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ISSUE 49: October 2022

Editors’ Note

Dear Readers,

As you know, we are living in a period of uncertainty and fear when it comes to reproductive healthcare access in Louisiana. College campuses in states with abortion bans are grappling with what these laws mean for their students and employees. The University of Idaho, for instance, stopped providing birth control to students and has issued a statement raising serious questions about the free speech rights of its employees to discuss abortion and related topics. A student at our neighboring University of Loyola was recently prohibited from handing out fliers about a reproductive rights protest.

Last week, Robin Marty, author of The Handbook for a Post-Roe America and operations director at the West Alabama Women's Center, spoke to several groups of Tulane students, employees, and community members. She described the harrowing political climate in Alabama, including a law allowing for the prosecution of anyone helping a person access an out-of-state abortion, as a harbinger of what may be to come in Louisiana. She emphasized how the denial of abortion services will result in an overrun healthcare system that was already inadequate to meet the needs of pregnant-capable people. She pointed to the various ways that people can get involved in protecting the human right to bodily autonomy: organizing (a campaign to canvas pharmacies and ensure they are providing EC over the counter, for instance), civil disobedience (guerilla information-spreading about how to access medication abortion, for instance), and voting in November.

In this issue, we feature interviews with two reproductive justice leaders on Tulane's campus, Divya Kikkeri, president of Students United for Reproductive Justice, and Kavya Subramanian, executive coordinator of Big Easy EC. These student organizations are working to organize, educate, and provide for their peers. Additionally, Tulane graduate students have organized a demonstration as part of the Graduate Student Action Network happening on campus tomorrow in front of Dinwiddie Hall at 10am (scroll down for details).

We have also included the new abortion access website that Tulane University created in the wake of the Dobbs decision. It is imperative to note that Tulane has resources to support students who need to go out of state for reproductive healthcare. Contact Case Management and Victim Support Services to access these resources.

Many more resources and opportunities are listed below. Please send any feedback about this newsletter to klain@tulane.edu or cdaniel5@tulane.edu.

Sincerely,

Kelsey Lain, School of Liberal Arts, Class of 2023
Clare Daniel, Ph.D., Newcomb Institute, Tulane University
Aliyah Daniels, ReproNews co-founder and editor emeritus, Class of 2018
SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE

An Interview with Divya Kikkeri, President of Students United for Reproductive Justice
Divya Kikkeri, School of Liberal Arts, ‘23

How has Dobbs impacted SURJ?
Dobbs has had a significant influence on SURJ since we are located in Louisiana, where abortion is now illegal. We intend to be a resource for anyone on campus seeking information about their rights as well as access to information. We will keep doing what we are doing, which is disseminating knowledge and engaging in activism.

What does reproductive justice mean to you?
Reproductive justice is the intersection of reproductive rights and social justice. This essential inclusion of intersectionality brings to light the disparities that many women of color endure in the practice of women's health. Often, reproductive justice is associated with equal access to safe abortion, affordable contraceptives, and comprehensive sex education, as well as freedom from sexual violence. The women's rights movement was often led by white women and did not represent the issues that marginalized women of color face, therefore a group of black women created the term reproductive justice. There are many factors that contribute to one's reproductive health decisions that include race, class, gender, and sexual orientation.

What work is SURJ currently doing?
SURJ is working with Tulane staff and other community members to support reproductive health while also educating our own members. On October 24th, we will have a discussion regarding sexual health with Dr. Kissinger. We are also working on establishing feminine hygiene product donation boxes around campus to aid local shelters. We have a lot more planned for this semester!

How can Tulane students, faculty, and affiliates become more involved with SURJ?
Coming to our meetings as well as reaching out to someone on the e-board is the best way to get involved with SURJ. Also following our Instagram: surjtulane is where we post volunteer opportunities, speakers, meeting updates, and more.

