Dear John,

Earlier this week, we commemorated what would have been the 51st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that established a federal right to abortion. It was a somber anniversary, given the tragic consequences to women’s and girls’ lives and health that have ensued after Roe’s overturn by the Supreme Court. And now we learn that in states that implemented abortion bans, more than 64,000 women and girls have become pregnant due to rape. Forty-five percent of those pregnancies were in Texas alone.

We are bracing for even more tragedies, given the two cases pending before the Supreme Court that could further harm women: one which seeks to drastically limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone, even in states with laws protecting abortion; and one challenging the obligations of hospitals to provide emergency care, including abortion, under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).   

“I said … on that day that Roe was overturned, the health and lives of women in this nation would now be at risk … and that has unfortunately proven to be true,” said President Biden in announcing new efforts by his administration to help improve Americans’ reproductive healthcare access. The new steps include expanding coverage for no-cost contraception, increasing patient and provider awareness of EMTALA, safeguarding medication abortion access, and prosecuting violence against clinics and healthcare providers.

A young mass shooting survivor, Isabella Hipp, writes in Ms. this week about how Students Demand Action and other advocates are drawing attention to the ways in which the gun industry continues to fuel the U.S.’s growing gun violence crisis. “Every year, gun manufacturers rake in billions of dollars at the expense of our lives without facing any consequences, while survivors like myself are left to live with the pain and trauma their greed leave behind,” she writes. “The gun industry must be held accountable for the nation of gun violence survivors they have created.”

In this week’s roundup, we offer two compelling reads on the toll of war and violent conflict on women and their children in Gaza and Israel. “We have seen evidenced once more that women and children are the first victims of conflict,” said U.N. Women executive director Sima Bahous, “and that our duty to seek peace is a duty to them.” 

And finally, this Saturday is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In a statement by President Biden, he urged the world to “…  pause to mourn one of the darkest chapters in human history, when six million Jews were systematically targeted and murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators in the Holocaust during the 1930s and 1940s. We also grieve the Roma, Sinti, Slavs, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ individuals, racial minorities, and political dissidents who were abused or killed. And we honor the courage of survivors and the heroism of people who bravely stood up to the Nazis, risking everything to save innocent lives.”

In these turbulent times, hoping for justice and peace.

For equality, 

Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor

Listen to United Bodies—a new podcast about the lived experience of health, from Ms. Studios, on Apple Podcasts + Spotify. 

In an era of rampant public health misinformation and a distrust of institutions, Americans are running towards the wellness industry to save themselves. Multidisciplinary artist and author of Who is Wellness For, Fariha Róisín, joins the latest United Bodies to discuss exactly that question: WHO IS WELLNESS FOR?
 

We hope you'll listen, subscribe, rate and review today!

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. We are grateful for your loyalty and ferocity.

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