The War on Women is in full force under the Trump administration. We refuse to go back, and we refuse to let the administration quietly dismantle the progress we’ve made. We are watching.
This is the War on Women Report.
Since Our Last Report…
+ In a New York Times article published August 10, reporter Mike Baker dissected billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s uniquely infuriating last snatch of power: his suicide. After years of forced silence and fighting tooth and nail to bring him to justice, Epstein’s victims have now been denied the chance to take him down in court. Although federal prosecutors have suggested that the sprawling nature of Epstein’s trafficking network will likely lead to the arrest and charging of some of his accomplices, many survivors are still grieving the justice they will not see served to their abuser. “We have to live with the scars of his actions for the rest of our lives,” survivor Jennifer Araoz said in a statement, “while he will never face the consequences of the crimes he committed, the pain and trauma he caused so many people.”
Friday, 8/16
+ Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to exclude transgender people from the protections of Title VII, a federal law which prohibits workplace discrimination against various minority groups. The brief, submitted by the Trump administration, seeks to dismiss a case claiming a funeral home illegally fired a transgender woman because of her gender identity. The Department of Justice’s brief argues that Title VII’s protections against sex discrimination only refers to discrimination based on biological—such as discrimination against cisgender women—rather than discrimination based on gender identity—such as discrimination against transgender men, women and nonbinary people.
Sunday, 8/18
+ President Donald Trump retracted his momentary support for universal background checks for guns during an interview Sunday, thus alienating a key slice of his base: suburban women. Trump backtracked his short-lived support for the checks after feeling increased pressure from the National Rifle Association, telling reporters to “remember, we already have a lot of background checks. OK?” Suburban women, who make up a sizable portion of the President’s fan base, are not likely to respond well to this bait-and-switch, especially since a recent poll found that they rank gun violence as their “No. 1 issue.”
Monday, 8/19
+ Renowned health care provider Planned Parenthood officially dropped its Title X federal funding Monday in response to the Trump administration’s demand that all Title X recipients stop referring patients for abortions. Rather than exclude abortion referrals from its services, Planned Parenthood announced August 12 that it would refuse Title X funding, putting the health care provider out $60 million. The Trump administration’s new restrictions on Title X funding, which is intended to offer reproductive health care to low-income people, has been widely criticized as a targeted attack the reproductive rights of poor Americans as well as people of color, who make up more than half of the people served by Title X funding.
