Free Republic

Nakara Alston was leaving her boyfriend when she learned she was eight weeks pregnant. In desperation, she got an abortion at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Albany, N.Y., and moved with her two daughters into a homeless shelter. But something was clearly wrong. Several weeks after the procedure, she was still bleeding heavily and suffering from painful cramps. She took another home pregnancy test, and when it came back positive, the clinic staff assured her that they had seen the aborted fetus and there was nothing to worry about. It was only after she went to an emergency room that...

CV NEWS FEED // The New York Times this weekend published a report detailing a multi-faceted crisis confronted by Planned Parenthood state affiliates, which appear to be grappling with tight resources, inadequate staff training, high employee turnover rates, and complaints of dismal clinic conditions at various locations. On Feb. 15, the Times published Katie Benner’s article titled “Botched Care and Tired Staff: Planned Parenthood in Crisis.” Brenner reports that the Times reviewed legal filings, clinic documents, and interviews with over 50 Planned Parenthood current and former employees. According to Brenner, the employee turnover rate at Planned Parenthoods in many places...

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the guest author. Editor’s Note: Featured image shows the author during Prednisone (left), which caused her to gain 45 pounds, and after stopping the medication (right). When I entered my first relationship in high school, I was 16. I was extremely naive about anything having to do with sex. My mom, along with my boyfriend at the time, wanted me on birth control; I was indifferent and went along with it. Because of her negative experiences with many other contraceptives, my mom believed the IUD was best for...

A recent article published by TIME exposes the continuing acts of eugenics carried out against women of color and financially disadvantaged women in America. Using coercion and repeated pressure, some doctors are participating in what one professor calls the “soft sterilization” of specific, targeted groups of women — discriminatory behavior reminiscent of the forced sterilizations that plague United States history. Three of the women who shared their stories with TIME — Miannica Frison, LeAnn, and Crystina Hughes — spoke of being pressured into using long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs). Frison, a woman of color, was asked about both sterilization and a...

Are ectopic pregnancies increasing? A notable increase in the number of women seeking emergency care for ectopic pregnancies is causing obstetricians and emergency room physicians to take notice. A recent large-scale study of nearly one million pregnancies over a decade found “significant increase” in ectopic pregnancies. The study confirmed ectopic pregnancy remains one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in the United States. In addition to highest trends for younger women, the incidence was particularly higher for mothers over 40 years in age and non-Hispanic Black women. * 2006–2010: The rate of ectopic pregnancy diagnoses per 1,000 pregnancies increased...

Tell me you have too much time on your hands without telling me you have too much time on your hands. On Wednesday, just before the Senate voted against the Americans for Contraception (AFC) Act, a group set up a giant 20-foot intrauterine device (IUD) in front of Washington D.C.’s Union Station, across from the U.S. Capitol building. An IUD is a form of hormonal birth control that is about the size of a quarter and is inserted into a woman’s uterus. It works by making the uterus a hostile environment for an egg by thickening the cervical mucus and...

An Idaho woman who got pregnant despite using birth control described the shocking moment her baby emerged from the womb — triumphantly clutching her intrauterine device in his hand. “When all the nurses come in to see a baby with his IUD,” Violet Quick, 20, captioned the video of the surprise birth, which went down this week. In the clip, which has been viewed more than 22.8 million times on TikTok, her baby boy, Rudy, can be seen holding his mother’s IUD like a contraceptive Stanley Cup as medical staffers look on in amazement.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., decided to reveal some "uncomfortable" personal information during a House Oversight Committee hearing about abortion, specifically regarding her personal method of birth control. Before going into a question about treatment of ectopic pregnancies, the New York Democrat noted that such circumstances can arise from the failure of an intrauterine device, or IUD. Ocasio-Cortez also decided to announce that she uses one herself, blaming Republicans for the nature of the abortion debate. "I, for example, since Republicans are forcing this conversation in uncomfortable ways, then I will meet them to it," Ocasio-Cortez said. "I have an IUD....

There’s been a lot of talk about impeachment hearing witness Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, but we must admit, the news that he was wounded by an IUD was a genuinely shocking revelation. Wait, what?

A 26-year-old woman is suing Planned Parenthood after she was left alone following insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD), and fell and broke her neck. Morgan Castro is claiming that she was ignored after telling staffers she was feeling dizzy, were negligent with her care, and that she lost consciousness following the procedure. The lawsuit, which was obtained by the Pro-Life Action League, contains details of the alleged incident. Castro went to a Planned Parenthood facility on LaSalle Drive in Chicago, Illinois to get an IUD inserted. “Following the insertion of the IUD, Morgan felt dizzy,” the lawsuit reads. “Morgan...

