Republican-Appointed Judge Strikes Down Affordable Care Act Coverage of Many Preventative Services: ‘A Huge Blow to Americans’ Health’

PUBLISHED 3/31/2023 by

A federal district court judge in Texas issued a ruling on Thursday blocking certain Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements that insurers cover preventative care services with no out-of-pocket costs. The ruling applies nationwide.

The judge’s decision means millions of people could lose access to over 60 essential preventive services aimed at early detection of diseases, including breast and cervical cancer screenings, as well as breastfeeding support and pregnancy-related preventative care, including screenings for postpartum depression, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes. Research has shown that the ACA cost-free coverage of preventative services led to more people using them and narrowed care disparities in communities of color.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Number of Women in Business Leadership on the Decline; Spain’s New Gender Equity Law

PUBLISHED 3/31/2023 by

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

This week: Spain is one of the first countries in Europe to set legally binding quotas on gender representation; women’s advancement in the corporate sector reveals significant backsliding; ranked-choice voting could be coming to Connecticut; and more.

Keeping Score: Mourning Nashville and a U.S. Culture of Mass Shootings; Democrats in Congress Reintroduce Bills to Protect Abortion Access

PUBLISHED 3/30/2023 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: Remembering Nashville’s Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, Mike Hill, 61, and Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all age 9; “You lobbied for weaker rules [and] got what you wanted,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren demands Silicon Valley Bank takes responsibility for its collapse; LAUSD employee strike secures a pay raise and better benefits; Utah governor prohibits abortion clinics from getting licensed; study show abortion by mail is not less efficient; the House’s first-ever Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment; and more.

What Is a Woman’s Novel? For That Matter, What Is a Man’s? (August 1986)

PUBLISHED 3/30/2023 by

From the August 1986 issue of Ms.:

“Men’s novels are about men. Women’s novels are about men too, but from a different point of view. You can have a men’s novel with no women in it, except possibly the landlady or the horse, but you can’t have a women’s novel with no men in it.”

“Men’s novels are about how to get power. Killing and so on, or winning and so on. So are women’s novels, though the method is different. In men’s novels, getting the woman or women goes along with getting the power. It’s a perk, not a means. In women’s novels, you get the power by getting the man.”

Title IX’s Generational Divide: Mother Denied, Daughter Empowered

PUBLISHED 3/30/2023 by

For my daughter Gwen Jorgensen, the benefit of Title IX offered not only a gateway to activities. Gwen’s generation grew up with a belief system—a mindset that young women deserve the same as men.

The impact of Title IX presents a stark generational contrast between my daughter and me. Equal opportunity afforded her the chance to pursue sports in elementary school, high school, college and on the world stage. She grew up believing in herself, her talents and her skills.

How Feminists and Academics Are Fighting the Right’s ‘Anti-Woke’ Agenda

PUBLISHED 3/29/2023 by

There are now 28 states that either limit how teachers can discuss issues about race and gender, or are considering passing legislation. Feminist teachers and academics have been viewing with increased alarm, anger and frustration these legislative efforts by Republicans to limit our academic freedom, censor the teaching of African American and gender studies, and place us in an untenable situation where we are forced to defend ourselves and our livelihood. The attack is personal. It is rooted in anti-Black racism, patriarchy, transphobia, whiteness and xenophobia—a propagandistic argument designed to whitewash our collective history. It is not simply a debate about curriculum; it is a fight about the direction of this country. It will not stop unless we stop it.

Join our teach-in at 12 p.m. ET on May 3.

The ‘Anti-Life’ Implications of State Abortion Bans

PUBLISHED 3/29/2023 by

In rural northern Idaho, Bonner General Hospital announced it had made the “difficult decision to discontinue providing obstetrical services.” Although the press release does not use the word “abortion,” there is no doubt it’s calling out the state’s lawmakers for enacting laws that “criminalize physicians for medical care nationally recognized as the standard of care.”

Medical providers say they are facing impossible situations that pit their ethical obligation to patients who are dealing with traumatic and dangerous pregnancy complications against the fear of lawsuits, loss of their medical licenses and incarceration.

It’s Time for Black Women to #AskForMore

PUBLISHED 3/29/2023 by

Black women lose billions of dollars every year in “involuntarily forfeited” compensation, due to sexism and racism in the U.S. workplace.

Policymakers and companies should take responsibility to rectify these inequities that have existed since the end of emancipation (and before) in the U.S., but Black women cannot afford to wait any longer another for this leadership. We’re still in a robust labor market, so Black women should use this leverage to #AskForMore—during salary negotiations, when starting a new job, and when demanding financial parity with their peers.