[[link removed]] Ms. Memo: This Week in Women's Rights
December 4, 2024
From the ongoing fight for abortion rights and access, to elections, to the drive for the Equal Rights Amendment, there are a multitude of battles to keep up with. In this weekly roundup, find the absolute need-to-know news for feminists.
The Same Conservative Playbook That Overturned Roe Is Now Coming for Trans Healthcare [[link removed]]
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(Andrew Caballero-Reynolds /AFP via Getty Images)
By Oliver Haug | 2024 marks the first time in several years that the U.S. Supreme Court will not hear a significant case relating to abortion rights—but the question of the constitutional right to bodily autonomy remains on the docket. On Wednesday, Dec. 4, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in U.S. v. Skrmetti, a case challenging Tennessee’s ban on healthcare for trans youth. The case is the first of its kind to be heard by the nation’s highest court—and as such will likely set an important precedent for future trans rights cases.
The plaintiffs in the case are Samantha and Brian Williams, of Nashville, and their 15-year-old daughter L.W., who is trans, as well as two other anonymous families and the Memphis-based Dr. Susan Lacy. In April of last year, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Tennessee, Lambda Legal, and a private law firm, they filed suit against the state of Tennessee and the state’s attorney general Jonathan Skrmetti, seeking to block the ban. The case marks the first time an openly trans attorney will argue before the court, with Chase Strangio, co-director for transgender justice with the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project, representing the clients.
“I don’t even want to think about having to go back to the dark place I was in before I was able to come out and access the care that my doctors have prescribed for me,” said L.W., per the ACLU. “I want this law to be struck down so that I can continue to receive the care I need, in conversation with my parents and my doctors, and have the freedom to live my life and do the things I enjoy.”
The Tennessee law in question took effect last summer, after an appeals court denied plaintiffs’ request for an injunction. The plaintiffs are arguing that the state’s ban violates the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause—an argument similar to one made in 2020’s Bostock v. Clayton County, in which the Court found that discrimination against LGBTQ+ workers counts as discrimination on the basis of sex under Title VII.
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Christian Nationalism’s First Item on the Agenda: Repeal Women’s Right to Vote [[link removed]] The Childcare Crisis Hampers Opportunity for America’s Families [[link removed]]
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Gen Z Rep. Justin J. Pearson on Gun Violence, Activism and Being a Young Legislator [[link removed]] ‘Take Beauty From Ashes’: Advocating for Felony Murder Law Reform [[link removed]]
What we're reading:
Because it's hard to keep up with everything going on in the world right now. Here's what we're reading this week:
* "Online influencers need ‘urgent’ fact-checking training, warns Unesco” — The Guardian [[link removed]]
* "Pete Hegseth’s Mother Accused Her Son of Mistreating Women for Years” — The New York Times [[link removed]]
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[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 to assess and reckon with the 2024 election results. How did abortion rights prevail, while anti-abortion lawmakers were elected in the very same states? What will a Trump administration mean for women’s rights, federal courts, agencies and throughout government? Are there any safeguards left as a check or restraint on abuse of office? And, what silver linings can we find among the election results?
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