The 19th

The 19th is a nonprofit, independent news organization based in Austin, Texas, and founded in 2020 by Emily Ramshaw and Amanda Zamora, longtime journalists who believed the news was not representative enough. The newsroom’s goal is to empower women and LGBTQ+ people—particularly those from underrepresented communities—with the information, resources and tools they need to be equal participants in our democracy.

More Than 8,000 Catholic Employers Can Now Deny Workers Time Off for an Abortion or IVF

PUBLISHED 9/27/2024 by

More than 8,000 Catholic employers across the country will not be required to provide accommodations for workers needing abortion or fertility care following a ruling in North Dakota. An estimated 162,000 workers are on these health plans.

Abortion access, IVF treatment and gender-affirming care have all become major talking points in an election that may be defined by them. Vice President Kamala Harris, who supports all three, has been critical of Trump’s stance on abortion and IVF in particular.

Post-Roe, States With Abortion Bans Saw Steep Declines in Birth Control Prescriptions

PUBLISHED 9/26/2024 by

Between abortion bans and decreasing access to contraception post-Dobbs, women are facing ever-increasing barriers to maintaining control over their reproductive lives, whether ending unwanted pregnancies—or preventing them.

(This article originally appears in the Fall 2024 issue of Ms. Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get issues delivered straight to your mailbox!)

Trump Using AI Images of Taylor Swift Highlights a New Era of Election Disinformation

PUBLISHED 8/22/2024 by

On Sunday, former President Donald Trump shared multiple fake images of mostly young, White blond women clutching iced coffees wearing “Swifties for Trump” T-shirts.

Swift had not endorsed Trump, but he declared “I accept!” in his post, implying that maybe she had. The message couldn’t be further from the truth, as the pop star made her support for the Biden-Harris campaign clear in 2020 and tweeted at Trump “We will vote you out in November.”

Harris Chooses Gov. Tim Walz—an Abortion Rights and Public Education Advocate—as Running Mate

PUBLISHED 8/6/2024 by and

Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 election.

Walz, 60, is a former high school teacher and football coach, non-commissioned officer in the Army National Guard, and member of the U.S. House. He was elected as the state’s top executive in 2018 and again in 2022. He is a strong supporter of abortion rights, called to end the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy related to LGBTQ+ people serving in the military in a speech delivered several years prior to its repeal, and has advocated to legalize recreational marijuana. 

The Results of the Biggest Study on Guaranteed Income Programs Are Finally In

PUBLISHED 7/30/2024 by

Since the 1960s, guaranteed income has been seen as a way to help communities of color, women and LGBTQ+ people. Each of those groups still faces large pay disparities in an economy built primarily to support white men. 

For eight years, researchers have been quietly putting together the largest, most comprehensive study on programs that give people a monthly stream of cash—no strings attached. Over time, does that income transform people’s lives? The data is now in. Right away, the data clearly showed that cash helped people spend more on their basic needs.

How a Kamala Harris Candidacy Could Supercharge Democrats’ Message on Abortion

PUBLISHED 7/22/2024 by and

President Joe Biden’s decision to not seek a second term—and his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him—gives Democrats the opportunity to elevate an eager and consistent messenger on abortion rights heading into the first presidential election since the fall of Roe v. Wade. 

Harris had already become the administration’s leading voice on the importance of abortion rights, one of the Democratic Party’s top issues, at the federal and state level. She has spent the last year using rallies and interviews to make a clear-eyed case to voters on how a second Donald Trump presidency and Republican majorities in Congress could restrict abortion access.