Category: Health

Why Menopause Representation Matters: ‘Women in Positions of Power Realize This Is Not Something to Be Secretive About’

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Representation of menopause in popular culture matters: That was the main theme of a Judy Blume film screening and panel Ms. recently co-hosted in New York City entitled “Menopause Needs Our Margaret”—a reference to Blume’s iconic book, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Among the ways menopause has been reflected on TV, the And Just Like That cast has tackled issues of aging, including a cameo by Ms. co-founder Gloria Steinem this past week.

Read on for highlights from our New York City event.

War on Women: Indiana Supreme Court Upholds Abortion Ban; Trump-Appointed Judge Rejects Tennessee Drag Ban; Supreme Court Guts Affirmative Action

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U.S. patriarchal authoritarianism is on the rise, and democracy is on the decline. But day after day, we stay vigilant in our goals to dismantle patriarchy at every turn. The fight is far from over. We are watching, and we refuse to go back. This is the War on Women Report.

This month: Iowa and Indiana abortion bans remain enforceable; LGBTQIA+ online hate and harassment has reached a record high; more women than ever are traveling out of state for abortion access; U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) introduced the Right to Contraception Act; President Biden issued an executive order to strengthen access to affordable, high-quality contraception and family planning services; and more.

Our Abortion Stories: ‘I Want Greg Abbott to Look Me in the Eye and Tell Me I Deserve What Happened’

Last summer, the Supreme Court overturned the longstanding precedents of Roe v. Wade, representing the largest blow to women’s constitutional rights in history. A series from Ms., Our Abortion Stories chronicles readers’ experiences of abortion pre- and post-Roe. Abortions are sought by a wide range of people for many different reasons. There is no single story. (Share your abortion story by emailing myabortionstory@msmagazine.com.)

“I want Greg Abbott or anyone who voted for this law to look me in the eye and tell me that I deserved what happened. That I deserve to be punished by the law for what I’ve gone through. I want them to look me in the eye.”

Congressional Resolution Condemns Criminalization of Abortion, Contraception and Gender-Affirming Care

On Thursday, June 29, Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.) introduced a resolution in Congress opposing the criminalization of sexual and reproductive healthcare in states across the country. The resolution criticizes the “the use of State power against people in the United States seeking essential health care” and “State punishment of people for their pregnancy outcomes.”

Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) are introducing companion legislation in the Senate next week.

Dance as a Form of Personal Healing: The Ms. Q&A With Tara Rynders

Burnout and stress have caused approximately 100,000 nurses to leave the workforce since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This comes as no surprise to Tara Rynders, a Colorado-based registered nurse who has created a series of workshops for medical staff to address the sorrow and the joy of caring for others. The workshops—which combine movement, writing, play the arts and debriefing—also focus on how workers can provide what she calls “courageous care” to themselves.

Rydners’ workshops aim to “give nurses a way to debrief and process their feelings. … Nurses and other medical workers need to be able to stand up to power and celebrate themselves, not for being self-sacrificing, but for being able to set boundaries, say no, and not comply with every request.”

‘Women’s Pain Is Less Important’: Documentary ‘Below the Belt’ Shows Why Endometriosis Is a Feminist Issue

A new documentary Below the Belt, executive produced by Hillary Clinton and directed by Shannon Cohn, demonstrates why endometriosis—and women’s health—is an urgent social justice issue for feminists.

The film follows the lives of four women living with endometriosis—a disease that can cause debilitating pain, infertility and menstrual issues.

Biden Administration Takes on Intimate Partner Violence, Releasing New Clinical Guidance

The Biden administration’s Office on Violence Against Women (a division of the Justice Department) last month issued clinical guidance on how health professionals can provide comprehensive, trauma-sensitive care to patients experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV)—part of a coordinated, comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to preventing and addressing IPV, sexual violence, stalking and other forms of gender-based violence. Nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States—totaling more than 10 million people annually.

“This means better diagnosis and treatment for the physical and mental injuries inflicted by an abuser, better support for survivors’ efforts to seek safety and better collection of evidence that can help survivors pursue protection and justice.”

Abortion Doulas: Care Work as a Theory of Change

In You or Someone You Love: Reflections from an Abortion Doula, Hannah Matthews reminds us that there is so much more to abortion access than just the law. An abortion doula and clinic worker, Matthews shifts our attention to the importance of care work and networks of support for expanding abortion access. weaving in real abortion stories with resources for accessing reproductive healthcare, along with occasional affirmations and acts of kindness.

The Dark Money Fight Against Abortion Access: A Year in Review

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Dark money groups, far from standing down after they succeeded in abolishing Americans’ constitutional right to decide if and when to have children, have ramped up their efforts to further limit reproductive rights since the right-wing faction on the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade a year ago.

Behind this attack on our rights is a web of groups funded by ultra-rich donors and coordinated by far-right lawyer and longtime Federalist Society leader Leonard Leo.