buzzfeed--2020-08-22--Employees Are Calling Out Major Reproductive Rights Organizations For Racism And Hypocrisy

Reproductive rights issues disproportionately affect Black people , yet the leadership of those groups is predominantly white and Black employees say they are marginalized .
“ I have never been treated so horribly in my life as I was at Planned Parenthood , ” said one woman .
There is a racial reckoning happening in the reproductive rights movement .
And according to many in the field , it ’ s been a long time coming .
Employees of color , and especially Black employees , feel stuck in lower-paying roles at powerful organizations primarily run by white women , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , tokenization , and racism at institutions that often tout intersectional feminism as their ethos .
And when they try to push for more inclusivity — both publicly and internally — they say they are ignored or brushed off .
In interviews , internal meetings , and on social media , dozens of current and former employees in the reproductive rights field are pointing out hypocrisy at their own organizations and coming forward with a clear message : The time for “ white feminism ” is over .
While months of protests over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for change across many industries , the field of reproductive rights is in a unique position .
Access to abortion , contraception , and other reproductive and sexual health care have always disproportionately affected Black people .
According to a study of abortion rates in the US published in the American Journal of Public Health , Black people were “ overrepresented among abortion patients and had the highest abortion rate ” at 27.1 per 1,000 people ages 15 to 44 , while non-Hispanic white people had the lowest rate .
Another study from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found that Black people are more than three times more likely to die in childbirth than white people .
And yet , 26 employees at Planned Parenthood affiliates and the national office of NARAL , as well as 16 employees of other reproductive rights organizations , told BuzzFeed News that people of color , and especially Black people , were often stuck in lower-paying administrative roles , causing high turnover rates among staff of color and preventing nonwhite employees from rising to positions of power within the organizations .
NARAL and Planned Parenthood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights groups in the US .
The employees provided screenshots of emails , text messages , internal staff surveys , union proposals , and other internal documents to support these stories .
“ I do think it 's worse in reproductive rights , because it is insidious .
The movement prides itself on working on issues affecting the most marginalized in society — women , trans and nonbinary folks , and people of color , ” one woman who used to work at a major public relations firm that works with reproductive rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet , in their own workplaces , they don ’ t value those people.
” Planned Parenthood ’ s national board is uncharacteristically diverse for the field , and its new president , Alexis McGill Johnson , is Black .
But the state-level affiliates , which independently run its clinics across the nation , with their own boards and own CEOs , are much whiter ; of Planned Parenthood ’ s 49 state-level affiliates , only eight CEOs identify as people of color or multiracial .
Black current and former staffers at four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faced racism and were berated and belittled by their bosses while their non-Black colleagues were not .
They also said they were unable to move up within the organization , while their white colleagues were promoted .
NARAL lists 10 leadership positions on its website , but only one of them is occupied by a person of color , while four other of the 21 total leadership and director-level staff are Black or Latinx .
The board for its electoral and lobbying wing comprises 11 members , only two of whom are Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ side has three Black women on its 14-person board .
There are no other employees of color on the board .
Staff at NARAL told BuzzFeed News that it was an “ open secret ” that the organization is “ by and for cis white women , ” and that the board is more committed to the appearance of diversity than the reality of it .
Both NARAL and Planned Parenthood said that they are taking steps to address the problems .
The organizations also pointed to their diversity , inclusion , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they already do fighting racism and prejudice , as examples of their commitment to the issues .
“ We have definitely failed in places and certainly fallen short of our goals at times , ” NARAL President Ilyse Hogue said in a statement to BuzzFeed News .
“ I take responsibility for each instance where a person on our staff or board , a member , or an ally felt the impact of that failure .
This is … an opportunity for institutions like ours to own our history and commit to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Parenthood ’ s national office told BuzzFeed News , “ It is among leadership ’ s top priorities to ensure our commitments are intentional , actionable , and public so that we , alongside our supporters , patients , and staff , can hold ourselves accountable and more truly fulfill our mission of reproductive freedom for all.
” Many of the current and former employees at NARAL who spoke to BuzzFeed News said that they were made to sign nondisclosure agreements ( NDAs ) that they interpreted as preventing them from speaking openly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NARAL and Planned Parenthood still work at those organizations or elsewhere in the field , and asked to remain anonymous because they fear professional retribution .
The threat from the anti-abortion movement , which has been steadily whittling away abortion rights , has also kept many employees from speaking out ; they fear giving ammunition to abortion opponents , they said .
Four people who worked at Planned Parenthood clinics said that walking through protesters standing outside their office every day made them feel they had to stand in solidarity with their white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caused many of these workers to change their thinking .
In order for the abortion rights movement to survive and grow stronger , they said , it needs to self-examine and change .
This conflict is not new .
The feminist movement has been called out for excluding women of color and ignoring the issues that affect them since its inception , and even more loudly in the past several decades .
“ The abortion rights activists of the early 1970s should have examined the history of their movement , ” Angela Davis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Race , and Class .
“ Had they done so … they might have understood how important it was to undo the racist deeds of their predecessors , who had advocated birth control as well as compulsory sterilization as a means of eliminating the ‘ unfit ’ sectors of the population.
” One of the main specters of reproductive rights ’ checkered history with race is Margaret Sanger .
The founder of Planned Parenthood was an open eugenicist , though whether her views applied to race is widely debated .
In July , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would remove her name from its Manhattan health center .
`` The removal of Margaret Sanger 's name from our building is both a necessary and overdue step to reckon with our legacy and acknowledge Planned Parenthood 's contributions to historical reproductive harm within communities of color , '' the chair of PPGNY 's board , Karen Seltzer , told reporters .
In part because they felt excluded from the movement and had different priorities , Black and Latinx activists began to form a separate , parallel movement .
In 1994 it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ Reproductive health and rights has always been approached as a privacy issue , while reproductive justice has been approached as a human rights issue , ” Marcela Howell , the founder and president of the National Black Women ’ s Reproductive Justice Agenda , told BuzzFeed News .
“ We look at all of the intersections that come into account when Black women and women of color decide whether or not to start a family.
” Traditionally , reproductive health and rights organizations tackle sexual and reproductive health care access and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reproductive justice groups work on those issues as well , but take a hyper-intersectional approach that focuses on specific communities and fights economic injustice , police brutality , anti-gay and anti-trans prejudice , food insecurity , education , inequality , and any other issues that would prevent Black people and people of color from having the freedom to choose whether to have a family .
Generally speaking , reproductive justice groups are smaller and have less funding .
They don ’ t have the network of high-power donors that reproductive rights groups do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told BuzzFeed News , curbing their ability to expand their work .
Now , reproductive justice leaders say leaders of the mainstream reproductive rights movement need to put their money , and their actions , where their words are .
“ Right now , predominantly white women 's organizations are struggling as to what their role is in stopping [ racism ] , and we embrace their attempt to figure that out , ” Howell told BuzzFeed News .
“ But I do n't believe it 's my job to tell them how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a Black woman to fight white supremacy .
I think that 's the job of white women.
” “ After years of complaints from staff about issues of systemic racism , pay inequity , and lack of upward mobility for Black staff , highly-paid consultants were brought in three separate times to assess the situation , ” the letter signed by hundreds of Planned Parenthood staff and supporters in New York reads .
“ Each time , employees of color were brutally honest about their experiences , but nothing changed.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar problems .
Two former employees of Planned Parenthood affiliates — one in Pittsburgh , and the other in Washington , DC — sent BuzzFeed News copies of their resignation letters , in which they detailed instances of racial ignorance , open racism , and a culture that prevented them from moving up professionally while their white colleagues were promoted .
Both women asked to remain anonymous out of fear that speaking up could hurt their careers .
“ Planned Parenthood advertises that it exists as a safe space to protect and support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but from my experiences I can confidently say that it does not practice what it preaches , ” the Pittsburgh employee , who worked at the affiliate from 2017 to 2019 , wrote in her resignation letter .
“ An unsafe environment has been created here , one where management is comfortable and unaccountable while employees suffer and go unheard.
” The Pittsburgh affiliate , called Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania , didn ’ t have an HR department until November 2019 , so the woman went to the CEO , Kim Evert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ management implement a diversity and inclusion training and a mentorship program .
Evert told her they didn ’ t have the time or money for that , the former employee said .
Another woman who worked at Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh from 2018 to 2019 had similar experiences and provided BuzzFeed News with notes she kept at the time .
Both women said there was a glaring lack of diversity among staff while they were there and that the few employees of color were frequently undermined while their white colleagues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ HR department , they felt helpless .
In response to a request for comment on the specific allegations made by former Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania employees , the organization said that the clinic developed a career ladder for healthcare assistants ( many of whom are people of color ) to encourage career advancement , and that all employees were required to complete diversity training online annually .
“ When our staff speak out about our failures to live up to our values , we must stand with them , ” Evert told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The leadership of PPWP is committed to directly addressing our own internal and structural racism and confirming our commitment to end implicit bias and structural racism within our organization.
” The former employee of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington , DC , worked on the administrative side in 2018 and 2019 , and said she was the only Black person on her team .
She said she was treated noticeably differently from her non-Black colleagues .
Despite her high-ranking role , she said she was constantly told to serve board members food , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s parking permits , and other assistant-level work .
She and two other Black women who worked at the DC affiliate around the same time said their white colleagues would constantly use racially charged terms like “ aggressive , ” “ domineering , ” and “ threatening ” to describe another black male employee ; they found him mild mannered and kind .
In her resignation letter , the woman wrote that she had been repeatedly singled out , berated , and even screamed at by a supervisor .
Once when she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at her so loudly over speaker phone that colleagues and HR reached out to her after the call to make sure she was OK , she told BuzzFeed News .
“ I ’ ve worked at plenty of nonprofits , and I have never been treated so horribly in my life as I was at Planned Parenthood , to the point where I grew very depressed , had a lot of anxiety , and cried in the bathroom almost every day , ” the woman said .
Three other employees who worked at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar stories of their own .
Gabrielle Martinez , who worked at the DC affiliate from 2011 to 2018 , and Angelica Melendez , who worked there for 90 days in 2017 , both of whom are Black and Latinx , said their colleagues would frequently confuse them or imply that they were the “ same person.
” All four Planned Parenthood DC employees told BuzzFeed News that the office was segregated , with the few women of color all sitting at the same row of desks .
Martinez and Melendez both said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manager , would sometimes refer to the Black and Latinx women in that row as the “ barrio ” or the “ ghetto girls.
” Martinez made many complaints to HR about racially insensitive comments or incidents during her time at Planned Parenthood , emails provided to BuzzFeed News show .
In one incident , Martinez told BuzzFeed News , she was wearing a purple headscarf when a non-Black coworker grabbed and shook her hair without asking , saying that she was checking if it was a scarf or if she had dyed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Martinez emailed HR saying that her coworker touched her “ very inappropriately , ” the emails show .
