More Than A Magazine, A Movement
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, war crimes fill the news, political dialogue seems hopeless and 7 million refugees—at least 90 percent of whom are women and children—have fled across the borders into Europe.
Still, resistance blossoms in Ukraine from a generation that’s enjoyed relative freedom and democracy. The way forward in Ukraine—and elsewhere—is through people power.
The Woman King, a new film starring Viola Davis, reclaims the narrative of the fiercely resistant African “Amazons.”
“My hope is that young African-descended girls and women see themselves in these powerful women. I hope they too will aspire for greatness.”
Every day in the U.S., women endure the torture of solitary confinement, kept in cells the size of small closets for over 22 hours a day, isolated and alone, wondering if the state will execute them. Women are uniquely affected by lengthy incarceration; at least 75 percent of the women currently serving death sentences are mothers.
Sabrina Butler-Smith spent six and a half years behind bars—almost three of them on death row—before she was exonerated and set free. She may have been proven innocent, but after being caged in a six by nine foot cell, Butler-Smith told Ms., “You’re never the same.”
In Indiana, a bill banning nearly all abortions became law on Friday. In response to the extreme legislation, some of the state’s largest employers are raising concerns about the harmful effects of the law—both on the health of current and future residents of Indiana, and on the companies’ abilities to recruit top talent.
At a time when nearly half the states have repealed the death penalty, Erica’s story illuminates the lives of many of the women who remain on death row and exposes the depravity of sentencing people to death.
As we look to the future of abortion in the U.S., we can learn from the experiences of people in countries with restrictive abortion laws who have managed to find safe, effective ways to have abortions by using the original abortion pill: misoprostol.
While mifepristone is expensive and unnecessarily restricted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, misoprostol is inexpensive and widely available by prescription for different indications in pharmacies across the country.
If passed, a proposed constitutional amendment on Kansas’ primary ballot in August would allow more than 20 laws restricting abortion to stay in effect, including mandatory ultrasounds and biased counseling to discourage abortion, a 24-hour waiting period, parental consent for minors, a 20-week abortion ban, a ban on telemedicine abortion and limitations on public funding and insurance coverage for abortion.
Feminist and equity-focused groups urge Kansas voters to vote “no” on the amendment.
Most major corporations these days claim to have a core commitment to women’s rights. But behind the scenes, many corporations—including Amazon, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Google and Exxon—are propping up lawmakers behind some of the most extreme anti-women legislation of our time.
Nowhere is the consequence of corporate contributions clearer than in Florida, Oklahoma and Texas—which have already instituted the nation’s most draconian anti-abortion bans.
This latest attempt to control women’s lives and turn back the clock on women’s progress will not stand.
Leveraging women’s rage into real gains will require sustained efforts. We will meet this historic challenge, and together we will construct a way forward.
In the Summer issue of Ms., we delve deep into the impact of the Court’s decision, the dark money behind the bans, and legal strategies that will determine where we go beyond Roe.