Donate
Search wpr.org

Maternal health, Solutions for political division

Air Date:
Heard On Central Time
A week-old baby lies in a neonatal intensive care unit
In this Feb. 13, 2018 photo, a week-old baby lies in a neonatal intensive care unit bay at the Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Ky. This particular NICU is dedicated to newborns of opioid addicted mothers, that are suffering with newborn abstinence syndrome. The area is kept dark and quiet due to increased production of neurotransmitters in newborns of addicted mothers, which can disrupt the nervous system and overstimulate bodily functions. A study in Tennessee released on Thursday, Aug 30, 2018, found learning disabilities and other special education needs are more common in young children who were born with symptoms from their mothers’ prenatal opioid use. Timothy D. Easley/AP Photo

A reproductive health professor joins us to discuss concerning trends in maternal and infant mortality rates. Then, we learn more about what has pulled us apart politically and how we can start to be more united again.

Featured in this Show

  • Uncovering the causes of infant and maternal mortality

    Download

    Two new reports from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention detail infant and maternal mortality rates in the US. We talk with a reproductive health expert about what needs to be done to save the lives of mothers and their babies.

  • If you feel like American politics has gotten more divided, you’re not alone. A political philosopher says we’re in the middle of a “great pulling apart.” But she makes the case that some changes in the way our political system works could help bring people back together.

Episode Credits

  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Sarah Hopefl Technical Director
  • Lee Rayburn Producer
  • Rob Ferrett Producer
  • Tiffany Green Guest
  • Danielle Allen Guest

Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.

Related Stories