Tag Archives: Health & Medicine

Voices

OPINION | On Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and the Idea of an ‘Acceptable’ Abortion Story

by Megan Burbank

The morning the news broke that Britney Spears had a medication abortion in secret at the height of her fame, a strange thing happened: People were kind about it. As a memoir excerpt detailing the experience overwhelmed social media, I saw messages of support and appreciation for Spears, and if there was any ire, it seemed mostly directed at Justin Timberlake, Spears’ boyfriend at the time, less for his desire not to become a parent at 20, but because even knowing all she’d been through, he would go on to slut-shame Spears in what is arguably one of the grossest clout-chasing campaigns of all time.

I hope Spears saw the messages of support. After all, she’s survived, she deserves them.

Continue reading OPINION | On Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and the Idea of an ‘Acceptable’ Abortion Story →
Voices

OPINION | Social Media and Mental Health: Seeing Through the Fog in the Midst of Conflict

by Danielle Marie Holland

I was overseas when the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict erupted into a brutal October wave. Each morning, away from my community in Seattle, I awoke hours before my family to scroll through an avalanche of social media. Post after post of opinions, rage, graphic images, and downright horror. Information was moving torrentially and shared with similar speed, third-party posters having no time to look into the validity, sources, or evidence of what they were sharing. Major news outlets were moving too fast and making huge errors in the process, and journalists covering disinformation, such as Shayan Sardarizadeh for the BBC, have since been doing the rounds on viral posts containing false claims, conspiracy theories, and hateful content about the war.

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Community

Seattle Nonprofit Launches First Indigenous Guaranteed Income Program in the U.S.

Hummingbird’s “The Nest” program aims to prevent maternal mortality.

by Sarah Goh

(This article was originally published on The Stranger and has been reprinted under an agreement.)

Earlier this year, a State Department of Health panel submitted a report showing that American Indian and Alaska Natives who give birth continue to have a higher maternal mortality ratio than any other ethnic group — eight times greater than white people and twice as large as Black people. As alarmingly, the report found that 80% of these pregnancy-related deaths were preventable.

To address this wide disparity, a nonprofit organization called Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services plans to pilot the first guaranteed income program in the United States to exclusively serve Indigenous communities.

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Community

Research on Pregnancy Rarely Includes Trans and Queer Birthing People. A New Study Is Changing That

by Megan Burbank

For decades, queer and trans birthing people have been left out of medical research on pregnancy and birth, which has historically centered the experiences of white, cisgender straight couples. But a new study housed partially at the University of Washington and led by queer and trans researchers is setting a new standard for inclusion. It’s the first study of its size to focus specifically on the pregnancy care and birthing experiences of trans and queer birthing people.

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News

NEWS GLEAMS | Trial for Manuel Ellis Continues; ‘Seattle Gay News’ Under New Ownership

A roundup of news and announcements we don’t want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Continue reading NEWS GLEAMS | Trial for Manuel Ellis Continues; ‘Seattle Gay News’ Under New Ownership →
News

Seattle City Council Passes Controversial Street Drug Legislation Amid Concerns Over Punishment Versus Treatment Options

by Luna Reyna

After over an hour of public comment, the Seattle City Council voted, 6 in favor, 3 opposed, to pass legislation that many argue is a regressive and harmful step back to the war on drugs era, while others claim it will help mitigate officer bias and improve access to substance use disorder care.

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News

What to Expect in King County in the Upcoming COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

by Sally James

The new COVID-19 vaccine is not quite available in Seattle today, even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended it for almost all ages last week. State health authorities say plenty of this new vaccine will be here within a few weeks.

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Voices

OPINION | Why I Can’t Stop Rooting for Robert Turbin

by Marcus Harrison Green

(A version of this article appeared in Real Change.)

Soon after the Seattle Seahawks drafted Robert “Turbo” Turbin in 2012 out of Utah State University, it was probably easy for fans to envision him rolling up to a palatial Laurelhurst estate and emerging from a Bentley Continental GT with his signature Herculean biceps.

Most likely missing from that picture was him delivering a DoorDash order to the actual owners of the residence.

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