Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library celebrates gifting 200 million books
Launched in 1995, the program spans five countries and reportedly gifts over 2.4 million free age-appropriate books each month to children around the world.
Child well-being
Iceland outlaws conversion therapy in unanimous vote
The Icelandic parliament has unanimously passed a comprehensive conversion therapy ban, prohibiting the practice on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
California expands Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to provide universal access to free books for young children
With this expansion, all California children under 5 will be eligible to receive a free book in the mail every month, as the program scales over the next several years.
Vermont governor signs 1st-in-nation shield bills that explicitly include medicated abortion
The bills protect providers from discipline for providing legally protected reproductive and gender affirming health care services.
Taiwan amends law to allow same-sex couples to adopt
Four years after Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage, the legislature has passed an amendment that makes the process of adoption for same-sex partners the same as for any other couple under Taiwan’s existing laws.
First-of-its-kind brain surgery on baby inside the womb has successfully prevented heart failure
“In our first treated case, we were thrilled to see that the aggressive decline usually seen after birth simply did not appear,” said lead author Professor Darren Orbach of Boston Children’s Hospital.
New Mexico governor signs bill ending juvenile life sentences without parole
Under SB64, offenders who committed crimes when they were younger than 18 and received life sentences will be eligible for parole hearings 15 to 25 years into their sentences.
Kenya to expand use of ground-breaking malaria vaccine to more than 130,000 infants free of charge
The malaria vaccine – known as Mosquirix or RTS,s/AS01 – has seen a phased introduction in the country since a 2019 pilot program. This recent announcement represents a major step forward in the vaccine’s roll out.
Honduran president ends ban on emergency contraception, making it widely available
For years, Honduras was the only nation in the Americas to have an absolute ban on the sale or use of emergency contraception, also known as morning-after or “Plan B” pills.
Researchers cure toddler of deadly metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) for first time in history
A British girl born with a rare and deadly genetic condition is expected to live a long and normal life after becoming the world’s first person to be cured with the help of a revolutionary gene therapy.