More Than A Magazine, A Movement
Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation.
This week: New Jersey state Rep. Sadaf Jaffer is leaving office due to the mental, emotional and sometimes physical trauma of serving in the public eye; Kalamazoo, Mich., has adopted a resolution to implement ranked-choice voting for mayoral and city commissioner elections; the findings of the 2023 Gender Parity Index; and more.
The 2023 Gender Parity Index is an annual report outlining the status of women’s representation in all 50 states. Which states ranked best in the nation? Which states ranked worst? And what reforms can the U.S. implement, to ensure we see political gender parity in our lifetimes? Here are some of our top takeaways.
We must continue to support states with abortion bans, like Missouri. This belief shouldn’t be radical, yet on my campus and in advocacy spaces, I often find myself in the minority opinion.
The response to Dobbs cannot be a tactical retreat. It took years for anti-abortion politicians to chip away and dismantle Roe. It will take years to rebuild past Roe toward homegrown and accessible reproductive healthcare in states like Missouri.
Psychotherapist Amira Martin knew that it made sense to move slowly when starting a new relationship, but after a whirlwind romance, she married a man she’d known for less than a year. After all, the courtship had been perfect—indeed, the man himself appeared perfect—and however improbable, Martin believed that she had found her soul mate.
She hadn’t.
Amira Martin spoke with Ms. about her marriage, its dissolution, and what she learned from it.
One of the many ripple effects of overturning Roe is how it undermines the education of a generation of medical students in our country.
As I prepare to apply for OB-GYN residency programs, I find myself disappointed with the state of reproductive freedom across the U.S., yet hopeful things will change.
Our hip-hop series “Turning 50” concludes this week just as the official anniversary of hip-hop’s 50th birthday kicks off the weekend.
Ms.’ final conversation is with Drew Dixon—a producer, writer, activist, entrepreneur and former A&R executive. She’s been featured in multiple documentaries, including Max’s On the Record in 2020 and Ladies First this year on Netflix. The conversation featured here honors her role in U.S. culture: as a survivor of sexual harassment and assault, an activist, a truth-teller and a musical pioneer.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) signed two laws last month empathetic toward people who engage in prostitution, while expanding criminalization for sex buyers and those who sexually exploit vulnerable populations, including children and people with mental disabilities.
The two new laws in Maine were inspired by the movement against domestic violence—which aims to center victims, hold abusers accountable and eliminate victim-blaming.
On Aug. 8, a coalition of Arizona organizations announced the filing of the Arizona Abortion Access Act, which would place a proposed constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights on Arizona’s November 2024 general election ballot.
“Every Arizonan should have the freedom to make decisions about their bodies, their lives and their futures,” said Chris Love, senior advisor for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona. “We know the work for achieving reproductive freedom is an uphill battle, and this ballot initiative is the next critical step in our renewed drive to protect the health and freedom of our patients and our communities.”
Fake clinics deceive patients, robbing them of comprehensive reproductive healthcare by qualified medical professionals and increasing the violence experienced by genuine clinics.
All the while, Google has brought in over $10 million from anti-abortion extremists looking to advertise crisis pregnancy centers and abortion “reversals.”
Picture your mother, your daughter, your wife, your coworker, your friend. Imagine a distracted driver hitting them. Imagine you find out that their injury or death was preventable. Imagine this happening to 467,985 families across America every year. Now, imagine you have the power to change that.
Our policymakers and regulators must take action today. They must require that accurate female crash test dummies are tested in the driver’s seat equally as men. Join me in telling the government that women’s lives are worth it.