House Speaker Mike Johnson’s path to the speakership was circuitous, but it puts an ally of one of the country’s most influential anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion groups third in line for the presidency.
Menstrual Care Product Companies’ Crusade Against ‘Tampon Tax’ Falls Short of Meaningful Progress
Last week, a group of menstrual product companies announced a new coalition to reimburse customers for the consumption taxes on menstrual care products, commonly known as the tampon tax. While the “Tampon Tax Back Coalition” may appear to be a victory for menstrual activism, the truth is more complicated.
There’s Been a Major Increase in Abortion Pill Access—Thanks to COVID-19 and Dobbs
Over the last several years, in anticipation of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and in response to the COVID pandemic, activists developed interstate telemedicine abortion services and community support networks that are now providing abortion pills to people living in all 50 states, including states with bans.
As a result, abortion pills are now more accessible and affordable than ever before.
Persistence Overcomes Resistance: Honoring Women Suffragists Through Public Artwork
The percentage of women in politics, and many other professions, has grown significantly in the past few decades. However, when one looks at public artwork, women are almost nonexistent.
Inspired by the centennial of the 19th Amendment, the Chicago Womxn’s Suffrage Tribute Committee formed in 2020 in order to create public artwork to honor those who fought to legalize the vote for women. What originally started out as a one-mural project featuring suffrage leaders grew into three murals, all within one block of each other in the South Loop of Chicago.
‘Comstocked’: How Extremists Are Exploiting a Victorian-Era Law To Deny Abortion Access
In June 2019, the all-male city council in Waskom, Texas, unanimously voted to make the tiny town of just 2,000 residents the nation’s first “sanctuary city for the unborn.” Characterizing fetuses as the “most innocent among us [who] deserve equal protection under the law,” the ordinance expressly bans abortion within its municipal boundaries. The man behind the ban, anti-abortion zealot and pastor Mark Lee Dickson, has since expanded his campaign to outlaw abortion “one city at a time” into at least six other states.
(This article originally appears in the Fall 2023 issue of Ms. Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get issues delivered straight to your mailbox!)
India’s Supreme Court Just Rejected Marriage Equality. What’s Next for Queer People in India?
On Oct. 17, the Indian Supreme Court delivered a ruling opposing marriage as a fundamental right of all citizens, acknowledging the contentiousness of queer identity in India.
The court’s acknowledgement of the economic and social privileges marriage provides is significant—even if the queer Indian community has a long way to go.
The Ms. Q&A With Elizabeth L. Silver, Author of ‘The Majority,’ an RBG Novel
When I heard the title of Elizabeth Silver’s new book, The Majority, I knew the lone word in the title held layers of resonance.
The novel’s main character is reminiscent of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, or “The Notorious RBG,” and the reader follows her arduous, yet steady, ascending legal career. The novel reveals an intergenerational weave of feminists still trying—sometimes in impossibly constricted ways—to break down doors, laws and spaces to effect change. In this book, we see a composite of personal and professional challenges that reflect the path of one character but represent so much more beyond just her.
Women Speak Out for Pathway to Peace
There are times throughout recorded history when women have stepped up, spoken up, and taken action to resolve border and boundary disputes, to protect their cities, communities and families, and to demand and negotiate peaceful resolutions of long-term conflicts.
I am reflecting on those times today as the suffering, death and destruction in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, and the violent oppression in Iran and Afghanistan, seem beyond our ability to do anything that would mediate the violence or end the suffering. Yet, sometimes, women have come together and accomplished just that.
The Hyde Amendment Continues to Be a Barrier for Accessing Abortion Care
Even in states where abortion is still legally protected, many in need of financial support may not be able to obtain abortion care due to the Hyde Amendment.
This amendment, passed 47 years ago last month, prevents federal funds from being used to cover the cost of abortion services except in very limited circumstances. Many people enrolled in public programs—such as Medicaid—have to pay out-of-pocket for their abortion care.
President Biden Needlessly Trails Trump on Judicial Confirmations
It’s a bittersweet time to reflect on President Biden and Senate Majority Leader Schumer’s legacy for our federal courts.
On one hand, this administration and Senate majority are unrivaled in adding diversity to the federal bench. On the other hand, Biden and Schumer are now falling behind Trump and McConnell’s pace of confirmations.
Let’s confirm the president’s nominees and fill the vacancies where obstruction is impossible.