
The ban's impact is also being felt by healthcare professionals who are leaving Florida and the south because they feel unsafe providing the full spectrum of reproductive care they've been trained to provide, including abortions. Melanie Andrade Williams from Planned Parenthood of south, east, and north Florida underscores the far-reaching implications of the state’s latest abortion ban, stating that, “the devastating impact of what’s coming hasn’t sunk in yet” for many residents.
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Brittany Ball's caregiving journey: Coping with her grandmother's cognitive declineThirty-one-year-old Brittany Ball's journey as the primary caregiver for her grandmother, Cathy Teague, 73, in California, hasn't been without challenges. In 2022, Brittany officially stepped into the role of caregiver through the state's In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Program, finding herself navigating a role she wasn't prepared for.
Reflecting on her experience in this piece published by Black Voice News, Brittany says, “A lot of the time I just feel ill-informed, ill-equipped. Who do I talk to?” She also shares how taxing this work has been on her personal finances: “My only issue is just the amount of time that I actually have to invest with caregiving, and then not seeing that in the amount that I get paid, or compensated for.” According to a 2024 report published by the Public Policy Institute of California, many care workers earn low pay, somewhere near $15 an hour. Technically, Brittany is only considered a part-time caregiver even though her duties, which also encompass "idle time" (e.g. monitoring her grandmother who tends to wander outside their home at night, waiting with her at the doctor’s office, etc.) extend beyond what she's paid for.
But Brittany shares that her dedication stems from a deep sense of gratitude. Her grandmother took custody of Brittany and her siblings when she was just three days old, preventing them from entering the foster care system when their mother became incarcerated. “She sacrificed a lot,” says Brittany.
Cathy is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and an estimated 93,000 Californians live with the disorder, according to 2021 data from the California Parkinson’s Disease Registry. In the coming decades, one in six Californians over 65 will develop Alzheimer's — another disease also caused by dementia — and conversations about deciding what care options are best for their loved ones based on diagnoses, needs, and affordability will become more prevalent.
Plus: After Calif. gig worker ruling, advocates want protections for contract nurses, too (Black Voice News)
Credit: Helpguide.orgTuning out a negative body imageThis podcast episode of How to Talk to [High Achievers] about Anything features Charlene Hong White, a relatively new actor, who candidly discusses her challenges navigating unrealistic body image pressures in the entertainment industry.
As an Asian American woman who considers herself curvy and not the stereotypical “small, petite Asian woman,” she recalls feeling rejected after being passed up for an acting role that she was well qualified for, which left her questioning her worth. "When I'm put into a situation where the person who gets the role over me is, in so many ways, the industry standard for what maybe an AAPI artist should look like, it is really difficult to separate myself out from that situation and say, ‘Oh yeah, it had nothing to do with my body,’ because in a lot of ways it feels like it had a lot to do with my body," says White.
🎧 Listen to this episode of How to Talk to [High Achievers] about Anything, where podcast host Steven Lewis, a licensed psychotherapist and coach, alongside LWC Studios' founder/CEO Juleyka Lantigua, process what they heard from White's story and discuss self-acceptance and creating one's path when navigating industries that often lack diversity and representation →
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Seeing a missing flier for a former classmate and witnessing law enforcement's apathetic response to the case inspired Haley Omeasoo (Hopi Tribe) to establish her nonprofit, Ohkomi Forensics. Dedicated to addressing the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) crisis, the organization provides crucial forensic anthropology and DNA testing services to these cases →
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