Any given Friday
Today…
marks the League of Women Voters’ 100th anniversary. Well done, sisters suffragette.
is Library Lovers Day.
around the year 270 CE, a Roman priest was beheaded by order of Emperor Claudius the Cruel. Have some candy.
Speaking of suffragettes, tomorrow is Susan B. Anthony Day - the 200th anniversary of her birth. (I’m curious now why LWV didn’t found on her 100th birthday, a la NAACP, especially since it was only one day after.)
Equal Rights Amendment
U.S. House removes ERA ratification deadline, one obstacle to enactment
Patricia Sullivan, The Washington Post
The U.S. House of Representatives gave the Equal Rights Amendment a temporary new lease on life Thursday by voting to remove a 1982 deadline for ratification by the states. The vote on a resolution introduced by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) pushes the issue to the Senate, where Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have introduced a similar measure.
More from NPR, Reuters, New York Times, Politico and everywhere else.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Didn’t Kill The ERA; These Girls Are Handling It
Emily Friedlander Peck, HuffPost
There’s a new generation fighting for an old cause: Young women descended on the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Wednesday looking to rally support for the Equal Rights Amendment, which would finally codify women’s rights in the Constitution. “I’m missing a math quiz today,” said Belan Yeshigeta, a 16-year-old student from Arlington, Virginia, who called in sick to come to Washington on a school day.
Ratification of ERA runs into opposition - not only from Trump administration, but also Justice Ginsburg
David Savage, Los Angeles Times
When Virginia last month became the 38th state to approve the Equal Rights Amendment, the constitutional process launched by Congress in 1972 appeared to finally have what it needed for ratification. It seemed fitting in 2020 to enshrine in the Constitution the principle of full equality for women on the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
Abortion
‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’ Is the Wacky New Anti-Abortion Tactic Taking Off Across America
Rachel Olding, Daily Beast
When Santa Rosa County’s Board of Commissioners met Thursday morning, items on the agenda included improving the drainage on Tibet Drive, upgrading the local boat ramp, and allocating money to buy new scoreboards at Chumuckla Park. Then, at the end of the meeting, came a far more controversial and divisive matter, one that is likely to have an impact beyond the Florida community of 150,000 people.
“Sanctuary Cities For The Unborn” Aren’t Enforceable. But Patients Don’t Know That.
Jo Yurcaba, Bustle
Anti-choice legislators have tried to curtail abortion access from every possible angle over the last decade. Some of the most common have been gestational limits for abortion, or laws that regulate abortion providers out of existence. Over the last year, opponents of abortion access have started to pass local ordinances banning abortion to create what they call "sanctuaries for the unborn."
What Happens When Abortion Providers Are Forced to Lie to Their Patients
Carter Sherman, VICE
When Dr. Meera Shah meets a patient at her South Bend, Indiana, abortion clinic, she’s legally required to tell them that life begins at conception. She must tell them that fetuses can feel pain at or before 20 weeks. And she must tell them abortions carry many risks — up to and including death. Then Shah immediately tells the patient that what she just said was, well, maybe not true. “This idea of when life begins can be more complex for some people,” Shah tells patients.
America May Be Nearing the End of the Roe Era
Garrett Epps, The Atlantic
No sane person would question that criminalizing previously legal professional conduct creates an “individualized injury” to the professionals. That’s not “third-party standing.” It’s just good old regular standing, and it ought not to be in question.
Idaho bill seeks to block organizations that also perform abortions from getting state, local $$ for any purpose
Betsy Russell, Idaho Press
Reps. Bryan Zollinger, R-Idaho Falls, and Christy Zito, R-Hammett, introduced legislation this morning that’s aimed at defunding abortion providers by making any organization that performs abortions ineligible for state and local funds for any purpose, not just for performing abortions specifically. The bill contains an exception for health care providers who perform abortions in cases or rape or incest or where the mother's life is in danger.
See also, Idaho rep introduces bill to defund abortion providers
An Indiana Republican Says the State Can Ignore the Constitution to End Legal Abortion. He's Wrong.
Imani Gandy, Rewire.News
Indiana is like a whiny teenager shrieking to Uncle Sam, “You’re not my real dad,” before flouncing onto its bed and shoving ear buds into its ears.
Iowa Senate passes abortion constitutional amendment bill
David Pitt, Associated Press
Iowa Senate Republican lawmakers on Thursday approved a resolution that would amend the Iowa Constitution to declare there is no right to an abortion in the state. The measure passed the Senate 32-18 along party lines with only Republican votes.
Wisconsin Republicans try to advance 'personhood' amendment
Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A group of Republicans are seeking to change the state constitution to prevent courts from keeping abortion legal, but Democrats contend the measure could outlaw some forms of birth control. The tactic has split abortion opponents, with some saying the proposed constitutional amendment would hurt their long-term goal of outlawing abortion.
LGBTQ
Christian hate group sues Connecticut to ban transgender student athletes
Molly Sprayregen, LGBTQ Nation
The families of three high school runners in Connecticut have filed a lawsuit in attempt to prevent transgender athletes from competing in girls’ high school sports.
