Shefali Luthra
@shefali.bsky.social
Reproductive health reporter @19thnews.org
I wrote UNDUE BURDEN, a book about abortion post-Dobbs. Past lives: KHN, The Texas Tribune.
Julien Baker/Boston Celtics/Jaguars enthusiast. She / Her. sbluthra(at)19thnews(dot)org; Signal: shefaliluthra.94
I wrote UNDUE BURDEN, a book about abortion post-Dobbs. Past lives: KHN, The Texas Tribune.
Julien Baker/Boston Celtics/Jaguars enthusiast. She / Her. sbluthra(at)19thnews(dot)org; Signal: shefaliluthra.94
Reposted by Shefali Luthra
NEW:
In 2024, Tierra Walker was sick and getting sicker. She was also pregnant.
She knew abortion was illegal in Texas, but thought there was an exception for women like her, whose health was at risk. Doctors told her there was no emergency.
Then she died.
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
In 2024, Tierra Walker was sick and getting sicker. She was also pregnant.
She knew abortion was illegal in Texas, but thought there was an exception for women like her, whose health was at risk. Doctors told her there was no emergency.
Then she died.
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
“Ticking Time Bomb”: A Pregnant Mother Kept Getting Sicker. She Died After She Couldn’t Get an Abortion in Texas.
Walker is one of several women ProPublica found with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn’t access abortions.
www.propublica.org
November 19, 2025 at 11:08 AM
NEW:
In 2024, Tierra Walker was sick and getting sicker. She was also pregnant.
She knew abortion was illegal in Texas, but thought there was an exception for women like her, whose health was at risk. Doctors told her there was no emergency.
Then she died.
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
In 2024, Tierra Walker was sick and getting sicker. She was also pregnant.
She knew abortion was illegal in Texas, but thought there was an exception for women like her, whose health was at risk. Doctors told her there was no emergency.
Then she died.
www.propublica.org/article/texa...
I visited one of the clinics abortion opponents want to replace IVF providers — one w/ OBGYNs on staff, but that steers patients way from the most effective form of fertility treatment.
Housed in an anti-abortion center, social conservatives think it's a model for the future of reproductive health
Housed in an anti-abortion center, social conservatives think it's a model for the future of reproductive health
As abortion opponents target IVF, they’re promoting fertility clinics like this one
Social conservatives have pushed restorative reproductive medicine as an alternative to IVF. Doctors worry that could limit access to the most effective form of infertility treatment.
19thnews.org
November 17, 2025 at 7:40 PM
I visited one of the clinics abortion opponents want to replace IVF providers — one w/ OBGYNs on staff, but that steers patients way from the most effective form of fertility treatment.
Housed in an anti-abortion center, social conservatives think it's a model for the future of reproductive health
Housed in an anti-abortion center, social conservatives think it's a model for the future of reproductive health
Reposted by Shefali Luthra
For a story! Looking to speak to grandparents raising grandkids in New Mexico, particularly if they are under the age of 5. Let me know if you're interested! Email is ccarrazana [at] 19thnews.org
November 17, 2025 at 7:01 PM
For a story! Looking to speak to grandparents raising grandkids in New Mexico, particularly if they are under the age of 5. Let me know if you're interested! Email is ccarrazana [at] 19thnews.org
Reposted by Shefali Luthra
“The inhumane treatment of pregnant women by the administration is shameful,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to ICE leadership.
Democratic Women’s Caucus demands release of pregnant immigrants in ICE detention
“The inhumane treatment of pregnant women by the administration is shameful,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to ICE leadership.
19thnews.org
November 17, 2025 at 7:00 PM
“The inhumane treatment of pregnant women by the administration is shameful,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to ICE leadership.
Reposted by Shefali Luthra
The news can feel overwhelming, with politics, culture, the economy and more all changing fast.
I want our coverage at @19thnews.org to help you make sense of it, not add to the noise.
Tell us what you need from us in 2026.
survey.alchemer.com/s3/8565522/7...
I want our coverage at @19thnews.org to help you make sense of it, not add to the noise.
Tell us what you need from us in 2026.
survey.alchemer.com/s3/8565522/7...
