Chelsea Polis
@cbpolis.bsky.social
Reproductive health epidemiologist @guttmacher.org. Contraception, abortion, FemTech, HIV/STIs, infertility, global public health, & research integrity. Alum of WomenLift Health 2024. Maddox Prize awardee 2023. Anti-SLAPP law advocate. www.chelseapolis.com
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
This is the US exerting control over what the rest of the world can do.
On the SRHM Podcast, Elizabeth Sully & Amy Friedrich-Karnik unpack what the expanded #GlobalGagRule means for UN agencies and global organizations.
Listen here: https://gu.tt/4quN7gE
On the SRHM Podcast, Elizabeth Sully & Amy Friedrich-Karnik unpack what the expanded #GlobalGagRule means for UN agencies and global organizations.
Listen here: https://gu.tt/4quN7gE
February 11, 2026 at 7:03 PM
This is the US exerting control over what the rest of the world can do.
On the SRHM Podcast, Elizabeth Sully & Amy Friedrich-Karnik unpack what the expanded #GlobalGagRule means for UN agencies and global organizations.
Listen here: https://gu.tt/4quN7gE
On the SRHM Podcast, Elizabeth Sully & Amy Friedrich-Karnik unpack what the expanded #GlobalGagRule means for UN agencies and global organizations.
Listen here: https://gu.tt/4quN7gE
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
On Thanksgiving, the immigrant children held at the Dilley detention center gathered in the gym for what they thought was a holiday feast.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
February 13, 2026 at 7:41 PM
On Thanksgiving, the immigrant children held at the Dilley detention center gathered in the gym for what they thought was a holiday feast.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology
She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:09 AM
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
I'm in awe of @mirandayaver.bsky.social and can't wait to read her new book.
The link in the post below didn't work for me - but this one should: www.cambridge.org/us/universit...
I just submitted my pre-order (and encourage others to, as well)!
The link in the post below didn't work for me - but this one should: www.cambridge.org/us/universit...
I just submitted my pre-order (and encourage others to, as well)!
February 6, 2026 at 2:32 PM
I'm in awe of @mirandayaver.bsky.social and can't wait to read her new book.
The link in the post below didn't work for me - but this one should: www.cambridge.org/us/universit...
I just submitted my pre-order (and encourage others to, as well)!
The link in the post below didn't work for me - but this one should: www.cambridge.org/us/universit...
I just submitted my pre-order (and encourage others to, as well)!
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
I was just denied entry to the Dilley detention facility while my constituent, seven-year-old Diana, remains inside.
What kind of sick, horrific conditions are children being forced to endure in there?
I will be back tomorrow. Accountability can’t wait.
What kind of sick, horrific conditions are children being forced to endure in there?
I will be back tomorrow. Accountability can’t wait.
February 6, 2026 at 2:35 AM
I was just denied entry to the Dilley detention facility while my constituent, seven-year-old Diana, remains inside.
What kind of sick, horrific conditions are children being forced to endure in there?
I will be back tomorrow. Accountability can’t wait.
What kind of sick, horrific conditions are children being forced to endure in there?
I will be back tomorrow. Accountability can’t wait.
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
Thanks to @scholars.org for helping scholars get their work out into the public! @smithcollege.bsky.social @emorywgss.bsky.social @emoryuniversity.bsky.social @msmagazine.com
How does research turn into law?
In this clip, @carrienbaker.bsky.social (Smith College) explains how her research on student access to medication abortion helped Massachusetts legislators see why on-campus care matters.
👉 Read the Member Spotlight to learn more: scholars.org/features/mem...
In this clip, @carrienbaker.bsky.social (Smith College) explains how her research on student access to medication abortion helped Massachusetts legislators see why on-campus care matters.
👉 Read the Member Spotlight to learn more: scholars.org/features/mem...
January 27, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Thanks to @scholars.org for helping scholars get their work out into the public! @smithcollege.bsky.social @emorywgss.bsky.social @emoryuniversity.bsky.social @msmagazine.com
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
This is the guy who led Paul Weiss to bend the knee to Trump
Paul Weiss leader Brad Karp is stepping down from the role after a trove of emails released by the Justice Department detailed the lawyer’s close connections to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Paul Weiss Chief Karp Steps Down as Epstein Controversy Heats Up
Paul Weiss leader Brad Karp is stepping down from the role after a trove of emails released by the Justice Department detailed the lawyer’s close connections to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
bit.ly
February 5, 2026 at 2:03 AM
This is the guy who led Paul Weiss to bend the knee to Trump
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
Excellent long read.