Who could forget the viral photo of a newborn baby boy holding his mother’s IUD device? While the baby wasn’t actually born holding the device, his mother told First Coast ABC News that the doctor found it behind the placenta and a nurse placed it in the baby’s hand. The mother had received the implanted birth control device just three weeks prior to becoming pregnant. As it turns out, while implanted birth control has a reputation for being much more effective than other types of birth control, including the pill, it does carry the risk of failure. Abortion numbers for...

Baby Dexter was not supposed to be. His mother, Lucy Hellein of Fort Mitchell, Alabama, was using a supposedly highly effective birth control device when doctors believe she conceived Dexter, according to the Daily Mail. And when Dexter was born on April 27, the IUD coil that was supposed to prevent his life from being conceived came out, too. A photo of the newborn grabbing the contraceptive device has been catching people’s eyes on the internet. More than 70,000 people have shared it on Facebook, the report states. Mirena, the contraceptive coil, or IUD, that Hellein used, is advertised as...

FULL TITLE: Rate of IUD insertions DID go up after the election: Huge data set reveals 19% increase in women getting coils since Trump's win in November The rate of women getting and requesting intrauterine devices (IUDs) has rocketed since Donald Trump was elected president, new data reveal. IUDs - a contraceptive device that can last up to 10 years - became a hot topic after the election. The interest was largely driven by fears Trump's healthcare reforms would limit access to contraception, or affect insurance funding that makes the Pill free. Now, a large data set has confirmed what...

FULL TITLE: 'Get your birth control that will outlast Trump': Women are being urged to get IUDs before Donald is officially sworn in as president amid healthcare fears Women are being urged to get IUDs before Donald Trump becomes president amid fears over the future of birth control. Supporters of the contraceptive are using Twitter to encourage women to have the device - which can last for up to ten years - fitted while it is still covered to safeguard against potential changes to healthcare under the new president-elect. It comes after the Republican pledged to 'completely repeal Obamacare' under...

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 16, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) – A majority of states may soon use tax dollars to pay for the implantation of dangerous, abortion-inducing IUDs in women immediately after childbirth. The journal Contraception reports that Medicaid now pays for IUDs to be inserted into women following delivery in 19 states. Eight more states are poised to follow suit. Not one state used taxpayer money for IUDs before the Obama administration took office. Within 10 minutes of delivery, doctors are implanting either copper IUDs or chemical-releasing IUDs in women. But potential health complications for the mother are magnified when IUDs are...

Earlier this month, LifeNews.com reported on a high school in Seattle, Washington that is now implanting intrauterine devices (IUD), as well as other forms of birth control and doing so without parental knowledge or permission.The IUD is known as a long acting reversible contraception, and may even act as an abortifacient. So, a young teen in Seattle canÂ’t get a coke at her high school, but she can have a device implanted into her uterus, which can unknowingly kill her unborn child immediately after conception. Or, if she uses another method, she can increase her chances of health risks for...

Over the years some high schools have tried to ban things like soda. And yet they are going in another direction. That schools are having questionable sex education programs and on-campus clinics isn’t enough anymore. One high school in Seattle is now implanting intrauterine devices (IUD), as well as other forms of birth control. The IUD is known as a long acting reversible contraception, and may even act as an abortifacient. So, a young teen in Seattle can’t get a coke at her high school, but she can have a device implanted into her uterus, which can unknowingly kill her...

DENVER – Republican Rep. Don Coram of Montrose is at odds with members of his own party after co-sponsoring a measure that would fund long-acting contraceptives for low-income women. Coram Enlarge photo The measure, House Bill 1194, was introduced on Friday, despite cries that the legislation funds devices that induce abortion. The issue has become a battle of science, with doctors arguing that there is little evidence to indicate that intrauterine devices, IUDs, cause abortion. Coram’s bipartisan legislation, which he is carrying with Rep. KC Becker, D-Boulder, would provide $5 million from the state general fund to continue a program...

A damning report by the Health and Disabilities Commissioner has recommended an audit of the services provided by the country's top abortion clinic. It comes after a woman complained she had a long-term contraceptive device inserted in her uterus without her consent at the time of an abortion in 2010. The woman, whose identity is protected, only discovered the intrauterine contraceptive device after going for medical tests when she tried repeatedly and was unable to fall pregnant three years later. Investigation by the Health and Disability Commissioner has found a doctor at the Epsom Day Clinic mistakenly inserted the contraceptive...

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated their policy guidelines (PDF) concerning contraceptives for children under 18, recommending that the first line of defense against pregnancy for adolescent girls should be implantable contraception such as an IUD or a sub-dermal hormonal implant. The AAP says that because young girls cannot be trusted to remain abstinent, reliably take a daily birth control pill, or use condoms, the best way to ensure they do not become pregnant is to fit them with a “long-acting reversible contraceptive” – a device that, once installed, will either provide a continuous dose of hormones designed...