2025 Annual Survey
survey.alchemer.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:51 PM
The news can feel overwhelming, with politics, culture, the economy and more all changing fast.
I want our coverage at @19thnews.org to help you make sense of it, not add to the noise.
Tell us what you need from us in 2026.
survey.alchemer.com/s3/8565522/7...
I want our coverage at @19thnews.org to help you make sense of it, not add to the noise.
Tell us what you need from us in 2026.
survey.alchemer.com/s3/8565522/7...
jags are the best team ever, many people are saying!!!!!
November 9, 2025 at 6:56 PM
jags are the best team ever, many people are saying!!!!!
hate to see duval catching strays :(
Need a tracker of the public figures who said they'd leave New York. It's put up or shut up time, man. Are you turning Jacksonville into a global financial hub or not?
November 6, 2025 at 11:15 PM
hate to see duval catching strays :(
Reposted by Shefali Luthra
Getting new details on this now:
As the arrest unfolded, teachers pleaded with the agents telling them the teacher had a work permit. The agents went into multiple rooms looking for teachers while children were present. One teacher hid with a child in her care while the agents stormed the facility.
As the arrest unfolded, teachers pleaded with the agents telling them the teacher had a work permit. The agents went into multiple rooms looking for teachers while children were present. One teacher hid with a child in her care while the agents stormed the facility.
Raids inside day cares had been off limits until this year, when, on his first day in office, President Donald Trump removed that protection.
The arrest reportedly took place in front of children.
19thnews.org/2025/11/chil...
The arrest reportedly took place in front of children.
19thnews.org/2025/11/chil...
‘I have papers’: Child care worker detained by ICE officers inside a Chicago day care
Raids inside day cares had been off limits until this year, when, on his first day in office, President Donald Trump removed that protection.
19thnews.org
November 5, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Getting new details on this now:
As the arrest unfolded, teachers pleaded with the agents telling them the teacher had a work permit. The agents went into multiple rooms looking for teachers while children were present. One teacher hid with a child in her care while the agents stormed the facility.
As the arrest unfolded, teachers pleaded with the agents telling them the teacher had a work permit. The agents went into multiple rooms looking for teachers while children were present. One teacher hid with a child in her care while the agents stormed the facility.
Reposted by Shefali Luthra
Raids inside day cares had been off limits until this year, when, on his first day in office, President Donald Trump removed that protection.
The arrest reportedly took place in front of children.
19thnews.org/2025/11/chil...
The arrest reportedly took place in front of children.
19thnews.org/2025/11/chil...
‘I have papers’: Child care worker detained by ICE officers inside a Chicago day care
Raids inside day cares had been off limits until this year, when, on his first day in office, President Donald Trump removed that protection.
19thnews.org
November 5, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Raids inside day cares had been off limits until this year, when, on his first day in office, President Donald Trump removed that protection.
The arrest reportedly took place in front of children.
19thnews.org/2025/11/chil...
The arrest reportedly took place in front of children.
19thnews.org/2025/11/chil...
Reposted by Shefali Luthra
Virginia has elected Ghazala Hashmi as the state’s next lieutenant governor, making her the first Muslim woman ever elected to statewide office in the United States. 19thnews.org/2025/11/virg...
November 5, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Virginia has elected Ghazala Hashmi as the state’s next lieutenant governor, making her the first Muslim woman ever elected to statewide office in the United States. 19thnews.org/2025/11/virg...
Reposted by Shefali Luthra
State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi wins the VA lt gov race, @decisiondeskhq.bsky.social projects, making her the first Muslim woman elected to a statewide office *ever* in US history 19thnews.org/2025/11/virg...
Virginia makes history with first Muslim woman elected to statewide office
Trump’s travel ban inspired state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi to first run for office. Years later, she said fighting bigotry and the “chaos” of Trump’s second term is top of mind.
19thnews.org
November 5, 2025 at 12:37 AM
State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi wins the VA lt gov race, @decisiondeskhq.bsky.social projects, making her the first Muslim woman elected to a statewide office *ever* in US history 19thnews.org/2025/11/virg...
Reposted by Shefali Luthra
Thinking what this will mean for STEM labs and departments, especially at places like UFlorida
Florida's governor is telling public universities to stop hiring anyone on a H-1B visa. Expect other red states to follow suit.