 

An Interview with Kavya Subramaniam, President of Big Easy EC 
Kavya Subramaniam, School of Liberal Arts, ‘23

How has Dobbs impacted Big Easy EC?
The Dobbs decision has not significantly impacted Big Easy EC's operations, something we are extremely thankful for. EC continues to be legal in the state of Louisiana and we are actively providing EC to those who request it. The only impact we have seen is difficulty in locating a supply source, due to many pharmacies stocking up on doses of EC for the future. Thankfully, through our partnership with Tulane Campus Health and Plan B NOLA, we have not seen this be an issue. 

What does reproductive justice mean to you?
To me, reproductive justice is intersectional. It supports a choice among all human beings to control their own sexuality, gender, and reproductive health. In intersecting social and economic factors, reproductive justice focuses on an understanding that reproductive choices are a personal decision, and many variables can go into making such decisions. 

What work is Big Easy EC currently doing?
Big Easy EC offers a 24/7 free and confidential line to deliver pregnancy tests and emergency contraception kits to Tulane and Loyola students. We are actively committed towards making our presence on campus known more and providing an opportunity for individuals who request our kits to get the items delivered to them or a location of their choice. We currently provide on-campus deliveries for both Tulane and Loyola campuses. Beyond our confidential line, we also are in partnership with Campus Health to provide our organization with doses of EC directly from the pharmacy. Big Easy EC is also currently working with Plan B NOLA to potentially expand our service area, partner with their organization, and recruit volunteers from other colleges/universities nearby.

How can Tulane students, faculty, and affiliates become more involved with Big Easy EC?
Big Easy EC is going to start a new volunteer recruitment process for the spring semester soon. We are envisioning the application to open in December and have new volunteers fully trained by mid-January. Our Instagram (@bigeasyec) will contain updates regarding this. Aside from prospective volunteers, if any staff members would like Big Easy EC to talk to their class/TIDES/COLQ course, we are more than happy to discuss EC, accessibility, and our work on campus!
MUTUAL AID
Delta Clinic GoFundme
Delta Clinic, one of three abortion clinics in Louisiana, is fundrasing for six months' severance pay for all staff members. Click the link above the donate!
Temporary aid for Hope Medical Group employees
 
Support Louisiana clinic relocation!
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESOURCES
This guide also includes resources created by local community organizations.
Abortion Access for Students
In the wake of the Dobbs decision, Tulane University has created a website about abortion access. The university has the capacity to support students financially who need to leave the state for reproductive healthcare. In order to access this support, contact Case Management and Victim Support Services.
HIVE (Healing, Inspiration, Voice and Equity) Leadership Development and Network Building Program Application Now Open!
Since 2017, over 40 participants committed to reproductive health, rights, and justice from across Louisiana have participated in HIVE. Now, the HIVE Leadership Development and Network Building Program is getting ready to launch its fourth full cohort! This program is facilitated by CompassPoint and funded by The David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Applications launch in late October of 2022.
 
Feminist Camp Registration Now Open!
"You're someone with a passion for feminism but you're not quite sure how that's going to translate into your professional life. Or, you're sick of hearing people ask you "what you can do" with a Women's/Gender Studies degree. Our flagship Feminist Camp program in the Big Apple is designed to help you identify your next steps for applying your feminist passion to your professional or beyond-college life. Use your extra-curricular time to attend a Broadway show, visit a world-class museum, grab a drink at Stonewall, see the Statue of Liberty, or go shopping at radical feminist bookstore Bluestockings."
 
SAPHE Application Now Open!
"Interested in joining SAPHE? Come learn more about the work SAPHE does and get your questions answered at our interest meetings. See you there!"
Connecting the Community for Maternal Health: NIH Challenge
"On average, 700 people die each year of pregnancy-related causes in the United States. The racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in these maternal deaths are stark. For example, American Indian/Alaska Native and Black women are two to three times as likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause compared to white women.  Identifying core risk factors and improving outcomes for under-represented groups of women - including African American/Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic/Latina - means engaging these communities in the research process to ensure their needs and expertise are captured.  As part of  NIH’s Implementing a Maternal health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) initiative, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is sponsoring this challenge to encourage and reward non-profit organizations that do not typically participate in the federal research granting process to develop research capabilities and pursue research projects in the area of maternal health.

