Ripple Effect Feared After Court Allows States to Override FDA on Abortion Pill

PUBLISHED 11/17/2023 by | UPDATED 7/16/2025 at 12:43 P.M. PT

On July 14, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit dismissed GenBioPro’s lawsuit arguing that West Virginia’s ban on the abortion pill mifepristone was preempted by federal law granting the FDA exclusive authority to regulate medications. In a 2-1 decision, the court said states may block access to FDA approved medications. 

Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which supported the lawsuit, said, “Access to federally approved medication should not depend on one’s zip code, but unfortunately today’s decision creates that reality for many.”  

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Rep. Abigail Spanberger Is Running for Virginia Governor; Voter Choice Act Reintroduced in the Senate

PUBLISHED 11/17/2023 by

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom’s announcement to run for Alaska’s one seat in the House of Representatives; Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) has launched a campaign to run for governor, hoping to succeed Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin; the Voter Choice Act would help local and state elections implement ranked-choice voting; and more.

Resisting Climate Patriarchy

PUBLISHED 11/16/2023 by

Construction is complete on the Enbridge corporation’s Line 3 pipeline, which was dug under the Mississippi River to carry expensive, dirty tar sand oil from Alberta, Canada, to be refined in Wisconsin. In Aitkin County, Minn., the trial of Mylene Vialard (aka Ocean) reveals a pipeline of injustice—the structural violence of white settler-colonial capitalist patriarchy. Vialard’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 20.

Creating Careers Based on Uplifting Women’s Voices

PUBLISHED 11/16/2023 by

Both Elisa Lees Muñoz and Cindi Leive have built their decades-long careers creating and uplifting reporting by and for women. In this back-and-forth conversation, the two journalists discuss the risks women in the news face, the importance of women-centered and feminist reporting, and how we can best protect press freedom.

(This essay is part of the “Feminist Journalism is Essential to Democracy” project—Ms. magazine’s latest installment of Women & Democracy, presented in partnership with the International Women’s Media Foundation.)

I Am the Woman the ‘Gender Critical’ Movement Claims to Protect. I Refuse to Be Their Pawn.

PUBLISHED 11/16/2023 by

When almost 80 percent of rapes are committed by a perpetrator the victim knows, panicking about strangers lurking in loos is a dangerous diversion. Banning trans women from women’s spaces due to misguided safety concerns is not only nonsensical, it is cruel. I am incensed that the spaces I love are being weaponized to advance bigotry and exclusion.

Protecting women means protecting all of us and our right to freely express who we are.

The Missing Perspectives of Women in the News

PUBLISHED 11/15/2023 by

“The Missing Perspectives of Women in News” report finds that women’s representation in the news has flatlined—if not reversed—in the 21st century. This alarming marginalization is clear in all areas of the news media: Women are underrepresented in newsroom leadership, gender equality stories are going untold, and men remain the vast majority of quoted experts and sources.

(This essay is part of the “Feminist Journalism is Essential to Democracy” project—Ms. magazine’s latest installment of Women & Democracy, presented in partnership with the International Women’s Media Foundation.)

Women’s Voices Are Essential to Global Democracy. We Need Your Help Saving Them.

PUBLISHED 11/15/2023 by

Journalists face attacks on every beat, at every level of their careers, online and off. Government authorities, criminal groups and even the public target journalists with one common goal: to silence their voices.

And it works. A third of women journalists the IWMF surveyed in 2018 said they’d considered leaving the profession due to online attacks and threats. When women and nonbinary journalists’ reporting gets squashed or they exit the field, the public loses out. The access, nuance and perspective these journalists bring to the table is vital to a more diverse, free press—without their stories, democracy suffers.

(This essay is part of the “Feminist Journalism is Essential to Democracy” project—Ms. magazine’s latest installment of Women & Democracy, presented in partnership with the International Women’s Media Foundation.)

How Women’s Magazines Ignited a Revolution

PUBLISHED 11/15/2023 by

When Ms. was founded in 1971, the vast majority of publications for women were about homemaking, parenting advice and fashion and beauty tips. Ms. was far from that, created with the intention of giving a national voice to the feminist movement of the ‘70s—and railing against the idea of the perfect homemaking housewife that was perpetuated by many of the other “for women” publications.

It’s a setting that doesn’t seem too foreign. “The levers of power are very imbalanced still to this very day, not only on sex but also race and ethnicity,” said Kathy Spillar, Ms executive editor. “Ms. has played a major role in constantly putting that in front of the public so that people understand.”

(This essay is part of the “Feminist Journalism is Essential to Democracy” project—Ms. magazine’s latest installment of Women & Democracy, presented in partnership with the International Women’s Media Foundation.)

Israel-Gaza War: Threats and Attacks Against Women Journalists Covering the Conflict

PUBLISHED 11/15/2023 by | UPDATED 10/7/2024 at 10:32 A.M. PT

Since the start of the Israel-Gaza War, a chilling tally of at least 128 journalists have been confirmed dead, with others either missing, detained or grievously injured. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is closely monitoring the situation on the frontlines and documenting violations against women journalists covering the conflict.

In the face of the growing threats and attacks against women journalists covering the war, it is imperative that we unite and take a stand for press freedom.

(This essay is part of the “Feminist Journalism is Essential to Democracy” project—Ms. magazine’s latest installment of Women & Democracy, presented in partnership with the International Women’s Media Foundation.)

Courage in Journalism Awards: Honoring Women Reporters Amid War, Censorship and Authoritarian Rule

PUBLISHED 11/15/2023 by

The Courage in Journalism Awards show people that women journalists are not going to step aside, cannot be silenced, and deserve to be recognized for their strength in the face of adversity.

Meet the recipients of the 2023 Courage in Journalism awards.

(This essay is part of the “Feminist Journalism is Essential to Democracy” project—Ms. magazine’s latest installment of Women & Democracy, presented in partnership with the International Women’s Media Foundation.)