A lot of us didn’t realize how instructional Tangled could be.
Today…
is National Chips & Dip Day. So, you know, if you’ve been holding out…
was the birthday of Joan Crawford (1905), and a screening of The Women is in order. Maybe I’ll figure out how to do a watch party later today.
as I mentioned on Friday, is the beginning of World Doula Week and the first day of LGBT Health Awareness Week.
marks the 10th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. Won’t be news to most of of you, but this chart sets my hair on fire. The percentage of uninsured plummeted under the ACA. (Lowest ever? Lowest since we’ve been tracking? Ah, but for a lady lawyer to fact check me.) And yet ten years on, it’s no more secure than it was.
Tell the people!
Abortion
Abortion Clinics Are Staying Open During The Coronavirus Outbreak. Here’s Why.
Ema O'Connor | BuzzFeed News
One Planned Parenthood affiliate said it's actually seeing an uptick in patients showing up for appointments as people grow concerned about their health insurance and access in the future.
These House Democrats oppose abortion rights; not all of them may keep their seats after 2020
Simone Pathe | CNN
Illinois Rep. Dan Lipinski's primary loss earlier this week may soon mean there's less than a handful of Democrats left in the House who sometimes vote against abortion rights. And it's not a sure bet all of them will survive the November elections, raising the possibility that the Democratic caucus could soon be almost exclusively pro abortion rights.
Anti-Abortion Politics Blocks Research On COVID-19 Vaccine
Lisa Needham | National Memo
Donald Trump is angling for a cure to the coronavirus outbreak, but thanks to his hardline anti-abortion stance, he’s not interested enough to allow government researchers to use fetal tissue to help fight the virus. Fetal tissue is obtained with the consent of people who have abortions, making it a frequent target of anti-abortion politicians.
This headline, though. Is it? Is it “causing difficulties?”
Abortion fund providers say global pandemic causing difficulties
Susan Dunlap | NM Political Report
New Mexico abortion fund providers are already seeing impacts as the public health emergency and financial crisis worsens during the COVID-19 global pandemic, according to advocates. A group of abortion fund providers in New Mexico issued a statement Friday to remind elected leaders and others that reproductive healthcare, including abortion, is not elective medicine.
Abortion in Ohio will continue, despite Attorney General order to stop
Kate Smith | CBS News
Clinics that provide abortion services in Ohio will continue to provide the procedure, despite an order from the state's AG’s office ordering them to stop. In Ohio — a state that has been on the forefront of abortion restrictions and regulations — a debate has emerged over whether the procedure is "essential" and allowed to continue during a government clampdown on medical services because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Columbus Dispatch: Capitol Insider: Ohio abortion clinics ordered closed by Yost under health director’s order
CNN: Ohio orders abortion clinics to stop 'nonessential abortions' because of coronavirus
The Cut: Ohio Officials Are Using Coronavirus to Limit Abortion Access
HuffPost: Ohio Is Trying To Use The Coronavirus Crisis To Stop Abortions
Jezebel: Ohio's Asshole Attorney General Orders Stop to Abortions Because of Coronavirus
The Mary Sue: Ohio Is Attempting to Use COVID-19 to Block Abortion Access
NPR: In Ohio, A Debate About Whether Abortion Counts As An "Essential Service"
Slate: Ohio Orders Halt to “Nonessential” Abortions in Preview of Battle That Could Go National
Vox: Ohio’s attorney general told providers to stop abortions during the coronavirus pandemic
Washington Post: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost orders clinics to halt ‘non-essential’ surgical abortions due to coronavirus
LGBTQ
Coronavirus can’t stop drag queen story time. It’s going virtual now.
Bil Browning | LGBTQ Nation
While Christian conservatives have already started blaming LGBTQ people and the “sin” of marriage equality for the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus, one pundit linked to a recognized hate group went so far as to proclaim the virus “good” because drag queen story hour events can’t be held at public libraries while they’re closed. Former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Nina West apparently didn’t get the memo, because she’s started holding virtual story hours for kids on Instagram Live.
Red Cross is asking for blood donations amid coronavirus. Because I'm gay, I'm excluded.
