Reporter at @19thnews.org covering the intersection of health and gender. 📬 Send story ideas/tips: bcrodriguez [at] 19thnews [dot] org 📲 Signal: bcrodriguez.55
As more cases of cyclosporiasis get reported, what does it all mean for the berry-obsessed children in your life? 19thnews.org/2026/07/cycl...
Has the cyclospora outbreak impacted berries? What parents of berry-aged children need to know.Some previous outbreaks have been linked to berries, which may have parents fretting over how to handle their toddlers' bottomless appetites for the fruit.19thnews.org“Vaccines are a victim of their own success. We not only eliminated the disease, we eliminated the memory of this virus, and that’s where we’re suffering." 19thnews.org/2026/07/meas...
The U.S. has already surpassed last year’s number of measles cases. Here’s what’s driving the surge.New data data shows the resurgence is being fueled by falling childhood vaccination rates, misinformation and outbreaks concentrated among unvaccinated people.19thnews.orgA year after Planned Parenthood was temporarily kicked out of Medicaid under the Trump administration, abortion opponents’ biggest win has expired — and has little chance of being renewed any time soon. Latest from @shefali.bsky.social for @19thnews.org: 19thnews.org/2026/07/plan...
Planned Parenthood survived ‘defunding’ — just in time for electionsAbortion opponents are facing an uphill battle to defund them again, while Planned Parenthood is pushing to make it a midterm issue.19thnews.org
We cannot know what the Black woman on the train was thinking or feeling at this moment. But we recognize the image as an indictment. It should make all of us pause to consider what it is that we are celebrating as America turns 250. The latest from @errinhaines.bsky.social:
The Black woman on the train did not look away. How much longer will we?A viral photo from July 4 captured an unidentified Black woman’s composure amid a sea of masked white men — and became a mirror for our democracy at 250.19thnews.org
“I think years from now, people will ask: ‘How did we get here?’ Part of our responsibility, in this moment, is making sure history cannot say nobody saw it coming.” 19thnews.org/2026/05/supr... via @19thnews.org
This ‘daughter of the Deep South’ is fighting for Black voting rights through storytellingAfter the Supreme Court’s recent Voting Rights Act decision, Southern states are redrawing their voting maps to dilute Black political power. Alabama’s Anneshia Hardy said ‘our ancestors left us a blu...19thnews.orgIt’s time for our annual Spring Member Drive at @19thnews.org and I’m raising money for our nonprofit newsroom. If you have appreciated my coverage of health and gender, consider a donation! 19thnews.org/ways-to-give...
Support our nonprofit newsroom | Donate to The 19thJoin hundreds of others already supporting our mission with their membership. Your financial support helps make our journalism possible.19thnews.orgThe word “Black” has been almost completely removed from a package of bills that have long been viewed as Congress’ main legislative vehicle to address the Black maternal health crisis, frustrating some advocates who feel Black women are being erased from the policy. 19thnews.org/2026/05/blac...
The word ‘Black’ has disappeared from a set of bills aimed at addressing Black maternal healthWhy does the federal Momnibus now only say 'Black' one time? The answer depends on who you ask.19thnews.orgUPDATE: After briefly letting a national ban take effect, the Supreme Court blocked a lower court’s ruling that would have prevented mailing a key abortion drug.
Supreme Court rules abortion pills can continue to be mailedMailed prescriptions have allowed people living in states with bans to continue getting abortions, contributing to an increase in abortions since the fall of Roe.19thnews.org
Moms are taking on debt, cutting back on personal medical care, delaying rent payments and skipping meals so their kids can eat. Federal cuts are poised to make things worse. Story by @bcrodriguez.bsky.social: 19thnews.org/2026/05/moth...
Mothers are stretching every dollar — and still finding ways to care for their familiesThey are taking on debt, cutting back on personal medical care, delaying rent payments and skipping meals so their kids can eat. Federal cuts are poised to make things worse.19thnews.orgAs the Tennessee legislature held a special session this week to redraw its congressional map to break up a majority-Black district in Memphis, state Sen. Charlane Oliver did everything she could to broadcast that what was happening was not normal. 19thnews.org/2026/05/char...?
