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By Bonnie Fuller | In this firsthand account, Molly (last name withheld for privacy), a 35-year-old Wisconsin abortion clinic escort, describes being shoved, spit on and routinely harassed while helping patients safely access abortion care. Yet despite years of intimidation, she remains committed to standing between patients and protesters, offering support, dignity and protection.

"I am there for the protesters to yell at so they don’t yell at the patients as much. There was something emotionally moving about being so integral in the situation, knowing that sometimes you were able to be the difference between somebody not being physically accosted, or being accosted, by protesters.”

“I’ve had people share their life stories with me—people in complex situations involving health issues or complicated family dynamics that led them to decide to have an abortion. It’s hard for them to imagine why somebody is yelling at them when the protesters don’t understand their life or know their story. … If I was ever lying in bed in the morning wondering if I should show up for my shift, the feeling that I needed to be there would come over me. I knew that protesters would be physically up on patients, and the physicality of it gave purpose to the work. I tried to focus on that, and it made me less scared.”

A note from Ms. editors: We want to hear from you for The Majority, a new campaign collecting stories about how reproductive freedom has enabled readers to build the lives they want and need. Poll after poll shows a majority of Americans support reproductive healthcare access. Yet public debate overlooks the lives shaped by abortion access, contraception, IVF, miscarriage care, maternal healthcare or comprehensive sex education—countless women who chose to pursue an education, have children, not have children, protect their health and chart their own future. Add your voice and complete the sentence: "Access to reproductive choices gave me the freedom to…." Together, these stories will help show not only why reproductive freedom remains a majority value, but also what it makes possible. 

(Click here to read more)

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By Julie C. Suk | A feminist pro-democracy agenda must include new lawmaking institutions that can ensure our democracy is more inclusive, more democratic, more representative, and more responsive to the needs of all the people who call America home.

The past decade has brought two major failures of existing institutions to establish the basic requirements of non-patriarchal democracy: Congress’ failure to add the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the U.S. Constitution and the Supreme Court’s failure to guard women’s constitutional right to control their reproductive lives. After calling out these outrages and trying to reverse them for years, it’s time for feminists to confront the deeper causes of these failures: the dysfunctional lawmaking institutions that were created by the Constitution over 200 years ago to govern the nation.

(This is part of a new miniseries FEMINIST 250: Democracy’s Feminist Future, a special Ms. series examining the next chapter of American democracy through a feminist lens. As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, the series explores how women and marginalized communities have shaped democratic progress, what lessons history offers for the challenges ahead, and how a more inclusive, representative and equitable democracy can be built for the next 250 years.)

(Click here to read more)

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By Giovanna DeStefanis | As conservative organizations are carefully curating messaging about femininity, marriage and traditional values, the data tells a different story: Feminism remains remarkably popular, especially among young women.

That reality stands in sharp contrast to the messaging on display at gatherings like Turning Point USA’s Young Women’s Leadership Summit, held earlier this month in San Antonio, Texas—part of a growing strategy among conservative organizers to attract young women through lifestyle content rather than traditional political organizing. The “pink pill pipeline” is a pathway that introduces conservative politics through wellness culture, dating advice and discussions about traditional gender roles. 

Yet while anti-feminist rhetoric has gained visibility online, research continues to show that young women remain one of the strongest constituencies for feminism. 

(Click here to read more)

Tune in for a new episode of Ms. magazine's podcast, On the Issues with Michele Goodwin, at MsMagazine.com, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

In this episode of On The Issues, we confront American democracy on fire. How did we get here and who lit the match? In a 6-3 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, the United States Supreme Court gutted a fundamental provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA), landmark legislation enacted by Congress at the height of the civil rights movement to eradicate entrenched patterns of voter suppression and promote equality at the ballot box. With key mandates in the VRA now eviscerated under the hand six justices on the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, what’s next? The Court has the lowest approval ratings since confidence in the court has been measured. Many Americans now wonder—can the Court be trusted?

The Supreme Court has emphasized that if women want reproductive freedom and don’t like abortion bans, they should go vote.  But what happens when the Court plays a strategic role in diluting voting power and making voting more difficult by stripping away protections?

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