In Republican Gender Politics, It’s Back to the Eighteenth Century

Who would have thought that Wanda Ronner’s and my somewhat arcane expertise in theories of conception in the 18th century would strike a chord in national politics now, in 2012? Well, it just goes to show that as long as Republicans keep trying to turn the clock back on women’s rights, our research will never … Continue reading In Republican Gender Politics, It’s Back to the Eighteenth Century

Testifying at Legislative Hearings on the Bill to Restructure Higher Education

Yesterday, I testified in Trenton at the legislative hearings on the bill to restructure higher education in New Jersey. Below is an edited, amalgamated version combining my written and oral testimony. I was testifying on just one of the many potential consequences of the bill – its impact on research and teaching at Rutgers-Camden. Earlier … Continue reading Testifying at Legislative Hearings on the Bill to Restructure Higher Education

Smack Down between Competing Visions for Higher Education or a Way Forward?

Today, I have a column in the Courier Post.  In it I urge Senator Don Norcross to remove the provision for a joint governing board, which would have fiscal and operational authority over both Rutgers-Camden and Rowan, from the bill that he and Senator Steve Sweeney introduced last Monday. A joint board that can veto … Continue reading Smack Down between Competing Visions for Higher Education or a Way Forward?

Why It’s Important to Keep Rutgers in Southern New Jersey

On Wednesday, the University of Medicine and Dentistry Advisory Committee, also known as the Barer Committee, recommended that Rowan University and Rutgers-Camden “unite under the Rowan name.” The goal of such a merger would be “to support Cooper Medical School of Rowan University” and “develop a comprehensive public research university.”  On Friday morning, a Philadelphia … Continue reading Why It’s Important to Keep Rutgers in Southern New Jersey

“Beyond Infertility”: New book project in the works

I’ve begun working on a new project with my long-time collaborator, my sister Wanda Ronner. If you’ve read our previous books, you may know that I’m the historian and she’s the physician, and that we’ve now spent more than two decades reading, writing, and talking about reproductive matters in their myriad medical, cultural, ethical, and … Continue reading “Beyond Infertility”: New book project in the works

2011 has been a tough year for women’s reproductive rights: The present is looking a lot like the past

Recently, Congressman Cliff Stearns of Florida, who chairs the Oversight Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, asked the Planned Parenthood Federation of America for financial records for the past thirteen years. Congressman Stearns and the other Republicans on the committee intend to investigate what they say is a possible misuse of federal funds … Continue reading 2011 has been a tough year for women’s reproductive rights: The present is looking a lot like the past