Florida’s Public Universities Should No Longer Hire Foreign Employees, DeSantis Says
The Republican governor’s directive on H-1B visas comes as President Trump has initiated his policy of charging employers a new $100,000 fee to hire people from outside the United States.
www.chronicle.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Thinking what this will mean for STEM labs and departments, especially at places like UFlorida
Mamdani and Hochul have found common ground on universal child care — and their alliance underscores how Democrats are shifting away from treating it as a "woman's issue" to one that concerns all Americans.
19thnews.org/2025/10/mamd...
19thnews.org/2025/10/mamd...
The issue uniting Mamdani and Hochul? Universal child care.
Experts on child care policy — and the politics around it — say it’s a sign of how critical the issue is to many voters.
19thnews.org
October 29, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Mamdani and Hochul have found common ground on universal child care — and their alliance underscores how Democrats are shifting away from treating it as a "woman's issue" to one that concerns all Americans.
19thnews.org/2025/10/mamd...
19thnews.org/2025/10/mamd...
The government has promoted a birth boom while discouraging pregnant people from taking
-SSRIs
-COVID vaccines
-Tylenol
all going against medical consensus & evidence.
We spoke to the people trying to keep their pregnancies healthy in the face of govt misinformation
19thnews.org/2025/10/preg...
-SSRIs
-COVID vaccines
-Tylenol
all going against medical consensus & evidence.
We spoke to the people trying to keep their pregnancies healthy in the face of govt misinformation
19thnews.org/2025/10/preg...
What’s safe? How do we know? The anxiety of pregnancy in America.
The way the government talks about pregnancy has transformed, putting choices about medications, vaccines and care under heightened scrutiny.
19thnews.org
October 28, 2025 at 1:28 PM
The government has promoted a birth boom while discouraging pregnant people from taking
-SSRIs
-COVID vaccines
-Tylenol
all going against medical consensus & evidence.
We spoke to the people trying to keep their pregnancies healthy in the face of govt misinformation
19thnews.org/2025/10/preg...
-SSRIs
-COVID vaccines
-Tylenol
all going against medical consensus & evidence.
We spoke to the people trying to keep their pregnancies healthy in the face of govt misinformation
19thnews.org/2025/10/preg...
Despite what JD Vance said, Muslims in America — and especially Muslim women — suffered real violence & harassment after 9/11.
There's even research showing that pregnant Muslims suffered higher rates of preterm birth & low birth weight after 9/11 because of the stress induced by Islamophobia.
There's even research showing that pregnant Muslims suffered higher rates of preterm birth & low birth weight after 9/11 because of the stress induced by Islamophobia.
Mamdani spoke of his aunt’s fear after 9/11. Backlash revealed how Islamophobia persists.
The response to his remarks revealed how Muslim women remain among the most visible — and vulnerable — targets.
19thnews.org
October 27, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Despite what JD Vance said, Muslims in America — and especially Muslim women — suffered real violence & harassment after 9/11.
There's even research showing that pregnant Muslims suffered higher rates of preterm birth & low birth weight after 9/11 because of the stress induced by Islamophobia.
There's even research showing that pregnant Muslims suffered higher rates of preterm birth & low birth weight after 9/11 because of the stress induced by Islamophobia.
"A pardon will likely pave the way for Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, to return to the U.S., after the company pleaded guilty in 2023 to violating U.S. anti-money-laundering requirements and was barred from operating there."
www.wsj.com/finance/curr...
www.wsj.com/finance/curr...
Exclusive | Trump Pardons Convicted Binance Founder
The pardon follows months of efforts by Changpeng Zhao to boost Trump crypto company
www.wsj.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:31 PM
"A pardon will likely pave the way for Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, to return to the U.S., after the company pleaded guilty in 2023 to violating U.S. anti-money-laundering requirements and was barred from operating there."
www.wsj.com/finance/curr...
www.wsj.com/finance/curr...
