Letter from an Editor | December 11, 2021


Dear John,

A disaster.

That was my first reaction when I heard the news early Friday morning about the Supreme Court’s ruling on two emergency appeals to block enforcement of the Texas law S.B. 8 banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

As Ms . contributing editor Carrie Baker writes in her analysis of the ruling, the “Supreme Court refused to block a clearly unconstitutional abortion ban …” She explains that the Court’s ruling “substantially narrows options to challenge the law in federal court, and there is no fast option for a Texas Supreme Court ruling in state court.”

This is not only a disaster for women and girls in Texas, but has potentially far-reaching implications beyond the state and beyond abortion access. “The Supreme Court has again turned its back on the Constitution … The impact of this betrayal will stretch far beyond Texas, where lawmakers are already introducing copycat [bills] …” warned Julia Kaye, of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. “But make no mistake: Today it’s abortion rights that have been targeted; tomorrow it could be any other freedom people hold dear.”

The Court’s failure is especially concerning in the face of an increasingly imperiled Roe . This week, we continued to reflect on last week’s hearings in Dobbs v. Jackson , the case that could lead to an outright repeal — or at least a further gutting — of Roe v. Wade .

This is not to mention the fact that, as Ms. contributor and “On the Issues” host Dr. Michele Goodwin pointed out in the New York Times, Mississippi’s ban does not include exceptions for cases of rape or incest. She writes of her own experience with abortion following rape by her father. “No child should be pressured or expected to carry a pregnancy and give birth or to feel remorse, guilt, doubt or unease about an abortion under any circumstances, let alone rape or incest.”

As we face down this latest battle in the war to save Roe , we’ll continue to keep you informed with feminist reporting and analysis – and strategies for moving forward. More than ever, we at Ms . are not giving up – and neither should you.

Fight on with us.

For equality,


Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor

P.S. — As the year winds down, we’re already gearing up for the next one. 2022 will be a pivotal year — not just in terms of abortion rights, but with the midterm elections, ERA, voting rights and more. With so much at stake, make sure you don’t miss a single issue or court decision — join our global community of feminists [[link removed]] .

This Week's Must-Reads from Ms .

Supreme Court Refuses to Block Texas Abortion Ban—Leaving Only Slow, Arduous and Uncertain Pathways to Ending the Ban [[link removed]]

The Supreme Court’s Vision of Equality Likely Means the End of Abortion Rights—But It Could Mean Much More [[link removed]]

Overturning Roe Will Threaten the Lives of Those Who Depend on Abortion Care the Most: People of Color [[link removed]]

The Real Reason Childcare Doesn’t Work? It Isn’t What You Think. [[link removed]]

How the Big Business of Divorce Benefits Men [[link removed]]

“The Traumas of Irwin Continue to Haunt Me”: Non-Consensual Surgery Survivor Seeks Restitution, Calls to Shut Down Detention Centers [[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 the December oral arguments date for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case fast approaches, all eyes are on the Supreme Court. But we’re wondering — what’s happening at the on the ground, at clinics that provide abortions and reproductive health services where persistent, even daily violence against patients and providers goes overlooked and under-addressed?
We hope you'll listen, subscribe, rate and review today!
[link removed] [[link removed]]



Ms. Magazine
1600 Wilson Boulevard
Suite 801
Arlington, VA 22209
United States

If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe: [link removed] .