HR responded saying they confirmed the event and its “ inappropriateness ” with a witness , the emails show , and told Martinez that an apology from her colleague was forthcoming .
Martinez told BuzzFeed News the colleague said , “ I ’ m sorry if you were offended.
” A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington , DC , said she could not speak to “ individual personnel matters , ” but that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racist actions , harassment , or similar conduct very seriously.
” She added that the affiliate provides “ multiple avenues for reporting ” and thoroughly investigates each report and takes action when appropriate .
In another incident in 2017 , Martinez asked her white manager if she and Melendez could attend a summit focusing on Afro-Latina health , and her manager texted back , questioning whether the women were in fact Latinx , both women said .
The manager told them that she had never heard Martinez or Melendez speak Spanish , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Latina ” than them because she spent time in Spanish-speaking countries when she was younger , they told BuzzFeed News .
The manager , they said , then sent the women a photograph of herself in what Martinez described as “ white girl vacation braids.
” Neither woman currently has access to this correspondence , which was sent to their work phones , but Martinez also provided BuzzFeed News with emails to HR from March 2018 in which she told them that she did not feel safe meeting with her manager alone .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ into a hostile work environment where I am micro aggressively being bullied , ” she wrote .
“ I would like to request that until you and I are able to sit down and have a conversation that I am not obligated to meet with [ my manager ] on my own.
” She said that after that email she still had to regularly meet alone with her manager .
Melendez and another employee at the affiliate said that the manager would frequently make staff of color feel “ othered ” and uncomfortable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no consequences for your actions , you can say whatever , do whatever , say ignorant or just rude things and know it will go unpunished , ” the other employee said .
BuzzFeed News tried repeatedly to reach the manager for comment but received no response .
The manager still works at Planned Parenthood ’ s DC affiliate .
Melendez no longer works in reproductive rights .
“ You ’ re losing quality highly educated people with a wealth of knowledge because of that behavior , ” she said .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the way of the reproductive justice work — you can ’ t be as radical in the work because of the insecurities of some of these women.
” The spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington highlighted that the current leadership at the affiliate , for both the medical clinic and administrative side of the organization , is diverse , with four of the eight members of the executive leadership team identifying as Black or African American , and 73 % of the 30 members of management identifying as Black , Indigenous , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also provided BuzzFeed News with a list of diversity trainings conducted since 2016 , as well as other efforts , both completed or in the works .
This included an all-staff training on racial microaggressions , plans to establish a diversity , equity and inclusion council , and a collaboration with outside consultants to develop an “ affiliate-wide , multi-year ” diversity and inclusion plan .
“ We know , of course , that PPMW is not immune to the systemic racism that permeates our society , and over the past several years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and inclusion efforts , including training on microaggression and engaging an outside consulting group to conduct a comprehensive assessment and plan to strengthen this work , ” the spokesperson said .
Bracey Sherman was one of only a few women of color on the board during her three years at NARAL , the country ’ s oldest abortion rights organization ( and one of only two on the executive committee before she left ) .
She said she was repeatedly questioned by her fellow board members for voicing dissent .
Five former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News that Bracey Sherman was often described by NARAL leadership as a “ problem child.
” When Bracey Sherman fought back on proposals or language she saw as exclusionary to women of color or trans people , they said , she was met with resistance and eye rolls .
In an email to a fellow board member about why she resigned , which was provided to BuzzFeed News , Bracey Sherman wrote , “ I said that I simply could not move forward with an organization that questioned me like that after I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and people of color.
” Toward the end of her time at NARAL , Bracey Sherman was pushing for another woman of color , a South Asian lawyer , to be added to the board , and one of her white colleagues asked her , “ Well , how is she different from you ?
What can she bring that you can ’ t ?
” Bracey Sherman recalled .
“ Mind you , this woman is a lawyer , I ’ m not .
She ’ s queer , I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ different race and ethnicity than me , the difference was clear , ” Bracey Sherman said .
“ It was just really so frustrating to be reminded that as folks of color we are interchangeable to them .
It was dehumanizing.
” Daniel Grossman , who was on the board with Bracey Sherman at the time , said the issues she raised around race were “ hard for people to hear.
” “ I can corroborate that , ” Grossman said of that specific circumstance , as well as the reasons Bracey Sherman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the way she was treated by others on the board , for sure.
” In a statement to BuzzFeed News , Milikowsky did not directly address the incidents recounted by Bracey Sherman , but wrote that the NARAL board has “ been actively engaged for many years to increase diversity and equity at the board , staff , and membership levels , and to foster an inclusive environment.
” Ten staff members — three of whom overlapped with Bracey Sherman and six of whom worked there after she left — told BuzzFeed News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faced at the top exists throughout the entire organization .
“ The fact that NARAL is by and for cis white women is an open secret in the reproductive rights world , ” one current NARAL employee told BuzzFeed News .
Twelve current and former employees who worked at the organization from 2014 to present told BuzzFeed News that the few staff of color at NARAL were concentrated in lower-paying roles and on the finance and operations side of the organization , rather than in roles that interact with members or have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The few staff members of color who did work there were frequently used in photos and at public events .
A spokesperson for NARAL told BuzzFeed News the organization recognized that Black and brown employees felt tokenized and that NARAL was sorry about the actions that had caused those feelings .
All of the NARAL staff who spoke to BuzzFeed News said that when people raised issues about diversity , pay equity , or microaggressions , they were ignored , dismissed , and sometimes reprimanded .
One incident recounted by several employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at an annual staff retreat in the summer of 2018 .
NARAL held a mandatory diversity , equity , and inclusion session , which staffers , particularly people of color , felt didn ’ t adequately address issues of racial inequity , especially at NARAL itself .
The following day , at another all-staff meeting , several employees expressed disappointment with the training , and one of the few women of color told Hogue , NARAL ’ s president , that she believed the organization had a race equity and inclusivity problem , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the makeup of staff .
In response , four members of staff present at the meeting told BuzzFeed News , Hogue launched into a heated rebuttal , defending her work to eradicate racial inequality .
Throughout her remarks , she kept looking at or motioning toward a small group of Black operations staff sitting together , two members of staff told BuzzFeed News , and suggested that the staff of color present should start a working group on the issue .
Two employees present said the staff of color looked visibly uncomfortable .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ two people present said , Hogue told staff to provide suggestions to managers and executives on ways NARAL could improve its diversity and inclusivity .
In the days following , six managers , including two who spoke to BuzzFeed News — Leslie McGorman , the deputy policy director at the time , and another manager who asked to remain anonymous — collected feedback from their employees and compiled a document to provide executives .
“ I got a call after hours from my boss and she basically asked me , ‘ Why did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ the second manager said , adding that she felt reprimanded .
“ She said one page we couldn ’ t even send to Ilyse because it was just all attacking her.
” A spokesperson for NARAL told BuzzFeed News that the organization does not condone any reprisals or reprimands for staff voicing complaints .
She added that Hogue and the executives were aware of the staff ’ s issues with the retreat , and that they recognized the training at the retreat and the following conversation were missteps .
The executives received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting about it , the spokesperson said .
These incidents caused executives to seek to improve diversity and inclusion at the organization , they said , and NARAL has begun concrete efforts to do so .
A year after the 2018 incident at the retreat , Hogue announced that they were hiring a managing director who would lead NARAL ’ s diversity initiative as one of their chief responsibilities .
They hired a white woman .
Staff currently at the organization say that a full year after that hire , NARAL has not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NARAL said training sessions are , in fact , being planned .
“ Living out our values around diversity , equity and inclusion is both an ethical and a strategic imperative not only for NARAL , but also for our broader movement , ” Hogue told BuzzFeed News in a statement when asked about the incidents described at her organization .
“ We are proud of the work we are doing to grow and improve and I take responsibility for where we ’ ve fallen short .
… [ W ] e know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learn and evolve.
” Ten people who worked at NARAL told BuzzFeed News that leadership constantly cited the fact that their donors and volunteers are majority white , middle class , and centrist as the reason for not always using more trans-inclusive language , like changing “ pregnant women ” to “ pregnant people ” in press releases , or signing onto progressive , intersectional causes .
One woman who worked at NARAL in 2018 said that when she asked a member of leadership why they didn ’ t do more outreach to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that NARAL ’ s “ target was suburban women.
” At an all-staff meeting in May , an outside messaging research contractor gave a presentation , alongside NARAL ’ s communications team , in which the contractor argued against using transgender-inclusive language .
“ We recognize that using ‘ woman ’ ( or ‘ women ’ ) does not reflect the real lived experience of transgender men and people who are non-binary who need abortion care , ” the slide read .
“ However , we have found that using ‘ people ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considerable confusion among our audience.
” The slide suggested that using the singular “ a woman ” in messaging helps communicate how personal the decision to have an abortion is , while using “ people ” could “ trigger a suspicion that we are implying men should have more control ” over abortion care .
In response , a spokesperson for NARAL said the research presented was conducted on its behalf by the outside contractor to inform NARAL ’ s messaging to “ conflicted voters.
” Employees who attended the presentation said this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interpreted the slide — which referred to “ our audience ” and had no specific mention of conflicted voters — as a direction of how to speak to all voters .
NARAL ’ s spokesperson added that the organization is “ committed to educating our members and voters ” on how attacks on reproductive rights affect “ not only women , but also people who are trans and non-binary . ''
Trans and nonbinary people are also leaders in our movement and members of our organization , ” the spokesperson said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gender-inclusive language is our most effective strategy to acknowledge the important realities of who needs access to reproductive healthcare . ''
Internal emails reviewed by BuzzFeed News also show that despite recently expanding NARAL into Arizona and Nevada , which have large Latinx populations , NARAL didn ’ t hire Spanish-language translators .
When staff pushed back in meetings and emails , NARAL leadership said they wanted to focus on current donors , according to emails reviewed by BuzzFeed News .
In response to questions about their resistance to hire translators , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has `` recognized the need to provide more materials and resources in different languages ” as it expands into more states , and that it has begun the work to do so .
China Dickerson , who worked as NARAL ’ s deputy national political director from 2017 to 2018 , said that she felt she was “ labeled a problem ” for pushing for more intersectionality in NARAL ’ s work and pushing back on racist or discriminatory attitudes .
“ Every single time we wanted to in a way embrace reproductive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most impacted , it was essentially a ‘ no , because our audience is white middle-class women and they ’ re not gon na understand , ’ ” she said .
When she left , she said , she told NARAL all of her issues in her exit interview .
“ I do n't think it was blindness , because you ca n't be blind if I 'm telling you over and over again that this is a problem , ” Dickerson told BuzzFeed News .
“ None of us were quiet about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who I consider accomplices.
” In a statement sent to BuzzFeed News , Hogue said she was “ not aware of skipping opportunities because of donor or member concerns.
’ ’ Spokespeople for NARAL provided several examples from the past year of the organization using gender-inclusive language in its tweets and emails to donors and volunteers , as well as intersectional issues NARAL participated in , including sponsoring the Movement for Black Lives conference and supporting criminal justice reform .
They also highlighted a recent summit the organization held for their donors and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fragility , white supremacy , and the importance of intersectionality and anti-racism .
Hogue also recently held a call with donors in which she explained transgender-inclusive language , the spokespeople said .

