Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell came together in Washington, D.C., united in demanding truth, accountability, and the release of long-hidden federal files. The post PHOTO ESSAY: Epstein Survivors Confront Congress, Demand Transparency appeared first on Ms. Magazine.| Ms. Magazine
Over Labor Day weekend, Texas quietly rolled out yet another measure to restrict reproductive freedom. Senate Bill 33, which took effect Monday, bans municipal funding for abortion support—stripping cities like Austin and San Antonio of the ability to allocate local dollars to abortion funds, even for residents forced to travel out of state for care. The law denies “millions of Texans the opportunity” for their communities to support safe, legal abortion access, according to Jane’s Du...| Ms. Magazine
For decades, antiabortion crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) have preyed on vulnerable women, planting themselves next to abortion clinics to misdirect and confuse women seeking abortion care. Now, as telehealth abortion is becoming a more common way to access abortion care—accounting for one in four abortions in 2024—the CPC industry is moving to sabotage this vital option, especially for women living in states with abortion bans and restrictions. The two-billion-dollar CPC industry i...| Ms. Magazine
The U.S. ranks as the 19th most dangerous country for women, 11th in maternal mortality, 30th in closing the gender pay gap, 75th in women’s political representation, and painfully lacks paid family leave and equal access to health care. But Ms. has always understood: Feminist movements around the world hold answers to some of the U.S.’s most intractable problems. Ms. Global is taking note of feminists worldwide. This week: News from Gaza, Thailand, Canada, and more. The post Ms. Global: ...| Ms. Magazine
Care workers were deemed 'essential' during COVID-19. The Trump Department of Labor wants to strip away their most basic wage protections.| Ms. Magazine
The campaign against trans athletes is less about fairness in sports than about weaponizing hate against women.| Ms. Magazine
‘We Have to Be Relentless’: Why #MeToo Champion Debra Katz is Confident That ‘There Will Be Wins’ for Survivors in the Days Ahead| Ms. Magazine
Trump distracts with stunts while pushing a dangerous agenda: election rigging in Texas, abortion restrictions, and cuts to SNAP and Medicaid.| Ms. Magazine
The Trump administration would rather burn contraceptives than help women and girls in developing nations.| Ms. Magazine
Author and longtime Elle magazine advice columnist E. Jean Carroll said Trump sexually assaulted her in Bergdorf, New York City, mid 1990s| Ms. Magazine
Fifty Years After War, Southeast Asian Communities Face a New Kind of Violence. Gender and Queer Justice Must Be at the Heart of This Moment.| Ms. Magazine
“Sex work is work,” is an oft-repeated refrain. But who is behind the megaphone? And who is paying the price? For most women and girls, especially from the Global South (and poor, racialized and displaced women everywhere), the notion that prostitution is freely chosen collapses under scrutiny. More often than not, entering the sex trade is not a choice, but an act of survival under patriarchal and capitalist constraints. So, who is sex work legalization really for? And what would it ...| Ms. Magazine
Despite many states imposing sweeping abortion bans after Dobbs, more Americans are having abortions, not fewer.“Abortion bans haven’t stopped people from seeking care,” said Alison Norris, M.D., Ph.D., #WeCount co-chair.| Ms. Magazine
Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, a 13-year-old grassroots organization that advocates for common-sense gun safety laws, knows what it means to take personal and political risks. Her second book, Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, is part memoir and part inspirational self-help tract. Her goal? To encourage women “to live a life on fire.' 'Too often, as women, we are complicit in our own oppression. We need to ask ourselves the same question...| Ms. Magazine
By upholding a South Carolina order that strips Medicaid funding from abortion providers, the Supreme Court abandoned both patient choice and the original civil rights vision behind Medicaid.Medicaid funding is crucial for low-income Americans—it's the vital thread that connects them with healthcare in a society where universal healthcare does not exist.| Ms. Magazine
Monday, June 23, marks the 53rd anniversary of Title IX, the 37 words that changed everything for girls and women in the United States. A year after Title IX became law, another historic moment unfolded, not in Congress, but on a tennis court in the Houston Astrodome. On Sept. 20, 1973, Billie Jean King faced off against Bobby Riggs in what was billed as the “Battle of the Sexes.” Title IX was a beginning, not an end. On its 53rd anniversary, let’s recommit to finishing the fight for e...| Ms. Magazine
In 2022, the Supreme Court undid a constitutional right for the first time by declaring that the U.S. Constitution does not confer a right to abortion in the landmark decision Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. In a decision this week called U.S. v. Skrmetti, they’ve taken the next step, extending the logic of Dobbs and destabilizing much of the law on sex discrimination. The majority in Skrmetti was careful to cite case law on sex discrimination and suggest that the law at i...| Ms. Magazine
