Defunding and Refunding the Women’s Health Initiative: Why States Must Focus on Menopausal Women’s Health

The ongoing decimation of the federal funding landscape brings some good(ish) news for women: the role of state legislatures in stepping up to help improve and advance the health of menopausal women.

Thus far, 13 states—a record one in four—have introduced more than 20 bills focused on menopause care, proposing changes that could permanently reshape insurance coverage and educational and health care resources. Public officials in Michigan, Illinois and West Virginia announced support for menopause reforms. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently hosted a roundtable for leaders and a statewide listening tour. The latest slate of bills—introduced in red and blue states alike—would bolster workplace supports and dedicate resources to public education. The bills are being proposed at such a fast clip that menopause was named on a “Ones To Watch: Legislation Landscape for 2025” list.

‘Three Dolls or Four Dolls’: Misogyny, Racism and the Lies We Tell Our Children

The media is casting Donald Trump as this year’s Scrooge after he doubled down on the need for high tariffs and fewer dolls in an interview with Kristen Welker. “I don’t think a beautiful baby girl that’s 11 years old needs to have 30 dolls,” he said. “I think they can have three dolls or four dolls.”

Clearly, this was an attempt to deflect from economic hardship (and buying dolls are the least of parents’ concerns when the price of essentials like car seats and strollers are soaring). Because, let’s be clear, girls didn’t create tariffs or supply chain crises. Yet, Trump finds it easier to belittle girls than to acknowledge the failures of male-dominated policymaking.

Texas Lawmakers Propose Abortion Pill Bill That Can’t Be Challenged in State Courts

In 2021, when Texas passed an abortion ban enforced through private lawsuits, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan sarcastically derided the architects of the law as “some geniuses” who’d found the “chink in the armor” to sidestep Roe v. Wade. Four years later, those same folks are back with a new play to restrict the flow of abortion-inducing drugs into the state and a fresh set of never-before-seen legal tools that experts say would undermine the balance of power in the state.

Senate Bill 2880, which passed the Senate last week, allows anyone who manufactures, distributes, mails, prescribes or provides an abortion-inducing drug to be sued for up to $100,000. It expands the wrongful death statute to encourage family members, especially men who believe their partner had an abortion, to sue up to six years after the event, and empowers the Texas attorney general to bring lawsuits on behalf of “unborn children of residents of this state.”

That the Texas Senate passed a bill to crack down on abortion pills isn’t surprising. But the protections written into this bill, which says the law cannot be challenged as unconstitutional in state court, could have ripple effects far beyond the question of abortion access.

Why Do MAGA Women Dress Like That?

No judgment, but the women featured in Evie Magazine, a “conservative Cosmo” for women 18-34, are more likely than not to show off their breasts. In a nod to the tradwife fashion trend, milkmaid dresses with low décolletage are featured on young, voluptuous white women. An article making the case against body positivity and fat acceptance, “The Return of Skinny,” is accompanied by a photo of a busty white woman on a beach wearing a thong bikini. A photo spread of Eva Vlaardingerbroek showcases the Dutch right-wing activist wearing a gold cross necklace—along with her breasts falling out of a low-cut gingham dress.

To people with conservative views, only some women—those who look and act like ‘real women’—get the privilege of being sexy.

This Feminist T-Shirt Initiative Is Blending Graphic Design with Abortion Justice

In the midst of Title X funding cuts to reproductive healthcare and antiabortion extremist attacks on clinics, the abortion rights movement needs as much visibility as it can get.

The United States for Abortion, a reproductive justice design initiative, lets supporters literally wear their support on their sleeve with pro-choice T-shirt designs sourced from independent designers across the country. The ongoing project—which just announced 10 new designs—is planning to incorporate designs from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Indigenous Native nations, working at the intersection of graphic design and social justice.

One hundred percent of all proceeds from the T-shirts go to the National Network of Abortion Funds.

Profiles in Courage: The Men and Women Who Defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 Stood Their Ground on Democracy’s Darkest Day

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Profiles in Courage is a Ms. series honoring the extraordinary women and men who have transformed American institutions through principled public service. At a time when trust in government is fragile, these stories offer a powerful reminder of what ethical leadership looks like.

On Jan. 6, 2021, a mob unleashed chaos and destruction, attacking officers with metal pipes, chemical irritants and other makeshift weapons. Their goal was clear: force their way inside, inflict damage and disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

More than 50 United States Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department officers were injured, with several hospitalized due to the severity of their wounds. In the face of extreme violence and insurmountable odds, their heroic actions prevented an even greater catastrophe.

Texas Women Face Prosecution for Abortions if New Bill Becomes Law

In Texas, the state Senate just opened yet another door to women being criminally prosecuted for obtaining an abortion … even in a different state. Authored by Sen. Bryan Hughes, Senate Bill 2880—titled the “Women and Child Protection Act”—just passed in the Senate. It ushers in a currently dormant 1925 abortion ban and would be the first law in the country to allow pregnant women to be prosecuted for receiving abortion care.

“The most egregious point of SB 2880 is that it quietly revives Texas’ pre-Roe abortion ban by explicitly incorporating the 1925 law into the bill’s definition of criminal abortion law,” said Sen. Carol Alvarado, a Houston Democrat.

Why Trump’s Pronatalist Agenda Is Actually Anti-Motherhood

This Mother’s Day, for the 111th year in a row, families across the nation will gather to celebrate all the love, care and work provided by the mothers in their lives. Woodrow Wilson declared Mother’s Day a federal holiday nearly a year after he established the basis of today’s modern income tax system, allowing him to lower tariff rates on many of the basic necessities American families relied on in 1914.

It is darkly ironic that more than a century later, the Trump administration is attempting to reverse these pro-family policies, while at the same time promoting a pronatalist agenda aimed at creating more mothers and larger families. 

Despite promoting motherhood, Trump’s policies threaten the economic stability of the 45 percent of mothers who are primary breadwinners—especially single moms and women of color.