[[link removed]] Ms. Memo: This Week in Women's Rights
April 9, 2025
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.
Trump’s War on Older Women [[link removed]]
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(John Smith / VIEWpress)
By Martha Burk | By now we all know that President Trump’s various policies and announcements have targeted immigrants, institutions with DEI programs and several federal agencies, including ones that focus on media, libraries, museums and ending homelessness.
But one of the biggest groups caught in his crosshairs is older women. He’s going after their well-being big time by all but demolishing Social Security through his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE is not an actual government agency, but a made-up advisory body created by Trump to recommend federal spending cuts and root out so-called fraud and improper payments. Billionaire business owner Elon Musk heads up the initiative.
As pointed out in The Washington Post, Social Security is hardly a prime target for finding improper payments and is “among the most scrutinized and audited agencies in government, with frequent probes by its 500-person Office of Inspector General. It pays outside auditors to examine its books. Last year, a major focus in congressional hearings led by the GOP wasn’t waste or fraud—it was about Social Security being too aggressive in clawing back accidental benefit overpayments.”
Here’s the truth: Social Security is the foundation of retirement security for most American seniors, and the damage, especially to women, is likely to be severe. Women account for more than half (56 percent) of the total beneficiary population aged 65 or older; they are the vast majority (78 percent) of widowed retirees. About 13 percent of widowed women are in poverty compared with 7 percent of widowers based on the latest figures available.
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Ms. Magazine’s Spring 2025 Sneak Peek: ‘If It Can Happen Here…’ [[link removed]] South Carolina Wants to Block Medicaid Patients From Planned Parenthood. Will SCOTUS Let It? [[link removed]]
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When Women Lose Medicaid, We All Pay the Price [[link removed]] ERA Congressional Resolution Introduced on Equal Pay Day [[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:
* "Social Security website keeps crashing, as DOGE demands cuts to IT staff" — The Washington Post [[link removed]]
* "Why Elon Musk and JD Vance Are Obsessed With You Having More Babies” — Mother Jones [[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]] .
As we reckon with an administration hostile to equal rights, feminists will continue to fight. To help keep hope, we must remember and celebrate recent wins.
One of those wins is the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which took effect on June 27, 2023. This is a landmark piece of legislation that prohibits discrimination and ensures workplace accommodations related to pregnancy for workers. But is the PWFA safe, or will it be threatened by the Trump administration’s crusade against reproductive rights and justice?
We hope you'll listen, subscribe, rate and review today!
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