Trans Rights rally. Photo by Karollyne Videira Hubert on Unsplash

More than 90% of transgender youth are being denied — or at risk of being denied — critical, age appropriate gender-affirming care. In a country where 24 states have banned hormone therapy and 16 more are in the process of placing bans, approximately 280,300 youth have been affected by the limited protection afforded to them. Conservative groups, such as the American Principles Project claim these bans are “efforts to rein in the predatory transgender industry.” However, the bans could have dangerous, potentially deadly, consequences for transgender children.

U.S. v. Skrmetti, a pivotal case for the rights of transgender youth, is set to be heard by the Supreme Court in early December. Though transgender youth, their families, and medical experts have long backed this gender-affirming care in court, it may not be enough to sway the 6 to 3 conservative majority. The decision will likely leave transgender youth with little protections.

This case specifically targets a Tennessee law banning medical treatments, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and sex-transition surgeries, from being administered to transgender people under 18. While many other states have implemented similar laws, Tennessee has approximately twice the amount of anti-LGBTQ+ laws than any other state. In a suit filed by groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, they argue that Tennessee’s ban violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. If the Court determines the ban unconstitutional, all 50 states, including Tennessee will be forced to roll back their intolerant laws. If not, more states will be able to continue to pass anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives. 

The stakes are especially high, given that suicidality is more prevalent among transgender youth than any other group. Over half of transgender youth have seriously considered suicide. Delaying access to gender-affirming care until adulthood significantly increases the risk of suicide, depression, self-harm, and substance abuse. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Population Affairs, gender-affirming care for minors is essential for safeguarding their overall health and well-being.

The Iraqi parliament is facing mounting pressure from women’s rights groups and activists as it considers amendments to the Personal Status Law that could drastically affect the rights and well-being of women and girls in Iraq. If passed, these amendments would lower the legal marriage age from 18 to as young as nine years old for girls and boys, paving the way for widespread child marriages and eroding decades of progress in protecting women’s rights.

The current Personal Status Law, established in the 1950s, prohibits marriage under the age of 18. However, a loophole allows religious leaders to officiate marriages of girls as young as 15 with their father's consent. A 2023 UNICEF survey found that 28% of Iraqi girls marry before the age of 18, highlighting the problems that child marriage even under the current legal framework.

Sarah Sanbar, a researcher with Human Rights Watch, warned that the amendments would allow marriages to be officiated under either the personal status law or specific Islamic schools of jurisprudence, further undermining women’s rights. Many women members of parliament and activist groups have spoken out against the amendments, emphasizing the devastating consequences they would have on Iraq’s women and girls.

Razaw Salihy, Amnesty International’s Iraq researcher, highlighted the dangers of child marriage, explaining that it deprives young girls of their education, increases their vulnerability to sexual and physical abuse, and subjects them to significant health risks associated with early pregnancy.

One Iraqi mother also expressed her fears, stating: “My husband and my family oppose child marriage. But imagine if my daughter gets married and my daughter’s husband wants to marry off my granddaughter as a child. The new law would allow him to do so. I would not be allowed to object. This law legalizes child rape."

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FMF intern, Gwen Comai, at a march for abortion rights. 

Despite the disappointing presidential election results, valuable ground was gained for the pro-abortion movement. Of the 10 states where abortion was on the ballot, seven passed referendums supporting abortion rights. These states are now taking legal action to remove barriers and enshrine abortion rights in their state constitutions.

Abortion Wins Across Seven States

Arizona:

Arizona voters successfully passed a referendum that guarantees abortion rights up to fetal viability, around 23–24 weeks of pregnancy. This marks a dramatic shift from the state’s previous 15-week abortion ban. Pro-abortion advocates gathered over 800,000 signatures—double the required amount—and raised $32 million, dwarfing opponents’ fundraising efforts. Moving forward, activists aim to challenge medically unnecessary restrictions like 24-hour waiting periods, mandatory ultrasounds, and a ban on mail-order abortion medication.

Missouri:

Missouri’s state constitution now affirms a “right to reproductive freedom,” effective December 5. This amendment comes as a significant reversal in a state that was the first to ban abortion completely after Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Additional ballot measures passed alongside the abortion amendment include a minimum wage increase to $15 per hour and mandatory paid sick leave.

Planned Parenthood of the Great Plains has already filed a lawsuit challenging Missouri’s total abortion ban and other restrictive laws, including requirements for surgical licenses, unnecessary pelvic exams, and 72-hour waiting periods. Dr. Selina Sandoval described these restrictions as a “web of impenetrable, onerous, and medically unnecessary obstacles.” Advocates argue these policies have contributed to high STI rates, poor pregnancy outcomes, and a shortage of healthcare providers in the state.