In response, four members of staff present at the meeting told BuzzFeed News, Hogue launched into a heated rebuttal, defending her work to eradicate racial inequality. Throughout her remarks, she kept looking at or motioning toward a small group of Black operations staff sitting together, two members of staff told BuzzFeed News, and suggested that the staff of color present should start a working group on the issue. Two employees present said the staff of color looked visibly uncomfortable.
At the end of the meeting, two people present said, Hogue told staff to provide suggestions to managers and executives on ways NARAL could improve its diversity and inclusivity. In the days following, six managers, including two who spoke to BuzzFeed News — Leslie McGorman, the deputy policy director at the time, and another manager who asked to remain anonymous — collected feedback from their employees and compiled a document to provide executives.
“I got a call after hours from my boss and she basically asked me, ‘Why did you guys do this?’’’ the second manager said, adding that she felt reprimanded. “She said one page we couldn’t even send to Ilyse because it was just all attacking her.”
A spokesperson for NARAL told BuzzFeed News that the organization does not condone any reprisals or reprimands for staff voicing complaints. She added that Hogue and the executives were aware of the staff’s issues with the retreat, and that they recognized the training at the retreat and the following conversation were missteps.
The executives received the letter from management and held a meeting about it, the spokesperson said. These incidents caused executives to seek to improve diversity and inclusion at the organization, they said, and NARAL has begun concrete efforts to do so.
A year after the 2018 incident at the retreat, Hogue announced that they were hiring a managing director who would lead NARAL’s diversity initiative as one of their chief responsibilities. They hired a white woman.
Staff currently at the organization say that a full year after that hire, NARAL has not had a diversity and inclusion training. NARAL said training sessions are, in fact, being planned.
“Living out our values around diversity, equity and inclusion is both an ethical and a strategic imperative not only for NARAL, but also for our broader movement,” Hogue told BuzzFeed News in a statement when asked about the incidents described at her organization. “We are proud of the work we are doing to grow and improve and I take responsibility for where we’ve fallen short. … [W]e know that we must continue to listen, learn and evolve.”
Ten people who worked at NARAL told BuzzFeed News that leadership constantly cited the fact that their donors and volunteers are majority white, middle class, and centrist as the reason for not always using more trans-inclusive language, like changing “pregnant women” to “pregnant people” in press releases, or signing onto progressive, intersectional causes.
One woman who worked at NARAL in 2018 said that when she asked a member of leadership why they didn’t do more outreach to women of color, she was told that NARAL’s “target was suburban women.”
At an all-staff meeting in May, an outside messaging research contractor gave a presentation, alongside NARAL’s communications team, in which the contractor argued against using transgender-inclusive language. “We recognize that using ‘woman’ (or ‘women’) does not reflect the real lived experience of transgender men and people who are non-binary who need abortion care,” the slide read. “However, we have found that using ‘people’ instead of ‘women’ can create considerable confusion among our audience.”
The slide suggested that using the singular “a woman” in messaging helps communicate how personal the decision to have an abortion is, while using “people” could “trigger a suspicion that we are implying men should have more control” over abortion care.
In response, a spokesperson for NARAL said the research presented was conducted on its behalf by the outside contractor to inform NARAL’s messaging to “conflicted voters.”
Employees who attended the presentation said this did not come across, and they interpreted the slide — which referred to “our audience” and had no specific mention of conflicted voters — as a direction of how to speak to all voters.
NARAL’s spokesperson added that the organization is “committed to educating our members and voters” on how attacks on reproductive rights affect “not only women, but also people who are trans and non-binary."
Trans and nonbinary people are also leaders in our movement and members of our organization,” the spokesperson said. “We believe that using both gendered and gender-inclusive language is our most effective strategy to acknowledge the important realities of who needs access to reproductive healthcare."
Internal emails reviewed by BuzzFeed News also show that despite recently expanding NARAL into Arizona and Nevada, which have large Latinx populations, NARAL didn’t hire Spanish-language translators. When staff pushed back in meetings and emails, NARAL leadership said they wanted to focus on current donors, according to emails reviewed by BuzzFeed News.
In response to questions about their resistance to hire translators, a spokesperson for NARAL said that the organization has "recognized the need to provide more materials and resources in different languages” as it expands into more states, and that it has begun the work to do so.
China Dickerson, who worked as NARAL’s deputy national political director from 2017 to 2018, said that she felt she was “labeled a problem” for pushing for more intersectionality in NARAL’s work and pushing back on racist or discriminatory attitudes.
“Every single time we wanted to in a way embrace reproductive justice, to talk about the people most impacted, it was essentially a ‘no, because our audience is white middle-class women and they’re not gonna understand,’” she said.
When she left, she said, she told NARAL all of her issues in her exit interview.
“I don't think it was blindness, because you can't be blind if I'm telling you over and over again that this is a problem,” Dickerson told BuzzFeed News. “None of us were quiet about these issues, even the white women who I consider accomplices.”
In a statement sent to BuzzFeed News, Hogue said she was “not aware of skipping opportunities because of donor or member concerns.’’
Spokespeople for NARAL provided several examples from the past year of the organization using gender-inclusive language in its tweets and emails to donors and volunteers, as well as intersectional issues NARAL participated in, including sponsoring the Movement for Black Lives conference and supporting criminal justice reform.
They also highlighted a recent summit the organization held for their donors and volunteers during which they openly discussed white fragility, white supremacy, and the importance of intersectionality and anti-racism. Hogue also recently held a call with donors in which she explained transgender-inclusive language, the spokespeople said.


buzzfeed--2020-08-21--This Election Is Going To Be Completely Different. Here's What To Expect.