The goal of this challenge is to help community-based or community-oriented 501(c)3 (non-profit) organizations develop the infrastructure and capabilities needed to pursue maternal health research in areas that specifically impact their communities.  These advocacy, local community, faith-based, and other similar groups will receive training and mentoring in writing research proposals and assistance in building the infrastructure required for research activities.  There is a total prize purse of $3.038M, and winning organizations will also receive non-monetary incentives such as training and mentoring."
 
Podcast: An Abortion Story
"How are we not advanced enough as a society where women are equal to men? Alex Cooper examines the reality women are facing in the fight to preserve autonomy over their bodies.

This episode discusses adult subject matter, including descriptions of sexual assault and rape and is intended for adult consumption only. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, confidential 24/7 help is available. Chat online at: http://online.rainn.org. Call someone at: 800.656.4673."
2017-2019 Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review Report
"Maternal health outcomes help assess the overall well-being of communities. In the United States, where the maternal mortality rate is the highest among all developed countries, the deaths of mothers happen far too often. The Louisiana Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review (PAMR) Committee works to understand pregnancy-associated deaths through epidemiological surveillance and multidisciplinary case review. A pregnancy-associated death is defined as a death that occurs during pregnancy or within one year of the end of pregnancy, regardless of the cause. The purpose of this review is to bring awareness to this public health issue and to create actionable recommendations to prevent future deaths."
Call for Papers!
"History of Pharmacy and Pharmaceuticals, the official journal of the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy (AIHP), is pleased to announce a call for papers for a special issue: “Regulating Reproduction in the History of Pharmaceuticals and Drugs.” Guest editors for the special issue will be Dr. Kelly O’Donnell of Yale University and Dr. Lauren MacIvor Thompson of Kennesaw State University.

This special issue seeks to reframe histories of reproduction and reproductive control by centering the varied substances that have been used, prohibited, regulated, and celebrated for their role in human procreation. This special issue also will help address an understudied area of pharmacy and pharmaceutical history at a particularly propitious moment in history.

To submit a proposal for the special issue, please send a 300-word abstract and 2-page CV to guest editors Kelly O’Donnell and Lauren MacIvor Thompson at hoppeditors@gmail.com by October 15, 2022."
ACLU of Louisiana's Rural Communities Advisory Table Application
"The ACLU of Louisiana is now accepting applications for the second iteration of the Rural Communities Advisory Table, our annual, 6 month-long organizing & leadership development opportunity.

The purpose of this Table is to increase capacity for local and statewide efforts to protect civil liberties, to strengthen partnerships between the ACLU of Louisiana and rural community leaders, and to provide rural activists and organizers an avenue for networking and leadership development.

Our ideal candidate is someone who resides in a rural town with less than 50,000 people, have some experience coordinating local support groups/events, and be interested in representing and making change for their home community at a statewide level. Black people, Latina/o/x people, Indigenous people, people of color; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and/or asexual people; women; people with disabilities; protected veterans; and formerly incarcerated people are all targeted demographics. If you would like support in completing this application or if you have questions, please email arobinson@laaclu.org."
Sista Midwife Job Openings
"Sista Midwife Productions is expanding and we are in search of a few PASSIONATE individuals to join our team! Experience as a birth worker is NOT required. 

Specifically, we are interviewing for the following positions:
  • Operations Manager
  • Training Coordinator
  • Program Manager
Think you wanna join our team? Know someone who may be a good fit? Use the links below to access the job descriptions and to get additional information. We are expanding our search for our Training Coordinator and Program Manager beyond Louisiana so please spread the word! "

Join us to end the Red Zone on Tulane University’s Campus by:  
Creative Community League's Guide to Abortion in Louisiana
"This guide addresses the changing landscape post-Roe and the recent announcement that all three Louisianal clinics are relocating.

