[[link removed]] Weekly Digest
Weekly Digest
Letter from an Editor | April 22, 2023
Dear John,
Much of this week was spent waiting for the Supreme Court's response to an emergency application filed by the Department of Justice and Danco to stay a lower court’s decision that would severely limit access to the abortion medication mifepristone. Manufactured by Danco, the medication is one of two used in over 50 percent of abortions across the U.S. While the Court was initially expected to issue a decision Wednesday, Justice Alito extended the temporary stay on the Fifth Circuit court of Appeals’ ruling until Friday.
On Friday afternoon, the Supreme Court ruled that mifepristone should remain available, for now, as the case continues to play out in the lower court. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear the case on May 17, and the issue will likely return to the Supreme Court.
Conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, with Alito writing that the Biden administration and the pill’s manufacturer Danco "are not entitled to a stay because they have not shown that they are likely to suffer irreparable harm in the interim."
What about the irreparable harm to women would have suffered?
Meanwhile, the pressure to ensure access to mifepristone keeps growing. On Wednesday, GenBioPro, the maker of a generic version of mifepristone, sued the FDA. The suit seeks to force the FDA to allow the company to continue to sell the medication in the U.S., and comes in response to the same Texas ruling that the Court spent this week deliberating.
On Thursday, Julie Su, the Biden administration’s Labor Secretary nominee, appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee. Though the Democrats on the committee appeared largely supportive, her confirmation is far from assured. In addition to making history as the second-ever Asian American woman to hold the role (and the fourth ever woman of color!) Su is a dedicated advocate for women and immigrant workers, labor unions, and working people in general. Writing for Ms. this week, Liz Schuler, the first ever woman to lead the AFL-CIO, noted, “Corporate interests and well-funded lobbyists are plotting behind closed doors to stop her confirmation. Why? They’re terrified of seeing somebody like Julie Su—someone who actually looks out for working people and cannot be bought—in this pivotal role.”
We hope the Senate listens to women and workers all over this country, and confirms Julie Su.
This weekend, the U.S. observes Earth Day—we prefer celebrating the under name used in much of the rest of the world, International Mother Earth Day, as a crucial reminder that we must follow the lead of Indigenous people when it comes to climate and environmental activism. Mother Earth Day is an opportunity to rethink our relationship with nature, and shift our perspectives—and such a shift will be crucial in ensuring impactful policy change on climate and conservation.
Eight years before the first Earth Day was celebrated in April 1970, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, and in the process helped found the modern environmental movement. It “was no ordinary book,” wrote Ellen Dorsey and Marie Thormodsgard in the December 2002/January 2003 issue of Ms. “Its message resonated with a public increasingly concerned with the environment and its effect on human health. It also caught the attention of leading political figures who were not afraid to confront corporate America.”
In Carson’s words—which are as true now as when she wrote them over 50 years ago—“If we are living so intimately with chemicals, we had better know something about their power.”
Onward,
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Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor
P.S. — Ms. is keeping track of feminist events—both in person and virtual throughout the U.S.—in our new feminist events calendar [[link removed]] ! Submit your event here [[link removed]] to be included.
This Week's Must-Reads from Ms.
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Amid Contradicting Orders, the Supreme Court Protects Abortion Pill Access—for Now [[link removed]] This Mother Earth Day, Let’s Follow the Lead of Indigenous People for a More Symbiotic Relationship With Nature [[link removed]]
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GenBioPro Sues FDA to Keep Generic Mifepristone on the Market [[link removed]] Women Need Julie Su as Our Next Labor Secretary. The Labor Movement Is Ready to Fight for Her [[link removed]]
[link removed] [[link removed]] Tune in for a new episode of Ms. magazine's podcast, On the Issues with Michele Goodwin on
Apple Podcasts [[link removed]] + Spotify [[link removed]] .
In 2022, women voters across the U.S. made their voices heard, demanding access to safe reproductive healthcare. And yet, state legislatures—which purport to represent the people—continue to attack reproductive rights, proposing increasingly restrictive bans on abortion. In the face of these challenges, how can we work towards a government that truly represents us—and protects us?
We hope you'll listen, subscribe, rate and review today!
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U.S. democracy is at a dangerous inflection point—from the demise of abortion rights, to a lack of pay equity and parental leave, to skyrocketing maternal mortality, and attacks on trans health. Left unchecked, these crises will lead to wider gaps in political participation and representation. For 50 years, Ms . has been forging feminist journalism—reporting, rebelling and truth-telling from the front-lines, championing the Equal Rights Amendment, and centering the stories of those most impacted. With all that’s at stake for equality, we are redoubling our commitment for the next 50 years. In turn, we need your help, Support Ms. today with a donation—any amount that is meaningful to you [[link removed]] . We are grateful for your loyalty and ferocity .
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