“ It ’ s just a precarious time to be running an election as significant as this one is.
” Socially distanced lines , poll workers in face shields , ballots piling up in elections offices .
Election Day this fall is going to be completely unrecognizable from anything we have seen before .
The very act of voting will change for millions of people because of the coronavirus .
The tidy and traditional expectation that you can stay up past midnight — or wake up the next morning — and know who the next president will be is uncertain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the sitting president intentionally confuses people into thinking there is widespread , and unfounded , voter fraud .
“ We live in a time where there is an incredible amount of concern rising to the level of fear over the legitimacy and the accuracy of the vote-counting process in this country , ” said Darry Sragow , a longtime Democratic strategist and political science professor at the University of Southern California .
Pair that with the nation ’ s inability to contain the coronavirus , the renewed reckoning over systemic racism , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amid a weak economy , and “ it ’ s just a precarious time to be running an election as significant as this one is , ” Sragow said .
Fearing the virus might spread at polling locations , local and state officials across the country have changed how elections are administered to make it easier for people to vote from home — infuriating President Donald Trump , who admitted last week that he withheld funding from the US Postal Service to make it harder for states to expand voting by mail .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting — and litigation over the election law changes that have made remote voting more accessible — could make it more difficult to call races on election night and create a lot of confusion and uncertainty about the outcome .
Every day brings new , incremental developments .
It ’ s a lot to keep track of .
Below , BuzzFeed News will lay out some of the big-picture issues and how they might change how we process what happens after the polls open on Nov. 3 .
“ Obviously COVID-19 has changed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aren ’ t immune from that , ” said Drew McCoy , president of the election-calling company Decision Desk HQ .
Voting in person will look different — and may take longer — because of social distancing and sanitizing protocols .
Long lines are polling locations are not new .
But due to social distancing and sanitizing protocols , the lines may look a lot longer and take more time to get through at early voting sites and at the polls on Election Day .
“ Individuals who choose to go vote in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wait , ” said Kristi Royston , elections supervisor for Gwinnett County in Georgia .
It ’ s hard to say how long that wait could be — the long lines during the Super Tuesday primaries caused outrage .
But election officials in several battleground states are hopeful that the increased opportunities to vote remotely will lead to fewer people at the polls and fewer lines overall .
“ We hope that because we ’ ve done the front-end work of promoting mail-in ballots , there are going to be fewer people , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of elections in Pinellas County in Florida .
Election officials said poll workers will regularly clean voting booths and other commonly touched surfaces , and sanitize pens or have voters dispose of their ballot-marking tool or take it home as a keepsake .
Poll workers and voters will be required to wear masks — and some will also don face shields — in the more than 30 states where face coverings are mandated .
In other states , like Florida , it will be up to local officials to decide whether to enforce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters will be encouraged to wear them in line and inside , even if it ’ s not required by their state or local government .
“ We hope that people are going to wear masks , ” Chase said , noting that while Pinellas County adopted an ordinance requiring masks , poll workers can ’ t enforce it .
Voting by mail ?
Know the deadlines , read the ballot instructions , and act early .
With an unprecedented number of Americans expected to cast ballots by mail in November — many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — election officials are encouraging voters to educate themselves about the deadlines and latest rules for voting by mail in their states and to request and return their ballots as soon as possible .
“ It ’ s not a panacea of just ease in most cases , and people need to be aware of deadlines , ” McCoy said .
Each jurisdiction has its own laws on who can receive absentee ballots , whether voters need to request them , and how to fill the ballots out .
And a lot of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in response to the pandemic .
According to a recent New York Times analysis , a record 76 % of voters will be eligible to vote by mail in the general election .
In nine states and Washington , DC , all registered voters will automatically receive a ballot in the mail , with California , Vermont , Nevada , New Jersey , and DC voting that way for the first time .
Other states have expanded their excuses for absentee voting to include concerns about COVID-19 as a valid reason to receive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no-excuse absentee voting .
In all jurisdictions , voters are required to sign their ballots before mailing them in , but some states , like Wisconsin , also require voters to have a witness sign their ballots .
“ If either of those are missing , your ballot can not be counted , ” said Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson .
States also have different deadlines for when ballots need to be returned .
Some require ballots to be in the possession of election officials — either received by mail to their office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a voting site — by the time the polls close , while other jurisdictions , like California , require ballots to be postmarked on or before Election Day .
“ The earlier that voter can request the ballot the better … and the sooner that they can get it back into us the better , ” Royston said , adding that voters need to factor possible mail delivery delays into their timelines .
“ I may think something should take two days to get from one city to the other , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days just because you do n't know how the mail is going to run.
” Trump ’ s efforts to undermine mail-in voting have made some voters wary , but election officials are still confident in the process .
Despite regularly voting absentee himself , Trump has claimed that widespread adoption of voting by mail will result in a “ Rigged Election , ” and on Monday he said the only way he would lose the election is if it is “ rigged.
” Political science and voting experts say there is no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that voting by mail is indeed very secure .
Even Twitter has started labeling Trump ’ s tweets about fraudulent mail-in voting as unsubstantiated .
But the Trump administration ’ s efforts to undermine the Postal Service , which has been hamstrung by large cost-cutting measures , have made some voters feel less confident in the agency ’ s ability to handle the large spike in ballots whether or not they believe in the president ’ s false claims that mail-in voting is more susceptible to fraud .
Now , USPS officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be disenfranchised by slower delivery times if they don ’ t alter their rules and deadlines for absentee ballots .
Sixty-six-year-old Michael Claus , of Milwaukee , said he prefers to vote in person but plans to vote absentee in the general election because of COVID-19 .
“ I ’ m African American , I ’ m over 65 , I have high blood pressure , so yeah , I have some health concerns , ” Claus told BuzzFeed News .
But because he also is worried that his ballot could get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office on time , Claus , who said he usually votes for Democrats , plans to return his ballot at an early voting site or polling location .
“ We aren ’ t going to trust the mail , ” he said .
“ If I ’ m voting in person , I know my vote is counted .
I ’ m absolutely sure it ’ s counted .
If I ’ m doing it by mail , I ’ m trusting somebody else to take my ballot , count it , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Goodman , 75 , a registered Republican , said he ’ s never considered voting by mail — and that the pandemic hasn ’ t changed that — but he is concerned that the process is more susceptible to interference despite experts and election officials ’ insistence that it is not .
“ If there was going to be any type of hanky-panky or fooling around with the voting , it would probably be easier by mail , ” said Goodman , who lives in Lake Worth , Florida .
“ Anytime there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and knowing how evil the world seems to have become , there 's always a chance that somebody is trying to do something illegal.
” Despite the challenges facing the Postal Service , election officials told BuzzFeed News that they have confidence in the system and believe voting by mail is still a safe and secure way for voters to have their voices heard .
Michael Dickerson , director of elections for Mecklenburg County in North Carolina , said he had “ no doubt ” in the agency ’ s ability to deliver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is expecting to get back by mail .
The key is for voters to act early .
“ Once you ’ re ready to vote it , vote it and go ahead and put it in the mail and get it back to us so that we can not have to worry about whether or not it makes the deadline , ” Dickerson said .
The postmaster general , under pressure from the public and Democrats in Congress , said this week that the USPS would suspend changes to its operations until after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerned about their ballots being received in time can also drop them off in person to their local elections office , early voting sites , polling locations , or leave them in drop boxes , depending on what is allowed and available in their state .
Some states also allow voters to track the status of their mail-in ballot .
“ It is a very easy process for the voter .
That 's what I want everybody to realize , ” Dickerson said .
“ It creates more work for us , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing more work , so that 's fine with us.
” Fran Drago , 72 , of Cape Coral , Florida , said she and her husband have already requested mail-in ballots for November .
“ I ’ d like to go to the polls , but I live in Florida and nothing ’ s going to get any better down there , ” Drago told BuzzFeed News , adding that her son lives in Oregon , a state that has conducted elections entirely by mail for years .
“ He ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never been any problem.
” She called Trump ’ s attacks on voting by mail “ a bunch of hooey , ” and said that while she certainly enjoys going to the polls , she doesn ’ t think it ’ s worth possibly being exposed to the coronavirus .
“ I want to be around to know what happens with this election , ” Drago said .
“ I think I have a better chance of that if I 'm not trotting into a polling place.
” Early results may look a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots is more time-consuming than receiving an in-person voter ’ s ballot at the polling station , which means it may take a lot longer to get a clear picture of the election results .
When ballots are received , officials need to first verify that the signature on the return envelope matches the voter ’ s signature in the state ’ s registration database before they can actually open up the envelope and scan the ballot .
If the signatures don ’ t match , some states allow election officials to notify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to correct the issue .
In some states , like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania , elections workers can ’ t even open the envelopes until Election Day .
“ It 's very labor intensive and tedious , so it ’ s going to take some time , ” Christenson said .
Election officials who spoke to BuzzFeed News said they ’ ve taken steps to hire more temporary staff to process mail-in ballots and acquire more equipment to open and scan the ballots before counting can begin , which only starts when the polls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be election results on election night , but absentee by mail will no longer be completed on Election Day , ” Royston said .
Experts say the delay in absentee ballot counting could result in election night results favoring Republicans even in areas where Democrats typically do well because Democrats tend to vote late and are more open to voting by mail .
A recent ABC News and Washington Post poll found that among Biden supporters , 54 % say they prefer to vote by mail this fall , while only 17 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a whopping 78 % think it ’ s vulnerable to fraud .
“ You ’ ll see some potentially odd things , ” McCoy said .
“ Over the course of that week to 10 days to two weeks [ as ] those votes [ are ] being processed and counted and if history holds , if voting patterns hold , you will see a move towards Democrats.
” It ’ s not a new phenomenon .
In 2018 , California ’ s “ blue wave ” in congressional district races only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closed , largely due to changes in the state ’ s election laws that expanded the time it takes to count ballots .
Democrats ultimately flipped seven Republican-held districts after trailing in four on election night .
“ It did n't change .
It was always there .
We just got around to counting it , ” McCoy said , noting that the difference between early results and the official , final tally is in no way indicative of something nefarious going on at the elections office .
That ’ s always happened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just that it happened “ in a shorter time frame so it really did n't catch your attention.
” Be patient .
It may take days — or weeks — for some races to be called .
Because it could take days or weeks to process and count all absentee or mail-in ballots across the country , it may be difficult for news outlets to call the winners on election night when so many ballots will still be uncounted .
McCoy said he thinks “ it ’ s possible , maybe even probable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calls on election night given the influx in mail-in ballots .
“ It 's as much about what 's not been reported yet as it is about what has been reported , ” said McCoy , whose company feeds results and race calls and data to BuzzFeed News , Vox , and other news organizations .
In Pennsylvania , which just last year adopted a law allowing all registered voters to vote absentee , officials warned that the expansion in mail-in voting may delay the battleground state ’ s presidential election results after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by mail in the state ’ s June 2 primary — 17 times the number that voted absentee in the 2016 primary .
“ The reality is people need to expect it 's going to take two weeks to get through those ballots , ” said Delaware County Councilmember Christine Reuther , who serves as the council ’ s liaison to the elections bureau and board .
Reuther said she would be surprised to see Trump win in the suburban Philadelphia county , which has trended Democratic in recent elections , but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by which he or former vice president Joe Biden wins or loses Pennsylvania .
“ That ’ s something networks certainly are going to have to deal with , is that case in Pennsylvania , where Donald Trump may be up by several tens of thousands of votes , and if Philadelphia is sitting there with twice as many uncounted votes on an election night , you would just wait until Philadelphia came in , ” McCoy said .
“ So waiting an hour , you know , waiting three hours , waiting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ takes two weeks ?
” Calling races isn ’ t just about projecting a winner , McCoy said .
Rather , it ’ s determining whether the trailing candidate has lost .
“ You know certain parts of a county trend certain ways , and if you know where those votes are coming from , you understand what 's left and that 's how you make that projection , ” he said .
“ A lot of this has been thrown into question because people that traditionally vote in person may vote by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may open the doors to more legal challenges .
Litigation over changes to laws that have expanded mail-in voting amid the pandemic could also lead to delays in certifying election results .
As of Sunday , more than 200 lawsuits had already been filed in 43 states and DC over absentee or mail-in voting requirements , voting deadlines , and other issues , according to a list compiled by Loyola Law School professor Justin Levitt .
Sragow , who teaches election law at USC , said every aspect of the process — from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots need to be returned to how long officials have to notify voters of a mismatched signature and give them a chance to prove they filled out the ballot — is ripe for being challenged in court .
“ The fear is that there will be this incredible avalanche of legal actions challenging everything that 's gone on and as a result there will be incredibly high levels of uncertainty about the outcome , ” he said .
It ’ s hard to know what the impact of those actions will be , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close the election ultimately is .
“ If an election is not close , a lot of this doesn ’ t matter , but if an election is tight , then everything we ’ ve just talked about could create a great deal of uncertainty about the outcome in certain elections , ” Sragow said .
●