Thus, the guide offers both local and national resources in finding the nearest abortion clinic and securing financial assistance, as well as resources for practical support, self-manage abortion, emergency contraception, and midwife and doulas, among other information and resources."
NOAF Hotline
"In the South and need an abortion? 
Give us a call at 844.44.ABORT (844.442.2678)

Our name may say New Orleans, but we partner with callers from across the Gulf South to connect them with the funding and resources they need to access legal abortion care. If you are traveling from Louisiana or the surrounding states for care in a state where abortion is legal, give us a call. 

We provide compassionate support to affirm the dignity of people seeking abortion care."
Call for Proposals: Black Birth Matters 2022
"Birthmark Doula Collective cordially invites you to submit your proposal for the #BlackBirthMatters conference on October 29, 2022 happening virtually based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Use this form to submit your proposal for a workshop, art exhibition, or performance of music or spoken word."
NIH Funding Opportunity Due November 2!
"This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications to participate as a Research Center as part of the Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence initiative. The purpose of this initiative is to generate innovative approaches to address preventable maternal mortality, decrease severe maternal morbidity, and promote maternal health equity in partnership with one or more populations that experience maternal health disparities, including but not limited to, Blacks/African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, underserved rural populations (e.g., living in maternity care deserts), or sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations. Persons with disabilities are also a priority population."
Request for Grant Proposals!
"The Society of Family Planning Research Fund is excited to announce the Honoring community-based organizations as knowledge generators request for proposals. This new funding opportunity aims to support and elevate the knowledge of individuals working at community-based organizations, with a focus on lifting up knowledge that centers the needs and preferences of communities whose access to abortion care is constrained by systems of oppression. Individuals working in community-based organizations, with their deep knowledge about communities’ needs, trusted relationships, and focus on communities who experience structural oppression, are essential partners in creating a world in which access to abortion is truly equitable."
Glossary: Abortion Bans, Restrictions and Protections
Birthmark Doula: New Spanish Language WhatsApp Line!
"Birthmark Doula Collective has had the longtime desire to make our services accessible to the Spanish speaking Latinx community in New Orleans and beyond. Last year we added a Language Justice coordinator, Joan, to our team and today we are finally able to launch our first big effort. We are happy to announce that we are launching our Spanish contact number and WhatsApp profile. A service created for the community that we seek to serve.

This will allow us to meet our clients where they are, making it easily accessible and familiar while providing them with an equitable service that matches our current system in English.

We invite you to share this information with your clients, colleagues and friends who are Spanish speakers or work with the Latinx community."
2022 Constituent Meetings with State Lawmakers
"Lift Louisiana and 10,000 Women are seeking advocates around the state to schedule meetings with your state Senators and Representatives. If you are interested in meeting with your lawmaker(s), please complete this form. Our goal is to schedule these meetings in September and October of 2022. We will provide a toolkit that will contain everything you need to schedule and hold a meeting, including sample emails, contact information, talking points and fact sheets"

Tulane Child And Family Lab Mom Power Study
The Tulane Child and Family Lab is recruiting Moms of kids aged 3-5 who qualify for WIC, FITAP, Medicaid or Headstart to be a part of Mom Power! This program is a 10-week intervention in the form of a support group or informational mailing focused on reducing maternal stress and improving maternal and child mental health. Participants can earn between $150-$300 and interested Mothers should contact Anna at 504-206-2910 or at childandfamilylab@gmail.com
Tulane Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health 
Click the link above to follow TulaneMCH and stay up to date on local legislation, jobs, and new research concerning maternal and child health.
FEATURED NEW RESEARCH
Cultivating the Ideal Obstetrical Patient: How Physicians-In-Training Describe Pain Associated With Childbirth, Social Science & Medicine, November 2022

Substantive and Political Learning among the US States: Abortion Policy Diffusion, 1993–2016, Cambridge University Press, September 16, 2022

Abortion Access as a Racial Justice Issue, The New England Journal of Medicine, September 7, 2022

Abortion after Dobbs: Defendants, denials, and delays, Science Advances, September 7, 2022

Trends in Pregnancy-Associated Homicide, United States, 2020, American Journal of Public Health, September 2022

