Like Parlourista Hillary, I too have identified with an episode of “Girls.” I remember having a Hannah moment in college when one of my roommates came home from the campus health center with tears in her eyes. As we sat together on our cheap first apartment furniture and I asked her what was wrong. “I [...]

It’s no coincidence that “My Sister’s Place” is a common name for battered women’s shelters across the United States. The feelings and imagery that such a name conjures – that of community, safety, and understanding – is essential in what’s likely to be the most traumatizing and disruptive moments of a woman’s life. Women have [...]

Former Miss America, singer, actress, and mom, Vanessa Williams, revealed that she had been molested as a child in her new memoir You Have No Idea. Williams recalls that a family friend – a woman she trusted – touched her inappropriately during a sleepover when she was just 10 years old. One might wonder why an accomplished, [...]

Let me get this straight: we’re really going to let men decide that we can’t enjoy wedges anymore? I made it through the Kitten Heel Revolt of 2010 relatively unscathed and we’re still fighting the Cold War of the Ballet Flat but I cannot go quietly into the night this time. Wedges? Really? Let me [...]

It’s widely recognized that domestic violence is a serious human rights violation that affects women, children and families worldwide. Violence against women* impacts the stability of families, increases the burden on our bursting-at-the-seams healthcare system, and negatively impacts our economy. Violence against women can result in the loss of one’s home, job, and dignity or, [...]

March 10 is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, where government agencies, healthcare providers, community organizations, people living with HIV/AIDS, and more, come together to raise awareness about the continued impact of HIV/AIDS on the lives of women and girls in the U.S. and around the world. As a woman interested in public health [...]

There’s a home video somewhere on VHS that shows a pre-pubescent Nakia proclaiming that she wants to be the first black female President of the United States … and a model. Very cute, if not some indication of future megalomania, but I would not wish for job of POTUS today after seeing what President Obama [...]

Sometimes it seems like the forces opposed to Planned Parenthood are really engaged in some super genius reverse psychology aimed at increasing individual donations to the organization. Of course it’s just wishful thinking on my part but that’s exactly what happened when anti-choice lawmakers inCongress tried to de-fund Planned Parenthood in early 2011; the organization received [...]

Believe it or not, having an abortion can be safer than childbirth. I know that for even the most pro-choice of us all that statement can seem pretty incredible, but a recent study in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology grounds the assertion in reality.

What if I told you that there was going to be a law that would prevent anyone from aborting a child because of its sex or race? Your gut reaction would probably be favorable – even if you’re prochoice you probably don’t think the Ob-Gyn’s “it’s a girl” proclamation is reason enough to terminate a [...]