Need To Know | December 17, 2021

The Post-Pandemic Dad; Who's Actually Getting Abortions; On Pregnancy with Fibroids

In Nyssa's weekly 'Need to Know' series, we recap the three most important stories related to reproductive health, sex education, and bodily autonomy.

Did the pandemic change dads forever?, The 19th

Gender roles and expectations were pretty hard set before the pandemic, but two years in and things look very different. In a piece for the 19th, journalist Chabeli Carrazana speaks with fathers from across the country to learn how their ideas about work, parenting, and childcare have changed since the beginning of Covid-19.

According to the article, when Boston College Center for Work and Family surveyed fathers 10 years ago on whether they were taking more than two weeks off after having a baby, only 1 in 20 said yes. When the study was repeated in 2020, around 62% said they were taking a full leave. Read on to understand why.

Who Gets Abortions in America?, The New York Times

The New York Times released an in-depth look into who exactly gets abortions in America. According to their research, the majority of those who have abortions are already mothers, have some college education, and are low-income.

In the article, journalists Margot Sanger-Katz, Claire Cain Miller, and graphics editor Quoctrung Bui use data from the CDC and the Guttmacher Institute to create a visual story outlining the facts of who is most affected by the new attacks on reproductive freedom. Through the simple graphics, it’s easy to separate the stereotypes from the realities of abortion-seeking people.

Navigating My Pregnancy With Fibroids, The New York Times

The New York Times’ Well photo editor Tiffanie Graham shares her experience navigating painful fibroids during her second pregnancy. After her first “easy pregnancy,” she was told to expect the same, regardless of her fibroids which continued to show in scans.

Graham settled in, trusting her doctors and their prediction until she knew something was wrong and decided to push harder for answers. After navigating searing pain and surprise hospital admissions, she explores what it took to get a doctor who listened to her concerns by trusting her own intuition and seeking out answers on her own terms.