Trump’s efforts to undermine mail-in voting have made some voters wary, but election officials are still confident in the process.
Despite regularly voting absentee himself, Trump has claimed that widespread adoption of voting by mail will result in a “Rigged Election,” and on Monday he said the only way he would lose the election is if it is “rigged.” Political science and voting experts say there is no evidence to support Trump’s allegations and that voting by mail is indeed very secure. Even Twitter has started labeling Trump’s tweets about fraudulent mail-in voting as unsubstantiated.
But the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine the Postal Service, which has been hamstrung by large cost-cutting measures, have made some voters feel less confident in the agency’s ability to handle the large spike in ballots whether or not they believe in the president’s false claims that mail-in voting is more susceptible to fraud.
Now, USPS officials are warning 46 states that their voters could be disenfranchised by slower delivery times if they don’t alter their rules and deadlines for absentee ballots.
Sixty-six-year-old Michael Claus, of Milwaukee, said he prefers to vote in person but plans to vote absentee in the general election because of COVID-19.
“I’m African American, I’m over 65, I have high blood pressure, so yeah, I have some health concerns,” Claus told BuzzFeed News.
But because he also is worried that his ballot could get lost or not arrive at the elections office on time, Claus, who said he usually votes for Democrats, plans to return his ballot at an early voting site or polling location.
“We aren’t going to trust the mail,” he said. “If I’m voting in person, I know my vote is counted. I’m absolutely sure it’s counted. If I’m doing it by mail, I’m trusting somebody else to take my ballot, count it, and make sure it gets in.”
Harold Goodman, 75, a registered Republican, said he’s never considered voting by mail — and that the pandemic hasn’t changed that — but he is concerned that the process is more susceptible to interference despite experts and election officials’ insistence that it is not.
“If there was going to be any type of hanky-panky or fooling around with the voting, it would probably be easier by mail,” said Goodman, who lives in Lake Worth, Florida. “Anytime there's a delay, knowing the public and knowing how evil the world seems to have become, there's always a chance that somebody is trying to do something illegal.”
Despite the challenges facing the Postal Service, election officials told BuzzFeed News that they have confidence in the system and believe voting by mail is still a safe and secure way for voters to have their voices heard.
Michael Dickerson, director of elections for Mecklenburg County in North Carolina, said he had “no doubt” in the agency’s ability to deliver the 100,000 or so ballots his office is expecting to get back by mail. The key is for voters to act early.
“Once you’re ready to vote it, vote it and go ahead and put it in the mail and get it back to us so that we can not have to worry about whether or not it makes the deadline,” Dickerson said.
The postmaster general, under pressure from the public and Democrats in Congress, said this week that the USPS would suspend changes to its operations until after the election.
Voters who are still concerned about their ballots being received in time can also drop them off in person to their local elections office, early voting sites, polling locations, or leave them in drop boxes, depending on what is allowed and available in their state. Some states also allow voters to track the status of their mail-in ballot.
“It is a very easy process for the voter. That's what I want everybody to realize,” Dickerson said. “It creates more work for us, but we’re in the business of doing more work, so that's fine with us.”
Fran Drago, 72, of Cape Coral, Florida, said she and her husband have already requested mail-in ballots for November.
“I’d like to go to the polls, but I live in Florida and nothing’s going to get any better down there,” Drago told BuzzFeed News, adding that her son lives in Oregon, a state that has conducted elections entirely by mail for years. “He’s mailed in his votes. There's never been any problem.”
She called Trump’s attacks on voting by mail “a bunch of hooey,” and said that while she certainly enjoys going to the polls, she doesn’t think it’s worth possibly being exposed to the coronavirus.
“I want to be around to know what happens with this election,” Drago said. “I think I have a better chance of that if I'm not trotting into a polling place.”


buzzfeed--2020-08-21--A Trump Ethics Board Just Voted To Block Most Fetal Tissue Research