And yet another case where @thelancet.com publishes a turkey and then refuses to "correct the record" when found to be wanting. 🙄
Retraction is not enough. These sorts of mistakes need strong flags and to be used as a learning tool.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
And yet another case where @thelancet.com publishes a turkey and then refuses to "correct the record" when found to be wanting. 🙄
Retraction is not enough. These sorts of mistakes need strong flags and to be used as a learning tool.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Did a Celebrated Researcher Obscure a Baby’s Poisoning?
After a newborn died of opioid poisoning, a new branch of pediatrics came into being. But the evidence doesn’t add up.
www.newyorker.com
January 28, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Excellent long read.
And yet another case where @thelancet.com publishes a turkey and then refuses to "correct the record" when found to be wanting. 🙄
Retraction is not enough. These sorts of mistakes need strong flags and to be used as a learning tool.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
And yet another case where @thelancet.com publishes a turkey and then refuses to "correct the record" when found to be wanting. 🙄
Retraction is not enough. These sorts of mistakes need strong flags and to be used as a learning tool.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Not easy listening, but very important listening for anyone who cares about reproductive health, rights, & justice worldwide.
Journalists: don't miss this.
Thanks to @jennieindc.bsky.social for interviewing @beirners.bsky.social & Caitlin Horrigan of @ppfa.org for this important, sobering episode.
Journalists: don't miss this.
Thanks to @jennieindc.bsky.social for interviewing @beirners.bsky.social & Caitlin Horrigan of @ppfa.org for this important, sobering episode.
This week, Caitlin Horrigan, Senior Director of Global Advocacy at the @ppact.org and Beirne Roose-Snyder, Senior Policy Fellow at the @globalequality.bsky.social, talk with us about the Trump administration’s new and purposefully broad expansion on the already-devastating Global Gag Rule. #podcast
The Global Gag Rule is Once Again Expanded, Maximizing Harm — rePROs Fight Back
The Global Gag Rule, started by President Ronald Regan in 1984, prevented foreign NGOs from receiving U.S. family planning assistance if they performed, promoted, advocated for, counseled on, or refer...
www.reprosfightback.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Not easy listening, but very important listening for anyone who cares about reproductive health, rights, & justice worldwide.
Journalists: don't miss this.
Thanks to @jennieindc.bsky.social for interviewing @beirners.bsky.social & Caitlin Horrigan of @ppfa.org for this important, sobering episode.
Journalists: don't miss this.
Thanks to @jennieindc.bsky.social for interviewing @beirners.bsky.social & Caitlin Horrigan of @ppfa.org for this important, sobering episode.
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
🧵
In Health Affairs Forefront, I wrote about why fertility tracking must be grounded in evidence and reproductive justice - not co-opted by agendas that strip away other reproductive health care.
www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...
Sharing a few key points in thread below 🤓
In Health Affairs Forefront, I wrote about why fertility tracking must be grounded in evidence and reproductive justice - not co-opted by agendas that strip away other reproductive health care.
www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...
Sharing a few key points in thread below 🤓
Health Affairs Journal
www.healthaffairs.org
January 10, 2026 at 6:18 PM
🧵
In Health Affairs Forefront, I wrote about why fertility tracking must be grounded in evidence and reproductive justice - not co-opted by agendas that strip away other reproductive health care.
www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...
Sharing a few key points in thread below 🤓
In Health Affairs Forefront, I wrote about why fertility tracking must be grounded in evidence and reproductive justice - not co-opted by agendas that strip away other reproductive health care.
www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...
Sharing a few key points in thread below 🤓
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
“Every time we choose the good action or response, the decent, the valuable, it builds, incrementally, to renewal, resurrection, the place of newness, freedom, justice.”
- Anne Lamott
- Anne Lamott
February 1, 2026 at 4:48 PM
“Every time we choose the good action or response, the decent, the valuable, it builds, incrementally, to renewal, resurrection, the place of newness, freedom, justice.”
- Anne Lamott
- Anne Lamott
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
This week, the Trump administration finalized a new sweeping rule that broadens the Mexico City Policy.
@spsaki.bsky.social explains how the policy represents the most expansive—and potentially disruptive—version of ideological restrictions on foreign aid to date.
@spsaki.bsky.social explains how the policy represents the most expansive—and potentially disruptive—version of ideological restrictions on foreign aid to date.
