Americans need to take responsibility for our role in enabling Taliban persecution and violence against women and girls and join governments and organizations around the world to protect their human rights.
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.
Women Congress Members Call for Increased Abortion Pill Access: “It’s Time We Trust the Science”
Over 70 Congress members are calling for “equitable, science-based” policies governing access to the abortion pill.
“There is no reason for the FDA to impose unnecessary restrictions on the medication abortion drug mifepristone—a safe and effective form of medication abortion care.”
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.
Bengali Women File Class-Action Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against N.Y. Doctor: “Like an Andrew Cuomo of Jackson Heights”
On August 13, four Bengali women from the Jackson Heights neighborhood of Queens, N.Y., filed a class-action lawsuit against Dr. Ferdous Khandker, alleging decades of sexual assault and harassment of dozens of women and girls under the auspices of providing medical care. The women sought out attorney Susan Crumiller, who calls her firm “the feminist litigation firm.”
On the day the class-action lawsuit against Khandker was filed, Ms. spoke with Susan Crumiller to learn more about how the case and what’s at stake.
Federal Court Strikes Down Long-Standing Indiana Abortion Restrictions
For years, Indiana has been a hotbed for some of the nation’s most oppressive abortion restrictions. On Tuesday, abortion rights advocates won a lawsuit challenging several of these restrictions.
Before Tuesday’s decision, Indiana was one of 19 states prohibiting telemedicine abortion. The court also blocked an abortion counseling law requiring doctors to tell patients information that is untruthful and misleading.
Students File Lawsuit Against Brown University, Allege Administration “Repeatedly Downplayed or Dismissed” Sexual Misconduct Complaints
Brown University faces a class-action lawsuit by four current and former students—all survivors of campus sexual harassment and assault—who claim the school failed to protect them from harm “despite knowledge that sexual assault on its campus is endemic.”
Critical Race Theory Bans Target Feminist Professors: “This Is Censorship”
Critical race theory has become a catchphrase for any discussion of how race, class and gender function in society.
“Education should not be the battlefield for political issues and political agendas. We are using our most vulnerable and our most precious as bait in this fight and it’s not okay.”
Catholic Hospital Denies Woman a Medically Necessary Sterilization, Putting Her Health and Well-Being at Risk: “It’s Wrong and It’s Dangerous”
Ascension Providence Hospital in Southfield, Mich., denied a pregnant woman a sterilization procedure recommended by her doctor. The hospital is part of a Catholic hospital system that does not allow sterilization procedures.
“The field of medicine is not dictated by religious doctrine. It’s dictated by science.”
Feminists Fight Fake Abortion Clinics: “No One Should Be Lied To”
Organizations like SPARK, ReproAction and Abortion Access Front are exposing the deceptive tactics of fake abortion clinics and organizing to stop them from harming women.
Equal Rights Amendment Is a “Critical Legal Tool” To Achieve Equal Pay for Black Women
To mark Equal Pay Day for Black women on August 3, the ERA Coalition hosted a town hall with some of the nation’s leading women’s rights advocates speaking about the importance of passing the ERA to ensure pay equality for Black women.
“The Equal Rights Amendment creates a critical legal tool to combat the discrimination women face each and every single day, especially women of color.”