Kym Whitley knows how to get a laugh. After decades of doing it on stage and screen, she’s also learned when to let somebody else have one. “I used to be a scene stealer, sometimes very disrespectful,” Whitley told ESSENCE with the candor you’d expect from her.
Find verified resources for reproductive healthcare, support services, and advocacy organizations.
Find ResourcesAfter generations of silence, menopause has entered mainstream conversation with remarkable speed, thanks in part to Gen X’s insistence and the emergence of older millennials navigating perimenopause.
New Guttmacher Data Highlight the Critical Role of Planned Parenthood in Delivering Affordable Contraceptive Care September 23, 2026 jloewenberg September 23, 2026 News Release Use link On
Leigh Blake sees the People’s Bill of Rights 250 as more than a 250th-anniversary project: It’s an invitation for Americans to decide what “We the People” should mean today. From healthcare and reprod
Click to expand Image MS NOW White House Correspondent Akayla Gardner prepares for a television report on a street corner outside the White House grounds in Washington, DC, on September 21, 2026. © 20
KEY BISCAYNE, Florida — On the night of Florida’s primaries, Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar started her victory speech with warnings about the “socialist penetration of the Democratic Party” but
[Newsletter ad — view on SCOTUSblog] Justice John Marshall Harlan II resigned from the Supreme Court on this day in 1971 while dealing with “ failing health .” He died of cancer three months later. Pl
Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon, who won the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in an August primary upset, can now focus on her upcoming election without having to deal with potential prison
As health care costs dominate the national political conversation, our 2026 KFF Women’s Health Survey shows the toll those costs are taking on women. Our new nationally representative survey of women
A mistrial may have been the right outcome here. But moms of dead children tend to be harshly judged, even when they’ve done nothing wrong. Mia Brett traces the legal history of assuming maternal guil
Click to expand Image Former women political prisoners in Myanmar and their families reported the dangerous and sometimes deadly denial of prenatal and obstetric medical care to pregnant women. © 2026
What Would Happen to Publicly Funded Contraceptive Care Without Planned Parenthood? Contraception is a critical component of health and well-being, allowing people to prevent pregnancy, space and plan
On Sept. 16, the Violence Policy Center released a report finding that nearly 2,400 women were killed by men in 2024. Nearly nine out of 10 knew their killer, and firearms were used in 63.4 percent of
