UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health

As Trump’s immigration crackdown continues, hospitals have become a battleground OPINION: 32 people died in U.S. immigration custody in 2025, the highest recorded number of deaths in more than two decades — and most died in hospitals near detention centers.

"When hospitals allow immigration enforcement to override medical judgment and patient privacy, they transform spaces of care into instruments of state violence, harming patients and providers alike."

Dr. Theresa Cheng in @sfchronicle.com

Is America turning on birth control? It’s a weird time to talk about contraceptives. Here’s what the debate is missing.

When people sense that healthcare providers are acting paternalistically and not prioritizing what they want as patients, they distrust the medical system and look elsewhere for information.

Often they find misinformation or bad actors sharing disinformation.

Opinion | Measles Just Hit an ICE Facility. I've Seen What Happens Next. When infectious disease and incarceration collide, the outcome is predictable

Dr. Theresa Cheng draws from her experience as an emergency physician, a human rights lawyer, and someone who has tracked outbreaks of disease in ICE detention facilities to warn about the urgent need to address measles spreading at Dilley detention center.

Read more in @medpagetoday.com

Want to be a reproductive health leader, generate new research and policy, and advance curricula on reproductive justice?

Abortion Care Training Incubator for Outstanding Nurse Scholars (ACTIONS) is seeking a postdoctoral fellow whose research focuses on abortion and/or contraception in the US.

Is choosing self-injectable contraception associated with enhanced contraceptive agency? Findings from a 12-month cohort study in Uganda We compared changes in contraceptive agency among women initiating self-injectable contraception versus other methods.

New research found that women in Uganda who used self-injectable birth control showed increases in contraceptive agency, more than women who used other methods of birth control.

Birth Justice Prom: Bloom Where You're Planted By SisterWeb

Join SisterWeb and Birthland on April 17 for the Birth Justice Prom—a joyful event celebrating a shared commitment to birth justice and the belief that every birthing person deserves safe, dignified care.

Learn more and get tickets here: givebutter.com/c/tVsgOL

Pregnant patients in Minnesota have postponed abortion appointments to avoid ICE Planned Parenthood’s no-show rate has gone up almost 10 percent since the federal government’s Minnesota operation began.

Even if ICE is leaving Minnesota, the consequences — including delayed abortions, missed cancer visits, fewer people getting birth control — will be felt for a long time

19thnews.org/2026/02/abor...

Student Internship at ANSIRH (Summer/Fall 2026) ANSIRH is seeking three students to work closely with faculty and staff on our Abortion Facility Database. The student interns will be responsible for updating ANSIRH’s national database of…

ANSIRH is hiring 3 students to work closely with faculty and staff on our Abortion Facility Database! The student interns will be responsible for updating ANSIRH’s national database of abortion-providing facilities.

Apply by 2/22!

Zofran Was My Pregnancy Savior. Why Don’t More People Know About It? The anti-nausea and vomiting medication is safe but still stigmatized.

“I have no hesitation, for patients who really need it, of giving someone Zofran.”

Dr. Arianna Cassidy explains how Zofran is safe during pregnancy and can provide much-needed relief from morning sickness

The FDA Quietly Slapped More Restrictions on the Birth Control Implant The agency recently approved Nexplanon for up to five years of use—but it also imposed extra regulations that leave some providers worried.

Out of over 20,000 FDA-approved drugs, only 73 have active REMS—additional requirements that can make medication harder to get.

So it raised flags when the FDA put a REMS on Nexplanon, a birth control device available since 2011.

Read more from @garnethenderson.com at @autonomynews.co

From waiting periods to insurance mandates: Missouri abortion laws under review • Missouri Independent The outcome of the trial, which focused on dozens of state regulations, will determine the future of abortion access in Missouri.

The people of Missouri voted to ensure access to abortion. Yet there are dozens of burdensome restrictions still on the books.

@drdgrossman.bsky.social of @ansirh.bsky.social testified in a case challenging these laws under Missouri's new constitutional protections for reproductive health

Racism persists in contraceptive care | Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health By Bixby Center on February 2, 2026

As new research from Yasaman Zia shows, racism persists in contraceptive care, fostering distrust and fear and causing people to delay seeking care.

To disrupt these injustices, empowered providers must become active change agents within the care system.

The SF Pregnancy Family Village brings care directly to the community, with an approach rooted in person-centered and antiracism principles. They develop authentic and sustainable partnerships between community and institutions to serve people the medical system regularly mistreats

A Pregnant Woman at Risk of Heart Failure Couldn’t Get Urgent Treatment. She Died Waiting for an Abortion. In a state that had legislated its commitment to life, Graham spent her final days struggling to find anyone to save hers.

Ciji Graham should still be here.

She was denied care for a heart condition because she was pregnant, despite her risk of heart failure. Denying pregnant women necessary care is unacceptable, but all too common.

At-home STD tests offer new options for screening and treatment New options for testing and treating some of the most common sexually transmitted diseases are becoming available

“Sexual health can be stigmatized and people can be hesitant about testing. Now we have a lot of options for patients who may be wary of going into a provider’s office.”

