Helen, who many of you know as an important part of our organization, has bravely agreed to share her journey with us.  We wish Helen all the strength in her battle against cancer.
On April 22, 2010 I went to the Emergency Room for an outbreak of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. They ran the usual CT scan and found lesions on my spleen. I was admitted to the hospital despite the fact that I do not have insurance. They told me I may have cancer. I was advised …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
This January, my mother and I have discovered a truly uplifting way to empower ourselves: we cut wood. We live out in the country and rely upon wood and our wood-burning stove for heat. A cold-front was approaching for the first week of January, but my father was too busy at his job to come home and deal with the wood.
I had provided the basic inspiration. Last December, we were running out of wood, …

This article also appears at the Huffington Post.
When Sen. Ben Nelson’s (D-Neb.) abortion language was added to the Senate health care bill, a Republican member of my organization sent me this email: “Don’t blame us. It’s your party and president that started this mess.”
Is it me, or is Obama’s health care bill increasingly like the movie Groundhog Day? Another day, another women’s health smackdown.
Ladies, we are a bargaining chip – and apparently, not a very big one. Women’s health is under assault. Mammograms, pap smears, the Stupak Amendment and the …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
For decades doctors have urged women to get frequent mammograms starting in their forties. When it comes to breast cancer—the second deadliest cancer for women—doctors have always advised women that early detection saves.
Today the U.S Preventive Services Task Force, a panel within the Department of Health and Human Services, marked a sharp withdrawal in policy promoting breast cancer awareness. According to new Task Force recommendations, women don’t need mammograms until they’re into their fifties. Women …

The new mammogram guidelines set forth by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force  this week that say women don’t need regular mammograms until they are in their 50′s rather than 40’s, and even then not as often.  This offers critics of the current healthcare legislation proposals a real opportunity.  In fact, Sarah Palin could reasonably claim that they confirm her suspicions of government “death panels” making healthcare decisions.  This is not the first time these changes have been proposed.  At a time when concerns that the currently debated health care …

In the piece below, the author expresses her opinions and conclusions.  These do not necessarily reflect opinions and conclusions of The New Agenda.
I never thought that a feminist’s understanding of rape would be a controversial issue, especially within the feminist community. However, the misguided concept that rape fantasies are “empowering” has clearly demonstrated that rape is controversial even within the feminist community.
Rape fantasies are dangerous to feminism because they validate the misogynistic beliefs that all women wish to be raped and that women deserve to be raped.
Why do women …

Michelle Obama came out swinging in the health care debate this week after a lengthy absence from the political scene. Her cause? Poor women’s health. This is absolutely a noble cause, as women and children account for the majority of people living in poverty. Mrs. Obama said that her husband’s health insurance reform efforts were “the next step” in women’s long quest for equality and opportunity. I wish I could agree with her, but I doubt the sincerity of her rhetoric when I look at what the administration and congress …

This post originally appeared on The Vyne.  The author expresses her own opinions, not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
Photo credit: ABC News
Humanitarian. Family Doctor. Trailblazer. Fighter. These are all fitting words used to describe the incredible Dr. Regina Benjamin, President Obama’s nominee for U.S. Surgeon General. In her life she has overcome tremendous odds, and has used tragedies in her life as fuel to make a significant impact on health and human services in this country.
Born in 1956 in Mobile, Alabama, her commitment to preventable diseases resulted from witnessing …

Rep Wasserman Schultz – PLAY BALL!
The premise of The New Agenda – being non-partisan – continues to spread — this time to the sports field!
Rep Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) has teamed up with Rep Jo Ann Emerson (R) to form a non-partisan women’s softball team.  A group of 15 women senators and congresswomen from both sides of the aisle have been meeting at 7 a.m. each morning for the past month to practice.
Anne Schroeder Mullins reports on the team that surrounds Rep Wasserman Schultz:
She’s also in the bullpen as a …

The New Agenda applauds President Obama’s nomination of the country’s second female Surgeon General.  Dr. Regina Benjamin is a rural Alabama family physician who made headlines with fierce determination to rebuild her nonprofit medical clinic in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
President Obama said of Dr. Benjamin:
When people couldn’t pay, she didn’t charge them. When the clinic wasn’t making money, she didn’t take a salary for herself.
Here’s the acceptance speech given by Dr. Benjamin earlier today:
<a href=”http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/07/13/surgeon.general/” mce_href=”http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/07/13/surgeon.general/”>Embedded video from <a href=”http://www.cnn.com/video” mce_href=”http://www.cnn.com/video”>CNN Video</a></a>