Category: Politics

Feminist Concerns Are Democracy Concerns

As our rights backslide, so too does our democracy—which is why feminist concerns are always and inevitably democratic concerns. This is a point we need to reinforce over and over and over again as this country gears up for the 2024 presidential election—the first since the Court stripped core rights away in Dobbs. 

(This essay is part of Women’s Rights and Backsliding Democracies project—a multimedia project made up of essays, video and podcast programming, presented by Ms., NYU Law’s Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and Rewire News Group.)

Global Authoritarianism, Women’s Rights and the Power of Feminist Organizing

“One thing that we see now, even with all of the challenges of a totalitarian government and of the Taliban dictatorship, is that the people on the frontlines of this fight are the women of Afghanistan. It is incredible that they are coming into the streets to fight for fundamental freedoms. I think this is a big lesson for all of us, even for those in the United States and others in the international community, to see these women now.”

(This essay is part of Women’s Rights and Backsliding Democracies project—a multimedia project made up of essays, video and podcast programming, presented by Ms., NYU Law’s Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and Rewire News Group.)

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation: U.S. Women Call on Mexican Feminists for Abortion Care; Congress Isn’t Built for Moms, Says New Report

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: Kelly Brough will face Mike Johnston in the Denver mayor’s runoff election on June 6; just 1 percent of Congress members are mothers with young kids; Mexican feminist groups see an increased demand for abortion help; and more.

Miles Apart: Texas and California Lawmakers Stake Opposite Corners of Abortion Policy

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It’s about 1,500 miles from Austin to Sacramento, but Texas and California lawmakers are a million miles apart on how to treat private data related to reproductive health.

The goalposts are moving, what used to be legal is now illegal in many places, and online speech and personal data are the new battleground—with millions of people’s health and lives in the balance.

America Says It Values Black Women Leaders. It’s Time to Show It.

Black women across the country are making history winning elected office and leading political organizations, in greater numbers and at higher levels than ever before. Yet, we are still being asked to do more with less because of a massive gap in funding.

Even with the significant headwinds Black women face, people are choosing us to lead during one of the most tumultuous periods in recent history. That’s not an accident. Americans know we have the solutions these times require.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Women CEOs Finally Outnumber CEOs Named John; Washington State Could Get a Woman Governor

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: For the first time, the four agencies most responsible for ensuring Americans have access to affordable housing are all led by women; there are finally more women CEOs than CEOs named John; the South Carolina Democratic Party convention elected Christale Spain, the first Black woman to lead the organization; and more.

‘The Talk,’ Circa 2023

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For generations, Black parents have sat their children down for “the talk”—not about the birds and the bees, but about the pigs.

This rite of passage occurs as adolescents become independent and need to learn what is likely to be in store, what to be wary of, and what they can do to protect themselves. With the reversal of Roe v. Wade, the issue of abortion has taken center stage. Parents must incorporate into their talk the stark fact of abortion restrictions and the implications for their adolescent children, especially their daughters. 

Three Reasons Congress Should Reject Medicaid Work Requirements

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On April 26, the House passed Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s debt ceiling bill, the “Limit, Save and Grow Act.” If enacted, the bill would create new work reporting requirements, stripping Medicaid coverage from adults unable to document eighty hours of work or community service per month.

Work reporting requirements are unnecessary, harmful and ultimately counter to the goals of the Medicaid program. Here’s why.

Ms. Global: Iran Installs Cameras for Veil Surveillance; The Vatican Allows Women to Vote; India Debates Same-Sex Marriage; Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Criticizes Hungary’s Anti-LGBTQ+ Stance

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The U.S. ranks as the 19th most dangerous country for women, 11th in maternal mortality, 30th in closing the gender pay gap, 75th in women’s political representation, and painfully lacks paid family leave and equal access to health care. But Ms. has always understood: Feminist movements around the world hold answers to some of the U.S.’s most intractable problems. Ms. Global is taking note of feminists worldwide.

This time with news from Iran, Colombia, the Vatican, India, Zimbabwe, Luxembourg, and more.