Autumn Breon is using performance and mixed media art to both celebrate Black women's achievements and honor their struggles. Her latest performance, Dignity Denied, shines a light on the case of Adriana Smith.'I wanted to show what lack of autonomy, what surveillance looks like, and durational performance felt like the best way to highlight her situation.''You might have a six-week abortion ban. You might have whatever other oppressive policies in place. We have always found ways to aid and ...| Ms. Magazine
As Israel’s military campaign escalates and air raid sirens sound over Tehran, prisoners like by Reza Khandan, husband of renowned human rights attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh, are sounding an alarm of their own. Citing existing Iranian legal codes, they make an urgent, clear-eyed case for the immediate release of non-violent inmates—many of whom are political prisoners or behind bars for peaceful dissent. With bombs falling nearby, and prison facilities ill-equipped to safeguard detainees, thei...| Ms. Magazine
As Juneteenth approaches, we are called to remember not just the day when the last enslaved Black Americans learned of their freedom, but the ongoing struggle for true justice and equality in this country.In this context, Donald Trump’s economic and immigration policies—packaged as efforts to “Make America Great Again'—take on a more troubling meaning. They are not just policy proposals; they are part of a deliberate strategy to reinforce racial divides, undermining the very ideals th...| Ms. Magazine
As threats to free speech continue to escalate under the Trump administration, we must do our part to defend First Amendment rights for all.In an illuminating new 10-episode series, Speaking Freely: A First Amendment Podcast, Stephen Rohde, who has litigated and written about freedom of expression for decades, explores some of the most controversial free speech and free press cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court—looking at hot-button issues like hate speech, defamation, incitement, socia...| Ms. Magazine
In a post-Roe America, where reproductive freedom depends not just on where you live but who your prosecutor is, New Orleans District Attorney represents a growing number of local officials refusing to criminalize care. His goal: to protect bodily autonomy and keep women out of prison. As one of the few progressive prosecutors in the Deep South, Williams operates under intense pressure—from conservative lawmakers, a hostile state government and a legal landscape increasingly tilted against ...| Ms. Magazine
On June 2, a new play, One Body: Dispatches from Idaho, brought the harrowing reality of Idaho’s abortion ban to the New York City stage. Performed at Theater 555 in midtown Manhattan, the one-woman show explores the devastating consequences of Idaho’s extreme abortion ban, drawing on over 30 interviews with women, doctors, lawmakers and activists. “With One Body, we’re not just telling stories; we’re building infrastructure for change,” said Jen Jackson Quintano, an abortion acti...| Ms. Magazine
Mom Abby Blum tells why she was forced her to end her much-wanted pregnancy. She warns that an unexpected tragic event can happen to any woman—even if they think they'll never need an abortion. 'It felt like an impossible choice, but I decided to go ahead and have the abortion to end my pregnancy so I could start the treatment I needed to save my life. ... For me, the abortion was a medical necessity. And, in hindsight, I realize that in the post-Roe v. Wade era, I was lucky to be in a stat...| Ms. Magazine
This weekend, while Trump paraded tanks through D.C. in a $45 million display of ego, tens of thousands of peaceful protesters flooded streets across the country to say: No more kings. In cities like Los Angeles, we saw communities come together to defend their neighbors from the cruel realities of immigration raids, family separation and attacks on basic healthcare. The protests made one thing clear—especially among women, who overwhelmingly disapprove of Trump’s actions: We reject this ...| Ms. Magazine
In a year full of losses for reproductive rights, last month brought some good news out of Michigan: On May 13, a Michigan court sided with the Northland Family Planning Centers clinic, which sued the state, arguing that Michigan’s abortion restrictions made it unnecessarily cumbersome for patients to access care. The Michigan Court of Claims struck down three major abortion restrictions in May’s decision… but left a fourth requirement forcing abortion providers to screen patients for a...| Ms. Magazine
Thousands of No Kings protests swept across the United States on Saturday, June 14. The protests intentionally coincided with a lavish, Trump-ordered U.S. Army 250th anniversary parade, Flag Day and the president’s 79th birthday. From big cities, to small rural towns, representing every corner of the country, between 4 and 6 million people in more than 2,000 locations attended No Kings protests across the country, making it one of the largest national protests in U.S. history. 'Today what I...| Ms. Magazine
