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Weekly Digest
Letter from an Editor | April 20, 2024
Dear John,
Women’s lives will again be up for debate next week at the Supreme Court. On Wednesday, the Court—which I’m sure I don’t need to remind you overturned Roe v. Wade less than two years ago—will hear oral arguments in two cases: Idaho v. United States and Moyle v. United States . Both concern the ability of states to prohibit doctors at hospitals from providing “necessary stabilizing treatment”—including abortion—to women whose health is threatened by continuing their pregnancy.
The Department of Justice is challenging Idaho’s “Defense of Life Act”—the most severe abortion ban in the nation—which prohibits all abortion with the only exception being the imminent death of the pregnant woman. The DOJ is arguing that Idaho’s ban violates the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). Under EMTALA, hospitals that receive Medicare funding are required to provide medically necessary treatment including abortions when the absence of care would result in placing the “health of the pregnant woman in serious jeopardy.” In other words, the standard of care for medical emergencies is serious health risk—not imminent death.
Abortion rights advocates say the case will have life-or-death consequences for women across the country. “It’s not harmless to wait until the brink of death to intervene in emergency medicine,” emergency room physician Dr. Dara Kass at Columbia University Medical Center told Slate. “Having to wait until that window to intervene is dangerous for people… [and] will have consequences to your life and future fertility and organs and a lot of other things.”
We know what will happen to women experiencing these kinds of pregnancies if the Supreme Court sides with Idaho—because it’s happening right now. An amicus brief from the National Women’s Law Center filed in advance of the oral arguments details excruciating stories from several pregnant women denied emergency medical care—including one who died as a result.
According to the NWLC brief, pregnancy in the U.S. is now 10 times more lethal than in other high-income countries. It didn’t used to be this way. This crisis is by design.
But if there’s one silver lining, it’s that Americans are paying attention, especially women. In the latest Harvard Youth Poll, released just this week, approximately half (53 percent) of young Americans indicated they will "definitely be voting" in the 2024 general election for president. This number is about the same as it was in the spring of 2020 — a very high youth turnout year. Americans under 30 are largely favoring Biden over Trump, by a margin of 24 percentage points—but the gender gap here is significant: Biden leads by 33 points among young women, compared to just six points among young men.
And, as digital editor Roxy Szal reports, abortion is a top priority for these voters: “In an open-ended question about which national issue concerned them most, 27 percent of young Americans volunteered something related to the economy. From there, pollsters identified 16 prominent areas of concern and, in a series of randomized match-ups, asked survey respondents to identify which of the two issues was more important to them. Inflation won every time—except when paired with women’s reproductive rights, which were considered the more important issue: 57 percent to 43 percent.”
Young people know this, and so do we: that no woman is safe until all women are safe. Regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision in this case, which is expected in late June, we will continue to fight. Because far too much is at stake to ever give up.
Onward,
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Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor
This Week's Must-Reads from Ms.
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Will SCOTUS Allow Pregnant Women to Die? Survivors Share ‘Dobbs’-Related Near-Death Experiences with the Court [[link removed]] Idaho’s EMTALA Challenge Has Got Women Dead to Rights [[link removed]]
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Abortion Ranks Among Top Issues for Young Women Voters [[link removed]] As College Decision Day Nears, Students Should Consider States’ Abortion Access [[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 this episode, we’re joined by the indomitable Lizz Winstead with a live studio in Washington, D.C. She bares all as we talk about the new documentary featuring her and Abortion Access Front (AAF), No One Asked You. From her childhood to her own abortion story, she tells it all, including what led her to found AAF.
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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