Letter from an Editor | October 5, 2024 |
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Dear John,
In the lead-up to November’s elections, we’ve seen a lot of lies from certain Republican candidates, when it comes to abortion. And Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate between Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio was no exception.
For starters, there were Vance’s blatantly contradictory statements about his own track record on abortion. He claimed to have “never supported a national ban,” then turned around and said he supported “setting some minimum national standard”—which, of course, amounts to a ban.
He did the same when it came to IVF—claiming to support it, and saying he wants to “[make] fertility treatments more accessible.” But as Ms. editor Roxy Szal pointed out, “in June, Vance had his chance to do just that—to vote yes on a Democrat-led bill to enshrine access to in vitro fertilization. He voted against it.”
“Much of what [Vance] said—especially on abortion, IVF and childcare—were lies, engineered for women to let their guards down and to distance himself from his extreme views, most of which are ripped right from Project 2025’s Mandate for Leadership,” wrote Szal in Ms. this week. Debates are, of course, essentially a spectacle—but when it comes down to it, the confusing and contradictory rhetoric of Vance and his fellow Project 2025 buddies spells danger for the women of America. Vance, like Trump, supports sending the question of abortion rights “back to the states”—which, as we know, has resulted in our current crisis, whereby women are literally dying or suffering horrible medical complications due to being unable to access abortion care.
Even as Republican-controlled state legislatures are enacting total bans or severe restrictions on abortion access, more state courts are striking down these bans as violating state constitutions. In Georgia this week, a court struck down the state’s six-week abortion ban—which will allow abortions to resume up to 22 weeks. In Wisconsin last year, providers resumed abortions up to 15 weeks after a ruling from a lower court struck down a long-dormant state law; in Montana, courts have blocked multiple laws intended to restrict abortion. And in Nevada and Pennsylvania, abortion restrictions have been struck down as unconstitutional under state Equal Rights Amendments. Of course, lower court decisions on abortion can be overturned on appeal by state supreme courts (which we saw happen in Texas earlier this year).
In striking down the Georgia ban, the judge wrote: “Women are not some piece of collectively owned community property the disposition of which is decided by majority vote… It is generally men who promote and defend laws like the LIFE Act, the effect of which is to require only women — and, given the socio-economic and demographic evidence presented at trial, primarily poor women, which means in Georgia primarily Black and brown women — to engage in compulsory labor, i.e., the carrying of a pregnancy to term at the Government’s behest.”
To that, we say: amen.
As election day approaches, we’re also keeping an eye on a number of voting-related lawsuits in courts across the country that could have a profound impact on the ability of Americans to vote in November’s elections. As documented by the New York Times, in Arizona, Republicans have filed several cases that oppose new rules that prohibit harassment of voters and election officials (you can’t make this stuff up). In that same state, as well as several others, Republicans are also filing lawsuits that would purge voter rolls. And Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Georgia have all seen similar attacks that seek to suppress the vote through a variety of means.
Remember to make a plan, vote early wherever you can, and vote as if your life depends on it. Onward, |
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This Week's Must-Reads from Ms. |
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| 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 two co-hosts of the Webby Award-winning #SistersInLaw podcast to discuss where our nation stands as we approach the 2024 elections—from the ongoing trials faced by former president Donald Trump, to Nikki Haley, to the Supreme Court’s recent opinions and so much more. 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. We are grateful for your loyalty and ferocity.
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