Let’s Save the Maternity Units Like We Do the Banks

PUBLISHED 4/12/2023 by

What if we thought about maternity care like we thought about extractive, under-regulated, poorly run banks? We have plenty of examples of the federal government quickly mobilizing resources to bail them out. They are indispensable! They are core to the wellbeing of our economy and our communities! They are too big to fail!

But I can’t imagine many things more core to the well-being of our economy and our communities than the health of women, of mothers and the children they bring into this world. 

Idaho Makes ‘Abortion Trafficking’ a Crime—Going Further Than Any Other State in Limiting Teens’ Access to Abortion

PUBLISHED 4/11/2023 by

After nearly 20 years of failed attempts to deter cross-border abortion travel by teens, anti-abortion lawmakers in Congress largely gave up the fight. However, last week’s victory in Idaho makes clear that their long sought-after goal of restricting cross-border abortion access has been resurrected in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs. This first-of-its-kind law in the nation brings to fruition a long-standing goal of the anti-abortion movement—namely, preventing teens from cross-border access to abortion.

We Can Create a Fair, Feminist Tax Code

PUBLISHED 4/11/2023 by

If we want an economy where women thrive, we have to start with fair taxes. Taxing wealthy people and corporations and using the revenue for paid leave, childcare, education, healthcare and college would transform America for girls and women of every race and family type, in every corner of this country. 

The Same Groups That Helped Overturn Roe and Attack Abortion Pills Are Also Lobbying Against the ERA

PUBLISHED 4/11/2023 by

From supporting the Supreme Court’s right-wing faction responsible for overturning Roe, to spreading misinformation around medication abortion, anti-abortion groups are fighting to eliminate abortion access on multiple fronts.

Their anti-reproductive justice efforts also include lobbying against the Equal Rights Amendment. Lobbying disclosures reveal that far-right, anti-abortion groups like Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (SBA, formerly Susan B. Anthony List), National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), Concerned Women for America (CWA) and Students For Life America (SFLA) have spent unknown sums lobbying against the ERA in 2021 and 2022.

U.S. Tax Code Disadvantages Single Women, Married Black Couples and Gay Couples the Most. Here’s How

PUBLISHED 4/10/2023 by and

The current U.S. tax code is an outdated system that does not benefit or reflect the needs of our modern society’s social structures or increasingly diverse demographics. Among those it costs the most: single women, married Black couples and gay couples.

Research finds women who are single and without children are America’s happiest and healthiest group. But thanks to our antiquated and heteronormative tax code, they’re also financially penalized. It’s time for our tax code to reflect our reality.

The Month of April Brings Highs and Lows in Authoritarianism—From Dueling Abortion Rulings, to State-Level Crackdowns

PUBLISHED 4/10/2023 by

We are only 10 days into April, and it’s already been a head-spinning month for U.S. authoritarianism.

Two federal district court decisions were issued that could dramatically impact access to medication abortion nationwide—even in states where abortion is legal. Voters in the notoriously purple state of Wisconsin turned out in record-breaking numbers to elect progressive Judge Janet Protasiewicz. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed three bills that repeal the state’s 92-year-old abortion ban. Tens of thousands of students across the country walked out of their classrooms to protest gun violence.

The Danger of Incels—and How We Shift the Thinking of Men Attracted to These Groups

PUBLISHED 4/9/2023 by

The sources of misogyny and violence against women are complex, and it is critical to examine them—not just during National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, but always.

One such perpetrator of violence: incels, or “involuntary celibates.” The grievances of this group over their perceived sexual exclusion often takes the form of violence, especially violence against women. Society must come together to address the root causes of incel violence—or continue to face the deadly consequences.

Meet Three Women Peace-Builders and Peacekeepers

PUBLISHED 4/8/2023 by

Three women who challenge traditional gender roles in peace-building and peacekeeping on a daily basis: Anny Modi, Téné Maimouna Zoungrana and Colonel Stephanie Tutton are at the forefront of the humanitarian responses, mobilizing communities, advocating for human rights and the restoration of peace. Their stories testify to their contribution to fostering positive change within peacekeeping operations and demonstrate why we need more women in peace- and political processes and U.N. Peacekeeping.

Federal Courts in Texas and Washington Release Contradictory Rulings. Abortion Pills Remain on the Market—For Now

PUBLISHED 4/7/2023 by

On Friday, April 7, federal judges in both Texas and Washington state issued contradictory rulings on the abortion pill mifepristone. 

Federal judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the Northern District of Texas ruled that the FDA improperly approved mifepristone and ordered the agency to remove mifepristone from the market by April 14. One hour later, fellow federal judge Thomas O. Rice in the Eastern District of Washington issued an injunction blocking the FDA from “altering the status quo and rights as it relates to the availability of mifepristone.”