Justice & Law

Mother’s Equal Pay Day Is One ‘Holiday’ I Would Like to Stop Observing

PUBLISHED 8/6/2024 by

On Aug. 7, activists across the country observe Mothers’ Equal Pay Day, raising awareness for working mothers and the unique challenges they face. This day calls attention to the earnings gap between mothers and fathers and highlights workplace policies that are unfriendly to moms. 

Together, we must work toward a world where women can care for themselves and their children without worrying about falling behind financially, and where professional progress doesn’t come at the expense of a healthy, supported family. Mother’s Equal Pay Day is one “holiday” that I would like to stop observing. Together, we can make this aspiration a reality. 

Ms. Global: Paris Olympics Near Gender Parity, Afghan Women Banned from Third Doha Conference, and More

PUBLISHED 8/6/2024 by and

The U.S. ranks as the 19th most dangerous country for women, 11th in maternal mortality, 30th in closing the gender pay gap, 75th in women’s political representation, and painfully lacks paid family leave and equal access to health care. But Ms. has always understood: Feminist movements around the world hold answers to some of the U.S.’s most intractable problems. Ms. Global is taking note of feminists worldwide.

This week: a special report from the Paris Olympics, as well as news from Afghanistan, Iran and more.

LA City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto on Fighting Child Sex Trafficking—Because Kids’ Rights Are Not for Sale

PUBLISHED 8/6/2024 by

LA City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto—the first female city attorney in the city’s history and the first Latina elected citywide—has made fighting child sex trafficking a priority since her election in November 2022.

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, today Feldstein Soto leads a team of 1,000 legal professionals. She was driven to tackle this issue after witnessing the extent of the problem firsthand during a ride-along on South Figueroa Street. Ms.spoke with her on her multifaceted approach includes rescuing minors, prosecuting predators, and disrupting the demand for trafficked children.

Vice President Kamala Harris Is Anything But a DEI Hire

PUBLISHED 7/31/2024 by and

Vice President Kamala Harris—the presumed Democratic presidential candidate and a storied politician—is on track to break all kinds of records for women of color. And yet as soon as she ascended to the top of the ticket, without fail, the conservative right began hurling racist, misogynist insults and tropes at her.

Harris’ experience of being questioned and labeled a “DEI hire” is one shared by many marginalized groups in society, where their identity eclipses their qualifications and leads to systematic racist and sexist practices that negatively impact their life and career trajectories. Contrary to the conservative narrative, DEI has unquestionably improved the lives of Americans.

The Real Menopause Movement Is Behind Bars

PUBLISHED 7/31/2024 by

The number of women experiencing or soon experiencing menopause behind bars has skyrocketed to more than 40 percent of incarcerated women today.

Many women experiencing menopause must manage uncomfortable symptoms, but for incarcerated women, the environmental hazards of prison life—excessive heat and denial of fans, unhealthy food, harsh lighting, loud noises, lack of access to fresh air and sunlight, and limited opportunities to exercise—severely exacerbate these symptoms, reduce an individual’s ability to manage them, and significantly compromise their basic quality of life.

War on Women Report: As Iowa’s Six-Week Ban Takes Effect, a Trump-Vance Ticket Poses Further Threat to Abortion Rights; ‘Where Is the Humanity’ for Sonya Massey?

PUBLISHED 7/30/2024 by and

U.S. patriarchal authoritarianism is on the rise, and democracy is on the decline. But day after day, we stay vigilant in our goals to dismantle patriarchy at every turn. The fight is far from over. We are watching, and we refuse to go back. This is the War on Women Report.

Since our last report: RFK’s historic mistreatment of women; the Trump-Vance ticket comes into focus; Biden passes the torch to Kamala Harris; rest in power, Sonya Massey; Iowa becomes the 17th state with an extreme abortion ban; and more.

Biden’s Pitch to America: Reform the Supreme Court and ‘Strengthen the Guardrails of Democracy’

PUBLISHED 7/29/2024 by

At the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, on Monday, Biden made an emotional pitch for his new plan for Supreme Court reform, which would implement three changes to “strengthen the guardrails of democracy”: a constitutional amendment stripping the president of immunity for crimes committed while in office; an 18-year term limit for justices; and a binding code of conduct for the Court.

“The courts determine the scale and scope of our laws. … In recent years, extreme opinions the Supreme Court has handed down have undermined long established civil rights principles and protections,” said Biden. “In two years, we will commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Imagine that moment and ask yourself: What do we want to be?”

Despite Recent Legal Wins, Abortion Access Is Still at Risk

PUBLISHED 7/26/2024 by and

Abortion legislation in the U.S. has, from the outset, been motivated by political and economic ends, rather than health and safety.

While there have been some positive decisions on abortion access in the United States in the past month, there is still an overwhelming amount of confusion regarding abortion medication and reproductive legislation.

Decades of clinical and epidemiologic evidence documenting the experiences of millions of people over a quarter century have demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of abortion medication. Still, many people are scared to use it.

Antiabortion Extremist Sentenced to Prison for Harassing NYC Planned Parenthood Staff and Patients

PUBLISHED 7/26/2024 by

“This is going to be a wonderful day. We are going to terrorize this place. And I want the manager to hear me say that. … More people are coming … and we’re going to make sure we terrorize you guys so good.”

These words were shared on a Facebook livestream by antiabortion extremist Bevelyn Beatty Williams as she prepared to invade and harass a Planned Parenthood clinic in lower Manhattan in June of 2020. On Wednesday, July 24, Williams was sentenced to 41 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Rochon for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act—a 1994 federal law that “prohibits violent, threatening, damaging and obstructive conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with the right to seek, obtain or provide reproductive health services.”