More Than A Magazine, A Movement
The Department of Justice has recently charged two men with making threats whose targets included Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel.
“Sometimes threats are enough. People don’t have to commit direct violence for there to be a real chilling environment on civic participation and these essential parts of our democracy.”
Many legislators are in hot pursuit of tweaking, if not fully rescinding, ballot initiative processes because they want to stop the people from enshrining the right to abortion back into law.
Women make up a little over a quarter of Congress and around one-third of state legislators. Policy can remedy inequities and create a world that is more supportive of women. When our government truly represents women, we won’t have to defend our right to exist in the halls of power, or our right to vote for the policy we need and deserve.
(This essay is part of The Majority Rules project—an artful essay and op-ed series from Ms. and Supermajority Education Fund.)
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.
This month: Biden announces new immigration restrictions; Trump glosses over his role in the fall of Roe; Greta Thunberg is detained; Idaho Republican Jack Nelsen wants everyone to know he knows a lot about women; protests erupt nationwide after the disturbing video of police assaulting Tyre Nichols is released; and more.
As we approach the first year in nearly 50 without the federal protections Roe offered, local and state leaders have a clear mandate to follow the science and meaningfully expand abortion access. There is still so much more we can and must do to ensure all who need abortion care can access it—and elected representatives have no excuse to not push proactive bills forward.
Last year’s midterm election had the second-highest young voter turnout in the last 30 years. In response, Republicans are eyeing raising the minimum voting age—even though young people already face unnecessary obstacles to voting.
“The important message for Democrats to know this cycle is that if you want to win in 2024, you have to listen to young people,” tweeted David Hogg, co-founder of March For Our Lives. “You have to do your job and represent us, or you won’t win.”
Now is the time for President Biden to act—to do everything in this administration’s power in increase access to abortion at home and abroad. That starts today with the President Bidens’s 2024 budget being free of all abortion funding and coverage restrictions, including the Hyde, Helms and Weldon Amendments.
Yes, it’s great that we have three more women governors now, a new record. And that an additional two seats in Congress will be held by women.
But when you look at those numbers more closely, the picture isn’t quite so bright: Women are still nowhere near where we deserve to be. More than 50 percent of the U.S. population is female, so it begs the question: Why are we still so underrepresented in these influential roles? And more importantly, what can we do to ensure that we finally achieve equal representation?
Meet the diverse group of progressive women being sworn in this month. (Aaaany day now, boys.)
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.
This month: WNBA star Brittney Griner is home; abortion is unavailable in 14 states, the number of women experiencing police force is rising; Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of sexual assault; Fox News star Tucker Carlson was named ‘Misinformer of the Year;’ and more.
