The Ruth Blog

In an event with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on September 22, President Trump said the administration will issue a physician’s notice to warn pregnant women against using acetaminophen, the common pain reliever used in Tylenol and other over the counter medications.

To continue the conversation from our September article on medical apartheid, it’s clear that the story doesn’t end with history. The legacies of exploitation and neglect we traced are still alive today, shaping the way Black women experience healthcare in America.

The Combahee River Collective is a black, lesbian, feminist organization that was founded in 1974 in Boston, Massachusetts. Barbara Smith, one of the founders, named it after the raid led  by Harriet Tubman on the Combahee River on June 2nd, 1863. The other two founders were her sister, Beverly Smith, and Demita Frazier. The CRC, which operated from 1974 -1980, was a group formed after breaking off from the National Black Feminists Organization.

In his role as Secretary of Defense , Pete Hegseth is using his considerable platform to advance an extremist Christian nationalist agenda that threatens fundamental rights for both women and LGBTQ+ Americans.

For many Black women, seeking medical care means navigating a system where racial bias and unequal treatment persist—disparities that continue to undermine their health, safety, and trust in the very institutions meant to heal them. Medical apartheid, a term coined by Harriett A. Washington, refers to the systemic and historical mistreatment of Black Americans within the U.S. healthcare system, particularly through unethical medical experimentation, exclusion, and exploitatio

In a chilling new trend, tragic medical outcomes like stillbirths and miscarriages are increasingly becoming criminal cases, with devastating consequences for patients. This is fueled by more than just new laws; it’s powered by a troubling mix of legal loopholes and digital surveillance. We’re seeing prosecutors use personal data—from Google searches to period-tracking app logs—as evidence, often purchased directly from data brokers without a warrant.

Millions of women in the United States face pregnancy without access to even the most basic maternal health services. Maternity care deserts are defined as counties with no hospitals offering obstetric services, no birth centers, and no practicing obstetricians, gynecologists, or certified nurse midwives. Impacted areas have grown into a silent public health emergency in the United States.

This week, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee quietly changed its rules to exclude transgender women from competing in women’s events. The decision cites "safety" and "fairness," but the reality is far more insidious. It’s an endorsement of the same paternalistic myth we’ve fought for decades: that women are fragile things in need of guarding, rather than full participants deserving of autonomy.

I sat down with my friend, Ryan-Simone Duncan, and had a conversation about her experiences and her advocacy for reproductive rights. Through her advocacy, the accomplished, young 25-year old,  has starred in commercials and given speeches advocat

In the United States, there is an ongoing fight between state laws and federal rules when it comes to transgender health care. More than 20 states have passed laws that ban or limit gender-affirming care for transgender youth, meaning young people in those states do not have access to treatments, such as puberty blockers or hormone therapy, even when recommended by their doctor. SCOTUS upheld that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964, protects against discrimination based

Your dedication and hard work have been instrumental in our progress, and we are incredibly grateful for your continued support. We are profoundly grateful for your passion for the cause, and we look forward to building and growing our collective with you.

Why do we do this work? Because we have to. The reality is that people are hurting, physically, emotionally, and financially. Remaining silent is not an option. At The Ruth Collective, we are committed to doing more than just raising awareness. We are building support systems, amplifying truth, and protecting choice. Our work is about more than policy; it is all about people.

At the heart of all advocacy is intersectionality, but especially within The Ruth Collective’s vision for personal healthcare choices to be just that: personal. 

Why the 'Quitting Birth Control' Trend Is More Dangerous Than It Sounds. In a landscape where abortion access is disappearing, we cannot afford to let myths dictate our choices.

The Trump administration announced on June 3 that it will revoke federal guidance ensuring hospitals provide emergency abortions when necessary to stabilize a patient’s health (Associated Press, 2025). The 2022 Biden-era policy was implemented after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade to clarify that hospitals must offer abortion care in medical emergencies—including cases of severe hemorrhage, organ failure, or other life-threatening complications.

On May 27th, 2025, the Missouri Supreme Court ordered Judge Zhang to vacate her injunctions against the abortion ban, citing that the judge had applied the wrong legal standards, which in turn led to the reinstatement of the abortion ban. It is worth noting that the Missouri Supreme Court did not rule directly on abortion access.