Researching Maternal Child Health in New Orleans

This fall I continued my internship with the New Orleans Maternal and Child Health Coalition as a Research Assistant under Dr. Daniel. My role is split between aiding the coalition and working on research projects for Dr. Daniel and Newcomb Institute. This semester, I focused on two research projects: one concerning TANF and Coverture and one concerning midwifery.

Over the summer, I researched sources that talked about anti-abortion arguments but are specifically about the well-being of the woman. This includes sources that use the argument of women’s health to take away women’s rights. For example, arguments that abortion will result in depression for women or that the emotional toll of abortion is too much for women. Trap laws fall into this category because trap laws are usually marketed as protecting women’s health. This research was used in a paper about TANF, or Temporary Aid to Needy Families, and this semester I focused on editing and creating citations for this paper.

Near the end of the fall term, I began working on the second research project. This one is about Midwifery. My task for this project included compiling sources about the history of midwifery (globally and in the United States), and types of midwives and midwifery outcomes. Due to the preliminary nature of the project, I will continue working on this next semester.

I have been part of this internship program since the summer after my sophomore year, but this is the first semester I have been able to attend intern meetings and events in person. I have enjoyed this aspect immensely, the community, and getting to hear from guest speakers in person, especially Robin Marty. Over the summer, our intern group read her book so getting to hear her speak was impactful. I look forward to continuing my internship next spring to continue my research and also to continue with the intern group in person.