A Trump administration fetal tissue ethics panel voted to scrap 13 of 14 National Institutes of Health medical research proposals already approved for federal funding by scientists , according to a newly released report .
The NIH “ Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board ” was announced more than a year ago , part of a broad Trump administration move to curtail federal research involving fetal cells , which are widely used in medical research but have become a flashpoint for abortion opponents in the last decade .
The ethics board ’ s membership was not revealed until the morning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when it became clear the Trump administration had stacked it with abortion opponents .
Headed by bioethicist Paige Comstock Cunningham , interim president of the evangelical Taylor University in Indiana , the panel overwhelmingly voted to nix the proposals for research involving fetal cells , the new report revealed .
Because of confidentiality rules , the substance of each proposal was not disclosed , only the nature of the discussions and votes .
The only proposal that received a majority of votes needed to be funded used cells already in a repository @ @ @ @ @ @ @ using fetal cells .
The votes now go directly to Department of Health and Human Services head Alex Azar for final decisions on the funding of the proposals , sidelining NIH chief Francis Collins .
If Azar sits on the report and takes no action by November when federal funding cycles end , he would effectively deny the proposals funding , the Washington Post noted .
By law , Azar can only overrule the panel 's votes if he concludes from the report that they were made in an `` arbitrary and capricious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , cells derived from abortions , have been widely used in medical research and in vaccines for decades , with rules codifying their use erected in the early 1990s .
At least half a dozen current coronavirus vaccine candidates use the cells , widely seen as a “ gold standard ” for tissue studies in many fields including AIDS research , according to a July 28 letter sent to the ethics panel by more than 90 scientific organizations .
Research advocates condemned the vote to nix the research grants , calling the ethics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-abortion politics into medical research .
“ At a time when the US and the world should be employing every biomedical research avenue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic , a crucial tool for investigating viral diseases has been blocked by special interests , ” International Society for Stem Cell Research president Christine Mummery said in a statement .
“ People may die unnecessarily because the administration has allowed an ideological special interest group to hijack biomedical research.
” Meanwhile , abortion opponents applauded the result .
Mallory Quigley of the Susan B. Anthony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ panel “ was a serious review of the ethical considerations surrounding use of human fetal tissue in research.
” By charter , the panel is required to have only a third of its members be scientists , with other slots set aside for lawyers , doctors , and theologians .
At least 10 of the board ’ s 15 members were opponents of abortion , fetal tissue science , or related research , according to Science Magazine , while only one member , neuroscientist Lawrence Goldstein of the University of California , San @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fetal tissue research .
Many of the objections to proposals described in the report revolved around the completeness of tissue donation consent forms .
Although the panel was not supposed to evaluate the scientific merits of the proposals , many objections involved contentions that the amount of tissue required was excessive or that fetal tissues from spontaneous miscarriages could instead be substituted for ones from abortions .
“ Miscarriages are useless for this research , ” Stanford developmental biologist Irving Weissman told BuzzFeed News in response , noting the implausibility of asking a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide the cells under sterile conditions and the difficulty in retrieving living cells .
`` Its a non-starter . ''
`` This was not about science or the health of born humans in the USA and in the World , ” Weissman added by email .
“ It was about imposing religious beliefs strongly held by a distinct minority of people in the US on the rest of us , even though it will surely result in disease and deaths.
” Two board members wrote a dissenting opinion for the report , stating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ …so as to include a large majority of members who are on the public record as being opposed to human fetal tissue research of any type .
This was clearly an attempt to block funding of as many contracts and grants as possible.
” The dissenters noted that panel members had even voted against proposals aimed at developing “ humanized ” mouse cell alternatives to human fetal tissue .
These votes “ will paradoxically fail to reduce the use of human fetal tissue in the development of humanized mice needed for therapy development @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
NIH did not provide a statement about the status of its research grants with the release of the July meeting report .
“ The lack of NIH leadership to call attention to all of this is puzzling but understandable , ” said Weissman .
In the past , NIH officials could take a strong principled stand , and be fired or resign knowing there were many experts to replace them and keep research and clinical trials going .
“ But virtually every person replaced by Trump and his administration has only one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not domain expertise , ” Weissman said .
“ So I can understand the personal ethical dilemma of keeping silent on some issues to protect the larger goals.
” With the presidential election coming up on November 3 , the panel 's vote represents a promise made by the Trump administration to abortion opponents , who widely voted for him in 2016 , Heather Pierce of the Association of American Medical Colleges , told BuzzFeed News .
`` This panel is certainly a political move . ''
As well as discouraging scientists from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right now , the administration 's moves against human fetal tissue research raise concern about more such clashes in the future , said science policy expert Kevin Wilson of the American Society for Cell Biology .
`` My concern would be that under a second Trump administration , the attacks on science will go beyond what we 've seen already . ''

A Trump administration fetal tissue ethics panel voted to scrap 13 of 14 National Institutes of Health medical research proposals already approved for federal funding by scientists, according to a newly released report.
The NIH “Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board” was announced more than a year ago, part of a broad Trump administration move to curtail federal research involving fetal cells, which are widely used in medical research but have become a flashpoint for abortion opponents in the last decade. The ethics board’s membership was not revealed until the morning of its first meeting on July 31, when it became clear the Trump administration had stacked it with abortion opponents.
Headed by bioethicist Paige Comstock Cunningham, interim president of the evangelical Taylor University in Indiana, the panel overwhelmingly voted to nix the proposals for research involving fetal cells, the new report revealed. Because of confidentiality rules, the substance of each proposal was not disclosed, only the nature of the discussions and votes. The only proposal that received a majority of votes needed to be funded used cells already in a repository and was aimed at developing alternatives to using fetal cells.
The votes now go directly to Department of Health and Human Services head Alex Azar for final decisions on the funding of the proposals, sidelining NIH chief Francis Collins. If Azar sits on the report and takes no action by November when federal funding cycles end, he would effectively deny the proposals funding, the Washington Post noted. By law, Azar can only overrule the panel's votes if he concludes from the report that they were made in an "arbitrary and capricious" manner.
Human fetal tissue cultures, cells derived from abortions, have been widely used in medical research and in vaccines for decades, with rules codifying their use erected in the early 1990s. At least half a dozen current coronavirus vaccine candidates use the cells, widely seen as a “gold standard” for tissue studies in many fields including AIDS research, according to a July 28 letter sent to the ethics panel by more than 90 scientific organizations.
Research advocates condemned the vote to nix the research grants, calling the ethics board’s decision an imposition of anti-abortion politics into medical research.
“At a time when the US and the world should be employing every biomedical research avenue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, a crucial tool for investigating viral diseases has been blocked by special interests,” International Society for Stem Cell Research president Christine Mummery said in a statement. “People may die unnecessarily because the administration has allowed an ideological special interest group to hijack biomedical research.”
Meanwhile, abortion opponents applauded the result. Mallory Quigley of the Susan B. Anthony List said in a statement that the panel “was a serious review of the ethical considerations surrounding use of human fetal tissue in research.”
By charter, the panel is required to have only a third of its members be scientists, with other slots set aside for lawyers, doctors, and theologians. At least 10 of the board’s 15 members were opponents of abortion, fetal tissue science, or related research, according to Science Magazine, while only one member, neuroscientist Lawrence Goldstein of the University of California, San Diego, has spoken in favor of fetal tissue research.
Many of the objections to proposals described in the report revolved around the completeness of tissue donation consent forms. Although the panel was not supposed to evaluate the scientific merits of the proposals, many objections involved contentions that the amount of tissue required was excessive or that fetal tissues from spontaneous miscarriages could instead be substituted for ones from abortions.
“Miscarriages are useless for this research,” Stanford developmental biologist Irving Weissman told BuzzFeed News in response, noting the implausibility of asking a woman who just had a miscarriage to provide the cells under sterile conditions and the difficulty in retrieving living cells. "Its a non-starter."
"This was not about science or the health of born humans in the USA and in the World,” Weissman added by email. “It was about imposing religious beliefs strongly held by a distinct minority of people in the US on the rest of us, even though it will surely result in disease and deaths.”
Two board members wrote a dissenting opinion for the report, stating: “This board was clearly constituted …so as to include a large majority of members who are on the public record as being opposed to human fetal tissue research of any type. This was clearly an attempt to block funding of as many contracts and grants as possible.” The dissenters noted that panel members had even voted against proposals aimed at developing “humanized” mouse cell alternatives to human fetal tissue. These votes “will paradoxically fail to reduce the use of human fetal tissue in the development of humanized mice needed for therapy development including for COVID-19,” they wrote.
NIH did not provide a statement about the status of its research grants with the release of the July meeting report.
“The lack of NIH leadership to call attention to all of this is puzzling but understandable,” said Weissman. In the past, NIH officials could take a strong principled stand, and be fired or resign knowing there were many experts to replace them and keep research and clinical trials going.
“But virtually every person replaced by Trump and his administration has only one quality — complete loyalty to him — not domain expertise,” Weissman said. “So I can understand the personal ethical dilemma of keeping silent on some issues to protect the larger goals.”
With the presidential election coming up on November 3, the panel's vote represents a promise made by the Trump administration to abortion opponents, who widely voted for him in 2016, Heather Pierce of the Association of American Medical Colleges, told BuzzFeed News. "This panel is certainly a political move."
As well as discouraging scientists from pursuing research that could help fight diseases right now, the administration's moves against human fetal tissue research raise concern about more such clashes in the future, said science policy expert Kevin Wilson of the American Society for Cell Biology.
"My concern would be that under a second Trump administration, the attacks on science will go beyond what we've seen already."


buzzfeed--2020-08-22--A Trump Ethics Board Just Voted To Block Most Fetal Tissue Research


buzzfeed--2020-08-23--These Countries Have The Highest COVID-19 Infection Rates. This Is What The US Has In Common With Th

These Countries Have The Highest COVID-19 Infection Rates. This Is What The US Has In Common With Them.

