Texas

A Challenge to the Health of Pregnant Workers—and the Health of Our Constitutional Democracy

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act enjoyed broad bipartisan support, easily passed the House, and was favorably reported out of committee in the Senate.

It did not take long, however, for attacks to ensue. The state of Texas, represented by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, filed a lawsuit challenging the validity of PWFA because the House of Representatives had allowed members to vote for the omnibus bill by proxy.

A federal trial judge in Texas, however, held that PWFA was unconstitutional because he believed only “in person” votes could count for determining a quorum. The case is now pending before the federal appeals court for the 5th Circuit.

(This essay is a part of Ms. and A Better Balance’s Women & Democracy installment, all about the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act—a groundbreaking civil rights law ensuring pregnant and postpartum workers have the right to reasonable workplace accommodations. Bipartisan, pro-family and boldly feminist, the PWFA is both a lesson in democracy and a battleground for its defense against antidemocratic attacks.)

Defending the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act in the Courts

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In February 2024, a federal judge in Texas erased the rights of thousands of Texas state employees, blocking them from pursuing claims under the PWFA. The ruling, which came only eight months after Texas workers, and all workers had finally won long-awaited rights under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, devastated workers and their allies. It also threatened the democratic values that our organizations work to defend.

The 5th Circuit heard oral arguments in the appeal at the end of February. Regardless of the outcome, we will continue to fight in the courts to hold governments to account and to defend the rights of pregnant and postpartum workers, wherever that fight takes us next.

(This essay is a part of Ms. and A Better Balance’s Women & Democracy installment, all about the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act—a groundbreaking civil rights law ensuring pregnant and postpartum workers have the right to reasonable workplace accommodations. Bipartisan, pro-family and boldly feminist, the PWFA is both a lesson in democracy and a battleground for its defense against antidemocratic attacks.)

Women’s History Month Is a Time for Optimism

Dispatches from Week 2 of Women’s History Month:

It’s Week 2 of Women’s History Month, and just knowing the federal government might well ban those three words in sequence—along with “gender,” “female,” “feminism” and about 250 others—you can bet I’m feeling extra rebellious as I write this column.

I am back from celebrating International Women’s Day (March 8) at South by Southwest. Among the festival keynotes, Chelsea Clinton urged that optimism is fundamentally a moral and political choice. Remaining optimistic, she remarked, is like “saying we do not have to accept the status quo. … We do accept that we may not be able to do everything all at once, but we can always do something.”

Women’s History Month is a solemn reminder that our reaction—and our commitment to action—also requires that we hold tight to the optimism our foremothers possessed.

‘Uvalde Mom’ Shows the Courage of Angeli Rose Gomez—and the Failure of Texas Leaders

Premiering at SXSW, Uvalde Mom follows Angeli Rose Gomez, the mother who defied police inaction to save her children during the 2022 Uvalde school shooting. The documentary not only captures her heroic actions but also reveals the relentless harassment she faced from local authorities in the aftermath. Through Gomez’s story, the film exposes systemic failures, community trauma and the power of mothers who refuse to stay silent.

War on Women Report: ‘Fetal Personhood’ Bill Introduced in Congress; Trump’s Antiabortion and Pro-Project 2025 Cabinet

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MAGA Republicans are back in the White House, and Project 2025 is their guide—the right-wing plan to turn back the clock on women’s rights, remove abortion access, and force women into roles as wives and mothers in the “ideal, natural family structure.” We know an empowered female electorate is essential to democracy. That’s why day after day, we stay vigilant in our goals to dismantle patriarchy at every turn. We are watching, and we refuse to go back. This is the War on Women Report.

Since our last report:
—A judge in Indiana has temporarily ruled to protect doctors from being forced to share abortion records with the government.
—Idaho became the sixth state to consider murder charges for abortion patients.
—U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson temporarily halted the Trump administration’s termination of DEI programs.

… and more.

My Trans Daughter Deserves to Live Without Fear

My oldest daughter is a young trans woman, and recent political actions have left her, and many like her, feeling afraid.

My daughter, like all trans people, did not choose to be transgender. But when she realized that embracing her true identity alleviated years of internal struggle, she made the brave decision to live as herself. She is a bright, creative and compassionate woman who cares deeply about others. She rescues abandoned animals, volunteers for organizations that support transgender individuals in need, and dreams of starting a family with her partner. Even though she lives in a big cosmopolitan city, occasionally she gets harassed on the street. Mostly she lives her life, hangs out with friends, rides her bike around town and sees us: her parents and her three siblings. Yet, for the first time since she has been living her true identity, she is afraid—and increasingly fearful about what the future holds.

GenBioPro Enters Texas Battle to Preserve Mifepristone Access

The pharmaceutical company GenBioPro filed a motion on Tuesday, Feb. 25, to intervene in Missouri et al. v. FDA, a lawsuit in Texas challenging FDA regulation of the drug mifepristone, which is part of a two-drug regimen for the termination of early pregnancy. GenBioPro is the sole U.S. manufacturer of generic mifepristone, which the FDA approved in 2019 and is now the majority of mifepristone sold in the U.S.

In the Texas lawsuit, the attorneys general of Missouri, Kansas and Idaho are attempting to remove generic mifepristone from the market and severely restrict the brand-name mifepristone, Mifeprex made by Danco, in all 50 states and U.S. territories.

“All people have a right to access safe, affordable, evidence-based healthcare, and GenBioPro remains committed to using all legal and regulatory tools to protect mifepristone for millions of patients and providers across the country,” said Evan Masingill, CEO of GenBioPro.

Why Some Districts Are Spending Big on Schools Tailor-Made for 4-Year-Olds

Jefferson Early Learning Center in Houston, Texas, bears little resemblance to elementary schools many adults recall attending in their earliest years. The classrooms have child-sized boats and construction vehicles children can play on, and ceilings painted to resemble outer space. There are no desks—all space is devoted to learning through play.

Alief Independent School District, which serves about 40,000 children in west Houston, is one of a growing number of districts across the country to pump money into creating a building that is tailor-made for pre-kindergarteners.

As the Trump Administration Sets the Stage for Anti-Intellectualism, This Author Is Fighting Back

Last school year, over 10,000 book bans were issued, targeting 4,240 titles—more than double the number of bans in the previous year, according to PEN America research. The incoming Trump administration’s Department of Education has already made fighting the bans increasingly difficult, dismissing 11 complaints against school districts for removing books calling the bans a “hoax.”

“We know that reading books and hearing stories builds empathy. As a former high school teacher, I cannot stress how important that is,” New York Times bestselling author and former English teacher Samira Ahmed tells Ms.