More Than A Magazine, A Movement
In a 4-3 split reflecting progressive control, the Wisconsin Supreme Court threw out an 1849 statute and affirmed that Wisconsinites continue to have access to abortion care, in a case brought by Gov. Tony Evers, Attorney General Josh Kaul, and a group of physicians.
At a United Nations Security Council meeting late last month, diplomats delivered stark assessments of Afghanistan’s worsening crisis—condemning the Taliban’s repressive edicts, affirming support for Afghan women and reaffirming the importance of humanitarian aid. Yet beneath the layered statements and impassioned appeals was a sobering truth: The council remains no closer to articulating a unified or actionable strategy to confront the regime’s systemic gender apartheid.
“Sex work is work,” is an oft-repeated refrain. But who is behind the megaphone? And who is paying the price?
For most women and girls, especially from the Global South (and poor, racialized and displaced women everywhere), the notion that prostitution is freely chosen collapses under scrutiny. More often than not, entering the sex trade is not a choice, but an act of survival under patriarchal and capitalist constraints.
So, who is sex work legalization really for? And what would it mean, for all women, if buying sex were not legal, not normalized, but abolished?
From the October 1975 issue of Ms.:
“Until now it has been thought that the level of testosterone in men is normal simply because they have it. But if you consider how abnormal their behavior is, then you are led to the hypothesis that almost all men are suffering from testosterone poisoning. …
“The pathological violence of most men hardly needs to be mentioned. They are responsible for more wars than any other leading sex.
“Testosterone poisoning is particularly cruel because its sufferers usually don’t know they have it. In fact, when they are most under its sway they believe that they are at their healthiest and most attractive. They even give each other medals for exhibiting the most advanced symptoms of the illness.
“But there is hope.”
(The Summer 2025 issue of Ms. is a modern reimagining of the October 1975 issue. Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get issues delivered straight to your mailbox.)
Despite many states imposing sweeping abortion bans after Dobbs, more Americans are having abortions, not fewer.
“Abortion bans haven’t stopped people from seeking care,” said Alison Norris, M.D., Ph.D., #WeCount co-chair.
Front & Center amplifies the voices of Black women navigating poverty—highlighting their struggles, resilience and dreams as they care for their families, build careers and challenge systems not built for their success. Now in its fourth year, Front & Center is a collaboration between Ms. and Springboard to Opportunities, a nonprofit based in Jackson, Miss., working alongside residents of federally subsidized housing as they pursue their goals.
Linda, a proud mother and grandmother in Jackson, Miss., dreams of delivering new life as a nurse while building a brighter future for her family today.
“Being a mom makes me feel special and proud. There are little people looking up to me, and I can’t really put it into words, but I’m so grateful I was able to bring life into this world. Sometimes they get on my nerves with their ‘Mama! Mama!’ but it still feels good to hear it. … When people ask me about Black motherhood, I just say: We are survivors. We know how to nurture, we’re proud of our kids and we’re strong. I’m proud to be a Black mother.”
For decades, clinicians relied on the gold standard of medication abortion care: a two-pill regimen. Mifepristone is taken first, followed by misoprostol 24 to 48 hours later.
However, misoprostol can be used alone for abortion. Recent research on patients in the U.S. confirms that misoprostol-only abortion is not only safe and effective, but that patients respond positively to using it.
In light of the FDA’s recent decision to reopen its safety review of mifepristone—a move advocates warn may lead to new restrictions—abortion providers say they are ready to offer the misoprostol-only regimen to keep telehealth abortion available in all 50 states.
“Despite decades of medical evidence supporting the safety of mifepristone, it is entirely possible that Trump’s FDA could ignore the data and impose further restrictions on mifepristone, including a return to in-person dispensing requirements,” said Elisa Wells, co-founder and access director of Plan C, an abortion pill information and advocacy campaign. “If this happens, we know that many providers would pivot to a misoprostol-only regimen, which is also safe and effective.”
To celebrate the nationwide accessibility of abortion pills—even three years after Dobbs—Mayday Health took out a series of cheeky ads in the hometown newspapers of each of the five Supreme Court justices who struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022: Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.
The five ads each feature a picture of the justice in question and cheerfully announce, “Abortion pills are more popular than ever. Thanks, Brett! [Or Neil, Amy, Clarence or Samuel]”
Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, a 13-year-old grassroots organization that advocates for common-sense gun safety laws, knows what it means to take personal and political risks. Her second book, Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, is part memoir and part inspirational self-help tract. Her goal? To encourage women “to live a life on fire.”
“Too often, as women, we are complicit in our own oppression. We need to ask ourselves the same question each and every day: ‘What do I want?’ If we did this, it would alter family systems and political systems.”
RSVP for Shannon Watts’ book launch celebration at the Ms. magazine offices in Los Angeles on Thursday, July 10.
Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene’s misleading bill exploits the fight against female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) to attack lifesaving gender-affirming care and undermine bodily autonomy for all.
This false equivalence is grossly disingenuous, dangerous and extreme. It’s a transphobic ploy to stoke fear and score political points, all while dehumanizing trans people.