Search Results for: weekly pulse

From a Psych Hospital to Harvard Law: One Black Woman’s Journey With Bipolar Disorder

I am a successful dual-degree student who is smart like you are, capable like you are, kind like you are and feeling like you are. I just also live with bipolar disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.

So next time you think—as one of my professors did—that there’s no one at Harvard Law School whose brain works “like that” and that people who plead guilty by reason of insanity are “not like us,” please know that we are among you, your friends, loved ones and community, contributing to society.

What I’m Reading on Gaza and Israel

I wanted to share what I’ve been reading and listening to about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war that has cost the lives of more than 25,000 Palestinians and some 1,400 Israelis, displaced the overwhelming majority of people in Gaza, and badly divided countries, communities and even families around the world.

On this particular issue, I am doing a lot more reading and listening than writing and sharing.

Feminists and Friends Reflect on Pat Schroeder’s Legacy

Since the news broke about Pat Schroeder’s death on March 14, there have been thousands of tributes, obituaries, tweets and social media postings in her honor. They described her as a maverick, pioneer, feminist champion, trailblazer, fearlessly independent politician, and an icon and role model for many elected officials, men and women. We agree—but for the feminist movement, Pat Schroeder was much more. On March 22, 2023, the House of Representatives will honor Schroeder with a moment of silence. In honor of this one minute—60 seconds—of silence, we’ve compiled 60 stories from people who knew and admired Pat Schroeder.

“Pat was best known for being a fierce advocate for women. And many young women asked her for advice. She told them to make sure women were in rooms where decisions were being made. And if they were not, to kick the door down and hold the door open for those behind them.”

Unborn Who? Pregnancy Discrimination at COVID Vaccine Sites Signals How Expanded Conscience Rights Prioritize Control, Not Life

Women throughout the country reported showing up to their vaccine appointments only to be subjected to off-cuff, discriminatory treatment by professionals providing the vaccine, even as evidence mounted that the COVID-19 vaccine was safe and recommended for pregnant women, while COVID-19 was proving particularly dangerous in pregnancy, increasing the rate of severe complications including stillbirth. Some providers singled pregnant women out, requiring doctor’s notes; others refused to vaccinate them altogether.

As individual rights to deny medical care on religious or moral grounds expand, no one is safe from discrimination in medical care—not even the “unborn.” We should all understand our right to be free from gender-based discrimination in medical settings.

Ms. top feminists

The Ms. Top Feminists of 2021

From COVID vaccines to abortion rights, infrastructure bills to Olympic athletes, 2021 has been a monunmental year for feminists around the globe. With so many of our rights in jeopardy, and with so many women struggling to recover from the pandemic, activists have had to work even harder to stand up for the causes we believe in.

Tackling voting rights, public health, reproductive justice and much more, here are our top feminists of 2021.

Returning to Schools Without Mask and Vaccine Mandates, Moms Must Choose: Their Jobs, or Their Kids’ Health

Returning to Schools Without Mask and Vaccine Mandates, Moms Must Choose: Their Jobs, or Their Kids’ Health

Despite children under 12 being unable to get vaccinated and the Delta variant surging across the country, most schools are reopening in-person this month, presenting parents with a tough choice—especially in states and localities without mask and vaccine mandates.

Moms—particularly Black and low-income moms—are bearing the brunt.

The Rebirth of Institutionalism: From Mental Hospitals to the Prison Industrial Complex

The Rebirth of Institutionalism: From Mental Hospitals to the Prison Industrial Complex

There are more individuals with mental illness in prisons than in hospitals. The mental health crisis is especially targeting women, who are three times more likely than men to experience physical or sexual abuse before becoming imprisoned and are more than 90 percent more likely to suffer mental health problems in prisons.

“What we know is that jails and prisons repeatedly let women down; they do not meet mental health needs in a holistic way.”