Recent scientific data suggests that low birthweight babies have a 5 times higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease later in life. In light of these discoveries, many politicians are still pushing to cut programs promoting maternal health, such as WIC - Women, Infants and Children program. Bread and Roses host Ashley Thirstrup brings you a special lecture by Annie Murphy Paul, author of Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives. She'll tell us how she ventures into the laboratories of fetal researchers, interviews experts from around the world, and delves into the rich history of ideas about how we are shaped before birth.

 Host Ashley Thirstrup interviews Ted Rutherford from the Texas Association Against Sexual Violence about his work as the Youth Outreach Specialist.  He provides training and technical assistance to participants in the Texas PEACE Project, a program to engage and support youth activists and their adult allies who are working for equality and social change to prevent sexual and dating violence.

More information about the project can be found here, including how to get a similar project started in your area!

www.taasa.org/tpp/

A conversation about the challenges faced by families, particularly those that are young and poor. Learn about efforts to address these issues and to change the public discourse on what it means to be a strong family.
With Amanda Wake, Youth Organizing Manager for Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice in Oakland, CA. ACRJ promotes and protects reproductive justice through organizing, building leadership capacity, developing alliances and by educating to achieve community and systemic change.
Also: Aimee Santos Lyons, who is the Strong Families Northwest Program Manager for Western States Center here in Portland. WSC is helping to build a progressive movement in eight western states, from Alaska to Wyoming and down to Nevada.
Western States Center and Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice have been collaborating over the last several years on several projects, most recently they launch of the Strong Families Initiative.
Hosted by Gabriele Ross

Mothers battle for Mother Earth: How 'ordinary women' are saving the planet: Arrested more than 50 times-most recently at BP's London headquarters- Texas mom Diane Wilson shares her journey from quiet fisherwoman to unstoppable activist willing to chain herself to Union Carbide's smokestacks. Her new book is 'Diary of an Eco-Outlaw'www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/diary_of_an_ecooutlaw Also: For 38 years Jane Swanson has called attention to the dangers of California's Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. She's a member of mothersforpeace.org which has joined a coaltion petitioning the NRC to stop licensing nuclear power plants.