“ The US is no longer an example for other countries to follow.
” The pandemic has put the United States in unusual and humbling global company .
Once viewed as a beacon of government competence and a model for public health , the US has fumbled the response to the coronavirus pandemic even more than countries known for widespread corruption , poor healthcare , and ubiquitous poverty — to the shock of many around the world .
By many measures , the US is now faring worse than Mexico , Brazil , India , and Russia .
This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , many of whom are watching the situation unfold in the US with shock and bewilderment .
Roxana Sánchez , an economist in Mexico City , has always resented her country ’ s corrupt presidents and looked longingly at the seemingly upright politics of the US .
But these days , as she watches President Donald Trump musing on television about drinking disinfectant , she sees in the US an even more dangerous kind of leader : an ignorant one .
Alexey Raksha , an independent demographer in Moscow , grew distressed this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months of lockdown and promptly begin partying , going to restaurants , and generally ignoring recommendations from public health experts .
Coronavirus cases in the country surged .
When he turned on the TV , he was shocked to see similar scenes playing out in the US .
It looked to him like Russia ’ s impoverished , remote regions “ had a lot in common with states like Florida , Texas , and Georgia , where cases are currently spiking.
” Nondita D ’ Souza , principal of a school in western @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in her area threw temper tantrums when schools closed because of the pandemic ; she then experienced a jolt of disappointment and recognition as the same kinds of debates playing out in the US .
While these countries seem so different , the response to the pandemic in each place has underscored all the other things they have in common : populist or authoritarian-leaning leaders , officials who have flouted the advice of their top scientists while pushing absurd remedies to fight the virus , and enormous swaths of the population with no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home .
“ The US is no longer an example for other countries to follow , ” said Sánchez , the Mexico City economist .
Instead , she said , it has become an example of something else : “ In the countries where the death toll is the highest , there is no real leadership.
” In all these countries — and others that have emerged as hot spots — top officials initially downplayed the severity of the crisis , fumbled lock downs , and sometimes even seemed to embrace magical thinking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he carries palm-sized amulets as protective shields against the coronavirus .
In Russia , where President Vladimir Putin was largely absent from the country ’ s response , homemade recipes spread widely , including one for a “ miracle drink ” of lemon and baking soda to cleanse the body .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India proposed banging pots and pans ; his followers were quick to circulate videos over WhatsApp suggesting the sound ’ s “ cumulative vibration , ” similar to temple bells @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potency .
Modi also repeatedly extolled the virtue of yoga as a “ protective shield ” against the virus .
Last week , he and several Hindu priests ignored social distancing rules to gather and lay down the foundation stone of a Hindu temple .
( Subsequently , a priest who shared the stage with the Modi tested positive for the virus . )
In the wake of such messaging , people in these countries have often failed to take the virus seriously themselves .
Leaders had waved off the advice of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t everyone else ?
Especially since , as in the US , many people were told they had to choose between public health and the economy , between catching an illness their leaders have pooh-poohed and putting food on the table .
By April , as the number of infections was multiplying rapidly in Brazil , President Jair Bolsonaro , who called the disease caused by the coronavirus a “ little flu , ” fired his widely beloved health minister , Luiz Henrique Mandetta .
While Mandetta had been urging social distancing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In Russia , Putin initially ordered a nationwide paid holiday in late March , when there were less than 1,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases , but he quickly sloughed much of the power and responsibility to regional governors .
Some of them imposed restrictions on public transport and public gatherings , and citywide lockdowns for those hardest hit ; in Moscow , residents were required to download a digital pass to leave home .
But caught off guard , many regional governments were not up to the challenge , and their responses were confusing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many Russians went about their daily lives , flouting or ignoring public health recommendations , such as wearing face masks .
News reports described restaurants and bars in Moscow and St. Petersburg as being near full capacity while infections surged ; owners complained about the financial hit long-term closures would cause .
Most of the measures were gradually lifted starting in May , when Putin said the country should reopen and people should get back to work .
The daily rates of infection surged .
Nevertheless , much of the country continued to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A New York Times story published at the beginning of August quoted young Russians who are out partying again at bars without masks because they “ want to have a life.
” In Mexico , Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez , the deputy health minister in charge of the government ’ s coronavirus response , told people to keep their distance , stay home , and wear masks .
López Obrador flouted each of these suggestions , continuing to hug people , travel , and go maskless , even in crowded rooms .
One of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worn a mask in public was when he went to meet Trump , who himself has stoked the raging debate over mask use in the US .
In Acapulco , a major tourist port city on Mexico ’ s Pacific coast , people continued attending weddings and hosting quinceañeras .
And it wasn ’ t just locals — skeptical people from Mexico City who drove to Acapulco to ride out the pandemic in their luxury condominiums have also been throwing parties .
The government , despite its lackadaisical and conflicted stance , eventually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them up .
“ It has been a challenge to make people understand that the coronavirus is , for starters , real , ” Adela Román Ocampo , the mayor of Acapulco , told BuzzFeed News .
At the same time , when many of these places did finally lock down , they did so without a plan to boost the social safety net .
In India , Modi imposed one of the harshest lockdowns in the world in late March .
Some people were confined to their homes for weeks , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work , unable to make rent , or feed their families and also unable to leave the cities for their hometowns .
This , according to Supriya Sharma , an editor at the Indian news website Scroll.in , is when the trouble began .
“ Rural migrants were forcibly held back in cities for two months as infections rose .
When they were finally allowed to go home , they took the virus from urban hotspots to rural areas across the country , ” Sharma told BuzzFeed News over email .
“ Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , every region of the country — even Bihar and Odisha where the health infrastructure is extremely poor .
Frontline workers are fatigued , hospitals are overwhelmed , and the economic crisis means there ’ s little scope for any more lockdowns.
” There are echoes of all this in what has happened in the US .
In April , Trump famously spoke on national television about the possibility of shining a powerful beam of light or disinfectant inside patients to kill the coronavirus .
He also repeatedly called for the economy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , absent what many experts said was a real plan to do so safely .
His administration has undercut his own public health experts , as when his aides provided campaign style opposition research on Dr. Anthony Fauci .
What these leaders have in common “ is the inability to navigate ambiguity and the need for certainty , even when it ’ s baseless ” Michael S. Roth , president of Wesleyan University , told BuzzFeed News .
“ And in a pandemic , that becomes a deadly combination.
” Even before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was in trouble .
Many hospitals suffered from crumbling infrastructure , medicine shortages , and ill-prepared staffers .
In Mexico , López Obrador implemented steep budget cuts shortly after his inauguration in 2018 .
Doctors , nurses , and patients complained of empty medicine cabinets and delayed surgeries .
When the coronavirus hit the country of 126 million , many people stayed away from hospitals , which are perceived as inefficient and even dangerous .
Blanca Imelda , a nurse in a clinic in Culiacán in Sinaloa state , became infected with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she told her children : “ If I get very ill , I ’ d rather die at home than over there , ” referring to the local hospital .
Imelda , 58 , said doctors didn ’ t have the resources to give patients optimal care .
When her son became infected , a doctor told her by telephone to administer hydroxychloroquine .
Her son had a bad reaction ; Imelda was unable to care for him at home , and she rushed him to the hospital .
Staffers told her that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them away .
As Imelda hooked him up to an IV at home , she prayed , asking God to spare him .
He survived .
In Russia , the healthcare system has been underfunded and in abysmal shape for decades .
With the exception of some hospitals in Moscow and St. Petersburg , the country ’ s two most populated cities , most healthcare facilities are dilapidated and suffer severe shortages of doctors , nurses , equipment , and medication .
Moreover , medical staffers work long hours ( sometimes 48-hour shifts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for very little money , according to news reports and experts who spoke to BuzzFeed News .
Then came the pandemic , inundating already overburdened hospitals and doctors with far more patients than they were used to seeing .
On top of crumbling public health systems and the “ magical thinking ” approach , these countries have also been plagued by spotty testing ; plus , in many cases , faulty or manipulated statistics have made it difficult or impossible for public health officials and epidemiologists to get a handle on the spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US ever since the pandemic ’ s early days , beginning when errors at the CDC led to a severe shortage of tests .
Since then , Trump has repeatedly promoted a specious claim that case numbers are high due to the country ’ s high testing volume , and has even called for slowing down testing .
In recent weeks , testing has declined sharply in hot spot states , which has epidemiologists worried that cases are being missed .
In India , the health ministry has wheeled out statistics to boost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s testing rate is dangerously low : While more than 2 million tests have been administered , India is still only testing around 4,100 people per million .
( The global average is 29,000 tests per million . )
Sulakshana Nandi , director of People 's Health Movement , a rural health advocacy group , told BuzzFeed News that “ huge number of cases are being missed , mainly due to grossly inadequate testing.
” Even the one thing Modi has congratulated himself for — that India has the lowest fatality rate among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We are missing COVID-19 deaths in the same way that we are missing cases due to less testing , ” Nandi said .
“ In India , death-reporting by the government has always been a problem .
There is a long-standing practice of underreporting specific disease mortality .
We have seen that with regards to malaria , tuberculosis , dengue , and many others.
” In Russia , health experts and a former government statistician told BuzzFeed News that the number of coronavirus cases and related deaths are being drastically undercounted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , worked for Rosstat , the Russian federal statistics agency , before being forced out early this year for speaking out about flaws in its recording system .
He has studied mortality rates throughout the county since the early days of the pandemic and compared them with official death counts .
He quickly found inconsistencies , he said .
For instance , the number of deaths recorded in Moscow in April , 11,846 , was almost 20 % higher than that of the same month last year , and in May the number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the previous year , Raksha said .
Yet in April this year , just 658 deaths were attributed to COVID-19 , and in May the figure was just 2,757 .
Reports from the city of St. Petersburg and across the country were similar , Raksha said .
That suggests that officials were missing or undercounting deaths .
Russia ’ s Ministry of Health had reported 932,493 cases and 15,872 deaths as of Wednesday .
But based on Raksha ’ s calculations , the actual number of coronavirus cases in the country “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or 1.4 million ” with the true number of deaths closer to 40,000 .
Seryogin , the paramedic in Oryol , said he also doubts the official coronavirus statistics , based on what he has seen .
“ In my opinion , the number of cases and deaths may be underestimated in order to calm the population , ” he said .
He added that limited testing is partly to blame for the alleged inaccuracies .
He said people are currently only tested for COVID-19 at hospitals when they are diagnosed with pneumonia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths as being related to COVID-19 if the person had a preexisting condition .
For the government ’ s part , Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova lauded the country ’ s testing capacity in April .
As of Wednesday , it had conducted a total of 17,803,955 tests , according to the Ministry of Health .
Moreover , Putin boasted this month of approving the world ’ s first coronavirus vaccine , although there is skepticism over its efficacy and safety .
And in Mexico , officials admitted that there were 71,314 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states between March 15 and June 27 — the official COVID-19 death count is just 59,106 .
The government came under fire in May , after the news media reported that the death toll in Mexico City was more than three times what the official figures claimed .
By July , half the tests in Mexico were coming back positive , a sign that only those who present serious symptoms are getting tested .
According to the World Health Organization , countries should not reopen their economies until they get test positivity rates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , despite Mexico having the highest percentage of positive tests in the world , restaurants in many parts of the country boast full tables , stores are trying to lure people back with deep discounts , and subway platforms are packed .
Mriga Kapadiya , co-owner and cofounder of the NorBlack NorWhite apparel line , is a Canadian citizen of Indian origin who found herself locked down in south India when travel restrictions first hit the country .
Over the last few months , Kapadiya said , she has regularly checked on friends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Los Angeles .
The differences were stark .
In Toronto , her friends had “ solid government welfare support , ” she said , and “ a stable income to at least pay rent and create some time and space to think about next steps.
” But in New York , “ the lack of government support , physical space , major job cuts coupled with the uprising and political climate , it seems to be extremely difficult on every single level.
” She sees in New York the same thing as in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the idea that the government will keep them safe , fed , or housed .
They are on their own to protect themselves from the virus , and to figure out how to make a living as it rages around them .
Emilio Reyes , an antiques vendor in Mexico City , said he can ’ t rely on his government .
When the pandemic first reached Mexico , Reyes said , he underestimated its potential .
And as he watched López Obrador zigzag the country — hugging and kissing people during political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world already in lockdown — Reyes became convinced the virus was nothing to worry about .
But then a relative died .
Neighbors and close friends soon followed .
“ Mexico doesn ’ t give a fuck , ” he said .
“ The thing about the government helping people ?
That ’ s a show.
” ●

