Politics

Women are Front and Center in Mexican Politics. What Can the U.S. Learn?

PUBLISHED 6/11/2024 by and

On June 2, over 60 percent of registered Mexican voters went to the polls for a monumental election, with over 20,000 public offices up for grabs at the federal and local levels. This election was historic, as a woman was elected to hold the highest office in Mexico for the first time. This transition did not occur naturally; it resulted from consistent, permanent debate at all levels by activists, institutions, academics and women in politics who worked together across party lines to close the political gender gap. Although there is still a long way to go to achieve substantive gender parity in public life, Mexico’s progress can and should be a valuable lesson to the U.S.

Invest in Reproductive Rights—*That’s* What Democracy Looks Like.

PUBLISHED 6/10/2024 by | UPDATED 8/27/2024 at 9:51 A.M. PT

This essay is part of a Women & Democracy package focused on who’s funding the women and LGBTQ people on the frontlines of democracy. We’re manifesting a new era for philanthropy—one that centers feminism. The need is real: Funding for women and girls amounts to less than 2 percent of all philanthropic giving; for women of color, it’s less than 1 percent. Explore the “Feminist Philanthropy Is Essential to Democracy” collection.

Organizing and social change movements are far ahead of their funders in moving from cooperation to solidarity. To turn back the tide of authoritarianism, philanthropy must follow their lead. Moving from cooperation to solidarity will ultimately be how we demonstrate exactly what democracy looks like.  

Presidents Matter: Title IX, Sex-Based Violence and LGBTQ Discrimination

PUBLISHED 6/9/2024 by

There’s so much at stake in the 2024 presidential elections, including the rights of women and LGBTQ people. President Biden has been a longstanding advocate for women’s right to be free from violence.

On the other hand, Republicans are pledging to eliminate Title IX protections against sex-based discrimination and sexual violence. The difference is clear.

Criminalizing Drugs—Including Misoprostol and Mifepristone—Is a Bad Idea

PUBLISHED 6/7/2024 by

Recently, Louisiana added misoprostol and mifepristone (“M&M”) to the state’s list of criminalized controlled substances. M&M are medications that, among other things, can safely and effectively end a pregnancy. As a result of this law, possession of these medications without a prescription can result in fines of up to $5,000 or “imprisonment of no more than five years with or without hard labor.”

Much of the outcry against this state action has focused on the fact that M&M are neither dangerous nor addictive and thus should not be categorized or criminalized as a controlled substance. While it is true that M&M, two exceptionally well-studied and approved medications, are extremely safe and lack any potential for addiction, this critique reinforces dangerous myths about the war on drugs already deeply intertwined with the war on abortion.

School’s Out for Summer. Moms Already Need a Break.

PUBLISHED 6/7/2024 by

I can’t think of a parent who doesn’t look ahead to summer months with simultaneous relief from the morning scramble and trepidation at the loss of set hours their child is cared for at school. However, with the price of day camps and childcare, ‘bucket list’ activities and less routine, summer can be just as stressful for mothers.

Chamber of Mothers’ “Vote Like A Mother” campaign aims to help mothers use this time to prepare to vote in their own best interests. 

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Court Halts Fearless Fund’s Grants to Black Women; Mexico’s First and Iceland’s Next Women Presidents

PUBLISHED 6/7/2024 by

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

This week: Discover why the Fearless Fund has been halted by the courts and its implications for DEI programs. Explore the ongoing challenges in achieving global gender balance despite historic gains. Join us in celebrating the victories of Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first woman president, and Halla Tomasdottir, Iceland’s next president. Additionally, dive into our Summer Reading series, where we spotlight the incredible books our team at RepresentWomen is delving into this summer.

Keeping Score: Trump Convicted of 34 Felonies; Biden Celebrates Pride Month; New Anti-Abortion Law in Louisiana

PUBLISHED 6/6/2024 by

In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.

This week: Trump convicted of 34 felony charges; President Biden officially recognizes Pride Month; a new law criminalizes medication abortion in Louisiana; Meghan Markle reflects on Ms.; the first Professional Women’s Hockey League championship; Mexico elected their first woman president; and more.

Biden’s Border Closure Is a Gamble That Won’t Pay Off

PUBLISHED 6/6/2024 by

At 12 a.m. on June 5, 2024, the southwest border closed to thousands of people desperate to reach the United States. By taking matters into his own hands, President Biden is following the oft-heard mantra of the last decade: Executive action is the last resort when Congress doesn’t take its responsibilities seriously. However, to justify the border suspension, the president had to determine that something about people who didn’t have permission to enter the U.S., as a category of individuals, meant that their admission—even temporarily—would threaten the best interests of this country. 

Until we all stand up for genuine immigration reform that tackles the tough questions of managing migration flows, ensuring sufficient legal immigration pathways, honoring our protection obligations and valuing immigration as a public good, politicians of both parties will take the easy way out; the odds are good that nobody wins.

Senate GOP Blocks Right to Contraception Act

PUBLISHED 6/5/2024 by

Wednesday afternoon, Senate Republicans blocked the Right to Contraception Act, a Democrat-led measure that would have codified the right to contraception into federal law.

“It’s very simple. It just says you have the right to use and healthcare providers have the right to provide contraception,” said Rachel Fey, vice president of policy and strategic partnerships at Power to Decide. “I think this bill is as clear as it gets, and if you can’t get behind that, I don’t think as a policymaker you should be able to say that you’re pro contraception. I think that is something that people deserve to know about their elected officials.”