A Cross-Sectional Study Examining Consideration of Self-Managed Abortion Among People Seeking Facility-Based Care in the United States, Reproductive Health, August 12, 2022

Clinicians’ Perspectives on Racism and Black Women’s Maternal Health, Women's Health Reports, May 2022

Contraception Deserts: The Effects of Title X Rule Changes on Access to Reproductive Health Care Resources, Cambridge University Press, February 2022
NEWS ITEMS
Campus/Local

Student Stopped from Handing Out Fliers for Pro-Abortion Protest, The Loyola Maroon, September 30, 2022

NOLA City Leaders Consider Protection Against Slum Lords With “Healthy Homes” Ordinance, WGNO, September 29, 2022

Louisiana woman carrying unviable fetus forced to travel to New York for abortion, The Guardian, September 14, 2022

Louisiana’s abortion restrictions prompt calls for conference venue change, Nature, September 6, 2022

Campus Health remains resource for reproductive health post-Roe, Tulane Hullabaloo, September 5, 2022

While abortion is illegal in Louisiana, state leaders, activists, organizations speak out, Shreveport Times, September 3, 2022

New Orleans Hopes Giving Young People a Guaranteed Monthly Income Can Break the Cycle of Poverty, PBS, May 20, 2022


National and International

Colleges Must Protect Students Who Seek Abortions, Education Department Says, The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 4, 2022

How Overturning ‘Roe’ Affects College Students From Anti-Abortion States, Rewire News Group, September 28, 2022

‘It’s Making Us Accomplices’: A University Tells Faculty to ‘Remain Neutral’ on Abortion Discussions in Class, The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 26, 2022

Indigenous midwifery center aims to revitalize culturally centered birth practices, The Oregonian, September 24, 2022

These male politicians are pushing for women who receive abortions to be punished with prison time, CNN, September 21, 2022

Black Women and Their Labor Are Still Underpaid and Undervalued, Ms., September 20, 2022

In States Where Abortion is Banned, Children and Families Already Face an Uphill Battle, The Conversation, September 15, 2022

Democrats call Indiana’s near-total abortion ban a ‘death sentence’, The Guardian, September 15, 2022

U.S. Senate Republicans Introduce Nationwide Abortion Ban: ‘This Once-Hypothetical Nightmare Is Here’, Ms., September 15, 2022

Poll: Americans say politicians aren't ‘informed enough’ to set abortion policy, Politico, September 15, 2022

Lindsey Graham’s Unbelievably Cruel Abortion Ban, The New York Times, September 14, 2022

A New Approach to Domestic Violence, Politico, September 14, 2022

Medical Impact of Roe Reversal Goes Well Beyond Abortion Clinics, Doctors Say, The New York Times, September 9, 2022

Pregnant women held in Alabama jail for months to ‘protect foetuses’ after drug arrests, The Independent, September 8, 2022

Reproductive Rights and the Racial Wealth Gap, Medium, September 7, 2022

Dorothy Roberts Tried to Warn Us. The legal scholar wrote about the criminalization of pregnancy 25 years ago. Why didn’t more of us listen?, Intelligencer, September 6, 2022

‘They’re getting killed among women’: Skeptical female voters stand in way of GOP Senate, Politco, September 6, 2022

Abortion Pill Providers Experiment With Ways to Broaden Access, The New York Times, September 3, 2022

Black Women College Activists Have Reproductive Rights On Their Minds, Forbes, September 1, 2022
EVENTS

Campus/Local
Demonstration for Reproductive Rights
Tulane Graduate Student Action Network
10AM CST, October 6, 2022
Tulane University
"On October 6th, students around the country are organizing demonstrations and walk-outs to demand bodily autonomy. Because Tulane is officially on Fall Break at that time, Tulane students (and others!) are holding a teach-in. At this event, we'll have opportunities for students to take action nationally as well as locally (networking, registering to vote, demanding free speech on campus).

Feel free to join us outside of Dinwiddie Hall at 10 am on Thursday for sign making, or meet us at Pocket Park after 11 to learn about resources and ways to fight for bodily autonomy. We're especially looking for folks to come and represent groups that others can become involved in, or whose work other students can support. If you have fliers, banners, or stories to share, we welcome all those things.

