New ANSIRH research shows that medication abortion can be provided safely over the counter. "It's time that the general public understands that this could be a reality," @drdgrossman.bsky.social told @npr.org

Over-the-counter medication abortion? These researchers say it would be safe

A paper in JAMA Internal Medicine adds to the growing scientific evidence that medication abortion pills would be safe to sell over-the-counter at the pharmacy. But political opposition means that…

npr.org

We're proud of Bixby member Dr. Josie Urbina, who delivered powerful testimony about the devastating impacts of immigration enforcement on pregnant people and their families

Democratic Women’s Caucus@demwomencaucus.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Under Trump and Republicans’ mass deportation plans and militarization of ICE and CBP, women are in danger. We hosted a hearing to expose the abuse of women in detention facilities, wrongful deaths, and medical emergencies women experienced while in ICE and CBP custody.

"America’s anxiety about fertility has never been only, or even primarily, about supporting families. It is about who is having children, under what conditions, and in whose interest. In other words, it is about power and control."

America is worrying about fertility again. But it’s not really about families

Where the state once worried about too many births, it now worries about too few.

statnews.com

"Imagine if we change the treatment from punishment to celebration, support, and resources. It would change 100%.” Dr. Aisha Mays talks about fighting stigma and including young Black mothers in the conversation about maternal health

Young Black mothers deserve a seat at the maternal health table, too

Rapper Monaleo's medical scare is a reminder that the fight for Black maternal health must include young mothers, as Dr. Aisha Mays explains.

thegrio.com

Aggressive immigration enforcement endangers people's health. “This fear of criminalization is real. This is what it looks like in real time: patients disengaging from care and families struggling to meet their basic needs.” Dr. Josie Urbina in @huffpost.com about the impact on her patients

Some Women Are Having To ‘Choose Between Their Freedom Or Their Health’

The constant fear and surveillance of immigration enforcement is leading some patients to forgo critical reproductive health care.

huffpost.com

"As federal funding diminishes amid weak legal protections, the conditions that make these public goods possible, including evidence, expertise and independent truth-seeking, have become increasingly fragile." Tracy Lin writes about why academic freedom needs its own infrastructure in @salon.com

The slow death of academic freedom

As academic freedom erodes at universities, saving it will require dedicated infrastructure and long-term support

salon.com

On this last day of Black Maternal Health Week, check out this Unruly Subjects episode with @chenjerai.bsky.social on creating conditions for Black mothers to thrive. He talks with SisterWeb doula Shantice Edwards and new mom Malajah Rigsby about their beautiful birth journey together

It's Black Maternal Health Week, founded by @blackmamasmatter.bsky.social ten years ago. This year's theme is Rooted in Justice and Joy. Watch Malajah, a new mom, share how much she loved her birth experience with support from her SisterWeb doula, Shantice.

These anti-immigrant policies harm communities, create more uninsured Californians, and push people into already-impacted ERs for basic care. Everyone benefits when everyone is covered, by stabilizing the health care system we ALL rely on. From @latimes.com #Health4All

Medi-Cal immigrant enrollment is dropping. Researchers point to Trump's policies

A KFF Health News analysis found Medi-Cal lost almost 100,000 immigrants without legal status in the second half of 2025. Researchers said the most obvious driver is fear of the Trump administration’s...

latimes.com

"The costs of inaction are not abstract—they will be measured in lost scientific breakthroughs, damage to evidence-based policymaking and a public increasingly unable to rely on academic expertise." Tracy Lin calls for investment in academic freedom in @salon.com

The slow death of academic freedom

As academic freedom erodes at universities, saving it will require dedicated infrastructure and long-term support

salon.com

Led by academic and clinical experts from UCSF, this program will cover women’s health across the lifespan, including topics such as teen hormones and PMS, reproductive resilience, and menopause management. Learn more about the sessions and speakers at osher.ucsf.edu/Osher-WISE #womenshealth

“Every single physician, nurse and health care provider needs to be educated about abortion care." Dr. Jody Steinauer talked to @statesnewsroom.com about the changing landscape of abortion training and care as abortion has become more restricted in the US

Reproductive health care restrictions likely to repel provider workforce, research shows • Stateline

Applications to medical residency programs in states with abortion restrictions have declined compared to states where abortion remained mostly legal.

stateline.org

📢Take action to stop forced C-sections! Justice for Cherise Doyley & Brianna Bennett: bit.ly/UFHealthJustice While in labor, doctors, attorneys, & a judge ambushed the two mothers with a Zoom hearing to force them to have a court-ordered C-section. Help us hold both Florida hospitals accountable!

The evidence is clear: children do not belong in detention. Detaining children is inhumane, and does long-lasting physical and mental harm. Bixby members proudly signed on to this letter as health experts to call for bringing these kids home.

Andrea González-Ramírez@andreagonram.bsky.social · 4mo ago

A broad coalition of artists including Madonna, Pedro Pascal, Keke Palmer, and Ms. Rachel, as well as physicians and policy experts, published an open letter today demanding the immediate closure of the Dilley detention center. Read more: www.thecut.com/article/cele...

Congratulations to Dr. Aisha Mays of @dreamyouthclinic.bsky.social on her recognition from the Alameda County Board of Supervisors for Women's History Month. "Dr. Mays’ philosophy centers reproductive justice and youth agency, advocating for empowering, accessible, youth-centered healthcare."

