[[link removed]] Weekly Digest
Weekly Digest
Letter from an Editor | July 15, 2023
Dear John,
It’s been a week of downs and ups.
On Tuesday night, in a one-day special session, the Iowa state legislature voted to ban most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. A similar ban is currently on the books in Georgia, and an additional 14 states have total bans on the books.
As with all six week abortion bans, this ban flies in the face of medical best practices—as Ms. ’s Jen Weiss-Wolf noted earlier this year, most women don’t even know they’re pregnant at six weeks. “A person is four weeks pregnant on the first day of a missed period, thereby allowing a mere two weeks to obtain an abortion—a sliver of a window even for the most resourced among us,” Weiss-Wolf observes. “And for those who live in places where abortion and other health care services are few and far between—or are subject to hurdles imposed by legislatures like mandatory waiting times, or just the economic and logistical challenges of daily life—that two-week timeframe is a legally-proscribed impossibility.”
The Iowa legislature, made up of majority Republicans and 70 percent men, passed the ban despite widespread opposition from the people of Iowa. Seventy-three percent of U.S. adults oppose abortion bans in the first six-weeks—including 58 percent of those living in states with the strictest bans—according to a recent AP-NORC poll.
With Republican-dominated state legislatures continuing to propose and pass anti-abortion legislation across the country, federal action to preserve women’s rights is more essential than ever. That’s why this week we were pleased to see Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) introduce a joint resolution in Congress to compel the national archivist to immediately publish the ERA as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution. “In light of Dobbs, we’re seeing vast discrimination across the country,” Gillibrand told the New York Times. “Women are being treated as second-class citizens. This is more timely than ever.”
A different venue also played host to an ERA action this week—with Former Rep. Carolyn Maloney and ERA Coalition CEO Zakiya Thomas taking to the floor to ring the closing bell of NASDAQ this Friday and spotlight the ERA. Students from Hunter College joined Maloney and Thomas on stage to promote the Sign 4 ERA petition drive and the fight for equality. (You can join the campaign by signing the petition here [[link removed]] ).
Finally, this week the FDA issued approval for the country’s first over-the-counter birth control pill. The pill, called Opill, is a “progestin-only” pill—which is 93 to 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy. It’s expected to be available in stores and online beginning early next year, and the price is still unknown.
“Birth control is safe, effective and essential—women across America have known that for decades, and I’m glad the FDA has followed the science to finally put over-the-counter birth control on the shelves,” said Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.). “For the first time ever, women in this country will be able to walk into a pharmacy and pick up birth control without a prescription. But it’s not enough for an over-the-counter birth control pill to be available to women—it has to be affordable... [and we must] make certain insurers fully cover over-the-counter birth control, without any out-of-pocket costs.”
You can count on Ms . to keep you informed on the latest battlegrounds for abortion access and strategies for fighting back, including the urgency of finally securing the Equal Rights Amendment.
Onward,
[[link removed]]
Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor
P.S. — Make your plans now to join us in Seneca Falls [[link removed]] , as we mark the 100th anniversary of the Equal Rights Amendment and demand Congress act now to enshrine the ERA in the Constitution.
This Week's Must-Reads from Ms.
[link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]]
With Iowa’s Looming Abortion Ban, a Reminder: ‘Six Weeks’ Is Actually Two [[link removed]] Time to Put the Equal Rights Amendment Into the Constitution: Sign4ERA [[link removed]]
[link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]]
Over-the-Counter Birth Control Is Here [[link removed]] The GOP Wages a War on Drag [[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 early June 2023, for the second time in two months, Trump was indicted—this time on 37 felony counts for allegedly mishandling sensitive, classified government materials and obstruction of justice. What does this most recent indictment mean for Trump, the 2024 elections, and the future of American democracy as a whole?
We hope you'll listen, subscribe, rate and review today!
[link removed] [[link removed]]
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 .
READ THE REST [[link removed]] | GET THE MAGAZINE [[link removed]] | SUPPORT MS. [[link removed]]
[[link removed]]
[link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]]
Enjoy this newsletter? Forward to a friend!
Was this email forwarded to you by a friend? Subscribe [[link removed]] .

Ms. Magazine
1600 Wilson Boulevard
Suite 801
Arlington, VA 22209
United States
Manage your email subscriptions here [[link removed]]
If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please
unsubscribe: [link removed] .