She did everything she could to prevent the breakup of a majority-Black congressional district“People didn’t send us here to draw racist maps, they sent us here to figure out how to fix the roads ... and lower our grocery prices," Tennessee state Sen. Charlane Oliver said.19thnews.orgTrump pulls his support for Casey Means, MAHA influencer, as surgeon general. Several Republicans expressed concern about Means’ answers during a February confirmation hearing where she was asked about topics including birth control and routine childhood vaccines. 19thnews.org/2026/04/trum...
Trump pulls his support for MAHA influencer as surgeon generalSeveral Republicans expressed concern about Casey Means’ answers during a confirmation hearing where she was asked about topics including routine childhood vaccines.19thnews.orgSupreme Court decision could undo decades of gains by Black women lawmakers — Alito framed the ruling as an “update” that did not undo the underlying “framework” of the Voting Rights Act; Kagan strongly disagreed. 19thnews.org/2026/04/supr... via @19thnews.org
Supreme Court decision could undo decades of gains by Black women lawmakersIn a scathing dissent, Justice Elena Kagan said the court's conservative majority has completed its "demolition" of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.19thnews.org
I’ve been tracking how parents online are looking for “vaccine friendly” or “vaccine neutral” clinics to care for children irrespective of their vaccine views. For @19thnews.org, I wanted to explore how we got here and the intersection of parental choice / doctor trust: 19thnews.org/2026/04/vacc...
As parents seek out ‘vaccine friendly’ clinics, pediatricians worry about eroding trustMost pediatricians support childhood vaccinations. Here’s why they’re seeing unvaccinated kids anyway.19thnews.org
“I broke down three times today,” Modica, 41, said. “I have a disease that will inevitably make me completely disabled, and I can’t afford the treatment because I’m hemorrhaging money to a 20-year-old debt.” @nadrakn.bsky.social's latest for @19thnews.org.
‘The cruelty is just the point’: A broken student loan system has women at the centerConfusion, litigation and the threat of wage garnishment under Trump have left millions of teachers, nurses and other public service workers with few options and little hope.19thnews.org'We are traumatizing children, and we are putting them in dangerous environments.’ Pediatricians have been warning about dire health consequences for children in immigration detention. I spoke with a trio of doctors who are demanding action from the federal government. 19thnews.org/2026/03/pedi...
These pediatrician moms have a shared message: Release all children in immigration detentionThey didn’t know each other at the beginning of the year. Now these medical professionals text daily in their effort to advocate for the well-being of migrant children.19thnews.org“He looked pale, he looked sickly. He looked like a completely different child,” she said. “When I saw that image, my doctor brain turned on. I was like, this kid is sick. He needs medical attention.” @bcrodriguez.bsky.social's latest for @19thnews.org.
These pediatrician moms have a shared message: Release all children in immigration detentionThey didn’t know each other at the beginning of the year. Now these medical professionals text daily in their effort to advocate for the well-being of migrant children.19thnews.org“I’d probably have to quit my job. I need to make sure she can spend time with friends and her boyfriend, but she would still be more socially isolated,” Walters said. @slooterman.bsky.social reports for @19thnews.org.
Idaho considers an 'apocalyptic' choice for disabled people and familiesDifficult budget decisions in a number of states are threatening vital programs for disabled people at home and caregivers in the workforce.19thnews.orgWith immigration enforcement keeping kids from class, educators are going beyond the curriculum — driving students to school, delivering groceries and even paying rent to support vulnerable families. https://bit.ly/4aRukq9
The people standing between students and ICE? Teachers.With immigration enforcement keeping kids from class, educators are going beyond the curriculum — driving students to school, delivering groceries and even paying rent to support vulnerable families.19thnews.org