[[link removed]] Weekly Digest
Weekly Digest
Letter from an Editor | June 8, 2024
Dear John,
If you visited the U.S.’s capital city this week on Wednesday, you might have noticed what looked like an unusual piece of public art: a giant blow-up IUD, towering over D.C.'s Union Station. But the inflatable was no advertisement—it was a political message, erected by Americans for Contraception, encouraging the Senate vote to pass the Right to Contraception Act.
Of course, if you’ve been following the current Senate’s track record on reproductive rights, you might have an idea of how that went. Senate Republicans blocked the legislation—which would have codified the right to contraception into federal law—from passage. Just two Republicans, Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, joined Democrats and Independents in support of the bill.
Just yesterday, we marked the 59th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Griswold v. Connecticut —a landmark case that affirmed the right to privacy and ruled that a Connecticut law that had outlawed contraceptives was unconstitutional, under the 14th Amendment. That a right that has been presumed settled for over half a century, and which over 80 percent of Americans support, should be called into question in 2024 is absurd—but unfortunately unsurprising.
“[The Right to Contraception Act's] passage was a long shot, pending any last-minute changes from Republicans looking to toe the party line, but it was a savvy political move by Democrats that aimed to get Republicans on the record against birth control ahead of the 2024 elections,” reported Ms .’s Livia Follet, in the wake of the Act’s failure to pass. With a significant majority of Americans in favor of increasing access to birth control, ignoring the 20-foot-tall IUD in the room isn’t exactly a good look for Republicans ahead of November.
While women in the U.S. continue to endure assaults on our rights from conservative legislators who completely disregard our needs and wants, our neighbors to the South saw some progress: Mexico elected their first woman president, Claudia Sheinbaum, this week. The move marked a stark contrast from just over the border in Texas, where the state’s Supreme Court ruled last week against a group of women who had been denied medically necessary abortions. In testimony last year, a number of them had recounted to judges how they had suffered life-threatening medical complications—and in some cases, loss of fertility and other permanent consequences—as a result of being denied abortions.
“Three Texas Supreme Court justices—Jimmy Blacklock, John Devine and Jane Bland—are up for reelection this November. This decision from the court serves as a grave reminder of the importance of mobilizing around judicial elections,” writes Ms.’s digital editor Roxy Szal. “And the victory in Mexico, the opposite: how representative and diverse democracies with active electorates bring women and women’s issues to the forefront of elections.”
And finally, we are, as many, hopeful that the war that has taken tens of thousands of lives and caused a humanitarian crisis in Gaza will soon end, given President Biden’s new push for a ceasefire, humanitarian aid surge, release of all remaining hostages and regional coalition to rebuild Gaza as proposed last week. I encourage you to read our detailed account in the Summer print issue about the efforts of Jerusalem-based scholar, Cochav Elkayam-Levy, who created an independent nongovernmental commission committed to documenting war crimes and advocating for justice on behalf of women, children, and families. In describing her attempts to account for sexual violence perpetrated against Israeli women by Hamas on and since October 7, the article notes how "feminist lessons of war are traumatically and often fatally difficult to come by."
Onward for equality,
[[link removed]]
Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor
P.S. — If you’re in the Los Angeles area, join us at the Ms. offices at 8 PM on Thursday, June 27 for a chat with Dr. Sharon Malone, author of Grown Woman Talk—she’ll be discussing her NYT bestselling book, perimenopause and menopause, and the health needs and realities of Black women in the U.S. Click here [[link removed]] to RSVP—and join us before the event at 6 PM to watch the presidential debate!
This Week's Must-Reads from Ms.
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Senate GOP Blocks Right to Contraception Act [[link removed]] One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: Celebrating a Win for Mexico Women, Mourning a Loss for Texas Ones [[link removed]]
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A Violent Denial: Combating Silence Around Hamas’ Sexual Violence and Preventing Future War Crimes [[link removed]] Biden’s Border Closure Is a Gamble That Won’t Pay Off [[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 continue our series: Fifteen Minutes of Feminism—The Trump Indictments: Found Guilty! (with Moira Donegan). On May 30, 2024, Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts by a New York jury. In this episode, we unpack the criminal charges that Donald Trump engaged in illegal business, electoral and campaign activities. This week, we’re rejoined by Moira Donegan to discuss why the New York trial was about more than about “hush money” and how the case marks the first time a former president has stood trial for criminal prosecution and been convicted .
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 [[link removed]] . We are grateful for your loyalty and ferocity .
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