Need To Know | December 03, 2021

Parenting After Infertility; The Importance of Fetal Viability; Diaper Need is an American Crisis

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

You’re Allowed to Complain About Your Kids, Even After Infertility, New York Times

In a story for the New York Times, journalist Danna Lorch explores the reality of parenting after pregnancy loss and infertility. After becoming a mother after recurrent pregnancy loss, Lorch experienced the complexity created by vowing to be thankful for the baby she was able to conceive while navigating the everyday ups and downs of parenting.

How does one continue to be grateful for the children they have as they grieve and swallow the trauma of a painful loss or infertility journey? Lorch speaks with other families navigating similar challenges and finds comfort in conversations that hold space for both pain and love.

Fetal viability is at the center of Mississippi abortion case. Here’s why., Washington Post

This week, the Supreme Court heard Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, a case that could dismantle Roe v. Wade. Roe, fortified by Planned Parenthood v. Casey, guarantees the right to abortion up until fetal viability— around 24 weeks.

Fetal viability is the point at which a fetus could live outside the womb. In this article, the authors lay out why viability is such a critical issue.

Over time, medical advancements have improved outcomes for premature babies, but with the question of survivability comes the question of quality of life as premature babies are more likely to have developmental disorders like cerebral palsy.
Read the full story.

‘Am I even fit to be a mom?’ Diaper need is an invisible part of poverty in America., The 19th

In a stunning piece for the 19th, journalist Chabeli Carrazana reveals the diaper crisis unfolding in poor regions across the U.S.

In the story, Carrazana lays out the dire stakes for families who cannot afford diapers, how diaper banks are trying to meet their needs, and follows the women of a local diaper bank through their day-to-day work.

For many of the families who rely on the bank, free diapers are what’s holding it all together, allowing them to pay for housing, access food, and send their children to daycare.

image credit: manny becerra