How state law restricts WNC residents’ access to abortion

Although abortion is technically legal in the U.S., access varies widely. State laws dictate which specific procedures are allowed, which health care providers can perform them and even who can get an abortion. Access is also shaped by how many facilities there are in a given area that are capable of providing this kind of […]

Birthing pains

A recent Tuesday afternoon at the Western North Carolina Birth Center was unusually quiet. The birthing rooms were empty. No laboring mothers paced the halls; no infants wailed. The staff arrived for work, but the mood was forlorn. July 20 marked the close of the WNC Birth Center, the only 24/7 midwifery option in Asheville. […]

Gender bias impacts medical care, say local and national experts

According to a host of experts in Asheville and around the nation, female patients are likely to experience more dismissals of symptoms and receive less medical knowledge about their diseases as a result of “gender bias in medicine.” The long-standing prejudice is well-known within the medical community — and women are still taking the brunt of it, experts say.

The healing our society needs

I appreciate Danielle Dulken’s courage in sharing her abortion experience in the July 31 Opinion piece, “The Face of Abortion.” It is important that the voices of all people are heard, as our nation struggles with the place of abortion, gay marriage and other issues. Open discussion, despite the fear of condemnation for less popular […]

Limiting women limits our future

I was deeply touched and brought to tears by the July 31 Opinion article, “The Face of Abortion.” I was also physically sickened to know that the decision to abolish abortion clinics in the state was made final. The legislation has set us back at least 50 years! The article stirred such strong feelings within […]

Planned Parenthood of Asheville announces acquisitio­n of permanent medical home

After renting a building on Biltmore Avenue for about 15 years, Planned Parenthood’s Asheville Health Center will begin providing sexual and reproductive health services in a permanent setting by the end of the year. The announcement came at the nonprofit’s fundraiser and 35th anniversary celebration on Thursday night. (Pictured: Bonnie Smith, interim CEO of Planned Parenthood, makes the announcement. Photo by Caitlin Byrd)