While dressed in modern garb, today’s distrust of accusers who delay reporting is hardly new. For most of our history, a “prompt outcry” rule was baked into our law, as explained in my book on accuser credibility. The rule rested on an abiding suspicion of accusers, equating delayed reporting with falsehood and allowing only rape allegations reported soon after the incident to proceed.| Ms. Magazine
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), would impose strict in-person documentation requirements for voter registration, effectively dismantling vote-by-mail, online registration and voter registration drives. These changes would disproportionately disenfranchise historically marginalized communities, including people of color, low-income individuals and women, while being based on debunked claims of non-citizen voting. Critics argue that th...| Ms. Magazine
Reproductive rights are now enshrined in the state Constitution, but Missouri’s main abortion provider is fighting legal hurdles to resume offering the procedure. Meanwhile, antiabortion lawmakers strategize to prevent a return of abortion services.| Ms. Magazine
The legal landscape of surrogacy remains a complex patchwork across nations, with some countries embracing it while others maintain strict prohibitions. This inconsistency in regulations has created gray areas. Scientific research highlights the possibility of abuse arising from gaps in legal frameworks and disputes, whether surrogacy is legal or not. It points to unethical practices such as trafficking of women, coercion of both surrogates and prospective parents by agencies, lack of respect...| Ms. Magazine
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) ordered federal agencies to take down all public information on its websites and social media accounts that “inculcate or promote gender ideology.” When the initial deadline arrived—Friday, Jan. 31, at 5 p.m. ET—multiple web entries and databases, including many dedicated to public health, went dark. At the same time, there is a herculean and whirlwind effort on the part of researchers, journalists and advocates to preserve and republish missin...| Ms. Magazine
After the Supreme Court’s unprecedented 2022 decision to revoke a constitutional right, abortion changed the course of elections for two years running. As the nation approaches the first presidential election of the post-Roe era, Democrats—who are fielding a woman presidential candidate who champions abortion rights—are banking on the issue to bolster them again.Many public polls predict it won’t. But are these polls right? Not so much, say numerous polling experts.(This article origi...| Ms. Magazine
If implemented, Project 2025 would be devastating for women, families and feminists everywhere. Voters—particularly women voters—need to understand these threats.But while Project 2025’s abortion and LGBTQ+ rights plans have rightfully garnered outrage, there’s another, lesser-known threat to women, families and communities buried within these pages: a radical “guns everywhere” agenda.| Ms. Magazine
Come November, Colorado voters will have the opportunity to prove their support for abortion rights in the Centennial State. In May, Coloradans for Reproductive Freedom gathered more than the 125,000 valid petition signatures needed to place Initiative 89 on the 2024 general election ballot. The measure reads as follows:“The right to abortion is hereby recognized. Government shall not deny, impede, or discriminate against the exercise of that right, including prohibiting health insurance c...| Ms. Magazine
On Sept. 27, 2018, Christine Blasey Ford testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in 1982. In a beautifully-written and| Ms. Magazine
The Justice Department went to the U.S. Supreme Court this week in defense of the Biden administration’s new Title IX sex discrimination rule that includes transgender protections—arguing strongly that the| Ms. Magazine
This year marks the 52nd anniversary of Title IX, a landmark civil rights law that has transformed the landscape of U.S. education. The Biden-Harris administration's new Title IX regulations, set| Ms. Magazine
In February, Texas attorney Mason Herring pleaded guilty to slipping abortion-inducing pills into his wife Catherine Herring's drink without her knowledge or consent. She subsequently gave birth to a baby 10 weeks premature with significant developmental delays. Catherine Herring’s brother, Thomas Pressly, a Republican state senator from Louisiana, drafted a bill in collaboration with Louisiana Right to Life which creates the new crime of “coerced abortion by means of fraud.” Although ...| Ms. Magazine
At 9:05 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020, a group of anti-abortion extremists from at least six states forced their way into the Washington Surgi-Clinic, a facility that provides abortion care in Washington, D.C. This article reveals, for the first time, how a violent clinic invasion was planned and executed. It is based on testimony by Davis, forensic analysis by FBI agents of the defendants’ social media and cell phone records, footage obtained from the clinic’s security cameras and resp...| Ms. Magazine