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.
Lest We Forget
“I have never identified myself as a victim, but I now understand that I am a survivor—of violence, of sexual abuse, of domineering men who saw me, and other women, as property, or things to control.”
“The knowledge that he hurt young girls sickens me. My heart aches for everyone who suffered alone and in silence for years. There are no words strong enough to condemn those deplorable actions that he did. Cesar’s actions do not reflect the values of our community and our movement.”
—Dolores Huerta went public for the first time about two instances of rape by César Chávez in the 1960s.
“This voter suppression bill will disenfranchise millions of voters, especially married women. It is a slap in the face for all of the women generally and Black women specifically who gave blood, sweat and tears for the right to vote.”
—Rep. Ilhan Omar on the SAVE America Act, a “show your papers” policy that would require U.S. citizens to show a passport or birth certificate in order to register to vote. Trump is pressuring Senate Republicans hard to pass the bill ahead of the November midterm elections.
“The firing of Secretary Noem proves that our voices matter and that collective action is the ultimate check on power. Her departure is a victory for transparency and a long-overdue act of accountability. We must state the facts: This administration bears responsibility for years of anti-immigrant and anti-Latino rhetoric. This rhetoric has emboldened the indiscriminate actions we have seen from DHS and ICE—a culture of abuse and violence that has now resulted in the deaths of American citizens, the separation of families, and the ongoing detention of children.”
—Voto Latino statement after DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was fired.
“Kristi Noem’s removal is only the first step towards reforming the lawless Trump DHS. A change in personnel is not sufficient.”
—House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Kristi Noem’s firing from the head of DHS.
“Is [Donald Trump] going to allow an independent Iran to chart its own course? Just asking the question kind of answers it. He’s going to want Iran’s oil. He’s going to want a pliable government.”
—DemocracySOS chief editor Steven Hill.
“We are outraged by the recent confirmation that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is arresting and deporting DACA recipients. These actions tear families apart, damage communities, impose needless social, emotional, and economic burdens, and waste taxpayer dollars.
“The Trump administration has once again led the United States government to go back on its word. DACA was a promise made with the full faith of the United States—like it or not, DACA is a policy covered by Trump’s oath to protect and defend the Constitution.”
—Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) leadership spoke out against ICE arresting 261 DACA recipients and deporting 86 between January and November 2025.
“We are only two months into the new year, and at least eight people have already died in ICE custody. These deaths were preventable. 9-1-1 calls from these facilities highlight a system that is overwhelmed, and internal audits have documented failures to meet basic standards of care.
“To make matters worse, DHS continues to obstruct independent investigations into its failures. It has repeatedly defied court orders, tried to hide evidence, blocked Members of Congress from accessing detention facilities, and ignored congressional oversight requests. When human beings are dying under federal supervision, oversight is not optional. It is our responsibility.”
—Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) condemned the Trump administration’simmigration policies during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting. In 2025, ICE reported 32 deaths in detention facilities, the highest number in more than 20 years.
“The federal ERA gives us the best chance to overturn state abortion bans, because it not only prohibits the federal government from discriminating on the basis of sex, it also prohibits state governments from discriminating on the basis of sex. And abortion bans, because they only deny rights to women and girls, are by definition sex-discriminatory. In fact, three state supreme courts have ruled that way, on their own state equal rights amendments.“
—Kathy Spillar, executive editor of Ms. and executive director of Feminist Majority Foundation
“Dear Survivors,
“In this moment when your names, experiences and trauma have become fodder for news cycles and political theater; we see you. Not as characters in a true crime saga. Not as data points in someone else’s political calculations.
“We see you as whole human beings who have carried an impossible weight and survived attempts to silence you. We see you as those who have spoken truth into a void that too often refuses to hear. And we honor those of you who have remained silent, making the decision to heal in private.
“We are building toward something different. A world where sexual violence is recognized not as an inevitable feature of human society but as a structural problem with structural solutions. A world where survivors are met with belief, support, and resources rather than scrutiny, blame, and retraumatization. A world where your dignity is non-negotiable and your healing is held as sacred.
“You have never been alone. We are a movement, and you are part of it, whether you claim that mantle publicly or hold it privately in your heart.“
—A letter of solidarity to survivors from the Survivor Justice Network, amid increased visibility on the Epstein files.
“At this moment, Congress faces a clear choice. It can continue misusing taxpayer dollars to fund attacks on immigrants and communities instead of funding healthcare—deepening health inequities, chilling healthcare access, and putting lives at risk—or it can act to restore and improve healthcare coverage and safety for individuals, families, and communities across the country. Healthcare access is a prerequisite for dignity, imperative for national security, and vital for freedom. There is no justification for cutting care to fund cruelty.”
—A letter from 141 health advocacy and allied organizations to Congress, with the message: “Fund Health Care, Not Attacks on Immigrants and Communities.”
“You lose [your country] through countless small, little acts of complicity. When we act complicit, when a government murders people on the streets of our major cities, when we don’t say anything, when oligarchs the media and control how we can produce it and consume it—we all face a moral choice. But luckily, even a nobody is more powerful than you think.“
—David Borenstein, co-director of ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin,’ which took home the Oscar for Best Documentary.
