Dear John,

In the past month, we have seen our world turned upside down by COVID-19. For many Americans, this week marks one month since self-quarantine and social distancing began in earnest. A bungled response from the Trump administration and the federal government has left healthcare workers without the necessary PPEs, states have had to outbid one another for the crucial supplies they need to keep their residents safe and the President has continued to lie to the American public, creating a dangerous combination of misinformation and fear.

At the state level, abortion clinics across the country are under siege. This global health crisis has allowed for the perfect storm: anti-abortion extremists have ramped up their tactics in blatant disregard for social distancing and stay-at-home orders, and state governments have taken advantage of this crisis to shut down abortion clinics under the guise of protecting public health. Our partners at the National Clinic Access Project and the Feminist Majority Foundation need to raise $31,500 in the next six days to protect some of these abortion clinics under siege—we hope you will consider supporting their Emergency Protection Fund at whatever level you can.

And after seeing the blatant voter suppression tactics engaged in Wisconsin this week, we must also keep an eye to the future—the Elections this November are the most important of our lifetimes, and that has only become more evident as this pandemic has worsened. At this point, at least 16 states have delayed a Primary Election or have allowed their citizens to vote by mail with extended deadlines. It has become increasingly clear that in order to ensure a fair Election, vote-by-mail must be an option for all this November.

Here at Ms., our team is continuing to report through this global health crisis, doing what we can to keep you informed and up-to-date on some of the most underreported issues of this pandemic. We ask that you consider supporting our work to bring you substantive, unique reporting—we can’t do it without you.

BY DANIELLE ROOT | While November’s Election may seem far away, it is critical that states act now to ensure as many of their residents as possible can vote by mail, expand in-person and early voting options for those who need it and provide resources for online and same-day registration.

BY MATTHEW HARWOOD | Should a vote-by-mail option be widely available in all states before the 2020 Presidential Election to help protect voters and poll workers from COVID-19? Many state and local election officials from both sides of the political aisle believe the answer is a resounding yes.

BY ELEANOR SMEAL | "In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, some anti-abortion protesters are still doing the unthinkable: doubling down to threaten patients and clinics providing essential reproductive healthcare...To make matters even more dangerous, some are even confronting patients and staff in close physical proximity, crowding and touching them, and taunting and threatening to expose them to COVID-19."

BY KENDRA BOZARTH & ANGELA HANKS | "Structural racism in America means that the victims of the coronavirus outbreak will predominantly be Black. But despite warnings from health care professionals of the disproportionate risk to Black and brown communities, many states and localities 'aren’t releasing or [even] collecting the data to help fight back.' The crisis here for the Black community is not only about diagnosing COVID-19—but also about treating it."

BY ANNIRYN ARMSTRONG | "On January 10, [my brother] told me that an unknown flu was spreading throughout the city...It started fast—public confusion, media misinformation and cover-ups—and intensified. Two weeks later, he was in a government-mandated quarantine. The photos and videos he sent were similar to what we’re seeing now in the United States: decimated grocery stores, selfies in face masks, documentation of your growing relationship with a cat."

BY CYNTHIA RICHIE TERRELL | Our friend, Cynthia Terrell, founder and executive director of RepresentWomen, is back with another installment of her new weekly column! Each week, she compiles some of her favorite stories about women’s representation in politics, on boards, in sports and entertainment, in judicial offices and in the private sector in the U.S. and around the world.

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