@inaparkmd.bsky.social highlights the benefits of new testing options for STIs

Trump to Expand ‘Mexico City’ Abortion Rule to Include D.E.I. and Gender The policy has traditionally been aimed at keeping organizations that receive U.S. tax dollars from performing or promoting abortion as a method of family planning.

The current admin, which already bars recipients of foreign aid from performing or even discussing abortion, will now ban recipients from promoting “diversity, equity and inclusion” and “gender ideology.”

This is a cruel expansion of the global gag rule.

Abortion Access Can’t Depend on Rage Donations Post-Dobbs abortion access has been propped up by donor outrage and heroic work—but that fragile system is already leaving people behind.

"Everyone deserves reproductive freedom—not just those who are lucky enough to more easily access it."

@carolejoffe.bsky.social and @dsc250.bsky.social write in @msmagazine.com that despite heroic efforts of providers and volunteers, we need more to get abortion access for everyone who needs it

Sex trafficking survivors would get financial support under new Oakland proposal Councilmember Charlene Wang wants to create a Human Trafficking Survivor Support Fund, which would use fines levied against buyers and exploiters.

Dr. Aisha Mays of @dreamyouthclinic.bsky.social announced a new mobile clinic for sex trafficking victims that will offer free STI screenings, pregnancy tests, birth control, menstrual products, fentanyl test strips and more

Putting Pregnancy, Abortion, and Care into Context on Screen TV and film viewers are eager to see more realistic, authentic depictions of reproductive health decisions on screen.

New research from me & @newamerica.org! Audiences crave more realistic, holistic depictions of abortion on screen that TV and film have not been delivering.

www.newamerica.org/better-life-...

Honored and excited to be a part of @womenlifthealth’s Leadership Journey, a program providing tools, mentorship and coaching to expand the power & influence of women leaders in #GlobalHealth. Meet the inspiring #NA2026Cohort: bit.ly/NACohort2026

"After Dobbs": A conversation … - Outlawed - Apple Podcasts Podcast Episode · Outlawed · 01/14/2026 · 34m

Had a great conversation with @dsc250.bsky.social and @carolejoffe.bsky.social - featured on this week’s episode of Outlawed! Check out this dynamic duo and their book “After Dobbs”

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...

Self-administered injectable contraception has been available for more than 2 decades, yet a study found that only about 25% of reproductive health experts prescribe it—and many are unaware it’s even an option.

Learn more about barriers to making it widely available from @ucsffamilymed.bsky.social

SF Pregnancy Family Village offers promising model for person-centered, anti-racist care | Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health On January 21, 2026

“It was just a little hop, skip, and a jump, and I was right there."

Visitors to the Pregnancy Family Village in the Bayview neighborhood of SF found it accessible and tailored to their needs. It offers a promising model for person-centered, anti-racist care

At-home STD tests offer new options for screening and treatment New options for testing and treating some of the most common sexually transmitted diseases are becoming available

“I’m feeling very optimistic about the fact that people have more testing options and also that we now have access to new drugs."

@inaparkmd.bsky.social talks about the potential at-home testing and new drugs offer to quell the STD epidemic, and what's at risk if public health funding goes away

Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy Reproductive Health Researchers Comment Letter to FDA On August 27th, 2025, UCLA Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy (CRHLP) and Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) at UCSF submitted a letter on behalf of more than 260 rese...

Last year, with our colleagues at @uclarepropolicy.bsky.social we sent a letter to the FDA signed by over 200 scientists.

The short version? Medication abortion is safe. Time to drop the junk science and move on.

How One Clinic Saved Abortion Access in a Deep-Red State Julie’s involvement with abortion care began in 2001, when she began work with Dr. George Tiller.

@carolejoffe.bsky.social and @dsc250.bsky.social share the story of Wellspring Health Access, the only abortion clinic in Wyoming, in @slate.com

While the clinic has faced many challenges, it offers a ray of hope in the face of attacks on abortion access

Admissions for Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder at a Safety-net Hospital Labor and Delivery Unit in San Francisco - PubMed In this study, admissions for opioid use complicating pregnancy increased among a diverse population with high rates of homelessness and mental illness. Inpatient labor and delivery units serve as critical access points for OUD treatment in the perinatal period, particularly for individuals facing s …

Inpatient labor and delivery are critical access points for opioid use disorder treatment during pregnancy and childbirth, especially for people facing structural barriers to care

Close-up of a person self-injecting medication into their abdomen.

A 20+ year-old self-administered injectable birth control option remains little-used — only ~25% of reproductive health experts prescribe it, and many don’t know it exists. New study led by Jen Karlin, MD, PhD, at UCSF Family Medicine & @ucsfbixby.bsky.social, explains why. bit.ly/3Ng1UxT

​​Abortion is a parenting issue.

Most abortion-seekers are parents, and those parents often tell me that they want to focus on providing for the children they already have.

This Common Infection Was Thought to Affect Only Women. Now Doctors Know Better. Rarely does a single study change the course of gynecological history. But a clinical trial published this year in The

"This is going to change practice in a profound way."

@inaparkmd.bsky.social responds to a new study showing the success of treating male partners for bacterial vaginosis