Rest in Power

Rest in Power, Melissa Hortman—The Kind of Leader Patriarchy Fears

“I’m not sorry. … I’m really tired of watching women of color in particular being ignored.”

Over the weekend, the feminist movement lost a lion. Melissa Hortman, former speaker of the Minnesota House and longtime champion of reproductive justice, climate action and racial equity, was senselessly gunned down in a targeted attack at her home. Her husband, Mark, was also killed. 

Kelly Dittmar, a political science professor at Rutgers University-Camden and the director of research at the Center for American Women and Politics, shared on social media a powerful speech Hortman gave eight years ago, when she was the minority leader, on the House floor about the power of women’s voices. In it, she interrupted and called out white male legislators during a key debate—and when asked to apologize for her candor, she didn’t flinch.

Rest in Power: Étienne-Émile Baulieu, Abortion Pill Inventor and Women’s Rights Advocate 

Millions of women around the world gained safety, dignity and autonomy over their bodies thanks to Étienne-Émile Baulieu. The visionary biochemist, feminist and fearless innovator—best known for developing and championing “RU 486,” now known as mifepristone—died at his Paris home on May 30 at the age of 98.

Mifepristone has saved countless lives and offered millions of women a way to end unwanted pregnancies in the privacy and comfort of their homes. Baulieu and others championed the development of mifepristone for uses beyond abortion—including for treatment of fibroids, endometriosis, postpartum depression and cancer. He supported its use in managing miscarriages and as a way to help to dilate the cervix to reduce the need for Caesarean births. His vision for mifepristone wasn’t just to end pregnancies but to protect women’s health and reduce medical intervention that too often harmed them.

He predicted in 1991: “RU-486 will make its American entrance: science, good sense, and freedom will triumph.”

And here’s his view on why there has been tremendous opposition to abortion pills from the antiabortion movement: “A method that makes the termination of pregnancy less physically traumatic for women and less risky to their health has always been rejected by pro-lifers: What they really seek is to harm and punish women.”

What Women Do With Political Power—and Why It Matters More Than Ever

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation in politics, on boards, in sports and entertainment, in judicial offices and in the private sector in the U.S. and around the world—with a little gardening and goodwill mixed in for refreshment!

This week:
—Lifelong feminist, activist and former president of Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards, died.
—A new report is sobering for anyone who have assumed increased women’s leadership was inevitable.
—Alaska’s legislative session begins, where women hold the majority of seats in the House and bipartisanship is flourishing.
—In New Mexico, women lawmakers have changed the legislative culture, addressing sexual harassment and championing policies to reduce child poverty and protect reproductive rights.

… and more.

Rest in Power: Cecile Richards—Former President of Planned Parenthood, Daughter of First Texas Female Governor and Lifelong Feminist Activist

Cecile Richards—former president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund from 2006 to 2018; founder of Supermajority, an organization dedicated to championing women’s leadership; daughter of Gov. Ann Richards, the first and only female governor of the state; and a lifelong feminist and political activist and trailblazer—died Monday, Jan. 20, after a battle with brain cancer. She was 67.

Jimmy Carter Was One of the World’s Leading Anti-Sexist Men

Jimmy Carter was one of the world’s most prominent male supporters of gender equality.

His overall record as president was decidedly mixed. But one overlooked aspect of his presidency was that he unabashedly championed women’s leadership, including Black women’s. By the end of his term, Carter had appointed more women and people of color to the federal judiciary than all previous presidents combined. Carter was also a founding member of The Elders, an international group of former political leaders, peace activists and human rights advocates.

And once he left office, Carter’s pro-feminist commitments deepened, as did his passion for pushing fellow religious believers to take on gender inequality directly.

International Human Rights Court Rules in Favor of Abortion Rights in Case Against El Salvador

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) issued a significant ruling on Dec. 20, with the potential to further transform the legal landscape of abortion rights in Latin America. In particular, IACHR ruled that El Salvador violated a series of rights by denying a 22-year-old woman an abortion in 2013, despite her health and life being at risk and the pregnancy being unviable. According to the court, the government violated her right to health, personal integrity, privacy, access to justice, and to live a life free of violence—rights stated in the Inter-American Convention of Human Rights and the Belém do Pará Convention to prevent, punish and eradicate violence against women.

The ruling was received as a triumph by Beatriz’s family and the activists that supported them in this case—but their work does not stop here. Activists are now committing to monitor the government’s compliance with the court’s ruling.

The Most-Read Stories of 2024

Every day of 2024, Ms. writers and editors set out to create content that empowered, informed and infuriated readers. We sought out the truth, sounded alarms, asked tough questions, mourned feminist losses (and feminists we lost), looked to gender justice advocates abroad, and handed the microphone over to experts. Dear reader: As we enter a new year and a new era of the movement, we promise you more of this.

Explore the 30 most popular articles published this year on MsMagazine.com—the articles feminists most clicked, shared, studied, bookmarked and passed out at marches.

Rest in Power: Nikki Giovanni, the Angel of Black Poetry

Yolande Cornelia “Nikki” Giovanni Jr.—poet, writer, feminist and civil rights activist and educator—has died. Born June 7, 1943 , Giovanni was the author of more than 25 books and subject of the award-winning 2023 documentary Going to Mars.

A poem written in her honor:

“Nikki Giovanni,

Black poetic angel extraordinaire

who wrote to us

and for us;

gave us Black folk,

and the world,

a legacy of words

that exuded courage:

words of truthtelling

words of Black magic

words of inspiration

words of your life

words of your vision

words of love

for us,

your global Black community.”