[[link removed]] Weekly Digest
Weekly Digest
Letter from an Editor | August 23, 2025
Dear John,
Trump has pursued his campaign promise to “defund Planned Parenthood” across all branches of government. He’s changed the Title X funding rules to prohibit programs providing abortion referrals from eligibility, and awarded funds from the program to antiabortion crisis pregnancy centers. And a recent Supreme Court ruling allows Planned Parenthood to be excluded from receiving Medicaid reimbursements in South Carolina, a decision that could potentially lead to the shuttering of hundreds of clinics if other states follow South Carolina’s lead. Working in tandem, these moves signal a grim commitment to depriving thousands of low-income women the healthcare they need to survive.
Fortunately, not everything is proceeding as planned. This week, the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration’s request to enforce the Medicaid “defund” provision included in the Republican budget and tax law, while the government's appeal proceeds; the appeal came in response to Planned Parenthood's win of a preliminary injunction to stop the law from taking effect. This means Planned Parenthood health centers can continue to seek Medicaid reimbursements for now, ensuring millions of patients are still able to access critical care. The fight is far from over—but these victories do matter.
This coming Tuesday, we will celebrate Women’s Equality Day—which this year marks 104 years since the 19th Amendment was certified, finally recognizing women’s constitutional right to vote.
It’s a day that is all the more poignant this year, when so many of our rights are under attack—including the very right that this day celebrates. The SAVE act, which passed the House earlier this year, would create new and deliberate barriers for rural communities, senior citizens and women everywhere, by forcing a new in-person registration requirement. And stricter proof of citizenship laws included in the bill will result in married women whose names on their ID documents don’t match their birth certificates being denied a new voter registration or change of address.
This isn’t an agenda they’re trying to hide from us—it’s out in the open. Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reposted a video in which a evangelical pastor argued in favor of repealing the 19th Amendment.
They don’t want us to vote—because they know that when we do vote, we don’t vote for them.
Finally, we are continuing to follow the case of the $10 million in USAID contraceptives that are being held in a warehouse in Belgium, slated to be incinerated. You can still call or email your senators and representatives to demand they urge the State Department to release the contraceptives for their intended distribution to women in war zones, refugee camps and other places where reliable healthcare is scarce. Click here [[link removed]] to find out how you can call or email. It takes less than a minute to add your voice.
Now is the time to make them nervous. Make them worry about the midterms. Make them know that we don’t back down—whether we’re fighting for women to have the reproductive choices they deserve, or the right to vote.
For equality,
[[link removed]]
Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor
P.S. — If you are looking for some levity in the midst of an otherwise bleak news week, I'd encourage you to check out contributing editor Carrie Baker's piece on the abortion pill awareness campaign currently targeting rural gas stations in West Virginia, Kentucky and Texas, among other locations in states with abortion bans—reminding countless people that abortion pills are available by telehealth no matter where you live.
This Week's Must-Reads from Ms.
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Trump’s Republican Trifecta Sets Up Massive Transfer of Tax Dollars from Reproductive Health Clinics to Unregulated Crisis Pregnancy Clinics [[link removed]] Hegseth’s Tacit Endorsement of Disenfranchising Women Should Alarm Every American [[link removed]]
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Billboards, Trucks, Gas Pumps, Newspapers and Even a Boat: Mayday Health Advertises How to Access Abortion Pills Across the South and Midwest [[link removed]] Why Is the U.S. Paying to Burn Birth Control? [[link removed]]
[link removed] [[link removed]] Listen to the latest podcast from Ms. Studios! The latest episode of Looking Back, Moving Forward is out now on Apple Podcasts [[link removed]] + Spotify [[link removed]] .
This episode traces 50-plus years of feminist writing and advocacy focused on naming, confronting, and preventing sexual harassment, rape culture and intimate partner violence—and the urgency of acknowledging the violence of patriarchy, white supremacy and other social forces in our everyday lives and building a future without fear.
We hope you'll listen, subscribe, rate and review today!
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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