Author: Carrie N. Baker

Carrie N. Baker, J.D., Ph.D., is the Sylvia Dlugasch Bauman Chair of American Studies and a professor in the Program for the Study of Women and Gender at Smith College. She is a contributing editor at Ms. magazine. You can contact Dr. Baker at cbaker@msmagazine.com or follow her on Twitter @CarrieNBaker.
Justice Department Sues Texas to Stop Texas Abortion Ban; Democratic Attorneys General Consider Action

DOJ Files Emergency Motion to Stop Texas Abortion Ban, with Support from Democratic Attorneys General

We spoke with Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey about Texas’s extreme six-week abortion ban (S.B. 8), its impact and what state attorneys general plan to do in response.

“The amount of anger and outrage I’ve heard from women and men around the country that I’ve spoken with in recent days is something I haven’t seen before. I think providers and reproductive rights organizations anticipated this, but I’m not sure that it was on the radar of the American public. Now it is. I think everybody is waking up.”

Sixth Circuit Blocks Tennessee Abortion Bans: "Access to Abortion Is a Constitutionally Protected Right"

Sixth Circuit Blocks Tennessee Abortion Bans: “Access to Abortion Is a Constitutionally Protected Right”

On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit blocked two Tennessee laws—one banning abortion after approximately six weeks of pregnancy and another banning abortion for certain reasons, including race, gender or genetic anomaly.

“The court of appeals today rightly respected nearly 50 years of precedent by blocking these dangerous laws,” said Brigitte Amiri, deputy director of the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project. “With all eyes on the devastating effect of the Texas abortion ban, this is a welcome news for Tennesseans and the rule of law.”

Media Repeat Junk Science Behind Abortion Ban Laws: Check the Science—There is No Heartbeat at Six Weeks

Media Repeat Junk Science Behind Abortion Ban Laws: Check the Science—There is No Heartbeat at Six Weeks

The inaccuracies of the Texas law, repeated by media across the country, are part of a larger anti-abortion movement strategy to spread misinformation about abortion.

When media uncritically repeat the factually inaccurate and politically charged language of the anti-abortion movement, they create confusion, spread misleading information about abortion, and perpetuate stigma and bias against abortion, endangering women’s health and lives.

Union Membership Increases Wage Equity for Women—But Stronger Laws Are Needed

Unions have fought long and hard against big business for benefits like weekends, lunch breaks, and overtime pay — which are now considered basic rights. But did you know union membership also decreases the gender wage gap?

According to a new report, union pay transparency can help disrupt a workplace culture of secrecy — one that conceals and amplifies pay disparities for women.

Educating Texans on How to Get Abortion Pills Online: “Your Nearest Provider Is In Your Pocket”

Before the six-week abortion ban takes effect on Wednesday, abortion pill advocacy group Plan C and Progress Texas drove a mobile billboard truck around West Texas for three days to educate people about how they can access abortion pills online.

“We went on an abortion road trip to let people know that you don’t need to go on a road trip anymore to get an abortion.”

New Study Shows Online Abortion Services Are Safe and Effective: “Telehealth Medication Abortion is the Future”

New Study Shows Online Abortion Services Are Safe and Effective: “Telehealth Medication Abortion is the Future”

On Tuesday, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco released the first-ever study on the safety and effectiveness of new online clinics offering telemedicine abortion, allowed for the first time in the U.S. during the pandemic.

“This study is real world evidence that providing medication abortion with telehealth and with a mail order pharmacy leads to efficacy and safety that is similar to in-clinic care.”

marijuana pregnancy

Advocates Challenge Arizona Court Ruling Medical Use of Marijuana During Pregnancy is Child Neglect

Reproductive rights advocates have come out in force to support Lindsay R., an Arizona woman whom the state of Arizona has branded a child abuser because she used medical marijuana while she was pregnant.

The criminalization of pregnant women using marijuana is part of a broader trend, according to National Advocates for Pregnant Women, which has documented more than 1,000 arrests for drug use during pregnancy.