President Biden’s American Rescue Plan included billions for the training of mental health professionals, and community-based programs. The proposals the Biden administration is enacting might seem like they were inevitable, but none of these changes would be possible without decades of work by those in the activist community.
Tag: Biden Administration
Trump-Appointed EEOC Commissioner Goes After Employers’ Abortion Travel Benefit Policies
Employers around the country announced that they would assist their employees to travel out of state to access abortion healthcare. But a Trump-appointed member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is working from inside the civil rights agency to attack these employer benefits, claiming they are favoring workers seeking abortions while discriminating against pregnant workers and disabled workers.
This attempt to redirect the government’s limited civil rights resources to attacking women’s rights is evidence of the continuing harms caused by the Trump administration to women.
Senate Defends Marriage Equality in Historic Bipartisan Vote
On Tuesday night, the U.S. Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which protects same-sex and interracial marriages. In a statement, President Biden said the vote reaffirmed “a fundamental truth: Love is love, and Americans should have the right to marry the person they love.”
RMA needed just 60 votes—including 10 Republican votes—to break a filibuster and pass. In the end, RMA, which was led by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), passed by a vote of 61 to 36, with 12 Republicans voting with their Democratic colleagues.
Thirty-six Republicans, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, voted against the bill—standing in stark contrast to the rest of the United States: 71 percent of Americans say they support legal same-sex marriage.
U.S. Overturn of Roe Will Embolden Anti-Abortion Movements Abroad
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which ruled that there is no U.S. constitutional right to abortion, will have ripple effects around the world. It will embolden anti-abortion movements abroad, contribute to global stigmatization of abortion, cause confusion for policy implementation and open the door for new restrictions—all of which will negatively impact the health, economic resources and well-being of women throughout the world.
Anti-Abortion Groups Ask Trump-Appointed Judge to Ban Mailing Abortion Pills
Anti-abortion advocates have filed a federal lawsuit challenging FDA approval of the medication mifepristone. It seeks to revive the 1873 Comstock Law—named after the zealous anti-vice crusader Anthony Comstock—to ban the medication now used for over half of abortions in the United States.
“When they look at the courts, they think, ‘Why wouldn’t the courts be friendly to us even if we are making new things up?’ The Supreme Court just overturned a 50-year precedent that took away half the population’s fundamental right to control their bodies, so why wouldn’t they try?”
Keeping Score: Democrats Maintain Senate Control in Midterms; Florida Bans Care for Transgender Youth
This week: state officials condemn election misinformation and voter intimidation; Massachusetts and N.Y. elect women governors; Maxwell Alejandro Frost will be the first Gen Z congress member; abortions permitted to resume in Arizona; Florida bans gender-affirming care for transgender minors; University of California workers go on largest academic strike; and more.
Now Is the Time to Protect and Expand Birth Control Access
Concern about future access to contraceptives has spiked since Roe was overturned. Concerns about access are understandable, given state legislators have strategically perpetuated misinformation as part of efforts targeting access to contraception.
In response, we must call on elected officials to support urgently-needed legislation, such as the Right to Contraception Act, which seeks to protect the right of individuals to use birth control and the right of physicians and other healthcare professionals to provide this basic essential care.
The War on Women Report: Anti-Abortion Movement Says It’s ‘Pro-Woman’; Kanye West’s Misogynistic Slurs; Brittney Griner’s Appeal Rejected
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: The anti-abortion movement frames its tactics as “pro-woman,” Kanye West claims Black women are engaging in genocide, the House Committee votes to subpoena Trump, Brittney Griner’s appeal is rejected and more.
Citizen Petition to FDA Requests Lifting Restrictions on Mifepristone for Miscarriage Use
Mifepristone is highly effective at treating incomplete miscarriages, but patients often cannot get the medication because the FDA tightly regulates the drug as an abortion medication. As a result, the most commonly used medical protocol for miscarriage management today is misoprostol alone. But, research shows that the combination of mifepristone and misoprostol is faster and more effective for miscarriage care as well as less painful than misoprostol alone.
A new citizen petition asks the FDA to modify the drug’s label to add an indication for miscarriage treatment and to remove requirements that clinicians and pharmacies be certified to prescribe and distribute the drug.
Keeping Score: Biden Issues Mass Pardon for Marijuana Possession; 36% of U.S. Counties Are ‘Maternity Care Deserts’
In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in in this biweekly round-up.
This week: National children’s health organizations urge Biden to issue a National Emergency Declaration; pregnant cancer patients struggle to start chemotherapy without abortion access; Biden issues mass pardons for federal marijuana possession; Cardi B is first woman rapper to have two 11x platinum singles; 36 percent of U.S. counties are “maternity care deserts”; and more.