Tag: Childfree Women

The Last Salem Witch Has Been Exonerated

More than 300 years after the Salem witch trials, a class of middle schoolers helped exonerate the sole remaining woman legally classified as a witch.

Originally expected to be a simple class project, the path to clearing Elizabeth Johnson Jr.’s name took three years and the help of a Massachusetts state senator, Diana DiZoglio (D). Unwed women were viewed with suspicion at the time of the trials, and many individuals convicted were later exonerated by their own descendants. With no descendants to clear her name, Johnson’s wrongful conviction remained in place—making her the last remaining witch in Salem history—until Carrie LaPierre’s class came to her aid. 

Filmmakers Annika Hylmö and Dawn Green tell this story in their upcoming documentary, The Last Witch.

Ms. Muse: The Coffee Must Be Excellent and We Must Dance—to Defy Russia

The following poems of resistance are written by five poets who identify as women or once did. These poems are about our lives, our mothers and grandmothers, our younger selves and changing selves. The myths, lies and abuse we were raised on. Our beauty and our truths, our lovers and marriages, children and childlessness. The particular deals we make with our lives and “the true honey of freedom.”

Our poetry and stories—our songs—bring us together, remind and ignite us, and make us strong.

I Am Not a Slave to the Biological Clock

A biological pull, no matter how powerful, is not an imperative. In fact, while there is surely the possibility that I will one day regret not having had a child, there is an equal possibility that I would regret having had one—a possibility so terrifying that our failure to warn young people of its existence (just Google “I regret having children,” and be prepared for a ride) seems grossly negligent.

In “My So-Called Selfish Life,” Therese Shechter Tackles What It Means To Be Child-Free

In ‘My So-Called Selfish Life,’ Therese Shechter Tackles What It Means To Be Child-Free

Earlier this month, Pope Francis once again called childless couples “selfish,” extolling the virtues of parenthood as essential to the human experience and sparking a significant backlash. Thank goodness, then, that there’s the perfect film waiting in the wings to counter this baseless claim: award-winning filmmaker Therese Shechter’s newest documentary, “My So-Called Selfish Life.”

Women on Their Choice to be Child-Free

Women on Their Choice to Be Child-Free

World Contraception Day—September 26—was conceived (no pun intended) to improve awareness of all forms of contraception and help people make informed choice about their sexual and reproductive health. In honor of this important day, I interviewed women of multiple generations about their choice to be child-free. 

The Coming COVID Baby Bust

The Coming COVID Baby Bust

Past patterns and emerging evidence suggest we are going to see a COVID Baby Bust. After all, it’s hard to think about having another child when you are worried about taking care of the child you already have.

But how long will it last and how big will it be?