Tag: Equal Rights Amendment

Reproductive Justice for AAPI Women: The Ms. Q&A With Dr. Sophia Yen

The pandemic brought a surge of barriers for people seeking access to reproductive care and abortion, especially among women who identify as Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI)—from increased disease severity and mortality rates, to xenophobia and acts of violence.

For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Ms. spoke with Dr. Sophia Yen about the disparities that different racial groups face when it comes to medical treatment in reproductive health and how AAPI women and their allies can advocate for themselves and their communities.

Time to Put the Equal Rights Amendment Into the Constitution: Sign4ERA

A new generation of young feminists are organizing shoulder-to-shoulder with seasoned activists, demanding the Equal Rights Amendment be immediately added to the Constitution.

To demonstrate this support for the ERA, students at Hunter College in New York City launched a petition drive to send a message to Congress that the time is now to put the Equal Rights Amendment into the Constitution. Sign the petition and get involved in the drive at www.sign4ERA.org.

Are Women’s Rights the Canary in the Coal Mine of a Democracy in Decline?

The tenets of reproductive health, rights and justice—and those of a healthy democracy—are not only inextricably interconnected, but essential to our nation’s promise.

(This essay is part of Women’s Rights and Backsliding Democracies project—a multimedia project made up of essays, video and podcast programming, presented by Ms., NYU Law’s Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and Rewire News Group.)

War on Women: Republicans Block Senate ERA Vote; Tennessee Wants Teachers to Carry Guns; Mifepristone Is Still on the Market—For Now

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.

This month: Anorexia is on the rise for young girls; mifepristone remains on the market, for now; House Republicans bar trans athletes from participating in women’s and girls’ sports; the ERA was blocked in the Senate; North Dakota gets one of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the country; and more.

Republicans Block Senate Vote on ERA—But Advocates Vow to Continue the Fight

and

The Senate on Thursday had its first vote on the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in 40 years. Republican opposition meant that S.J. Res. 4, which would declare the ERA ratified and valid, failed to clear the 60-vote threshold needed to bring it to the floor for debate and a vote.

Nevertheless, advocates and lawmakers vowed to not give up. “Make no mistake—here is the closest we’ve ever been to seeing full equality recognized and equal rights in the Constitution,” said Zakiya Thomas, president of the ERA Coalition.

The Dobbs Decision Could Erode Other Women’s Rights—Making the ERA More Important Than Ever

Dobbs v. Jackson was a clear indication that the Supreme Court will allow states broader latitude to pass laws that discriminate against women. This new reality makes final recognition of the Equal Rights Amendment more important than ever.

(This article originally appears in the Spring 2023 issue of Ms. Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get the issue delivered straight to your mailbox!)

The Senate Must Recognize the ERA to Protect Survivors of Gender-Based Violence

Nearly one in three women have experienced physical violence by an intimate partner. But in 2000, in the case of U.S. v. Morrison, the Supreme Court decided to leave survivors of gender-based violence to this day without the legal tools necessary to sue their attackers for damages or other relief in federal court.

One hundred years ago, women’s rights activists introduced the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to guarantee equal rights for women under the U.S. Constitution. On Thursday, April 27, the Senate will vote on the ERA. Among many other benefits to the law, this vote also represents an opportunity to protect survivors of gender-based violence—which, even in today’s heated political climate, commands bipartisan concern and support.

The Same Groups That Helped Overturn Roe and Attack Abortion Pills Are Also Lobbying Against the ERA

From supporting the Supreme Court’s right-wing faction responsible for overturning Roe, to spreading misinformation around medication abortion, anti-abortion groups are fighting to eliminate abortion access on multiple fronts.

Their anti-reproductive justice efforts also include lobbying against the Equal Rights Amendment. Lobbying disclosures reveal that far-right, anti-abortion groups like Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (SBA, formerly Susan B. Anthony List), National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), Concerned Women for America (CWA) and Students For Life America (SFLA) have spent unknown sums lobbying against the ERA in 2021 and 2022.

Keeping Score: Mourning Nashville and a U.S. Culture of Mass Shootings; Democrats in Congress Reintroduce Bills to Protect Abortion Access

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 this biweekly roundup.

This week: Remembering Nashville’s Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, Mike Hill, 61, and Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney, all age 9; “You lobbied for weaker rules [and] got what you wanted,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren demands Silicon Valley Bank takes responsibility for its collapse; LAUSD employee strike secures a pay raise and better benefits; Utah governor prohibits abortion clinics from getting licensed; study show abortion by mail is not less efficient; the House’s first-ever Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment; and more.