Over-the-Counter Birth Control Is Here

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The FDA approved the birth control pill Opill to be available over-the-counter—the first nonprescription birth control pill in the U.S. It is expected to be available in stores and online beginning early next year.

“Today’s decision is a huge deal for women in America—and finally, some good news in the fight to allow women to make their own decisions about their health care,” said Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.). “The fight to expand access to contraception is even more important today in a world without Roe, and over the counter birth control is going to be a real game-changer.”

Texas Case Shows How Abortion Bans Facilitate Domestic Abuse

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Brittni Silva found out she was pregnant after filing for divorce from Marcus Silva in May of 2022.

Marcus recently sued his wife’s friends for helping her obtain an abortion. The man has a long history of coercive control—a type of domestic abuse that can include isolation, manipulation, monitoring, intimidation and verbal, legal, physical and sexual abuse. The Silva case illustrates how this state coercion adds another weapon to an abuser’s controlling arsenal.

The Proud Boys Have Only Just Begun to Fight

Guilty verdicts for seditious conspiracy were handed down to key members of the Proud Boys on May 4 for actions related to the Capitol insurrection—marking a significant milestone in the 21st-century struggle in democratic societies against far-right extremism and political violence.

But the group is still mobilizing at a rapid pace across the country. And they’ve adjusted their strategy, turning toward anti-LGBTQ activism and expanding the group’s mission beyond Trumpian “stop the steal” efforts to focus its violent tactics on policing the borders of traditional masculinity. So what can be done about the disturbing emergence of the Proud Boys as a reactionary force determined to block social progress?

Healthcare Providers File Federal Lawsuit to Expand Abortion Pill Access

On May 8, abortion providers in Virginia, Montana and Kansas filed a federal lawsuit against the FDA seeking an order to maintain and expand access to mifepristone, one of two drugs commonly used for early abortion and miscarriage.

“It is critical that abortion providers and patients obtain certainty in light of the chaos that is currently surrounding mifepristone,” said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, who filed the lawsuit.

The False Tropes About Rape We Must Destroy

The jury has returned a verdict in the E. Jean Carroll / Donald Trump battery (rape) and defamation case: The jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse of Carroll, as well as defamation, but not for rape. In total, Trump is ordered to pay Carroll about $5 million.

Throughout the case, Carroll was asked to defend her existence existentially—all for a crime she did not commit, but which was committed upon her. Three tropes in particular stood out in the Carroll trial. It is past time to bury, once and for all, the false tropes about rape that still color judicial proceedings and certain courts of public opinion.

In India, Married Couples Teach the Next Generation About Contraception and Family Planning

Across India’s Bihar and Maharastra states, married couples are joining together to reach young couples with modern contraception.

“Initially, when we went to villages,” said Mithlesh, “we weren’t even allowed to enter. They thought we were here to sterilize people. So, we developed a strategy, to communicate with key leaders in the communities. We discussed what we were doing, that we were there to share information and provide family planning options. The leaders listened, and supported our efforts.”

The Ongoing Mifepristone Legal Battle Goes Against Everything We Learn in Medical School

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What makes a good physician? Along with communication skills, empathy and integrity, medical schools teach their students science rooted in evidence-based medicine and patient care skills that emphasize patient autonomy. The ongoing legal battle over approval and access to mifepristone, a widely used abortion pill, threatens to undermine these basic tenets of medicine. 

Relying on the decision of Judge Kacsmaryk or the three-judge panel of the appellate court—all political appointees with no scientific background—to undermine the FDA’s authority constructs a harmful narrative to students that medicine, though tested and validated, can be challenged without scientific rationale.