Wear green to show support!"
Jim Crow Convictions: A Freedom Flicks Screening
Promise of Justice Intiative & The Center for Constitutional Rights
6 - 9PM CST, October 6, 2022
New Orleans, LA
"Join the Center for Constitutional Rights and The Promise of Justice Initiative on Thursday, October 6, 2022, for a community screening and talkback: Al-Jazeera Fault Lines ’Jim Crow Convictions’ 

The evening event is part of the Center for Constitutional Rights’ long-standing “Freedom Flicks” film series, and coincides with the 10-year anniversary celebration of our partners at PJI. Together we are proud to screen Jim Crow Convictions, a documentary film that investigates the legacies of Jim Crow legislation and follows Brandon Jackson as he fights for his freedom. We are thrilled that Mr. Jackson, who was freed from prison in February after 25 years, will be present for the event. Following the film screening, Mr. Jackson, along with the film producer and movement lawyers from Center for Constitutional Rights and The Promise of Justice Initiative, will discuss their shared work to challenge Jim Crow Juries, a relic of institutionalized white supremacy that has allowed people to be criminally convicted and sentenced by non-unanimous juries. We will also be joined by Participatory Defense Movement Louisiana."
Our Lineage: Tour & Tea
Black Birth Matters
10:30AM CST, October 8, 2022
New Orleans, LA
"Brittany, an accomplished birth worker, administrative assistant, and tour guide, will lead you around the historic French Quarter. Chae, the Supreme Midwife, will lead a babywearing demonstration to kick off this one-of-a-kind tour.

This tour will provide both historical and contemporary context for understanding the birth-work landscape in New Orleans' Black community. Here, we'll "spill the tea" on the effects of slavery, get under the veneer of the Black midwife, and bring home the truth that birth is everywhere. As part of our excursion, we will visit locations that are steeped in cultural and spiritual lore that has endured through the ages and continues to have significant relevance in modern society.

Maybe you've pondered why you keep coming back to New Orleans, but you never quite pinned it down. Have you come here with the intention of visiting, only to find yourself settling down and making this place your permanent home instead? Are you from Lousisiana, love history and need a fun Saturday activity?

Come walk with us and discover why New Orleans is the perfect spot to give birth to everything, from new ideas and relationships to new music and even new babies, with the insider information you'll get on this trip. By the time we reach Congo Square, our cups and our stomachs will be full."
Women's Wave - Baton Rouge
Women's March
2pm CST, October 8, 2022
Baton Rouge, LA
"Join us on Saturday, October 8th for a national day of action to help us send the message: Women demand our rights.

Women all around the country are uniting for a fall of reckoning. We will not sit back and accept the attacks on our families, future, and our freedom.

And since October 8th marks 30 days until Election Day, we’re more fired up than ever to elect more women and pro-choice candidates around the country — we’re ready for the Women’s Wave!

Join us October 8th at 2pm Central!"
Film Screening and Panel Discussion: Give Light: Storie from Indigenous Midwives
Give Light
7:00PM CST - 9:00PM CST, October 11, 2022
LBC 203, Tulane University
"GIVE LIGHT: Stories from Indigenous Midwives brings the voice of Indigenous Midwives to the maternity care dialogue. Documentary filmmaker Steph Smith criss-crosses the globe posing the questions: “why are the benefits of the traditional midwife practice absent in most modern care?”

The US has the highest maternal and infant mortality rates among comparable developed countries, and

Black women across the income spectrum are dying from preventable pregnancy-related complications at 300-400% higher rates of other American women (from the Center for American Progress 2019). 

