Young People Don’t Know Their Emergency Contraception Options

Emergency contraception methods are ones people can use after they’ve had sex and are concerned with becoming pregnant. They work by preventing or delaying the release of an egg from the ovary to prevent pregnancy after the fact.

With young people facing increasing constraints on their reproductive health, they need to be aware of emergency contraceptive methods, where to get them and how to use them. However, the vast majority of providers aren’t counseling young people about emergency contraception. It’s key for healthcare providers to inform their patients about emergency contraception, and to offer a supply in advance to have at home.

In Wisconsin Supreme Court Election, Abortion Rights Prove Decisive

If the fall elections weren’t enough to prove that abortion rights are driving elections, the Wisconsin supreme court election this week is yet more evidence that American voters will show up at the polls to defend abortion rights. Janet Protasiewicz’s victory gives Democrats a chance to re-establish not only reproductive rights, but also labor rights and fair elections devastated by over a decade of Republican domination in the state.

Michigan Is Officially Rid of Its 1931 Abortion Ban

On Wednesday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) repealed the state’s 1931-era abortion ban—a law prohibiting abortions without exceptions for rape, incest or health of the pregnant woman. In the November elections, the state tasked voters to decide the fate of the law. Ultimately, Michiganders resoundingly approved Proposal 3, a ballot measure that would repeal the ban and add an amendment to the state constitution explicitly establishing the right to abortion and other reproductive healthcare.

“Today, we’re going to take action to ensure that our statutes, our laws reflect our values and our constitution,” Whitmer said. “This is a long overdue step.”

The Truth About the Adoption Option

During oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson, the case that would end 50 years of protections for abortion rights in the U.S., Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked lawyers for a Mississippi clinic, “Why don’t safe-haven laws take care of that problem?” Ignored by the justices was extensive research showing that forced birth has consequences—devastating ones—for the woman, for the infant and for the communities where they live.

(This article originally appears in the Spring 2023 issue of Ms. Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get the issue delivered straight to your mailbox!)

Why the Wage Gap Differs Among Asian American Women

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Sparse economic data on Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women has painted an inaccurate reality of economic well-being and hampered communities’ efforts to address disparities. It’s an issue that Wednesday’s AAPI Women’s Equal Pay Day—April 5, 2023—attempts to spotlight. 

On average, AAPI women earn 80 cents for every $1 earned by white men when looking at both full- and part-time workers, more than any other racial group of women. But that figure obscures the harsher realities faced by Southeast Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women, who see some of the largest wage gaps in the country. The 80 cent average captures an enormous range: Taiwanese women earn more than white men, about $1.08 for every white man’s $1, while Nepalese women earn 48 cents on the dollar.

Male Sports Commentators Should Shut Up and Let Women Athletes Play—Starting With Angel Reese

The NCAA women’s March Madness tournament just broke all records for attendance and TV viewership. But what pundits and fans have been talking about is LSU forward Angel Reese’s giving Iowa’s sharp-shooting National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark hell with a couple of hand gestures.

Still, Reese has everyone talking, doesn’t she? Is that really a bad thing for women’s basketball?

Across U.S., Students Walk Out of Class to Demand Gun Control Legislation

Tens of thousands of students across the U.S. joined in a collective action on Wednesday, April 5, at noon local time, and walked out of their classes en masse to demand gun control legislation.

The student participants spanned geographical location—from Oregon, to Texas, to Massachusetts—and age, ranging from elementary school to high school and beyond. Some demonstrations were frantic and loud, with urgent chants directed to lawmakers and gun manufacturers: “Our blood, your hands.” “Books, not bullets.” “Hey, hey, NRA, how many kids did you kill today?” Others were silent and somber.