[[link removed]] Weekly Digest
Weekly Digest
Letter from an Editor | April 12, 2025
Dear John,
The resistance’s momentum is building. Last Saturday’s “Hands Off” demonstrations saw hundreds of thousands of protestors gather at over 1,200 individual events across all 50 states and even internationally, with protests overseas from London to Lisbon. I know many members of the Ms . community—readers, contributors, and editors alike—were among those crowds. We were there to make sure our voices were heard.
Meanwhile, Republicans in the House and Senate have agreed on a budget blueprint that includes trillions of dollars of tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy, even as it attempts to hide the extension of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for corporations and billionaires, totaling trillions more. Where will they get the money to pay for all these tax giveaways? It will surely come out of Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security, along with other programs that impact women and low income families the most.
Consider this: half of women age 65 and older rely on Social Security for most of their income. Without Social Security, 58 percent of women over the age of 75 would fall below the poverty line. One in five Americans rely on Medicaid for their health insurance. And Medicaid pays for some 41 percent of all children born in the U.S. (Cuts to Medicaid will only exacerbate the maternal health crisis, which we’re keeping in mind as we observe Black Maternal Health Week this week.)
And this week the House also passed the SAVE Act, which if signed into law will put in place new voter registration requirements that have the potential to bar millions of married women who changed their names from voting. The proposed law requires that anyone registering to vote or updating their registration present proof of citizenship: a birth certificate or a U.S. passport are the most common.
“[The SAVE Act] will be devastating for as many as 69 million women voters who changed their name after marriage because their birth certificate would not match their current legal name,” said Democratic Women’s Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), and Vice Chairs Hillary Scholten (MI-03) and Emilia Sykes (OH-13) in a statement. “Passports cost more than $130, and the nearest office to get one is often hours away. This is too expensive and out of reach for millions of working women and moms.” (Looks like a poll tax, if I’ve ever seen one!) Now, it’s up to Senators who believe in voting rights to block it.
Meanwhile, in North Carolina, Republicans continue in their efforts to overturn the election of Judge Allison Riggs to the state Supreme Court, which Riggs won by 734 votes last November, verified with a statewide recount. Late Friday, the North Carolina Supreme Court issued a mixed ruling partially against Judge Jefferson Griffin's lawsuit to throw out 65,000 ballots, but left open the question of whether thousands could still be discarded. “It is no small thing to overturn the results of an election in a democracy by throwing out ballots that were legally cast consistent with all election laws in effect on the day of the election,” wrote Justice Anita Earles in her dissenting opinion. “Some would call it stealing the election, others might call it a bloodless coup, but by whatever name, no amount of smoke and mirrors makes it legitimate.”
Finally, a story that hits close to home: just a few short miles away from Ms .’s Los Angeles offices, antiabortion extremists ran a successful campaign to block an all-term clinic from opening its doors. How did they succeed in an “abortion sanctuary” state like California? Find out in our Spring issue cover story—if you’re not already a subscriber, you can sign up now [[link removed]] and receive a limited time discount and get a year of the magazine for just $20.
It is my hope that Saturday’s demonstrations were just the start. This moment’s momentum is something to take advantage of—because far too much is at stake.
For equality,
[[link removed]]
Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor
P.S. — This past Thursday marked the 95th birthday of a very special feminist legend—Dolores Huerta! Want to wish Dolores a happy birthday? Send your birthday message to [email protected] [[email protected]] —we’ll pass it along to her (and we might even print it in the magazine!)
This Week's Must-Reads from Ms.
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Under 50? The Trump-Musk-DOGE Attack on Social Security Is Coming for You Too. [[link removed]] Trump’s War on Older Women [[link removed]]
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North Carolina Is Asking People to Vote According to Rules the State Hasn’t Set [[link removed]] The SAVE Act’s Impact on Women Voters Isn’t a Coincidence. It’s Voter Suppression. [[link removed]]
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Advocates Beat 91 Percent of Last Year’s Anti-LGBTQ Bills. How? [[link removed]] Boys Will Be Boys, But Women Are Too Emotional for the Supreme Court [[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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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 over 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 [[link removed]] . We are grateful for your loyalty and ferocity .
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