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Members of Arizona for Abortion Access, the ballot initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the Arizona Constitution, hold a press conference and protest condemning the 1864 abortion ban on April 17, 2024 in Phoenix. (Rebecca Noble / Getty Images)

BY SYDNEY GALLEGO | Tuesday, April 9, 2024, will go down in history. It is the day that far-right extremists got what they wanted in Arizona: a near-total ban on abortion. It is the day the Arizona Supreme Court turned the clock back 160 years—to a time before women could vote and before Arizona was even a state. It is a day that we will look back on with shame and horror. Like so many Arizona moms, my first thought was of my daughter, who was born last July in a post-Roe America.

While we cannot snap our fingers and change the dynamic at the U.S. or Arizona Supreme Court, we can make our voices heard at the ballot box. Come November, Arizona women are going to come out in full force to vote for our right to control our own bodies.

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Dr. Rosa Goodrich Boido, M.D. (b. 1870). Portrait photograph from a 1913 publication. (Wikimedia Commons)

BY CALVIN SCHERMERHORN | In 1864, Arizona—which was an official territory of the United States—was a vast desert. Women in Arizona could not vote, serve on juries or exercise full control over property in a marriage. They had no direct say in laws governing their bodies. Hispanic and African American women had even fewer rights than white women.

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled on April 9, 2024, that a 160-year-old abortion ban passed during this territorial period will go into effect. Since that ruling, the Arizona legislature has been grappling with how to handle the near-total ban. Even if the ban is fully repealed, it could still take temporary effect this summer.

As someone who teaches history in Arizona and researches slavery, I think it is useful to understand what life was like in Arizona when this abortion ban was in force.

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Cynetra Freeman, right, is the founder of Mississippi for Reentry. (X)

BY LAUREN JOHNSON and RUBY WELCH | We see more than 600,000 people released from U.S. prisons each year. This April, Second Chance Month, is an opportunity for us to bring to light the difficulties for those seeking a successful return back to society.

Incarcerated women in particular face unique challenges compared to their male counterparts, and their rate of entry has accelerated at twice the pace of men over the past three decades.

(Click here to read more) 

Tune in for a new episode of Ms. magazine's podcast, On the Issues with Michele Goodwin on

Apple Podcasts + Spotify.

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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