Dear John,
As the new session of Congress (finally!) begins, Republicans are wasting no time going after abortion and reproductive health care, apparently having forgotten the lessons of the most recent midterm elections.
House Republicans introduced two anti-abortion measures this week, using their newly-won razor-thin majority to secure passage. One measure was a resolution condemning violence against anti-abortion organizations including Crisis Pregnancy Centers (ignoring the real problem of a long and deadly history of anti-abortion extremists’ violence), while the other threatens criminal prosecution for health care providers who fail to give care to infants born alive after failed abortions. Not only is this an extremely rare occurrence, but existing laws already cover such circumstances. But that didn’t stop Republicans proposing an anti-abortion law by making up a problem that doesn’t exist.
Neither law will make it through the Senate. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) called the measures a “cruel response” to voters who overwhelmingly support abortion rights across the country, as this past November’s midterms proved. “And of course, we all know their end goal: a national ban on abortion,” she said in a statement.
By contrast, the Biden Administration moved to increase access to medication abortion (the abortion pill). On Jan. 3, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it would be creating a certification process to ensure that brick-and-mortar pharmacies can dispense abortion pills. That same day, the Justice Department issued an opinion stating that the U.S. Postal Service and other mail carriers can continue to deliver abortion pills (mifepristone and misoprostol), even into red states where abortion is banned, without fear of liability.
And more good news, the FDA has changed the labeling on emergency contraceptives including Plan B One-Step, to clarify that emergency contraceptives do not cause abortion, countering anti-abortion claims to the contrary.
Finally, in the “you can’t make this stuff up” category—this past Thursday, Republicans in the Missouri House of Representatives moved to tighten the dress code for women legislators, prohibiting women from having bare arms while in the chamber.
We’re living in a world where opponents of women’s equality seem to know no bounds. But you can count on Ms. to keep you informed and ready to fight back!
Onward,
