Need To Know | September 17, 2021

Simone Biles’ Gut-Wrenching Testimony; Embracing the Term ‘Pregnant People’; The Growing Women’s Healthcare Gap

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

Simone Biles to Congress: ‘I blame Larry Nassar and I also blame an entire system’, The Washington Post

Simone Biles along with three other US gymnasts McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols, and Aly Raisman testified before Congress on the FBI’s mishandling of the Larry Nassar abuse case.

Biles, holding back tears, said she not only blames Nassar, but the entire system that allowed his abuse to continue. Maroney detailed how FBI agents falsified her report and didn’t take action until 14 months months later.

She charged the FBI with protecting a “serial child molester.” The testimony is a must watch for anyone invested in protecting children from abuse.

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The Culture War Over ‘Pregnant People’, The Atlantic

There is a growing movement to use ‘pregnant people’ rather than ‘pregnant women’ in order to include trans men and gender non-conforming people. The conversation is blossoming into a new norm, bolstered by the efforts of the ACLU and many other advocacy groups on women’s rights, reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ rights.

For the Atlantic, journalist Emma Green interviews Louise Melling, the deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union to understand the language and what it represents to people on both sides of the conversation.

The State Of Women’s Healthcare Hangs In The Balance, Thanks To The Pandemic, Elle UK

When COVID hit, many elective procedures were pushed back due to overwhelmed hospitals, including one person’s procedure to address endometriosis after years of waiting and excruciating pain, as detailed for Elle.

According to the article, only 2.1% of all publicly funded research is dedicated to women’s reproductive health and childbirth, despite women making up 51% of the population.

The gap in women’s health research and treatment has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. In this piece, journalist Olivia Blair traces this gap over time.

artwork: mark rothko