Women's History Month

alamedacountyca.gov

Training in Early Abortion for Comprehensive Healthcare (TEACH) is looking for a family doctor to be their next NorCal Leadership Fellow. They're seeking a strong candidate interested in developing critical clinical, teaching, leadership, and advocacy skills in early abortion and contraception.

Listen to Dr. Aisha Mays on @kqedforum.bsky.social talking about how to address child sex trafficking in the Bay Area and @dreamyouthclinic.bsky.social's work providing free health services to young people and survivors of sex trafficking

Child Sex Trafficking is a Big Problem in the Bay Area. How Can We Stop It? | KQED

We talk about the prevalence of this sex trafficking, efforts to stop it, and the organizations helping survivors.

kqed.org

@ansirh.bsky.social is looking for 1-2 postdoctoral fellows to work on a longitudinal study of abortion access and pregnancy complication care in states with abortion bans. Learn more and apply here:

Postdoctoral Fellowship

Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) seeks up to two highly motivated full-time postdoctoral fellows with strong quantitative research skills to work on the NIH- and…

ansirh.org

“I was afraid of COVID. I’d rather be at home doing it for myself.” Having the option to inject your own contraception offers many different benefits to people who want it. Jennifer Karlin of @ucsffamilymed.bsky.social talks about her research and how to get more clinicians to offer this option

Why Docs Don’t Prescribe Self-Injectable Contraceptives

Clinicians say simple workflow changes could increase patient access to self-injectable contraception.

medscape.com

There's a lack of standardized nursing education in LGBTQ+ health, leading to gaps in knowledge that impact the care patients receive. Daphne Scott-Henderson offers a refresher with helpful case studies to deliver, compassionate, culturally sensitive care in @americannurses.bsky.social

LGBTQ+ healthcare: A refresher

American Nurse Journal, the official, clinically and career-focused journal of the American Nurses Association (ANA).

myamericannurse.com

There have always been abortion providers and there will always be abortion providers. Today we celebrate our Bixby members who provide abortion care and everyone who makes abortion care possible. #CelebrateAbortionProviders

Nurse practitioners are a lifeline for millions who live in healthcare deserts. A new proposed federal rule would strip NPs of access to education funds, putting the workforce at risk. @coryellen.bsky.social writes about the dangers of this rule in @nursingclio.bsky.social

“Professional” Program Redefinition Endangers the US Healthcare Workforce

Nurse practitioners are a lifeline for the millions of Americans who live in healthcare deserts: 87% are trained as primary care providers, and 80% care for Medicaid patients. Yet an obscure commit…

nursingclio.org

The Repro Health Hotline from @ucsffamilymed.bsky.social is staffed by experts in sexual and reproductive health and offers free and confidential support for healthcare providers nationwide. Check out this video to learn how to access the hotline, real-word scenarios where ReproHH can help, & more

The Repro Health Hotline: Expert Clinical Support - The Clinical Training Center for Sexual & Reproductive Health

ctcsrh.org

"When hospitals allow immigration enforcement to override medical judgment and patient privacy, they transform spaces of care into instruments of state violence, harming patients and providers alike." Dr. Theresa Cheng in @sfchronicle.com

As Trump’s immigration crackdown continues, hospitals have become a battleground

OPINION: 32 people died in U.S. immigration custody in 2025, the highest recorded number of deaths in more than two decades — and most died in hospitals near detention centers.

sfchronicle.com

When people sense that healthcare providers are acting paternalistically and not prioritizing what they want as patients, they distrust the medical system and look elsewhere for information. Often they find misinformation or bad actors sharing disinformation.

Is America turning on birth control?

It’s a weird time to talk about contraceptives. Here’s what the debate is missing.

vox.com

Dr. Theresa Cheng draws from her experience as an emergency physician, a human rights lawyer, and someone who has tracked outbreaks of disease in ICE detention facilities to warn about the urgent need to address measles spreading at Dilley detention center. Read more in @medpagetoday.com

Opinion | Measles Just Hit an ICE Facility. I've Seen What Happens Next.

When infectious disease and incarceration collide, the outcome is predictable

medpagetoday.com

Want to be a reproductive health leader, generate new research and policy, and advance curricula on reproductive justice? Abortion Care Training Incubator for Outstanding Nurse Scholars (ACTIONS) is seeking a postdoctoral fellow whose research focuses on abortion and/or contraception in the US.

New research found that women in Uganda who used self-injectable birth control showed increases in contraceptive agency, more than women who used other methods of birth control.

Is choosing self-injectable contraception associated with enhanced contraceptive agency? Findings from a 12-month cohort study in Uganda

We compared changes in contraceptive agency among women initiating self-injectable contraception versus other methods.

contraceptionjournal.org

Join SisterWeb and Birthland on April 17 for the Birth Justice Prom—a joyful event celebrating a shared commitment to birth justice and the belief that every birthing person deserves safe, dignified care. Learn more and get tickets here: givebutter.com/c/tVsgOL

Birth Justice Prom: Bloom Where You're Planted

By SisterWeb

givebutter.com

Even if ICE is leaving Minnesota, the consequences — including delayed abortions, missed cancer visits, fewer people getting birth control — will be felt for a long time 19thnews.org/2026/02/abor...

Pregnant patients in Minnesota have postponed abortion appointments to avoid ICE

Planned Parenthood’s no-show rate has gone up almost 10 percent since the federal government’s Minnesota operation began.

19thnews.org