Recognizing Our Essential Workers: The Women of the Long-Term Care Industry

PUBLISHED 4/18/2023 by

Long-term care workers like myself—an industry that is almost entirely women of color—are some of the most disrespected, unprotected and underpaid workers in the country.

On Tuesday, President Biden signed an executive order to improve care and support care workers—the most comprehensive action yet to address this industry in crisis. This is a great first step, and I hope for the sake of my community and our loved ones that this starts to pave the way for necessary change. We will take this win and use it to motivate our continued fight. 

Florida Supreme Court Allows Six-Week Abortion Ban to Take Effect: ‘It’s Essentially Forced Pregnancy’

PUBLISHED 4/18/2023 by

The Florida Supreme Court issued two bombshell decisions Monday afternoon.

1. A six-week ban enacted last year will be allowed to take effect by May 1.

2. A proposed constitutional amendment which would guarantee the right to abortion “before viability”—typically between 24 and 26 weeks—will go before Florida voters in November.

Student-Athletes Can Now Sue Discriminatory Universities for Money Damages, a Victory for Title IX

PUBLISHED 4/17/2023 by and

U.S. District Court Judge Todd W. Robinson ruled that the female student-athletes suing San Diego State University (SDSU) for violating Title IX can pursue claims for equal athletic financial aid, equal treatment and retaliation. The decision is the first in the nation to hold that female student-athletes can sue their schools for damages.

“SDSU has been cheating its female student-athletes out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in equal athletic financial aid each year… And it blatantly retaliated against its female student-athletes for standing up for their rights. Now, it can be held accountable.”

How Republicans Force Pregnant Women to Fight for Their Lives: ‘I Found Out I Was Pregnant in June 2022’

PUBLISHED 4/17/2023 by

I found out I was pregnant in June 2022. My husband and I were thrilled—and at 42 years old, we understood that I was embarking on a high-risk pregnancy. I was also leading the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee at the time. I certainly did not anticipate that my personal and professional worlds were about to collide in a historic political year.

Weeks after I learned I was pregnant, the conservative U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Some people believe that abortion laws and pregnancy have nothing to do with one another. Those people have no idea what they’re talking about—and they’ve probably never been pregnant.

As Supreme Court Weighs Next Steps on Abortion Pill, Protesters Rally in Support of Abortion Rights

PUBLISHED 4/17/2023 by and

As the Supreme Court weighs its options on the abortion pill mifepristone, abortion and women’s rights supporters across the U.S. are protesting the latest efforts to restrict access to abortion. Protests took place this weekend in small and large cities, including Amarillo and Dallas, Texas; Chicago; Detroit; Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, Calif.; New York City; Seattle; Sioux Falls, S.D.; Tallahassee, Fla.; and Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital.

The continued contradictory orders of various courts have escalated the issue to the Supreme Court. A decision could come any day. In Dobbs, the Court said that abortion “must be returned to the people and their elected representatives.” It remains to be seen if the Court really meant what they said.

Keeping Score: Florida’s New Extreme Abortion Ban; Democrats Urge Investigation on Clarence Thomas’ Misconduct; Abortion Pill Fight Heads to Supreme Court

PUBLISHED 4/14/2023 by

In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.

This week: Dueling federal rulings on the abortion pill mifepristone set up a Supreme Court fight; Senate Judiciary hearing set for ethics investigation into Clarence Thomas; HER Act proposed in Congress to end global gag rule; Tennessee state Reps. expelled for protesting gun violence following mass shooting in Nashville; Biden’s Title IX amendment would prevent some bans on transgender students in sports; N.D. Senate votes against free school lunches while increasing their own meal reimbursements; women disproportionately owe on student loans; and more.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Women Are Now Represented in Every Parliament; Abortion Restrictions Escalate; Stacey Abrams Headed to Howard University

PUBLISHED 4/14/2023 by

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

This week: Women are now represented in every parliament in the world, but progress toward gender balance in governments has slowed globally; New Zealand has its first gender-balanced cabinet; competing court orders on mifepristone likely mean the issue will rise to the Supreme Court; more women than ever before are motivated to run for political office; and more.

Supreme Court Blocks Fifth Circuit Ruling, Allowing Mifepristone to Stay on the Market as Case Proceeds

PUBLISHED 4/14/2023 by

In a shadow docket ruling late on Friday, April 21, the Supreme Court has decided to block a previous ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from taking effect, allowing the abortion pill mifepristone to remain on the market under current rules.

“While SCOTUS offered temporary relief, the fate of a medication approved by the FDA more than 20 years ago should have never been before the Supreme Court to begin with,” said Kirsten Moore of Expanding Medication Abortion Access Project.

Women Need Julie Su as Our Next Labor Secretary. The Labor Movement Is Ready to Fight for Her

PUBLISHED 4/13/2023 by

Julie Su would make history as the second-ever Asian-American woman to hold the role of labor secretary and only the fourth-ever woman of color. But this is about more than representation.

Her knowledge of wage theft, immigrant worker abuse and labor law is personal and encyclopedic. But she also has a deep understanding of what’s happening on the ground.

“A win for Julie Su is a win for women and workers all over this country. Let’s get it done.”