Lisa Rab

North Carolina

Writer and Editor at Freelance

Author of OVERDUE, maternal health newsletter. Bylines in @wpmagazine, @POLITICOmag, @theassemblync, @harpers, and more.

Articles

Roasting a Whole Chicken: An Emotional Rollercoaster

2 weeks ago | bittmanproject.com | Lisa Rab

I didn’t panic until I cut open the plastic wrap covering the chicken. Bloody juices oozed into my sink. Holding my breath, I reached inside the clammy cavity and pulled out a long, thin package of giblets. Some part of my brain knew I was supposed to preserve them for a gourmet purpose, but I couldn’t hold them for more than a second without tossing them into the trash. I rinsed the bird under the sink and patted it dry as the recipe instructed, telling myself the worst was over.
Why This Western N.C. Republican Voted Against the Helene Relief Bill

Dec 5, 2024 | theassemblync.com | Lisa Rab

Two days before Thanksgiving, Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a bill that would rearrange the balance of power in Raleigh. Senate Bill 382 has disaster relief in its title, but the legislation mostly deals with stripping authority from governor-elect Josh Stein and the state’s newly elected attorney general, Jeff Jackson, both of whom are Democrats. The bill would allow the new state auditor, a Republican, to appoint State Board of Elections members, instead of the governor.
Steady stream of voters turns out on a drizzly day

Nov 5, 2024 | hendersonvillelightning.com | Lisa Rab |Sara Murphy

Steady stream of voters turns out on a drizzly day Before showing up to vote Tuesday morning at Etowah Elementary School, Amelia Jones had to weigh which was more urgent: finding a place to live or deciding the future of her country. Jones, 31, is a nurse who lost her home in Hurricane Helene and has been staying with friends since the storm. She said she was too focused on her housing search to vote early, but made time today to cast her ballot.
When will we know who won the election in NC?

Nov 5, 2024 | bpr.org | Lisa Rab

If you stay up late expecting to hear the results of the presidential race on election night, you might be disappointed. The race is expected to be tight, both in North Carolina and nationally. Some ballots are processed later than others. Close contests can lead to recounts. “If it’s two days later, that’s not a sign of negligence, nor is it a sign of somebody doing the wrong thing,” said Chris Cooper, director of the Public Policy Institute at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.
Businesses Scramble to Address Child Care Crisis

Oct 18, 2024 | theassemblync.com | Lisa Rab

Kylie Collins learned she was pregnant with her first child in March 2020, the day North Carolina went into pandemic lockdown. Collins is from Australia and her husband is from England, so they have no family members within a five-hour flight. They got on the waitlist for every child care center within a 40-mile radius of their Brevard home. While they waited, Collins and her husband set up nanny shares in their home, with different babysitters caring for multiple children.
The Toxic Culture for Female Doctors

Jul 16, 2024 | lisarab.substack.com | Lisa Rab

In 1984, when my Aunt Sharon entered her OB/GYN at the residency at the University of Pennsylvania, the profession was changing. More than 60 percent of residents in the class ahead of her were women, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists had just elected its first female president. Today, of OB residents are female. Progress, right? Most of the people charged with delivering babies are now women.
Twenty Minutes of Mom Stuff

May 13, 2024 | lisarab.substack.com | Lisa Rab |Tommy Tomlinson

A couple of weeks ago, I was late for a book event with my friend . When I rushed in to give him a hug, I offered my best excuse. “I’m sorry, I still haven’t learned to factor in the 20 minutes of mom stuff that happens before I leave the house.” He smiled and told me to take a deep breath. But I still felt guilty, because guilt is part of the mom stuff. To support my reporting on maternal health, subscribe or upgrade to paid. In truth, I was late because I changed my outfit 18 times.
Emily Oster on Maternal Healthcare

Apr 17, 2024 | lisarab.substack.com | Lisa Rab

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for awhile, you know that I started from the premise that it’s far more dangerous to give birth now than it was for our parents. I came to this idea after six years of reporting on maternal health, and from reading Dr. Neel Shah, who wrote on the Harvard Health Blog in 2018, “Compared with their own mothers, American women today are 50% more likely to die in childbirth.”But any good journalist will tell you it’s important to question your assumptions.
Comedy Legend Moms Mabley Finally Gets Her Due in NC

Mar 15, 2024 | theassemblync.com | Lisa Rab

Edith Darity sits in the library she helped build in the center of the community she’s spent her life preserving. Outside, a cold January rain darkens the windows. Inside, a framed charter on the wall proclaims Brevard’s acceptance into the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1942. There’s a photo of Vice President Kamala Harris on display next to mannequins wearing kente cloth, along with children’s books about Martin Luther King Jr. and Aretha Franklin.
The Breakdown

Feb 20, 2024 | lisarab.substack.com | Lisa Rab

Recently, I met a woman who had a terrifying birth experience. She hemorrhaged so badly after delivering her daughter that she could hear the nurses shouting, “Do you have a living will?” Sounds traumatizing, right? But it wasn’t for her. I also had a life-threatening complication after my son was born. But I was traumatized by the experience of being strapped to the operating table while doctors shouted around me, refusing to tell me what was wrong.