All roads lead to Roe
Today…
is National Library Workers Day. Thank you God for all the library workers keeping Libby up and running, especially now.
is National Tea Day. A quick, semi-related story.
Handful of years ago, a friend/colleague passed out at a work event. Just after breakfast, we’re walking to the bathroom and boom, out cold on the ground. Oh! Oh no! Paramedics are called, she comes to, we help her to a chair. (She had some long-standing health issues. She’s cool as can be. The rest of us are not.) So as we’re waiting, I do what I do.
Me: Can I get you a juice?
Her: No, thanks. I’m good.
Me: Maybe a little muffin? Could it be your sugar?
Her: I don’t think it is.
Me: …cup of tea?
Her: Oh my God. Didn’t we just. eat?
Me: Yeah. So listen, if I get you a glass of water, will you just hold it? For me? All I know how to do is feed you.
In lieu of a muffin or cup of tea, I’ll happily accept new subscribers…
Abortion
How Abortion, Guns and Church Closings Made Coronavirus a Culture War
Jeremy Peters | New York Times
Guns, abortion, voting rights and religious expression — concerns that would seem to have little to do with a virus that has sickened millions of Americans and killed more than 37,000 — have emerged as fault lines in the debate over how government is responding to the crisis.
How the Trump Administration Could Use COVID-19 to Defund Planned Parenthood
Imani Gandy | Rewire.News
Anti-choice activists are pushing bad faith arguments to get the Trump administration to exclude Planned Parenthood from Medicaid. When anti-choicers demand that Planned Parenthood be excluded from Medicaid reimbursement, they are advocating stripping healthcare from vulnerable and often poor people who rely on Planned Parenthood for preventive care—services that have nothing to do with abortion.
"My Body, My Choice" Doesn't Apply to Coronavirus
Susan Rinkunas | VICE
Choosing not to wear a mask or not to stay home is extremely unlike the choice to have abortion—"my body, my choice" can neither be applied to vaccinations or emergency orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Abortion is entirely a personal decision that—and this is key—doesn't affect the health of your neighbor, or your grocery store clerk, or your bus driver. Abortion is not a public health issue, while measles and coronavirus absolutely are. Your body, in other words, is a disease vector.
Pulling back the curtain on the not-all-that-pro-life movement
Jennifer Rubin | Washington Post
Frankly, in the era of Trump, the anti-abortion movement — which overlaps considerably with conservative evangelicals — have lost the moral high ground on “character” and much more.
If you’re not a regular court watcher, you might have missed these. An important case for justice reform generally, but huge implications for June Medical and other cases we’re watching. Two words: stare decisis.
The Supreme Court’s Decision Striking Down Split Jury Verdicts Is Weirder Than It Looks
Mark Joseph Stern | Slate
The justices used Ramos to shadowbox over long-running debates, including abortion, giving every court watcher some tea leaves to obsess over. In doing so, they proved once again that the Supreme Court has never been more divided—and that these simmering debates will soon rupture into full public view.
Bloomberg: Supreme Court Requires Unanimous Verdicts, Spars Over Precedent
New York Times: Supreme Court Bans Non-Unanimous Jury Verdicts for Serious Crimes
NPR: Supreme Court Guarantees Right To Unanimous Verdict In Serious Criminal Trials
Reuters: U.S. Supreme Court requires unanimous jury verdicts for serious crimes
Washington Post: Supreme Court says state juries must be unanimous to convict for serious crimes
Colorado
Pregnancy center loses website battle with abortion-rights activists calling it a “fake clinic”
Jennifer Brown | Colorado Sun
An anti-abortion counseling center in Greeley has lost a legal fight aimed at shutting down a website that accused the center of deceptive advertising and spreading misinformation about abortion and birth control.
Indiana
This is a national piece but flagging Indiana for obvious reasons.
Hospitals tiptoe toward restarting non-emergency surgery and procedures
Frances Stead Sellers, Amy Goldstein & Lenny Bernstein | Washington Post
On Monday, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) issued an executive order that said, among other things, that hospitals with adequate protective supplies and capacity should “conduct clinically indicated procedures.” The order said other facilities – including dental offices, plastic surgery centers and abortion clinics – will be reevaluated to determine whether they may reopen next week.
Louisiana
Gov. Edwards lifts ban on non-emergency medical procedures beginning April 27
Greg Hilburn | The Daily Advertiser
Gov. John Bel Edwards is lifting many restrictions on non-emergency medical procedures including abortions beginning April 27, he said Monday, the first rollback of his stay-at-home order since the coronavirus crisis began.
Michigan
Anti-abortion groups criticize Whitmer's comment abortion is 'life sustaining'
Beth LeBlanc | Detroit News
Michigan anti-abortion groups are criticizing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for defending her continuation of abortion procedures in Michigan amid the COVID-19 ban on elective surgeries as “life sustaining.”
Texas
Can Someone Please Tell These Texas Men That Abortion is Essential Healthcare
Esther Wang | Jezebel
On Monday, and after initially ruling a week earlier that medication abortions can continue during the pandemic, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed itself, declaring that the state’s Republican leaders can ban nearly all abortions in the state. As CBS News noted, it’s a ruling that “seems destined for the U.S. Supreme Court.”