Milestones
+ The U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran, killing at least 1,332 people and escalating conflict across the region. In just one bombing, 175 people, mainly children, were killed at a girls’ school in Iran. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed, and one of his sons, Mojtaba Khamenei, became his replacement.
+ The U.S. deported a gay woman to Morocco, where she was abused by her family and could be imprisoned for three years for her sexuality. She is one of dozens of people confirmed to be deported to third countries despite having legal protection from immigration judges.
+ Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton declared it illegal for therapists to affirm trans youth, extending bans on gender-affirming care to include mental healthcare.
“Trans young people will die as a result of this,” emphasized Johnathan Gooch of Equality Texas. “To be messing with care for suicidal ideation among a population who face disproportionately high suicidal ideation is not just dangerous, it’s morally without method.”
+ A federal court temporarily blocked parts of a Texas law that censors discussions about race, gender and sexuality in public schools.
+ Connecticut lawmakers are considering a new shield law that would protect telemedicine abortion providers regardless of where a patient is located.
+ March 10 was Abortion Provider Appreciation Day, created to honor Dr. David Gunn, who was murdered by an anti-abortion extremist. Since Roe was overturned, stalking of abortion clinic staff and patients increased by 229 percent, and arson by 100 percent.
+ A federal judge ruled that Kari Lake had illegally served as acting CEO of the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM). Her actions, including a large reduction in force of Voice of America (VOA) employees, are now legally void.
“Today’s ruling is a victory for Voice of America workers, their unions, journalism, and the global free press. It’s also a reminder of what working people can achieve when we stand together, in our unions, against the misguided, illegal attempts to dismantle our federal government,” said Everett Kelley, AFGE National President.
+ Senate Democrats held a War Powers vote to require congressional approval for strikes in Iran. The vote failed, allowing Trump’s aggression to continue.
+ Trump announced that he will not sign any other legislation before the Senate passes the SAVE Act, which will increase barriers to voting. He also wants to add transphobic policies and a ban on mail-in voting to the bill.
+ DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was fired soon after a heated hearing before Congress about misconduct within the agency. Trump has tapped Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) as her replacement.
+ A federal judge extended a ruling that protects refugees in Minnesota from being deported. “Minnesota refugees can now live their lives without fear that their own government will snatch them off the street and imprison them far from loved ones,” celebrated Kimberly Grano, an attorney with the International Refugee Assistance Project.
+ Over 200 congressional Democrats filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to uphold birthright citizenship. Oral arguments for Trump v. Barbara are scheduled for April 1, and will decide if Trump’s executive order violates the constitution
+ After losing at the district court level, the Trump administration abandoned lawsuits against four private law firms that Trump doesn’t like.
“These threats were intended to intimidate and inspire fear, but instead they have inspired action and reminded us that when ‘We, the People’ rise to protect our democracy, we can win,” wrote Democracy Forward president & CEO Skye Perryman.
+ For her work on Sinners, Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman, and the first Filipina woman, to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography. In her acceptance speech she called on the other women in the room to stand.
“I’m so honored to be here and I really want all the women in the room to stand up because I feel like I don’t get here without you guys,” said Durald Arkapaw.
+ New Mexico became the first state to enshrine free universal childcare into law.
+ Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the first five New York school districts that will receive over 2,000 free childcare seatsfor 2-year-olds next fall. The first seats are aimed at families in high-need neighborhoods, but the program will expand over several years to cover all 2-year-olds in New York City.
+ An Arizona state court struck down several abortion restrictions, thanks to a state constitution amendment passed by voters in 2024. The judge concluded that a mandatory 24-hour waiting period and telemedicine ban lacked medical evidence and interfered with patients’ freedoms.
+ Hillary Clinton testified before the House Oversight Committee, reiterating that she had no knowledge of the crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. She criticized the committee for wasting time on “partisan political theater” instead of increased transparency, seeking justice for victims and combating sex trafficking.
+ Ohio courts upheld a permanent block on a “fetal remains law” designed to shame abortion patients by forcing clinics to bury or cremate fetal tissue.
+ Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) questioned the vice chiefs of all five military services about the Administration’s “review” of women in combat roles. Each agreed that women do not lower standards in combat units. Sen. Hirono also raised concerns about the use of military resources being used to build ICE detention facilities.
+ Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) dropped his bid for reelection after admitting to a relationship with a subordinate staffer who died by suicide.
+ The Department of Justice is attempting to speed up a suit demanding access to Michigan’s voter registration records. They want to purge voter rolls before the next election, regurgitating false narratives that noncitizen voter fraud is common.
+ Maria Antonieta Alcalde Castro was appointed as the new director general of the International Planned Parenthood Federation.
+ An Indiana court blocked the state from enforcing its strict abortion ban when it would interfere with a patient’s religious beliefs. The plaintiffs argued that their faith supports abortion access in certain situations, and the ban violated their religious freedom rights.
