Dear John,

When rights are hard-won and even harder to defend, we’ve just won two landmark victories for a woman’s right to access abortion and for clinics and providers to be protected from the extremist violence that threatens providers nationwide. 

In Pennsylvania this week, the State Supreme Court ruled that abortion providers in the state can challenge the state’s ban on Medicaid coverage of abortion as sex discrimination under the state’s Equal Rights Amendment and Equal Protection provisions of the Pennsylvania Constitution. 

It’s not the end of the fight—abortion advocates in the state will now have to return to the lower courts and prove that the Medicaid ban constitutes sex discrimination. Nevertheless, the ruling is a major victory—and sets a significant precedent, particularly for states that have both ERAs and abortion bans. This ruling also underscores the importance of a federal ERA when it comes to restoring and defending abortion rights across the country in the wake of the overturn of Roe v. Wade. 

And in Tennessee this week, a federal jury found six people guilty of conspiring to violate the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. On March 5, 2021, the defendants, who are associated with Operation Save America (OSA), a national anti-abortion extremist group, obstructed the employee and patient entrances of the carafem abortion clinic for almost three hours, and intimidated clinic employees and patients.

This ruling follows the recent trial and convictions of nine abortion extremists who violently invaded and blockaded a Washington, D.C. clinic in October of 2020. In addition to a FACE Act violation, the defendants were indicted for felony “conspiracy against [civil] rights”—marking the first time a “conspiracy against rights” charge had been added to a FACE prosecution. (To go deeper into the organizing of the Washington, D.C. clinic invasion and resulting groundbreaking charges, pick up a copy of Ms.’s winter print issue in our online store today.)

Both these convictions are heartening in the face of the increase in clinic violence that escalated during the Trump administration and shows little sign of slowing now that Roe has been overturned. Between 2016 and 2020, the number of reported trespassing incidents increased from 247 to 1,265; the number of reported obstructions rose from 580 to 2,712; and the number of reported assaults rose from 36 to 54.

Trump himself has personally promised to sign pardons or communications for the convicted Washington, D.C. extremists on day one of his second presidential term, if elected—a move to be expected, from the president who takes personal credit for the overturn of Roe.

This week also marked the start of Black History Month—which comes at a moment when the reactionary campaign to censor Black histories, and oust Black academics, is accelerating. It could not be a more crucial moment to elevate Black histories—to that effect, historian and Ms. contributor Keisha N. Blain has curated a list of vital books written by Black women to help understand this current historical moment and how we got here. 

Celebrating our victories and taking note of our histories provides the fuel we need to fight forward. With so much at stake in this moment—the 2024 elections are in full swing, and the conservative disinformation machine is in overdrive—you can count on Ms. to continue to deliver the same rigorous, fact-based feminist reporting and analysis we’ve been doing for over 50 years. 

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. 

Over the past several years, we’ve made significant progress in destigmatizing mental health care. However, this de-stigmatization hasn’t reached all kinds of mental illness or all kinds of people who struggle with their mental health. Writer, researcher, and poet, Krista L.R. Cezair, and writer, activist and educator, Brittany Packnett Cunningham, join us to discuss the criminalization of mental illness on the latest UNITED BODIES. 
 

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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