Abortion and Birth, Together

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/15/opinion/sunday/abortion-and-birth-together.html

Alissa Quart

The New York Times

14 June 2014

Text / 800-1500 Words

A Buffalo, New York clinic provides a space for both abortions and natural births. In looking at the experiences as a continuum, rather than as juxtiposing sides, the hope is to change how people think about the birth experiences.

An Afghan Success Story: Fewer Child Deaths

http://www.npr.org/2014/02/04/269551459/an-afghan-success-story-fewer-child-deaths

Sean Carberry

NPR

4 February 2014

Radio / 3-5 Minutes

Child mortality rates are decreasing in Afghanistan due to more readily available basic health care, more effective vaccinations, and locally-trained volunteer health workers.

An L.A. Story: Unions Show Signs of Life

https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/06/in-los-angeles-unions-show-signs-of-life

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

6 November 2014

Text / 1500-3000 Words

The minimum wage issue has been debated endlessly, with arguments both for and against its effectiveness. An increase, tested in some states and enacted in others, immeasurably betters the quality of life for low-income families.

Bangladesh's Chance to Get It Right

https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/23/bangladeshs-chance-to-get-it-right

Amy Yee

The New York Times

23 April 2014

Text / 1500-3000 Words

Bangladesh has often struggled maintaining safety in the workplace. But a new effort ensures that Bangladeshi workers are trained about how to better follow security and safety restrictions to create a safer working environment.

Changing Course

http://ctmirror.org/2015/01/21/changing-course

Arielle Levin Becker

The Connecticut Mirror

21 January 2015

Text / Over 3000 Words

Science suggests that having a secure relationship with a caregiver can help protect a child’s brain and body from the effects of adversity. A Connecticut program for young children who have experienced trauma or other challenges has gotten results by focusing on that relationship – and the things that can interfere, including depression, family violence, and a parent’s own history of trauma.

Living-wage' movement growing in region

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/wage-523783-living-long.html

Margot Roosevelt

Orange County Register

1 September 2013

Text / 800-1500 Words

In the past five years, as federal and state minimum wage levels failed to keep pace with the cost of living, and as the recession took its toll, the living wage movement has accelerated. Across the United States, more than 125 cities and counties have enacted ordinances or passed ballot initiatives to lift the wages of the working poor.

Most Bangladeshi garment workers are women, but their union leaders weren't. Until now.

http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-09-16/most-bangladeshi-garment-workers-are-women-their-union-leaders-werent-until-now

Bruce Wallace

Public Radio International (PRI)

16 September 2015

Radio / 5-15 Minutes

After years of banning labor unions in Bangladesh, garment workers unionized to fight for higher wages and safer working conditions. For women, this isn't traditionally a space they were welcomed in, but now they’re holding their own meetings to ensure women’s safety is ensured on the job.

In Florida Tomato Fields, a Penny Buys Progress

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/25/business/in-florida-tomato-fields-a-penny-buys-progress.html

Steven Greenhouse

The New York Times

24 April 2014

Text / 800-1500 Words

For decades, migrant workers in Florida have been employed under dreadful conditions, picking produce without breaks under extreme temperatures and women being sexually harassed. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has demanded that growers increase wages, mandate rest breaks, and prohibit sexual harassment. The Coalition has partnered with big food companies, notably McDonald’s, Yum Brands, and Walmart, which have pledged to buy only from growers who follow these standards.

Infant Deaths Drop After Midwives Undergo Inexpensive Training

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/health/10global.html

Donald G. McNeil Jr.

The New York Times

9 May 2011

Text / Under 800 Words

Providing simple training to midwives in Zambia has resulted in a statistically significant decline in infant mortality. A small pilot project costing only $20,244 saved the lives of an estimated 97 infants.

Prison Born

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/07/prison-born/395297

Sarah Yager

The Atlantic

1 July 2015

Text / Over 3000 Words

More women are being incarcerated around the United States and that has spurred more institutions to create prison nurseries, which allow women to be with their newborns. It's not a new idea, but it's finding support among prison advocates as well as budget hawks because research shows nurseries can lower recidivism rates among mothers. The idea of children in prison remains controversial however.