When LaQuana Cardwell began experiencing issues with her menstrual cycle as a teenager, she never imagined that at the age of 23 doctors would tell her she may never be able to have children. “I was diagnosed with [polycystic ovarian syndrome] and premature ovarian failure,” said Cardwell, an educator living in West Midtown. “It was […]
Reproductive Health
Posted inCourts, Politics & Policy, Reproductive Health
Abortion Pill Case Could Restrict Access for Black Women in Georgia
Women in Georgia have had to navigate the state’s six week abortion ban for the past few years, but lawyers and advocates say a lawsuit coming out of another Southern state could further restrict access. On Sept. 9 oral arguments began for Louisiana v. the U.S Food and Drug Administration, a suit over telehealth and […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Reproductive Health
Billboards Offer Veterans a Lifeline After VA Abortion Care Ends
In a state that has one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country, Georgia veterans were left with few options until the billboards showed up. Vet Voice Foundation, a veterans advocacy group, and The Brigid Alliance, an abortion support organization, are fighting to get information about abortion care to veterans and their families […]
Posted inMaternal Health, Reproductive Health
Georgia Case Spotlights Rising Risks for Black Women Navigating Pregnancy Care
In March, a Black Georgia woman who allegedly took abortion pills to terminate her pregnancy, was charged with murder, a legal move that advocates have been sounding the alarm about since Georgia enacted one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. Alexia Moore, 31, was charged with malice murder as well as possession […]
Posted inMaternal Health, Politics & Policy, Reproductive Health
Oscar-Nominated Doc Brings to Light Families’ Loss Under Georgia Abortion Law
If Amber Nicole Thurman were alive today, the 28-year-old would most likely have become a nurse. “She would never know that she got accepted into nursing school because August the 19th was the end of her life, and August the 21st I got the call that she was accepted into nursing school,” said Thurman’s mother, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment, Reproductive Health
Oscar-Nominated Film Goes Inside an Atlanta Abortion Clinic
After Tracii gets to work, she starts each shift with a prayer. As the security guard for an unnamed abortion clinic in Atlanta, she relies on her faith and her wits as she scans the parking lot for patients and protestors in the darkness of the early morning hours. She stays on high alert until […]
Posted inHBCUs, Politics & Policy, Reproductive Health
Students at Clark Atlanta Are Organizing to Save Black Mothers’ Lives
Georgia has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the country, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics: Black women are twice as likely to die from pregnancy than a white woman. Systemic barriers to health care access and social marginalization are just some of the reasons public health experts cite […]
Posted inMaternal Health, Reproductive Health
Her Daughter Died After a Fatal Delay in Reproductive Care. Now, She’s Fighting for Justice.
When Shanette Williams speaks publicly, she holds the obituary of her 28-year-old daughter, Amber Nicole Thurman, in her hands. She says it gives her comfort and the strength to continue to tell the story of how a Georgia hospital allowed her daughter to die unnecessarily. Williams is a woman who rarely bows her head, unless […]
Posted inClimate, Criminal Justice, Education, LGBTQ, Politics & Policy, Reproductive Health
The Dawn of a New Trump Era Begins. What It Means for Black Atlantans in 2025.
The dread many Black people in Atlanta feel about Donald Trump’s triumph in the 2024 presidential election isn’t misplaced: He organized his reelection campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris around revenge — around how he and his allies can inflict the greatest amount of suffering on vulnerable groups and on those he considers enemies. Making […]
Posted inCourts, Mental Health, Reproductive Health
Georgia Is One of the Most Unsafe States to Give Birth. Abortion Limits Make It Worse.
In spite of recent reporting that directly links Georgia’s abortion restriction with the deaths of two Black women, the state Supreme Court’s decision earlier this month to temporarily reinstate the law while an appeal is in progress did not surprise leaders at the forefront of the state’s reproductive justice movement. Last month, ProPublica reported on […]
