Category: Justice & Law

Ms. Magazine’s Prison and Domestic Violence Shelter Program: Let Women on the Inside Know They Are Not Alone

Women in prison often spend 17 hours a day isolated in their cells, with no reading material except the Bible, or with only books and magazines they must share with hundreds of other women. And this past year has seen reading bans inside prisons grow at a more concerning rate than those in public schools and libraries.

If you would like the deep satisfaction of knowing you’re a part of letting women know they’re not alone, please make a tax-deductible contribution to the Ms. Prison and Domestic Violence Shelter Program.

Affirmative Action Backlash Is Coming for Your Business. Here’s What You Can Do.

Emboldened by the Supreme Court’s recent decision to strike down the use of affirmative action in college admissions, conservatives are setting their sights on their next target: corporate America. As the CEO of Girls Who Code, a nonprofit dedicated to diversifying the tech industry, I worry about what this means in the fight to create a more representative and equitable workforce.

Rather than staying silent, corporations should follow the lead of companies like Microsoft and Salesforce which have both taken a stand against anti-affirmative action litigation. This is not a question of feel-good altruism—it’s good business, too.

Rest in Power: Rosalynn Carter—Feminist, First Lady, and ERA and Mental Health Advocate

In the many tributes written since Rosalynn Carter’s death on Nov. 19, one word often is used to describe her: trailblazer. Indeed, Rosalynn Carter was like no other first lady. She testified before Congress on mental health issues; made policy proposals on caregiving and established the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers in 1987; worked to advance women’s rights; and helped in the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Carter’s own words are the most powerful about her belief and commitment to equality. “Although there has been progress, women still struggle to take their full, rightful places in politics, the media, business and athletics. … I would like for people to think that I took advantage of the opportunities I had and did the best I could.”

How to Have Effective Conversations About Abortion at Family Gatherings

Even though I work to advance reproductive rights for a living, it can still be incredibly difficult to have meaningful conversations with them about abortion. I know it’s going to come up, though, and I need to be prepared.

Open, civil dialogue is the best way to make your voice heard and hopefully change hearts, minds and cultures. We must arm ourselves with facts, and not automatically write people off. Here’s what else I’m keeping in mind as I go into holiday gatherings with my family.

GenBioPro Appeals to Federal Court to Block West Virginia Abortion Ban 

GenBioPro, the nation’s only generic manufacturer of the abortion pill mifepristone, appealed the dismissal of a federal lawsuit challenging a West Virginia abortion ban that restricts access to the FDA-approved abortion medication mifepristone.

If successful, GenBioPro’s lawsuit could prevent states from banning mifepristone and could also protect access to other FDA-approved medications that have significant health benefits, such as vaccines.

The West Virginia court’s ruling could be helpful to people in states that still allow some abortions but block telemedicine abortion, such as Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin. 

The Woman Behind SNAP: Leonor Sullivan’s Legacy Continues

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, is the nation’s most important food assistance programs for low-income Americans, and one of its most important anti-poverty measures.

Former Representative Leonor Sullivan (D-Mo.) was one of only 11 women in the House in 1953, and came to Congress determined to help her constituents. Sullivan’s legislative strategy, aided by growing urban, Democratic power in the House, eventually led Congress to approve food stamp “pilot projects,” which ultimately laid the groundwork for SNAP.

Texas *Still* Wants to Trap Abortion Seekers

On Oct. 23, three male Lubbock County commissioners approved an abortion trafficking ordinance making it unlawful to transport anyone seeking an abortion through the unincorporated area of Lubbock County—all thanks to tireless crusader Mark Lee Dickson, director of East Texas Right to Life and the founder of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative, who is pushing to bring about the day when “abortion is considered a great moral, social and political wrong and is outlawed in every single state.”

Even Justice Brett Kavanaugh—certainly no fan of Roe—expressed the view in his concurring opinion in Dobbs that a state cannot bar its residents from cross-border abortion travel.

Under the Threat of Another Government Shutdown

The government might shut down this week (again). At the same time, House Republicans are trying to abolish the Women’s Bureau; cut the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; slash maternal and child health support from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); eliminate funding for Title X family planning; *and* reverse the FDA decision on the abortion pill mifepristone.