More Than A Magazine, A Movement
Dobbs v. Jackson was a clear indication that the Supreme Court will allow states broader latitude to pass laws that discriminate against women. This new reality makes final recognition of the Equal Rights Amendment more important than ever.
(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!)
On April 7, in a decision replete with “junk science,” Texas federal district court judge Mathew Kacsmaryk issued an unprecedented ruling revoking the FDA’s 2000 approval of mifepristone. The Supreme Court has since blocked his order while the appeal is pending—a somewhat hopeful sign, beyond the immediate benefit of mifepristone remaining available on the market for now—until there’s a final ruling on the merits of the case. But there is no way of knowing with certainty what the outcome of the case will be, and whether any elements of Kacsmaryk’s decision will remain standing as good law.
We’re still far from the final word on what could ultimately be a legal advance of the religiously inspired ‘abortion regret’ narrative.
The series finale of The Owl House premiered last weekend on the Disney Channel—a story of a neurodivergent Latina girl named Luz Noceda, who stumbles into a realm inhabited by witches and demons.
Just this month, Warner Bros announced a new decade-long TV series adaptation of all seven Harry Potter books. But we don’t need another Harry Potter adaptation. We don’t need a rich, white, abled, cisgender, heterosexual woman with limited feminist views representing or speaking for us. What we need are new stories—better stories. Stories that better represent human diversity and actively seek to include as many different voices as possible. The Owl House was one of those stories, and while I’m heartbroken it ended sooner than it should have, I know there will be more.
Since the start of the 2023 Kansas state legislative session, lawmakers have already introduced four bills that would restrict abortion access statewide. This is in direct opposition to what Kansans voted for in August.
I’m here to ring the alarm bells and warn you that even if you think abortion is safe in your state, it might not be for long.
GenBioPro—the pharmaceutical company that makes a generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone—sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday, April 19, in Maryland federal court, where the agency is headquartered. The suit seeks an order to compel the FDA to allow GenBioPro to continue to sell the medication in the United States.
“Once a drug has been through the rigorous FDA review process and received approval, federal law protects the right to market the drug,” said GenBioPro CEO Evan Massingill. “GenBioPro will use all regulatory and legal tools to protect access to mifepristone for patients and providers.”
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, the iconic book about puberty and preteen firsts, debuts on the big screen later this month, along with the much anticipated documentary, Judy Blume Forever. Social media has been abuzz with fans spanning generations sharing their own #MargaretMoments.
Here’s mine: When I researched and wrote the book Periods Gone Public: Taking a Stand for Menstrual Equity in 2017, I delved into the national discourse about menstruation in the United States during the 20th century. Of course, Margaret plays a leading role—but so too, I learned, does the invention and commercialization of modern menstrual products.
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.
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.
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 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.