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Missouri continues to see maternal and infant mortality rates, breast and cervical cancer death rates, preterm births, congenital syphilis and depression around pregnancy at rates that are higher than the national average. It also fared among the worst nationally for mental health.
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Breast milk is like medicine for low birth weight and at-risk babies, but not all infants have access. A human milk donation drop off site at Wyandotte County's health department is raising awareness and supporting babies in need across the Midwest.
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Abortion bans in some Midwestern states are forcing families to seek abortions outside of their home states. In Nebraska, one family's pregnancy was diagnosed with a complication late in the first trimester, right when the state's ban kicks in.
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The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago. Missouri — which has some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country — was the first state to ban almost all abortions, leaving thousands of Missourians to seek other ways to access the medical procedure.
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Despite outcries from families following the temporary blocking of in vitro fertilization services in Alabama earlier this year, Missouri lawmakers failed to pass legislation guaranteeing the procedure.
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Fewer medical school graduates are seeking training to become OB-GYNs in Missouri following the state’s abortion ban. How could this impact maternal health care in a state where there’s already a shortage?
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Wyandotte County tiene una alta tasa de bebés nacidos con bajo peso. Un nuevo depósito de leche podría ayudar a proporcionar la leche materna en esos casos.
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Thirteen states across the U.S., including much of the Midwest, introduced bills this year that could give some rights to embryos and fetuses usually associated with people. None passed but people in the fertility world are concerned that lawmakers will try again and what that means for reproductive rights.
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Wyandotte County has a high rate of low birth weight babies. A new milk depot could help get needed breast milk for those cases.
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Kansas City’s central location and easy access to rail travel, along with Missouri’s simplified adoption laws favoring secrecy, attracted prospective parents from around the U.S. Over the first part of the 20th century, more than a dozen homes for unwed mothers flourished, the largest and most well-known of which was The Willows.
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A bill that would improve health care access for Missouri women almost died in the House after some Republican lawmakers falsely conflated birth control with abortion medication. Now, GOP infighting in the Senate could derail it from becoming law.
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The state's law requires women seeking divorce to disclose whether they're pregnant — and state judges won't finalize divorces during a pregnancy. Texas and Arkansas have similar laws on the books.