Nevada:

Nevada’s abortion referendum guarantees the right to an abortion until fetal viability, about 24 weeks, and protects the life of the pregnant person. The law will take effect in 2026, solidifying abortion access under the care of qualified healthcare professionals.

Montana:

Montana voters amended the state constitution to explicitly include a right to abortion. While abortion has been legal since 1999 due to the Montana Supreme Court’s interpretation of the right to privacy, this amendment ensures abortion rights are protected from future judicial reversals.

Colorado:

Colorado voters approved Amendment 79, which establishes the right to abortion, removes restrictions on public funding for abortion services, and mandates abortion coverage in health insurance plans. Additionally, it prevents state and local governments from imposing new restrictions on abortion access.

New York:

New York’s Proposition 1 holds that no one can face discrimination due to “sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy.” This strengthens the state’s current access to abortion along with protections against various forms discrimination.

Maryland:

Maryland’s referendum amends the state constitution to protect “an individual’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including but not limited to the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue or end the individual’s pregnancy.”

When the Taliban took power in 2021, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesman, promised that “the Taliban would honor women’s rights within the norms of Islamic law.” Three years later, Sait-ul-Islam Khyber, the Taliban’s spokesman for their Ministry of Vice and Virtue, said “80% of women’s rights have been provided to them. These rights include marriage, inheritance, or freedoms that Islam grants them and are their fundamental rights.” The Ministry also cited that they prevented almost 5000 forced marriages since the Taliban takeover in 2021.

However, their claims do not represent the reality for Afghan women.

Their continued release of over a hundred restrictive edicts barring women from school after the 6th grade or working has placed an enormous amount of pressure on women and increased the rates of forced marriages.

A study conducted by Amu TV revealed that the rise in forced marriages since 2021 could be tied to the impacts of economic poverty and the Taliban’s ban on education. The limited economic opportunities for women following the ban on education has led to families seeing marriage as the only option. The Taliban’s latest edicts ban Afghan women from speaking in public or even being heard by other adult women.

In their first effort to expressly show their contempt for women’s rights, the Taliban shut down the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in 2021 following its return to power. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs was a crucial factor in protecting women’s wellbeing and their rights. They were instrumental in decreasing forced marriages before 2021. Since its closure and establishment of the Taliban’s so-called Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, there is once again a rise in forced marriages and women are living with increasing domestic violence due to the absence of legal support. Recently issued edicts of the Taliban directly contradict any assurance in guaranteeing women’s rights.

The Taliban announced that women must cover their entire body and face when leaving the house and their voices are now banned in public places. Women are not allowed to sing, talk, or even recite a prayer loud enough for other men and women to hear without facing repercussions. According to a woman health professional currently working in Afghanistan, female healthcare professionals cannot even talk about medical issues to men in healthcare facilities. Under the Taliban, women’s rights are not 80% met.

After over three years of the Taliban in action, the international community must not take the Taliban for their word. The UN and the international community must not recognize the Taliban and must designate Gender Apartheid an international crime.

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Supreme Court abortion rights rally.

The issue of rape-related pregnancies is a crucial yet often-overlooked aspect of the broader debate surrounding abortion access. As more states implement strict abortion bans, the implications for survivors of sexual violence become increasingly severe and far-reaching. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, there have been over 65,000 rape-related pregnancies in the United States.

When Hadley Duvall was just 12 years old, she was raped and impregnated by her stepfather. Duvall was a child and was scared then, but she was lucky enough to have options. Today, women and girls in Kentucky do not have the same right. Duvall has become an abortion rights advocate to highlight the consequences of the Dobbs decision. Girls all over the country have lost their right to choose, even in cases of rape.

Rape-related pregnancies highlight significant challenges in the current abortion landscape, especially following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Despite widespread public support, many states lack effective exceptions for these situations.

A study in January 2024 on rape-related pregnancies in the 14 U.S. states with total abortion bans highlighted the profound impacts of these restrictive laws on survivors of sexual violence. Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, these states enacted stringent abortion laws, often with few exceptions for cases of rape. This situation has significant implications for women and girls who experience rape, as access to abortion is severely restricted. The study found that in the 18 months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, there were more than 500,000 reported and unreported rapes in the 14 states that have outlawed abortion throughout pregnancy, resulting in 65,000 rape-related pregnancies. 

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The 2025 NYFLC will bring together student activists to build collective power for equality and share strategies of resistance, grow knowledge about critical domestic and global feminist issues, learn hands-on grassroots organizing tactics, and mobilize for political gain. NYFLC is a chance to recognize that we are a part of something big, a community of activists working for justice all around the country, and is the perfect place to learn about current political issues, hear from inspirational leaders, and meet fellow feminist students! 

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