One of the main reasons that this country is reverting to the bad old days is because of Fox News. To get even more specific, there is Tucker Carlson. As a matter of fact, in my house, we replace the first letter of his name with an f. Anyway, The NY Times produced an excellent 3 part series on the rabid right winger who holds so much sway with a significant portion of the population.
When New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced a new initiative to provide free doula services to pregnant women, many providers viewed it as a landmark opportunity to improve birth outcomes in the city’s most vulnerable communities.
The Citywide Doula Initiative will provide free access to doulas for 500 birthing families by the end of June, focusing on 33 neighborhoods determined to have the greatest need.
“The connection to community doulas will be vital. This program will do a lot of good,” said doula Myla Flores, co-founder of Uptown Village Cooperative, which offers birth, postpartum, and lactation support to women in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx.
Doulas serve as birth coaches, providing physical and emotional support during pregnancy and childbirth, as well as postpartum support.
“I think that it will definitely make a difference in Harlem, bringing doula access to the community,” said Miranda Padilla, co-founder of The Mothership, a Harlem-based provider of doula and birthing support services. “A lot of clients we’re getting haven’t used a doula before or didn’t think they could afford a doula.”
In New York City, Black women are eight times more likely than white women to die from a pregnancy-related cause and nearly three times more likely to experience severe birth-related health consequences than white women, according to data from the NYC Health Department.
Here’s hoping that you, your loved ones, colleagues and friends are partaking of only the best during this year’s Easter celebration – enjoy your blessings and the day!
Oh hell naw. The Supreme Court and the GOP have decided to undo decades of progress in one fell swoop. A woman’s right to choose is sacred. It is not negotiable. We must organize, fight and agitate with everything we got. The future hangs in the balance.
Last night, Uptown came together in Bennett Park to process the devastating news as well as to prepare for the battle ahead. We are not going back. Keep in mind that this is not really about abortion after all but about the exercise of raw, naked power. The GOP has weaponized abortion to institute an autocracy. Do not doubt for a moment that if the GOP controls all the levers of government they will make abortion illegal. What we do now will determine whether or not that dreaded eventuality will occur.