Reposted by Shefali Luthra
lindsey byman at the texas tribune is looking for some sources for a story on trans identity in texas k-12 schools. she's a great journalist. Help her out if you know someone who can speak to this. she's not here, so here's a screenshot of her post.
her email is [email protected]
her email is [email protected]
October 22, 2025 at 7:04 PM
lindsey byman at the texas tribune is looking for some sources for a story on trans identity in texas k-12 schools. she's a great journalist. Help her out if you know someone who can speak to this. she's not here, so here's a screenshot of her post.
her email is [email protected]
her email is [email protected]
Marnie Michaels 'what i am'
YouTube video by FORBIDCharlie1986
youtu.be
October 21, 2025 at 11:52 AM
If you know more about how ICE enforcement is affecting pregnant, postpartum or nursing people — including who is being detained and in what conditions — you can help us tell that story: 19thnews.org/2025/10/subm...
October 20, 2025 at 3:58 PM
If you know more about how ICE enforcement is affecting pregnant, postpartum or nursing people — including who is being detained and in what conditions — you can help us tell that story: 19thnews.org/2025/10/subm...
ICE’s own policies say the agency should not detain pregnant, postpartum or nursing individuals.
It’s doing so anyway. Immigrants’ health is suffering. Congress has abandoned a requirement that ICE make public how many such immigrants have been detained.
19thnews.org/2025/10/ice-...
It’s doing so anyway. Immigrants’ health is suffering. Congress has abandoned a requirement that ICE make public how many such immigrants have been detained.
19thnews.org/2025/10/ice-...
ICE keeps detaining pregnant immigrants — against federal policy
But the number is impossible to measure since Congress let lapse a requirement that ICE report how many pregnant, postpartum and nursing immigrants are in custody.
19thnews.org
October 20, 2025 at 12:58 PM
ICE’s own policies say the agency should not detain pregnant, postpartum or nursing individuals.
It’s doing so anyway. Immigrants’ health is suffering. Congress has abandoned a requirement that ICE make public how many such immigrants have been detained.
19thnews.org/2025/10/ice-...
It’s doing so anyway. Immigrants’ health is suffering. Congress has abandoned a requirement that ICE make public how many such immigrants have been detained.
19thnews.org/2025/10/ice-...
Reposted by Shefali Luthra
the president managed to earn lots of positive coverage for his IVF plan that will not help most people afford IVF
www.vox.com/policy/46501...
www.vox.com/policy/46501...
Trump manages to disappoint nearly everyone with his new IVF plan
The president earned positive coverage nonetheless for proposals that won’t help most patients.
www.vox.com
October 17, 2025 at 4:30 PM
the president managed to earn lots of positive coverage for his IVF plan that will not help most people afford IVF
www.vox.com/policy/46501...
www.vox.com/policy/46501...
Trump's big IVF announcement is a retreat from his campaign promise. It doesn't make IVF available for all.
1. Employers don't have to offer the "fertility benefit" it creates
2. The benefit doesn't have to cover IVF
3. It could cover the conservative alternatives criticized by mainstream med
1. Employers don't have to offer the "fertility benefit" it creates
2. The benefit doesn't have to cover IVF
3. It could cover the conservative alternatives criticized by mainstream med
Trump plans could lower IVF costs for some — but fall short of his campaign promise
The administration said employers will be able to offer standalone insurance for fertility treatments and that one major drugmaker will offer discounts for IVF drugs.
19thnews.org
October 16, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Trump's big IVF announcement is a retreat from his campaign promise. It doesn't make IVF available for all.
1. Employers don't have to offer the "fertility benefit" it creates
2. The benefit doesn't have to cover IVF
3. It could cover the conservative alternatives criticized by mainstream med
1. Employers don't have to offer the "fertility benefit" it creates
2. The benefit doesn't have to cover IVF
3. It could cover the conservative alternatives criticized by mainstream med
Reposted by Shefali Luthra
NEW: The federal health office that runs the Title X family planning program was wiped out on Friday, but workers there remained in the dark until today because layoff notices were sent to email accounts they had already been locked out of.
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...
POLITICO Pro: HHS explains why its CDC purge went too far
A federal court has temporarily blocked the layoffs, which targeted nearly 1,000 HHS employees, most of them at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
subscriber.politicopro.com
October 15, 2025 at 9:36 PM
NEW: The federal health office that runs the Title X family planning program was wiped out on Friday, but workers there remained in the dark until today because layoff notices were sent to email accounts they had already been locked out of.
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...