Stacey Stewart, president of March of Dimes, shared chilling statistics on how “... the U.S. is the most dangerous place in the developed world to give birth.,”

In penetrating interviews, nine indigenous midwives from five continents discuss the benefits and challenges to their profession.  GIVE LIGHT examines traditional midwifery, juxtaposed with modern obstetrics to bridge the gap between traditional wisdom and modern technology."
Women on Wednesday U.S. Congressional Candidate Forum
LIFT Louisiana & 10,000 Women Louisiana
7PM CST, October 12, 2022
"Join 10,000 Women Louisiana and Lift Louisiana on October 12, 2022 at 7pm for a Women on Wednesday Candidate Forum for a virtual candidate forum with the candidates for Congressional districts 1 and 3. Candidates will answer questions on women and family issues such as reproductive health, economic security, child care, and much more!"
2022 Office on Women's Health Celebration
Louisiana Center for Health Equity (LCHE) & Campaign to Establish the Louisiana Office on Women’s Health
3 - 5:30PM CST, October 16, 2022
Baton Rouge, LA
"Join us in the Capital City at the Campaign to Establish Louisiana Office on Women's Health Celebration. Enjoy great speakers, networking, delicious food and drink, entertainment, and most importantly a commemoration of our campaign and its leaders as we reflect on our journey and discuss where we go from here!

This celebration will be held at the LSU Women’s Center and will be to recognize and honor those who worked for years in the Louisiana Center for Health Equity’s Campaign to Establish Louisiana Office on Women’s Health that culminated with the creation of an office. There will also be a panel presentation by some of our campaign partners and leaders in the field of women’s health."
Weaving the We
Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast
6:30 - 9:00PM CST, October 18, 2022
New Orleans, LA
Join PPGC's annual New Orleans fall celebration! RSVP now to enjoy an evening with PPGC in City Park.
Black Birth Matters : Healing our Wounds and Wombs
Birthmark Doula Collective
October 29, 2022
"Black Birth Matters is a virtual conference that will feature workshops, panel discussions, open dialogue, art, and healing on issues at the intersections of birth and social justice. All are welcome. However, the black experiences is centered. This year's conference theme is “Healing Our Wounds and Wombs" featuing Sabia Wade. All funds raised during this event will provide free doula services to low-income families of color in New Orleans. Can’t wait to see you there! #BBM2022"
Conceiving Equity, featuring the 11th annual Roe v. Wade lecture by Prof. Kimala Price
Newcomb Institute of Tulane University
6:00 - 8:00PM CST, January 26
More details to come.
teenREACH
Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast
"teenREACH empowers Houston & Louisiana teens to educate their peers and families about sexual health topics and healthy decision-making. Teens will connect with other young advocates, gain knowledge and leadership skills, and make a lasting, positive impact in their community!"

ProFrequency
Creative Community League
10am CST, Thursday

"Produced and hosted by Amy Irvin, ProFrequency is a weekly radio program that covers culture, reproductive and sexual health, and other feminist issues, utilizing recorded stories and live interviews with local advocates and artists. Co-host Amanda Sanfilippo (aka Dj Vjj) is a local sex educator who answers all your most burning sexual health questions. Join Creative Community League for ProFrequency at 10am CT on Thursdays on 102.3 WHIV FM New Orleans. Or stream it from https://whivfm.org/listen. For further info, follow the CCL on Instagram at @creativecommunityleague"

Upcoming National/Regional
History of the Health Sciences Lecture: The Unexpected Origins of Modern Pro-Life Imagery: The 1939 Dickinson-Belskie Birth Series Sculptures
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
5:50 - 7:10PM EST, October 17, 2022
"The 1939-40 New York City World’s Fair had a surprise hit attraction in a series of sculptures depicting human development from fertilization through delivery.  Sponsored by the Maternity Center Association (MCA) and created by the team of obstetrician Robert L. Dickinson and sculptor Abram Belskie, the “Birth Series Sculptures” had a long second life in book form as the MCA’s acclaimed Birth Atlas, which went through numerous editions into the 1960s.

Professor Rose Holz will discuss the creation and dissemination of this hugely influential yet surprisingly overlooked work of art and its subsequent second life in the Birth Atlas.  The Birth Series sculptures were reproduced in a wide variety of forms and sent out across the United States and overseas, giving rise to modern views of pregnancy decades before Lennart Nilsson’s much-heralded in-utero photographs in Life magazine in the 1960s.

