Despite Recent Legal Wins, Abortion Access Is Still at Risk

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Abortion legislation in the U.S. has, from the outset, been motivated by political and economic ends, rather than health and safety.

While there have been some positive decisions on abortion access in the United States in the past month, there is still an overwhelming amount of confusion regarding abortion medication and reproductive legislation.

Decades of clinical and epidemiologic evidence documenting the experiences of millions of people over a quarter century have demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of abortion medication. Still, many people are scared to use it.

Kamala Harris Is Older, Wiser … and Cooler

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Kamala Harris has rapidly assumed the mantel of cool, youthful candidate. Among Gen Z, she is “brat,” with Charli XCX, Olivia Rodrigo and Beyoncé lining up fast for the cause. Among the older crowd, longstanding debate over whether the vice president qualifies as a Baby Boomer—born in 1964, she is just on the cusp—rages on. It is apparently a hill Gen X is prepared to die on, citing her penchant for Chuck Taylors as proof.

Either way, at nearly 60 years old, Harris has achieved what might have seemed impossible before this moment: She has changed the perception of what it looks and sounds like to be a vibrant and capable “older” woman. We see a woman who radiates from the certainty of age and of knowing herself. Quite frankly, it is a gorgeous sight.

Antiabortion Extremist Sentenced to Prison for Harassing NYC Planned Parenthood Staff and Patients

“This is going to be a wonderful day. We are going to terrorize this place. And I want the manager to hear me say that. … More people are coming … and we’re going to make sure we terrorize you guys so good.”

These words were shared on a Facebook livestream by antiabortion extremist Bevelyn Beatty Williams as she prepared to invade and harass a Planned Parenthood clinic in lower Manhattan in June of 2020. On Wednesday, July 24, Williams was sentenced to 41 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act—a 1994 federal law that “prohibits violent, threatening, damaging and obstructive conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with the right to seek, obtain or provide reproductive health services.”

The Case for Making Government Work for Single Cat Ladies

Nearly 20 years ago, social scientists Bella DePaulo and Wendy Morris described the prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination toward singles. Since their article, the number of single households has only been growing.

Single people serve their communities, have meaningful careers, benefit their families as aunts and uncles and are active participants in their faith communities. Do not use us to get attention on the news, and do not forget about us when you make policy.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Kamala Harris Takes the Torch; Rest in Power, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee; Will D.C. Get Ranked-Choice Voting This November?

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: remembering U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s leadership in protecting women from domestic violence and recognizing Juneteenth as a national holiday; For the first time in history, parent athletes competing in the Olympics now have access to a nursery in the Olympic Village; Alice Milliat was a pioneer who championed gender equality in the Olympics; Kamala Harris is the best candidate to compete against former President Trump; and more.

The Paranoid and Unhinged Rhetoric of Project 2025

Project 2025 is a wishlist of rightwing policy goals for the next conservative president.

I took a dive into the Project 2025 cesspool and fished out some of the choicest morsels, which I’ve organized into several categories: rebuilding the patriarchal family; ending sex discrimination … against men; reproductive rights and wrongs; demonizing our enemies; oil and gas will save the country; and eliminating government as we know it. Enjoy!

Keeping Score: Kamala Harris Launches Presidential Campaign; JD Vance’s Extreme Abortion Views; Republicans Attack Voting Rights, Title IX and DEI

In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.

This week: Vice President Kamala Harris launched her presidential campaign with Biden’s endorsement; Trump’s VP pick JD Vance’s anti-abortion extremism; women’s health is suffering in the Southeast; the Supreme Court blocked an EPA air pollution plan; House Republicans attack voting rights and Title IX; rest in power, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Dr. Ruth Westheimer; and more.

What Kamala Harris Means to Me as a Young Indian American Woman

Vice President Harris is no stranger to being the ‘first,’ and with every barrier she breaks, she ensures more women, people of color and women of color like me will follow.

I’ve watched Vice President Harris make masala dosas alongside Mindy Kaling, tell her mother’s story, and speak to leaders in the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. I am proud to see her embrace her Indian roots on the national stage. It is a new and exciting feeling to see myself in a presidential candidate.