Dear John,

From restricting abortion access to attempting to force workplaces to re-open before it is safe for workers to return, it’s clear that right-wing elected officials across the country are taking advantage of whatever loopholes they can find to advance their political agenda.

Conservative governors have used this pandemic to restrict abortion access in states across the country. Under the guise of protecting public health, these state officials are taking advantage of a pandemic to restrict women’s constitutional right to an abortion. If you’ve struggled to keep track of the many changes to abortion access around the U.S. in the past month and a half, we understand! A series of whiplash-inducing legal twists and turns has confused and frustrated us all. That’s why Ms. put together a state-by-state roundup, so that you know exactly where your state stands—you can read more below.

And now, as states have begun to (prematurely!) reopen, Republican governors pushing businesses to open will inflict yet another unnecessary cruelty: employees who refuse to show up to work due to fear of contracting COVID-19 cannot receive unemployment benefits—even if showing up to work means putting their health and life at risk. It’s no surprise that this policy puts women of color in the greatest bind, as they make up nearly a third of social assistance workers and a quarter of hospitality and food service workers—many of whom are now being called back to work.

And, yet, even as some elected officials show such callous disregard to the suffering of their constituents, this week, we heard from Ms. readers across the country who shared stories of tremendous acts of courage and hope in their communities. You can read some of our favorites in the article linked below—we were overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness shared with us.

BY MARTHA BURK | As states prematurely reopen, Republicans have made it clear: employees who refuse to show up to work due to fear of contracting COVID-19 cannot receive unemployment benefits—even if showing up to work means putting your health and life at risk.

BY CARRIE N. BAKER | A state-by-state roundup of current abortion restrictions, so that you know exactly where your state stands.

BY WENDY CHUN-HOON | Friday, May 1 was May Day—a day meant to recognize the contributions of workers worldwide. Now, Congress will debate which of the myriad needs of American workers to address in the next round of coronavirus response legislation, as well as the right way to “reopen the economy.”

BY CARRIE N. BAKER | In the third installment in this multi-part series, Baker examines the half-century fight to add women to the U.S. Constitution—and a game plan for where the Equal Rights Amendment goes from here.

BY MADDY PONTZ | We asked Ms. readers to share stories of how their communities are coming together during the COVID-19 pandemic, and as this global health crisis has worsened, we’ve been overwhelmed by stories of generosity and kindness from our readers. Here, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorites.

BY CYNTHIA RICHIE TERRELL | Our friend, Cynthia Terrell, founder and executive director of RepresentWomen, is back with a new installment of her weekly column, rounding up some of her favorite stories about women’s representation in the news this week.

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