Strikingly, this imagery also foreshadowed by several decades the rise of modern pro-life imagery, even though Dickinson was a firm supporter of abortion for both medical and religious reasons. Thus embedded in the Birth Series is a story that defies modern abortion debates and thus opens up unusual opportunities for dialogue in a hotly contested and deeply entrenched issue."
Prenatal Genetic Testing, Abortion, and Disability Rights
UNC Charlotte Health & Medical Humanities 
10:15AM CST, October 19, 2022
"The routinization of non-invasive prenatal genetic testing (NIPT) raises urgent questions about disability rights and reproductive justice. Supporters defend NIPT on the grounds that genetic information about the fetus helps would-be parents make better family planning choices. Prenatal Genetic Testing, Abortion, and Disability Rights challenges that assessment by exploring how NIPT can actually constrain pregnant women’s options. Prospective parents must balance a complicated array of factors, including the familial, social, and financial support they can reasonably expect to receive if they choose to carry a disabled fetus to term and raise after birth, causing many pregnant women to “choose” termination. 

This book explores the intent and effects of prenatal screening in connection to women’s bodily autonomy and disability rights, addressing themes at the intersection of genetic medicine, policymaking, critical disabilities studies, and political theory. Knight and Miller shift debates about reprogenetics from bioethics to political practice, as well as thoroughly critiquing the neoliberal state and the eugenic technologies that support it. Providing concrete suggestions for reforming medical practice, welfare policy, and cultural norms surrounding disability, this book highlights sites of necessary reform to envision how prospective parents can make truly free choices about prenatal genetic testing and selection abortion."
Embodying The Future: Unite + Restore + Innovate
Black Birth Matters, Sabia Wade & Nuturely
October 26 - 29, 2022
Atlanta, GA
"Nurturely's Milk Mood Moves conference is expanding! We are joining forces with Sabia Wade + Black Birth Matters (by Birthmark Doulas) to co-create an interdisciplinary learning and connection opportunity for birthworkers, health professionals, researchers, and advocates. Nurturely sessions will include the latest science and clinical knowledge of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, focusing on human milk and lactation, perinatal mood disorders, and physiology and biomechanics of the perinatal period. Sabia Wade will host sessions on Black Luxury and birth futurism! Black Birth Matters will host sessions on womb-healing and community wisdom. Options to join an intimate in-person retreat in Atlanta or join from anywhere with live and interactive virtual sessions. We can't wait to see you!"
Reproductive Ethics Conference
Institute for Bioethics and Health Humanities, University of Texas Medical Branch
January 12 - 13, 2023
Galveston, Texas
"The controversies and challenges of reproductive ethics arise from new technologies, political and ideological divisions, theology, and changing cultural norms. The goal of this conference is to explore the range of topics addressed in reproductive ethics. We welcome individuals from all professional fields to create a rich and robust discussion." Registration and further details coming soon!
See all events on the Tulane Reproductive Justice Calendar. This calendar is maintained by Kelsey Lain (Tulane School of Liberal Arts ‘23), so please email her your event information at klain@tulane.edu. 
JOBS AND INTERNSHIPS
*We have recently changed the Repronews Job Board. Click here to give anonymous feedback on the new format.
JOIN YOUR SCHOOL’S STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Students United for Reproductive Justice, Newcomb Institute, Tulane University undergraduates
Students for Sexual Health Equity, Tulane University School of Public Health
Social Workers United for Reproductive Freedom, Tulane University School of Social Work
Medical Students for Choice, Tulane University Medical School
If/When/How, Tulane University Law School
Newcomb’s reproductive rights/health/justice-related activities are supported by the Donna and Richard Esteves Fund for Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health, the Bonnie and William Chapman Fund for Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health, and the M.B. and Edna Zale Foundation. Read about what our Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health Interns are up to!






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Newcomb Institute of Tulane University · 43 Newcomb Place, Suite 301 · New Orleans, LA 70118-5558 · USA