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Charlotte Lozier Institute

Phone: 202-223-8073
Fax: 571-312-0544

2776 S. Arlington Mill Dr.
#803
Arlington, VA 22206

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Did You Know ?

Did You Know ?

In the fourth week, the embryonic heart starts beating. The neural tube, which becomes the brain and spinal cord, forms. At this point, a woman has likely only been aware of her pregnancy for one week.

Did You Know ?

In the seventh week after conception, networks of neurons produce brain waves that have been recorded as early as 6 ½ weeks after conception. The embryo spontaneously moves his arms, hands, and legs, and may even hiccup. The embryo’s heart now has all four chambers.

Did You Know ?

By the seventeenth and eighteenth week after gestation, the fetus shows a clear response to pain in multiple studies, and at least one brain pathway is mature enough to create a perception of pain. The fetus also practices breathing, crying, and breastfeeding in the womb. The fetal heart has beat over 20 million times and circulates about 55 quarts of blood per day.

Did You Know ?

In the eighth month of pregnancy the fetal brain is ready to learn! At 32 weeks after conception, neurons are creating 40,000 new connections, called synapses, every second! With repeated exposures, the fetus can learn flavors, nursery rhymes, songs, and even words that she will recognize after birth!

Home / About / Our Leadership/ Katherine Rafferty, Ph.D., M.A.
Scholar

Katherine Rafferty, Ph.D., M.A.

Associate Scholar

Dr. Rafferty is an associate teaching professor at Iowa State University and previously worked as a health communication specialist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. She conducts research that lies at the intersection of interpersonal and health communication, with a focus on how patients and families manage and cope with chronic illness and end-of- life care. She is primarily a qualitative scholar but has also used quantitative methods to examine research questions about family health communication. Dr. Rafferty earned her Ph.D. in communication at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. More information about her current research can be found at http://www.familyhealthcomm.com.

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Research Authored

Press Release

Hidden Epidemic: Nearly 70% of Abortions Are Coerced, Unwanted or Inconsistent With Women’s Preferences

Nearly 70% of women with a history of abortion describe their abortions as inconsistent with their own values and preferences, with one in four describing their abortions as unwanted or coerced, according to the study published in the medical journal Cureus.

David C. Reardon, Ph.D. Katherine Rafferty, Ph.D., M.A. Tessa Longbons
May 15, 2023
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Peer Reviewed

The Effects of Abortion Decision Rightness and Decision Type on Women’s Satisfaction and Mental Health

Perceived pressure to abort is strongly associated with women attributing more negative mental health outcomes to their abortions. The one-third of women for whom abortion is wanted and consistent with their values and preferences are most likely over-represented in studies initiated at abortion clinics.

David C. Reardon, Ph.D. Katherine Rafferty, Ph.D., M.A. Tessa Longbons
May 15, 2023
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Chemical Abortion

#AbortionChangesYou: A Case Study to Understand the Communicative Tensions in Women’s Medication Abortion Narratives

Our study is one of the first to analyze women’s narratives after having had a medication abortion. Using relational dialectics theory, we conducted a case study of the nonpartisan website, Abortion Changes You.

Katherine Rafferty, Ph.D., M.A. Tessa Longbons
July 1, 2020
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End of Life

Charlie Gard’s Case and Parental Advocacy for Chronically Ill Children

"My biggest issue is this: a parent is a caregiver and then of course the health professionals are the caregivers, but you know, who gets the final say?" -Mother whose daughter has osteosarcoma This essential question was posed by the mother of

Katherine Rafferty, Ph.D., M.A.
July 6, 2017
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End of Life

Q&A with the Scholars: Discussing Chronic Illness and End-of-Life Care

Katherine Rafferty, Ph.D., M.A., is a lecturer at Iowa State University and previously worked as a Health Communication Specialist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. In this interview, she discusses some of her research and findings

Katherine Rafferty, Ph.D., M.A.
January 9, 2017
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