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The number of women who birthed at home from 2020-21 rose 12%, “the highest level since at least 1990” at more than 51,600 births, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And, from 2016-21, more certified midwives — who have faced misconceptions about their educations and care historically — have joined the profession to meet the boost in demand. (Ulu Lani Boyanton, 10/12)

Like any savvy mother-to-be, Harlem-based journalist Kimberly Seals Allers made an informed decision when it came to selecting a hospital in which to give birth. ... Seals Allers arrived with high expectations, but what happened next was jarring. ... Seals Allers, who has a background in health communications, says she wanted to do something to make it easier for African Americans and other people of color to navigate the health care system during pregnancy and birth. She partnered with MIT's Solve social impact incubator to create the mobile app Irth, which collects and shares health care reviews from parents of color. (Muraskin, 10/13)

More than one in 10 infants worldwide are born preterm, many with complications: Nearly 1 million die each year. This is the single largest cause of death in children around the world before their fifth birthday. As a pediatrician, I see these lost lives as unacceptable and, in many cases, preventable. (Gary Darmstadt, 10/12)

Washington state's birth rate fell dramatically between 2007 and 2022, mirroring a national trend. The state's rate dropped from 13.77 births per 1,000 people to 10.70 — a decline of more than 22%. In King County, the birth rate dropped by a similar percentage from 2011 to 2022, according to the state health department. (Fitzpatrick, Beheraj and Santos, 10/12)

The national birth rate fell substantially between 2007 and 2022, and in almost no state did it decrease as much as in Arizona. Arizona's birth rate in that period dropped 36.1%, second only to Utah's 36.2%, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. That's well above the national decrease of nearly 23%, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj reported. (Duda, 10/12)

Texas and an anonymous anti-abortion activist are urging a federal judge to uphold federal and state whistleblower laws against a challenge by Planned Parenthood, which has said the laws are unconstitutional in a bid to defeat a $1.8 billion fraud lawsuit they have filed against it. Planned Parenthood has argued in the case in Amarillo, Texas, federal court that the federal False Claims Act and a similar Texas law improperly allow private individuals to act as prosecutors, a role that it says the U.S. and Texas constitutions reserve for government officials. (Pierson, 10/12)

More than a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion is almost completely outlawed in 15 states. Yet the number of abortions done in the United States – notoriously difficult to calculate — has by some estimates fallen by only about 2,900 procedures per month since Roe fell. Reproductive health researchers say the ability to travel to other states has played a major role in people’s continued ability to access abortions. (Luthra, 10/12)