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Danielle Bessett

@daniellebessett

Repro scholar. Professor @UCSociology & WGSS/MSTP. Co-PI @OPEN. Cats! Knitting! Music! she/her.

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Latest posts by Danielle Bessett @daniellebessett

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Under Texas’ Abortion Ban, Where a Woman Lives Can Determine Her Risk of Developing Sepsis While the rates of dangerous infections spiked across the state after it banned abortion in 2021, women in Houston fared far worse than those in Dallas, according to ProPublica’s first-of-its-kind ana...

NEW: The rate of sepsis in Houston surged 63% after Texas banned abortion.

In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where hospital leaders empowered doctors to intervene before patients’ conditions worsened, it rose just 29%.

07.05.2025 20:31 👍 15882 🔁 7462 💬 620 📌 568

Shutting down Head Start might seem at odds with the administration's pronatalist aims. But they're actually closely aligned. Because moms who can't find/afford childcare often end up leaving the workforce. And once they're home full-time, it often seems reasonable to have more kids.

21.04.2025 14:41 👍 574 🔁 156 💬 26 📌 11
Education Officials Placed on Leave in Trump’s Sprawling Effort to Curb D.E.I.
The Education Department told employees of the suspensions in letters on Friday. Some of those put on leave said they had only a minimal connection to diversity or equity efforts

Education Officials Placed on Leave in Trump’s Sprawling Effort to Curb D.E.I. The Education Department told employees of the suspensions in letters on Friday. Some of those put on leave said they had only a minimal connection to diversity or equity efforts

The move was an early indication that Trump officials had begun looking to root out any D.E.I. efforts believed to be conducted “in disguise” after they had already moved to shutter offices explicitly focused on those efforts earlier in the week. It came as dozens of agencies raced to comply with an order issued by President Trump on his first day in office directing them to dismantle diversity offices and remove staff affiliated with them.

But according to interviews with those placed on leave and people familiar with the notifications, the department appeared to have cast a wide net, suspending people whose job titles and official duties had no connection to D.E.I., and whose only apparent exposure to D.E.I. initiatives came in the form of trainings encouraged by their managers. One of the training workshops that employees speculated may have led to their being flagged took place more than nine years ago.

The move was an early indication that Trump officials had begun looking to root out any D.E.I. efforts believed to be conducted “in disguise” after they had already moved to shutter offices explicitly focused on those efforts earlier in the week. It came as dozens of agencies raced to comply with an order issued by President Trump on his first day in office directing them to dismantle diversity offices and remove staff affiliated with them. But according to interviews with those placed on leave and people familiar with the notifications, the department appeared to have cast a wide net, suspending people whose job titles and official duties had no connection to D.E.I., and whose only apparent exposure to D.E.I. initiatives came in the form of trainings encouraged by their managers. One of the training workshops that employees speculated may have led to their being flagged took place more than nine years ago.

The recipients of the letters giving notice of suspensions included staff members who worked in the department’s Federal Student Aid office and others in the civil rights office. The department also notified all employees in the civil rights office who had joined recently and were still in a probationary period that their positions would be reviewed to determine their necessity.

The letters told employees that the decision to place them on leave was “not being done for any disciplinary purpose,” and was “pursuant to the president’s executive order.” But they did not specify how long the leave would last, or why those employees had been identified for suspension.

Through its first two weeks, the Trump administration has repeatedly said it would temporarily pause certain programs and sideline some federal workers while it conducts more comprehensive reviews that could inform staff reductions and bureaucratic changes. But it has done so haphazardly, leading to unintended disruptions and stoking anxiety among many federal workers.

The recipients of the letters giving notice of suspensions included staff members who worked in the department’s Federal Student Aid office and others in the civil rights office. The department also notified all employees in the civil rights office who had joined recently and were still in a probationary period that their positions would be reviewed to determine their necessity. The letters told employees that the decision to place them on leave was “not being done for any disciplinary purpose,” and was “pursuant to the president’s executive order.” But they did not specify how long the leave would last, or why those employees had been identified for suspension. Through its first two weeks, the Trump administration has repeatedly said it would temporarily pause certain programs and sideline some federal workers while it conducts more comprehensive reviews that could inform staff reductions and bureaucratic changes. But it has done so haphazardly, leading to unintended disruptions and stoking anxiety among many federal workers.

"DEI" might be their stated justification, but yesterday's purge of Education Department employees makes clear that their real goal is much bigger--like dismantling the government, privatizing services, and eliminating regulations, all to funnel more money/power to big corporations and billionaires.

02.02.2025 16:25 👍 89 🔁 26 💬 4 📌 2

Here, with thanks!

24.01.2025 03:28 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Egg prices are soaring again. Here’s why and what to expect Bird flu has killed millions of hens in recent weeks, shrinking the supply of eggs and hiking up prices at grocery stores.

The price of eggs in the US is spiking, mostly due to #H5N1 bird flu. Solving the problem requires urgent, important communications from the CDC & FDA* and rapid development of research by the NIH**

* Currently paused by Executive Order
** Grant reviews now all canceled
www.kcur.org/news/2025-01...

23.01.2025 17:18 👍 52683 🔁 17523 💬 2427 📌 1585

Today, Cinci drivers made a path for an ambulance to pass through rush hour traffic on MLK. We are still capable of caring for each other.

24.01.2025 03:07 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Screenshot showing that Arizona currently has $490,436,626 in NIH funding.

Screenshot showing that Arizona currently has $490,436,626 in NIH funding.

Never imagined I’d have to say this, but if you want to have a look at NIH RePORTER to see how much NIH funding your state receives so you can write to your elected representatives, you’d better do it now, and get a screenshot.

23.01.2025 00:29 👍 807 🔁 496 💬 80 📌 91
Preview
NIH In Your State - United For Medical Research Select a state on the map to see the impact of NIH funding across America.

An excellent resource on the economic impact of NIH funding in the U.S. with an interactive link for state specific information here:

www.unitedformedicalresearch.org/nih-in-your-...

23.01.2025 01:06 👍 50 🔁 32 💬 2 📌 2

Will be important to remember over the next 4 years that laughter is the best medicine, seeing as laughter will likely be the only medicine.

27.11.2024 03:00 👍 68 🔁 10 💬 3 📌 1
Filed: Poe v Coleman. Abortion is a right - we'll see you in court.

Filed: Poe v Coleman. Abortion is a right - we'll see you in court.

We said we wouldn't stop fighting for your rights, and we meant it.

We filed a new lawsuit challenging Kentucky's abortion bans based on every Kentuckian's right to privacy and bodily autonomy. Read our press release and the full complaint at the link.

www.aclu-ky.org/en/press-rel...

18.11.2024 20:40 👍 61 🔁 16 💬 3 📌 0

You should know two things:

1. The Trump admin plans to remove all references to "abortion," "reproductive health," and "sexual and reproductive rights" from all federal laws, regulations, contracts, and grants.

2. The Trump admin is planning to create the Department of Life separate from HHS.

15.11.2024 13:29 👍 792 🔁 277 💬 43 📌 19

Good morning.

Word of the Day is as beautiful as it is underused. ‘Confelicity’ is finding joy in the happiness and success of others.

14.11.2024 07:43 👍 29995 🔁 5219 💬 679 📌 503

Here!

09.11.2024 15:01 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0