Approximately 200,000 women in the U.S. are incarcerated—a nearly 800 percent increase over the past forty years. An often overlooked aspect of the increasing rates of women’s incarceration is its impact on women’s sexual and reproductive health needs. In our top post this month, the Maternal Health Initiative’s Hannah Chosid writes about the overlooked needs and barriers to incarcerated women’s reproductive autonomy.

Sara Matthews continues the conversation on women’s sexual and reproductive health in our third top post featuring a conversation with Registered Māori Midwives, Camille Harris and Waimaire Onekawa, on their experiences as Indigenous midwives and the power of Indigenous birthing practices.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, women and girls’ sexual reproductive health and rights are at risk, as well as their mental health. In our fourth top post, Madhavi Roy, Paul Shetler Fast, and Vicha Adri call for gender-transformative approaches and increased investment in maternal mental health globally to address the pandemic’s consequential maternal mental health crisis.

The themes of political transformation and reform continued in our second and fifth top posts this month. The taste buds of sea anemones, the pink homes for clownfish made famous by the hit movie Finding Nemo, made a splash in a China Environment Forum post as Zoie Diana reports on anemone’s appetite for microplastics and policy solutions towards addressing global plastic pollution. Chile’s treasure trove of lithium is experiencing a global market rise alongside the country’s calls for a new constitution. Matthew Gallagher explains why the drafters of the new document should consider including environmental democracy and consultative resource management in the new constitution.

1. Reproductive Justice in the United States Prison System by Hannah Chosid
2. A Dangerous Taste for Plastic in the Ocean Depths by Zoie Diana
3. Māori Midwives on the Power of Indigenous Birthing Practices by Sara Matthews
4. Shaping a Maternal Mental Health Crisis Response to COVID-19 by Madhavi Roy, Paul Shetler Fast, & Vicha Adri
5. New Constitution Could Help Chile Avert the Lithium Curse by Matthew Gallagher