Selena Simmons-Duffin
Stories
-
Science
Gay people often have older brothers. Why? And does it matter?
Studies worldwide show that queer people tend to have more older brothers than other kinds of siblings. Justin Torres, a queer novelist and the youngest of three brothers, asks: Should it matter?
-
Politics
How Florida and Arizona Supreme Court rulings change the abortion access map
How far do women have to travel to access abortion care? An economics professor has been tracking that data since 2009. Interactive maps show how access has changed dramatically since 2021.
-
Health
What's at stake in the Supreme Court mifepristone case
The case could affect not just abortion access but oversight of the drug industry and the authority of federal agencies. The court hears arguments Tuesday.
-
Health
Despite bans in some states, more than a million abortions were provided in 2023
That's the highest number in more than a decade, according to new research. Medication abortion made up a larger share of the total than in 2020.
-
Health
New study raises questions about the CDC's data on the maternal mortality rate
A new study raises doubts about the high rate of maternal mortality in the U.S. that was officially reported.
-
National
How bad is maternal mortality in the U.S.? A new study says it's been overestimated
The peer-reviewed study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology says a pregnancy checkbox on national death certificates inflates the death rate.
-
Politics
Abortion pills that patients got via telehealth and the mail are safe, study finds
The study looks at 6,000 patients who got abortion pills after an online appointment. It found that 99.7% of those abortions were not followed by any serious adverse events.
-
Politics
Research at the heart of a federal case against the abortion pill has been retracted
A research paper that raises questions about the safety of abortion has been retracted. The research is cited in a federal judge's ruling about the abortion pill mifepristone.
-
Science
Your appendix is not, in fact, useless. This anatomy professor explains
A sudden appendectomy as a child made Heather Smith curious about what the appendix is for and why it gets inflamed. Now as an anatomy researcher, she's finding answers.
-
Politics
Raped, pregnant and in an abortion ban state? Researchers gauge how often it happens
Researchers estimate nearly 65,000 rape-caused pregnancies have happened in states with abortion bans in effect since Roe v. Wade was overturned. The report is in JAMA Internal Medicine.