David Oliver | USA Today
Blood centers like the American Red Cross (and the government directly) are asking for blood donations from healthy people in an effort to stave off a shortage in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. But due to a discriminatory Food and Drug Administration statute, not all healthy people can donate. Men who have sex with men can only give blood if they abstain from having sex for a year.
Forty-five years ago, two red states said “yes” on transgender rights
Katrina C. Rose | LGBTQ Nation
It's hard to imagine religious conservatives supporting transgender rights today, but a generation ago there wasn't even a commotion.
Texas judge sues for the right to refuse to marry gay couples
Alex Bollinger | LGBTQ Nation
A judge in Texas is suing a state commission because he wants to be able to refuse to marry same-sex couples. Jack County District Judge Brian Umphress sued all 13 of the members of Texas’s Commission on Judicial Conduct because they gave another judge an “official warning” for refusing to marry same-sex couples. Umphress argues that being forced to marry same-sex couples violates his First Amendment rights to free speech and freedom of religion.
Parenting & Caregiving
‘I Feel Like I Have Five Jobs’: Moms Navigate the Pandemic
Jessica Bennett | New York Times
Amid coronavirus fears, school closures and shelter-in-place mandates, many have added teacher, coach, germ police and round-the-clock caregiver to their résumés. These added duties are challenging for any parent. They are even harder for hourly wage workers without the option to stay home when schools are closed. But many moms face an added stressor: They remain the chief operating officers of their households, even when they have full-time jobs.
Pregnancy & Maternal Health
I'm nine months pregnant, and I'm bringing my baby into a world I no longer understand. I have to remain hopeful anyway.
Amy Littlefield | Insider
Amy Littefield is pregnant with her first child, and she's due on April 5. As the world grapples with uncertainty and panic amid the coronavirus pandemic, Littlefield and her partner have been forced to give up their carefully thought out pre- and post-natal plans. The situation is changing every day, and now they will be bringing their baby into a world they no longer understand.
When It Comes to Coronavirus and Pregnancy, “We Just Don’t Know a Whole Lot Yet”
Jordan Smith | The Intercept
As the new coronavirus spreads across the country, the CDC has put out “interim considerations” for preventing infection in inpatient obstetric settings. Yet little is known about how the virus impacts pregnancy.
Pregnant women, worried about hospitals amid coronavirus, are turning to home births as an alternative
Samantha Schmidt | Washington Post
As pregnant women across the country wrestle with anxieties about the potential impact of the pandemic, midwifery practices are reporting a significant uptick in requests for alternatives to deliveries in hospitals. About 1% of all births in the country take place at home, and about 9% are delivered by certified nurse midwives, according to the CDC. But the option of delivering at home or in a birth center has suddenly become a comforting alternative for scores of pregnant women who are worried about the spread of the virus in hospitals.
Reproductive Health & Justice
Our Bodies, Our Hell: How Modern American Sexism Weaponizes Women’s Bodies
Ashley Jordan | Ms. Magazine
It is no secret that American culture is misogynistic—but the central role women’s bodies play in maintaining the sexist status quo is too often overlooked and understated. We examine issues like revenge porn, reproductive justice, sexual violence, gendered dress codes and heightened standards of female beauty in isolation—without paying adequate attention to the cacophony of chauvinistic clamor they collectively create in the lives of modern American women and girls.
Workplace Equality
The Coronavirus Outbreak Is A Disaster For Women’s Sports
Molly Hensley-Clancy | BuzzFeed News
In major men’s leagues, the concerns around the shutdown have largely been for support staff and stadium workers. But with paychecks that are often a thin slice of men’s, and far fewer sponsorships, some women’s professional athletes are worried about their own financial futures — and for some, even the future of their sport.
Hey, U.S. Sports – Your Misogyny is Showing.
Susan Shaw | Ms. Magazine
The U.S. Soccer Federation thinks men are superior players, and so members of the U.S. women’s national team should not earn as much as their counterparts. At least, that’s what the Federation’s lawyers argued as the women have filed for relief under the Equal Pay Act—Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.