Expanding the Mexico City Policy Undermines Global Health | Think Global Health
A new rule prohibits U.S. foreign assistance from projects supporting or discussing abortion, gender identity, diversity, equity, and inclusion
www.thinkglobalhealth.org
January 28, 2026 at 7:18 PM
This week, the Trump administration finalized a new sweeping rule that broadens the Mexico City Policy.
@spsaki.bsky.social explains how the policy represents the most expansive—and potentially disruptive—version of ideological restrictions on foreign aid to date.
@spsaki.bsky.social explains how the policy represents the most expansive—and potentially disruptive—version of ideological restrictions on foreign aid to date.
Today, @govpritzker.illinois.gov launched the Prairie State Access Fund, to strengthen infrastructure and resources for Illinois’ reproductive healthcare ecosystem. More info here: gov-pritzker-newsroom.prezly.com/gov-pritzker... 👏 👏 👏
Illinois is one of the few states in the middle of the country that protects the right to comprehensive reproductive healthcare.
Supporting care here means supporting access for people who have nowhere else to turn.
Supporting care here means supporting access for people who have nowhere else to turn.
January 29, 2026 at 5:08 AM
Today, @govpritzker.illinois.gov launched the Prairie State Access Fund, to strengthen infrastructure and resources for Illinois’ reproductive healthcare ecosystem. More info here: gov-pritzker-newsroom.prezly.com/gov-pritzker... 👏 👏 👏
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
Autonomy News is a reader-powered publication that will never be paywalled. If you've been thinking about supporting us with a paid subscription, now's a great time!
Get a free book when you sign up for annual in the next 7 days:
www.autonomynews.co#/portal
Get a free book when you sign up for annual in the next 7 days:
www.autonomynews.co#/portal
Final days to get a free book!
Sign up for a new, paid annual subscription and you’ll receive a free copy of "Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood" by Gretchen Sisson.
Last chance, offer ends January 31! Get yours now: www.autonomynews.co#/portal
Sign up for a new, paid annual subscription and you’ll receive a free copy of "Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood" by Gretchen Sisson.
Last chance, offer ends January 31! Get yours now: www.autonomynews.co#/portal
January 24, 2026 at 5:16 PM
Autonomy News is a reader-powered publication that will never be paywalled. If you've been thinking about supporting us with a paid subscription, now's a great time!
Get a free book when you sign up for annual in the next 7 days:
www.autonomynews.co#/portal
Get a free book when you sign up for annual in the next 7 days:
www.autonomynews.co#/portal
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
Alex Pretti "used to tell people off when they made sexist comments to female physicians. He bought me coffee when I had a really bad day as an intern...I laughed alongside him daily. He made a point to teach medical residents without judgement, but with a smile on his face and a joke."
January 24, 2026 at 9:41 PM
Alex Pretti "used to tell people off when they made sexist comments to female physicians. He bought me coffee when I had a really bad day as an intern...I laughed alongside him daily. He made a point to teach medical residents without judgement, but with a smile on his face and a joke."
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
The story is not that there are two conflicting versions of what happened.
The story is that the federal government is lying about what happened.
There is plenty of evidence.
Your job, our job, is to sift that evidence and describe what actually happened ffs.
The story is that the federal government is lying about what happened.
There is plenty of evidence.
Your job, our job, is to sift that evidence and describe what actually happened ffs.
January 25, 2026 at 11:33 AM
The story is not that there are two conflicting versions of what happened.
The story is that the federal government is lying about what happened.
There is plenty of evidence.
Your job, our job, is to sift that evidence and describe what actually happened ffs.
The story is that the federal government is lying about what happened.
There is plenty of evidence.
Your job, our job, is to sift that evidence and describe what actually happened ffs.
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
January 25, 2026 at 12:28 PM
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
We lost a giant in public health today.
Dr. William H. Foege helped eradicate #smallpox - the only human disease ever eliminated—through science, surveillance, and vaccines.
His legacy is the antidote to today’s antiscience, anti-vaccine rhetoric.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...
Dr. William H. Foege helped eradicate #smallpox - the only human disease ever eliminated—through science, surveillance, and vaccines.
His legacy is the antidote to today’s antiscience, anti-vaccine rhetoric.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...
William H. Foege, Key Figure in the Eradication of Smallpox, Dies at 89
www.nytimes.com
January 25, 2026 at 5:48 AM
We lost a giant in public health today.
Dr. William H. Foege helped eradicate #smallpox - the only human disease ever eliminated—through science, surveillance, and vaccines.
His legacy is the antidote to today’s antiscience, anti-vaccine rhetoric.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...
Dr. William H. Foege helped eradicate #smallpox - the only human disease ever eliminated—through science, surveillance, and vaccines.
