Front and Center: ‘We’re Working and Making Money, It’s Still Not Enough. Our Kids Are Going Without.’

PUBLISHED 10/18/2023 by

Front and Center is a groundbreaking series created in partnership with the Magnolia Mother’s Trust, which aims to put front and center the voices of Black women who are affected most by the often-abstract policies debated at the national level.

“The last time I applied for SNAP, they told me I made too much to qualify. So, I’m not making enough at work to be able to care for my people, and at the same time I can’t get food stamps? It doesn’t make any sense. … And what we do bring home goes toward rent. And just like the Rental Assistance Program, as soon as I’m making a little bit more money—boom, I’m paying the full amount of rent. So how can we ever save? How can we ever do better for ourselves?”

This November, Abortion Is on the Ballot in Ohio. Here’s What You Need to Know to Vote

PUBLISHED 10/18/2023 by

This November, Ohioans will decide whether to add to the state’s constitution the right for individuals to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions, including abortion. Early voting in the election has already begun. 

A coalition of reproductive, women’s and civil rights organizations, Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, is urging voters to vote YES on Issue 1 to protect reproductive freedom.

Ohioans, here’s all you need to know about how to vote in this election.

‘Babies Are Good. More Babies Are Better’: Pro-Natalism Takes Center Stage in Austin

PUBLISHED 10/17/2023 by

On Dec. 1, 2023, the Natal Conference will be held in Austin, Texas. Promising to gather the “brightest minds in the world,” the conference is aimed at turning around the world’s “shrinking population,” which represents “the greatest population bust in human history.” The meeting will solidify links between the far right and right-wing influencers. Fiercely anti-feminist speakers will join them.

“It’s not surprising to see far-right folks, eugenicist types and white nationalists joining forces at a conference like this,” said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project on Hate and Extremism. “They have become bedfellows.’”

Teach Students Asian American History and Advocacy: ‘Our Movements Are Stronger When We Stand Together’

PUBLISHED 10/17/2023 by and

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are creating a movement to implement accurate and culturally representative curricula in public schools. The majority of Ohioans want this education—and we see this desire echoed nationally: In Illinois, we saw the historic passage of the TEAACH Act in 2021. Similar legislation was passed in New Jersey and Connecticut in 2022, showing a need and desire for inclusive curricula across the country. These education bills encompass a wide array of identities and histories.

We understand that our histories and our futures are tied to one another. This is the core of the AAPI curriculum movement.

Our Abortion Stories, a Provider’s Perspective: ‘I Wore a Bulletproof Vest When I Went to the Abortion Clinic’

PUBLISHED 10/13/2023 by

Former abortion provider Dr. Steven Eisinger shares his decades-long experiences in this special edition of Our Abortion Stories.

“Abortion providers are often given advice on how to avoid attacks: Drive different routes; never allow your car to be boxed in; be acutely aware of your surroundings; never stand in a window; carry a whistle, a vest, or a gun.”

Share your abortion story by emailing myabortionstory@msmagazine.com.

As the New York Adult Survivors Act Nears Expiration, Survivors of Dr. Robert Hadden Are Left in the Dark

PUBLISHED 10/13/2023 by and

The New York Adult Survivors Act (ASA) expires on Nov. 23, 2023—yet the tens of thousands of patients of Dr. Robert Hadden have not been notified of his history of sexually assaulting women in his gynecology practice. Unless Columbia University urgently notifies these patients, survivors may miss the window to file civil suits.

When Any Birth Outcome Can Be a Criminal One

PUBLISHED 10/13/2023 by

Anti-abortion and right-wing prosecutors and law enforcement agencies are warping child neglect, abuse and endangerment statutes to criminalize behavior during and after pregnancy.

Dobbs “will further accelerate an existing crisis, putting anyone who is pregnant or has the capacity to become pregnant at even greater risk of arrest, prosecution, and conviction,” according to a new report from Pregnancy Justice.

Nobel Prize Winner Narges Mohammadi Has Endured Personal Sacrifice Few Can Imagine

PUBLISHED 10/12/2023 by

Narges Mohammadi has been chosen for the Nobel Peace Prize—a victory for her freedom and the broader movement for women’s and human rights in Iran.

Mohammadi has been at the forefront of this struggle for more than 30 years. Upon receiving the news, Narges said to her father: “Yesterday was one of the best and most glorious days in prison for all of us. The women’s ward was filled with happiness, singing, and the chant ‘Woman, Life, Freedom.’ We all held hands and formed a big circle, and as we sang, ‘Hand in hand, we become a sea, a storm, a roar,’ we felt united.”

Our work is not done to gain her freedom.

We’ve Gone Over the Childcare Cliff. Now What?

PUBLISHED 10/12/2023 by

On Sept. 30, Congress let federal childcare stabilization grant funding expire. What happens next?

First, providers will be forced to raise tuition prices to offset the loss of stabilization grants. Then, staffing shortages. Finally, childcare programs—as many as 70,000 by our projections—will have to shut down altogether.

The good news: If Congress can get their act together to fund emergency childcare before the end of the calendar year, they can stem the worst of these consequences.