+ Despite Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s attempts to end the SAVE student loan repayment plan, a federal court reinstated the program. Then, just days later, a federal appeals court reversed this decision, moving forward with a settlement that would once again end SAVE. The SAVE plan has lowered payments for millions of federal student loans.
+ U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has “got a feeling” the American people won’t feel the benefits of $175 billion in tariff revenue.
+ Ndiaga Diagne is suspected of killing three people and injuring 13 in Austin, Texas, before being killed by police. Court records reveal that he had a history of family violence, yet was still allowed to legally own guns under Texas law. Almost 70 percent of U.S. mass shootings between 2015 to 2019 involved a person who had a history of domestic violence or killing a family member.
+ A special election that was held to fill the seat of Former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is now going to a runoff. Clayton Fuller, a Trump-endorsed Republican, will go up against Democrat Shawn Harris on April 7.
+ Anti-voting activists are helping to draft an emergency executive order that would declare a national emergency, allowing President Trump to take control over voting. This authority is deemed unconstitutional by voting-rights experts, democracy advocates and at least one state election chief.
Peter Ticktin, one of the MAGA activists coordinating with the White House, is the attorney for Tina Peters, a former GOP Colorado county clerk currently serving a prison sentence for her role in a 2021 voting system breach.
+ The Trump administration has withheld millions of dollars in funding from Title X grantees, leaving people at risk of losing access to care and forcing sites to close. On March 11, U.S. Sens. Mazie K Hirono (D-Hawaii), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Angus King (I- Maine) and 36 of their colleagues sent a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to demand a one-year full funding extension for Title X grantees.
+ Jessie Buckley took home the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role in Hamnet. The film was directed by Chloé Zhao, one of nine women to ever be nominated for the award of Best Director and the only woman nominated this year.
“It’s Mother’s Day in the U.K. today, so I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart,” said Buckley.
+ The Democratic National Committee (DNC) sued the Trump administration for failing to respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests about whether the president is planning to illegally deploy armed federal agents to election sites.
How We’re Doing
+ Access to early prenatal care is declining in the U.S. Over 35 percent of counties are now maternity care deserts, and some doctors that remain in abortion ban states are delaying visits to avoid early miscarriages being misconstrued as abortions. The decrease in early care is higher for moms in minority groups, increasing the already disproportionate risk of maternal mortality among Black women.
+ In addition, recent ICE activity has deterred one in five pregnant women from seeking prenatal care. Telehealth services, tracking certain metrics at home, and batching tests at appointments may help some get needed care.
+Emergency rooms prescribed Tylenol to pregnant people 10 percent less in the weeks after Trump’s claims it could cause autism. Prescriptions have since returned to normal, with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists touting it as the safest option for pregnant women with pain or a fever.
+ Arkansas Democrat Alex Holladay and New Hampshire Democrat Bobbi Boudman flipped their state district elections, marking the 28th Democratic flip this election cycle. Since Trump’s election, no state Republicans have flipped seats.
DNC Chair Ken Martin celebrated: “This win is yet another warning sign to Republicans across the country, and a new reality is now sinking in: no Republican seat is safe. Democrats are keeping our foot on the gas and organizing and competing everywhere.”
+ U.S. jobs fell by 92,000 in February, the third time in the past five months that the economy lost jobs.
+ A survey of women ages 18 to 49 found that just half were confident emergency contraception is not an abortion. They were often confused about how emergency contraception works.
“Confusion around reproductive health care, especially emergency contraception, can be easily exploited by anti-abortion policymakers to further restrict access to all types of reproductive healthcare,” warned Guttmacher senior research associate Jennifer Mueller.
+ States with broad Medicaid eligibility for contraception and increased funding for Title X and Title V have higher rates of contraception usage. Unsurprisingly, policies that promote access to sexual and reproductive health services enable people with limited resources to access care.
+ A report on Illinois reproductive health professionals found they need abortion-specific training. Over half are concerned about legal uncertainty, and 62 percent need additional training before providing abortion services. Over half reported increasing barriers to abortion care due to staff shortages, institutional restrictions and rising costs.
The report recommends expanding access to mentorship, iterating doulas into clinical settings, and strengthening shield laws and other protections for patients and providers.
+ A record one-third of American workers now have access to government-required paid leave. Fourteen states now mandate some form of paid leave, and large campaigns in six other states could soon bring the share of workers covered to 44 percent.
+ New research by the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that people are avoiding living in abortion-ban states, resulting in lower rental prices and higher vacancies than states with stronger abortion rights protections.
+ The Texas man suing a California abortion provider over his girlfriend’s abortion has a history of assaulting and threatening to kill multiple women.
This case is an example of a new anti-abortion tactic accusing access to medication abortion of facilitating reproductive coercion. This narrative co-opts anti-abuse terms to justify restrictions to bodily autonomy. In reality, antiabortion laws force people to remain pregnant against their wishes, and restricting access to abortion increases the risk of intimate partner violence.
+ Since ICE actions ramped up in Minnesota in early December, an increasing number of Latino HIV patients are delaying lifesaving testing and care. This could lead to an uptick in transmission and rates of dangerous drug resistance.