AP: Panel: Texas can ban medical abortions to fight coronavirus
Austin American-Statesman: Appeals court: Abortions in Texas blocked during pandemic
CBS: Nearly all abortions in Texas must stop, again, federal appeals court rules
The Hill: Appeals court reinstates limits on medical abortions in Texas
Reuters: U.S. appeals court lets Texas curb medication abortions during pandemic
Texas Tribune: Federal appeals court says Texas can block pill-induced abortions during pandemic
Your Job Is Deemed Essential, But Your Abortion Is Not: Black Low-Wage Women In Texas Are Being Robbed Of Their Humanity
Marsha Jones & Alexis McGill Johnson | Essence
We Black women have always been deemed essential to this country, but only when everyone else’s survival relies upon it — never our own. … But what has never been seen as essential, not fully, in our country’s history, is Black women’s basic human rights, including the most basic right of all — to be the only ones with a say over what happens with our own bodies.
Texas Abortion Patients Arrive in Colorado Clinics 'Frustrated and Exhausted'
Lauren Young | Rewire.News
People are making the grueling drive from Texas to Colorado for abortion care after Gov. Greg Abbott (R) used the COVID-19 pandemic to suspend abortion rights.
LGBTQ
NYC LGBTQ Pride March canceled for first time in half-century
Tim Fitzsimons | NBC
The NYC Pride March has been canceled for the first time in its half-century history, along with all in-person events leading up to the annual June event, which draws millions of participants and revelers every year.
The Advocate: NYC Joins List of Canceled Prides
LGBTQ Nation: New York City Pride parade cancelled by mayor’s order
Out: NYC Pride Cancels In-Person Events, Will Go Virtual for 2020
Gilead Sciences will give up to $20 million to LGBTQ nonprofit grantees affected by COVID-19
John Riley | Metro Weekly
Biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences has announced it will offer up to $20 million to support LGBTQ nonprofits that may be experiencing financial hardship or facing imminent closure due to fallout from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Gilead could do nothing but save puppies and bake pies and I’d still… that name…
Despite the Coronavirus Pandemic, the Government Is Still Targeting L.G.B.T.Q. Rights
Jeffrey Toobin | The New Yorker
“Religious freedom” is an Administration-wide initiative, and there’s no doubt about the primary target: the L.G.B.T.Q. community. In not only the Justice Department but also in the Education and Labor Departments, the government is trying to make it easier to discriminate against gay people.
Cyndi Lauper, Troye Sivan and More to Appear in LGBTQ Livestream for COVID-19 Relief
Claire Shaffer | Rolling Stone
The Stonewall Gives Back Initiative, the official charity for the Stonewall Inn, has partnered with World of Wonder Productions for an upcoming livestream concert to support the LGBTQ nightlife industry affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
LGBTQ Youth Are Especially Vulnerable During Stay-at-Home Orders
David Johns | The Root
For black students who identify as or are even just perceived to be LGBTQ+, being stuck at home can mean being unable to escape spaces that are harmful mentally, physically and spiritually. Many students use their time outside of the home to explore how they express their gender and sexuality in ways that may not be possible at home. At school, they are free to develop a broader, more diverse support system and imagine entire other ways of being. But being suddenly forced to leave your community and isolate in unsafe and unsupportive environments can be detrimental.
Pregnancy & Parenting
‘Planning’ Your Pregnancy Has Never Been More of a Myth
Macaela Mackenzie | Glamour
The truth is, the path to having a baby is shaped heavily by factors completely out of our control. Egg freezing isn’t a fail-safe; IVF is not a silver bullet. “Planning” your pregnancy is less of a set-in-stone checklist and more a set of suggestions. And during a global pandemic? Best-laid fertility plans are going up in smoke—especially for women undergoing IVF.
Reproductive Justice
On 4/20, Feminist Conversations Shift to the War on Drugs
Fiona Pestana | Ms. Magazine
Intersectional feminism and the War on Drugs are two inherently-tied social movements, though perhaps not obvious at first glance.
'I'm not going to go there and die'
Laura Barron-Lopez | Politico
Basic tenets of communicating to the public during a pandemic — like articulating empathy and maintaining consistent messaging from government officials — have been ignored by the Trump administration during the coronavirus outbreak, dozens of public health professionals have told POLITICO in recent weeks. The effect of those missteps has been exacerbated in minority communities that were already distrustful due to long-running racial inequities in the health care system, they said.
Work & Money
How women are undervalued at the negotiation table, and how to change it
Detroit Legal News
While women are increasingly negotiating for wages at rates similar to men, gender discrimination and related biases continue to put them at a disadvantage and negatively impact their success at the bargaining table, according to a new report from Bentley University's Center for Women and Business. “Workplace Negotiations Gender, and Intersectionality” highlights relevant research and offers significant insight into wage and negotiating biases toward women, including women of color, women with disabilities and women of different ages.
Coronavirus Scapegoating: Employment Discrimination Against Asian Americans
Tom Spiggle | Forbes
In the 19th century, Irish immigrants in the United States were blamed for cholera outbreaks. In the early part of the 20th century, Italians were blamed for the spread of polio. And as we’re seeing with the coronavirus, the scapegoating continues. This time, it’s against Asian Americans. What happens if this takes place at work?
New York’s low-income residents falling through paid sick leave cracks: report
Denis Slattery | New York Daily News
Despite the coronavirus pandemic spurring state and federal legislation expanding paid leave, New York’s poorest residents are still in need of more protection, according to a new Robin Hood Foundation report. The report, written in conjunction with Columbia University, found that even with recent expansions to sick leave, loopholes force many workers “to make incredibly difficult decisions about whether to stay home … or to continue working.”