His legacy is the antidote to today’s antiscience, anti-vaccine rhetoric.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
Boosting this becsue Melody covers health topics rigorously *and* compassionately. I’ve been so impressed with the pieces she’s written in my area of expertise.
If you worked with or knew Alex Pretti, I would love to hear from you for a story I'm reporting: Melody.schreiber@theguardian.com. (please share!)
January 24, 2026 at 8:19 PM
Boosting this becsue Melody covers health topics rigorously *and* compassionately. I’ve been so impressed with the pieces she’s written in my area of expertise.
Strongly encourage folks interested in the below to read this: www.bmj.com/content/384/...
January 24, 2026 at 1:33 PM
Strongly encourage folks interested in the below to read this: www.bmj.com/content/384/...
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
From 2018 to 2021, risk of death from pregnancy was ≥3 times higher than from abortion in the US, with the ratio ranging from 44.3 to 69.6, exceeding prior estimates, finds this cross-sectional study. ja.ma/4qB5G3z
January 23, 2026 at 1:00 PM
From 2018 to 2021, risk of death from pregnancy was ≥3 times higher than from abortion in the US, with the ratio ranging from 44.3 to 69.6, exceeding prior estimates, finds this cross-sectional study. ja.ma/4qB5G3z
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
BREAKING: The controversial hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau has been *cancelled,* I can now report. A senior official with Africa CDC confirmed the cancellation and said GB officials are working to make sure any research is conducted ethically:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Controversial US study on hepatitis B vaccines in Africa is cancelled
$1.6m project drew outrage over ethical questions about withholding vaccines proven to prevent disease
www.theguardian.com
January 15, 2026 at 3:28 PM
BREAKING: The controversial hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau has been *cancelled,* I can now report. A senior official with Africa CDC confirmed the cancellation and said GB officials are working to make sure any research is conducted ethically:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
New paper – and my first ✨Registered Report✨: Do hormonal contraceptives affect women’s sexuality?
We studied both average effects and individual differences in effects using longitudinal data: doi.org/10.1177/2700...
We studied both average effects and individual differences in effects using longitudinal data: doi.org/10.1177/2700...
Positive Treatment Effects and High Heterogeneity of Hormonal Contraceptive Use on Women’s Sexuality - Laura J. Botzet, Julia M. Rohrer, Lars Penke, Ruben C. Arslan, 2026
Different women experience hormonal contraceptives differently, reporting side effects on their sexuality that range from negative to positive. But research on ...
doi.org
January 15, 2026 at 8:14 AM
New paper – and my first ✨Registered Report✨: Do hormonal contraceptives affect women’s sexuality?
We studied both average effects and individual differences in effects using longitudinal data: doi.org/10.1177/2700...
We studied both average effects and individual differences in effects using longitudinal data: doi.org/10.1177/2700...
🧵
In Health Affairs Forefront, I wrote about why fertility tracking must be grounded in evidence and reproductive justice - not co-opted by agendas that strip away other reproductive health care.
www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...
Sharing a few key points in thread below 🤓
In Health Affairs Forefront, I wrote about why fertility tracking must be grounded in evidence and reproductive justice - not co-opted by agendas that strip away other reproductive health care.
www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...
Sharing a few key points in thread below 🤓
Health Affairs Journal
www.healthaffairs.org
January 10, 2026 at 6:18 PM
🧵
In Health Affairs Forefront, I wrote about why fertility tracking must be grounded in evidence and reproductive justice - not co-opted by agendas that strip away other reproductive health care.
www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...
Sharing a few key points in thread below 🤓
In Health Affairs Forefront, I wrote about why fertility tracking must be grounded in evidence and reproductive justice - not co-opted by agendas that strip away other reproductive health care.
www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...
Sharing a few key points in thread below 🤓
Reposted by Chelsea Polis
Fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) can be useful #ReproductiveHealth tools. But pushing them while restricting other care undermines reproductive autonomy.
Our Principal Research Scientist @cbpolis.bsky.social lays out the evidence: https://gu.tt/3NyScXl
Our Principal Research Scientist @cbpolis.bsky.social lays out the evidence: https://gu.tt/3NyScXl
January 8, 2026 at 8:55 PM
Fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) can be useful #ReproductiveHealth tools. But pushing them while restricting other care undermines reproductive autonomy.
Our Principal Research Scientist @cbpolis.bsky.social lays out the evidence: https://gu.tt/3NyScXl
Our Principal Research Scientist @cbpolis.bsky.social lays out the evidence: https://gu.tt/3NyScXl