In the wake of such messaging, people in these countries have often failed to take the virus seriously themselves. Leaders had waved off the advice of their top scientists, so why shouldn’t everyone else? Especially since, as in the US, many people were told they had to choose between public health and the economy, between catching an illness their leaders have pooh-poohed and putting food on the table.
By April, as the number of cases was multiplying rapidly in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro, who called the disease caused by the coronavirus a “little flu,” fired his widely beloved health minister, Luiz Henrique Mandetta. While Mandetta had been urging social distancing, Bolsonaro demanded people return to work.
In Russia, Putin initially ordered a nationwide paid holiday in late March, when there were less than 1,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, but he quickly sloughed much of the power and responsibility to regional governors. Some of them imposed restrictions on public transport and public gatherings, and citywide lockdowns for those hardest hit; in Moscow, residents were required to download a digital pass to leave home.
But caught off guard, many regional governments were not up to the challenge, and their responses were confusing or lackluster. As a result, many Russians went about their daily lives, flouting or ignoring public health recommendations, such as wearing face masks. News reports described restaurants and bars in Moscow and St. Petersburg as being near full capacity while infections surged; owners complained about the financial hit long-term closures would cause.
Most of the measures were gradually lifted starting in May, when Putin said the country should reopen and people should get back to work. The daily case counts surged. Nevertheless, much of the country continued to behave as if everything was fine. A New York Times story published at the beginning of August quoted young Russians who are out partying again at bars without masks because they “want to have a life.”
In Mexico, Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez, the deputy health minister in charge of the government’s coronavirus response, told people to keep their distance, stay home, and wear masks. López Obrador flouted each of these suggestions, continuing to hug people, travel, and go maskless, even in crowded rooms.
One of the only times that López Obrador has worn a mask in public was when he went to meet Trump, who himself has stoked the raging debate over mask use in the US.
In Acapulco, a major tourist port city on Mexico’s Pacific coast, people continued attending weddings and hosting quinceañeras. And it wasn’t just locals — skeptical people from Mexico City who drove to Acapulco to ride out the pandemic in their luxury condominiums have also been throwing parties. The government, despite its lackadaisical and conflicted stance, eventually deployed the Mexican National Guard to break them up.
“It has been a challenge to make people understand that the coronavirus is, for starters, real,” Adela Román Ocampo, the mayor of Acapulco, told BuzzFeed News.
At the same time, when many of these places did finally lock down, they did so without a plan to boost the social safety net.
In India, Modi imposed one of the harshest lockdowns in the world in late March. Some people were confined to their homes for weeks, but the lockdown also left millions stranded without work, unable to make rent, or feed their families and also unable to leave the cities for their hometowns.
This, according to Supriya Sharma, an editor at the Indian news website Scroll.in, is when the trouble began. “Rural migrants were forcibly held back in cities for two months as infections rose. When they were finally allowed to go home, they took the virus from urban hotspots to rural areas across the country,” Sharma told BuzzFeed News over email. “Now, cases are rising in every state, every region of the country — even Bihar and Odisha where the health infrastructure is extremely poor. Frontline workers are fatigued, hospitals are overwhelmed, and the economic crisis means there’s little scope for any more lockdowns.”
There are echoes of all this in what has happened in the US. In April, Trump famously spoke on national television about the possibility of shining a powerful beam of light or disinfectant inside patients to kill the coronavirus. He also repeatedly called for the economy, and later schools, to be reopened, absent what many experts said was a real plan to do so safely. His administration has undercut his own public health experts, as when his aides provided campaign-style opposition research on Dr. Anthony Fauci.
What these leaders have in common “is the inability to navigate ambiguity and the need for certainty, even when it’s baseless” Michael S. Roth, president of Wesleyan University, told BuzzFeed News. “And in a pandemic, that becomes a deadly combination.”


buzzfeed--2020-08-22--This Woman’s Skincare Experience Is A Good Reminder To Always Educate Yourself Before Using Products

One way Aurora may have been able to prevent what happened would have been by letting the product sit on @ @ @ @ @ a full 24 hours — not five minutes .
`` I recommend doing a small @ @ @ @ @ new skincare product , especially if it contains potentially irritating ingredients , like acids at @ @ @ @ @ placing a small amount of the product on an area of skin that isn ’ @ @ @ @ @ the side of your face or inside of your wrist .
Then , you have @ @ @ @ @ see if you get a reaction before you start applying it to the rest of @ @ @ @ @ Park explained .

One way Aurora may have been able to prevent what happened would have been by letting the product sit on the area she patch-tested for a full 24 hours — not five minutes. "I recommend doing a small test area when starting a new skincare product, especially if it contains potentially irritating ingredients, like acids at high concentrations. This means placing a small amount of the product on an area of skin that isn’t too noticeable, like the side of your face or inside of your wrist. Then, you have to wait one day to see if you get a reaction before you start applying it to the rest of your skin," Dr. Park explained.