More from Associated Press: Teen runners sue to block trans athletes from girls' sports
Idaho doctors could face life in prison for treating trans children under a new bill
Canela Lopez, Insider
Idaho lawmakers have introduced a bill that would ban doctors from performing gender-affirming procedures like surgeries, hormone treatments, and puberty blockers on transgender youth under 18-years-old. House Bill 465 could would punish doctors with life in prison if they treat trans youth. Transgender advocates and medical professionals said these kinds of medical bans could be life-threatening for transgender youth, who have a high risk of suicide and mental health diagnoses.
Idaho Doctors Who Treat Trans Kids Could Face Life in Prison Under New Bill
Kate Sosin, NewNowNext
Idaho doctors could face life in prison for treating transgender children under a bill pending in the state’s House. House Bill 465 would make it a felony for medical practioners to prescribe transgender youth puberty blockers or provide any other form of gender-affirming health care. The bill is the latest in a string of measures across the U.S. targeting transgender youth.
Bizarre Anti-LGBTQ Bill In Iowa Would Require Parental Notification If Teachers Even Talk About Pete Buttigieg, Opponents Warn
Chris Walker, Hill Reporter
A proposed bill in the Iowa state legislature could be so broadly interpreted that it would mean that discussion of any figure, past or present, who was or is an LGBTQ individual, would require parents be notified first before being taught or discussed.
Perspective | Buttigieg isn’t my candidate. But anti-gay slurs against him still hurt me.
Daniel Summers, Washington Post
Pete Buttigieg isn’t my preferred candidate. After being impressed by him and giving to his presidential campaign early on, I became increasingly wary. If he finds his way into the Oval Office, I am sure he would serve with distinction, and would be such a vast improvement over President Trump as to make it insulting even to compare them. But when Super Tuesday arrives, I will vote for Elizabeth Warren. But I still find myself wanting to speak up for him.
Birth Control / Title X
Maine Lawmakers Consider Bill To Dedicate $2M To State Family Planning System
Patty Wight, Maine Public Broadcasting Network
Maine lawmakers are considering a bill that would dedicate $2 million to the state family planning system. That's the funding gap the system has faced since Maine Family Planning withdrew from the federal Title X program last August because of a new, so-called "Gag Rule." The sponsor of the bill, Democratic House Speaker Sara Gideon, says the rule imposed unethical and cost-prohibitive restrictions on the organization, which distributed federal grant money to 50 health clinics.
More from Portland Press Herald: Bill would replace federal funds lost in Maine abortion ‘gag rule’ dispute
Reproductive Health & Justice
Giving Birth To A New Age Of Midwives And Doulas
1A
Compared to the rest of the developed world, the U.S. is the odd one out when it comes to how we deliver babies, because Americans have a fairly low rate of using doulas and midwifes.
Appalachia Gets Special Funding. The Black Rural South Deserves It Too.
Greg Kaufmann, The Nation
Kennedy made rural poverty a focus of his presidential campaign. This year’s candidates could do the same—this time, in the Black Belt region.
New Online Map Shows Sexual Health Resources in Appalachia
Nadia Ramlagan, Public News Service
The traveling sex-education workshop that teaches about consent and anatomy in rural Appalachia has created a unique new online map that shows the locations of reproductive-justice-related organizations and health-care providers in the region.
Campaign To Legalize Gestational Surrogacy Aims To Repeal "Antiquated Law"
Morgan Brinlee, Romper
If New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's latest legislation push is successful, LGBTQ individuals and couples facing insurmountable fertility issues will no longer have to look outside the state when trying to have children. On Tuesday, Cuomo renewed a campaign to legalize gestational surrogacy in New York, calling the state's current prohibition of the practice "shameful."
The New U.S. Maternal Mortality Rate Fails to Capture Many Deaths
Nina Martin, ProPublica
Since 2007, the government had held off on releasing an official estimate of expectant and new mothers who died from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. It waited for the data to get better. But the new, long-anticipated number falls short.
Workplace Equality
U.S. Men's Soccer Team Says Women Team's Pay Should Be Tripled
Marina Fang, HuffPost
In a show of support for U.S. women’s soccer players fighting for equal pay, the union representing the men’s national soccer team said their female counterparts should be paid “significantly more,” and accused soccer officials of perpetuating “a false narrative” about the women’s team’s gender discrimination lawsuit.
More from NPR, U.S. Women's Soccer Team Has A New Ally In Equal Pay Fight: The Men's National Team
Activist investor wants outside review of Comcast’s ‘failures to prevent workplace sexual harassment’
Christian Hetrick, Philadelphia Inquirer
An activist investor with a track record of drawing attention to gender discrimination issues at large companies has called on Comcast to conduct an independent investigation into the company’s “failures to prevent workplace sexual harassment.” Arjuna Capital, based in Boston, filed a proposed shareholder resolution asking Comcast for an independent review and a report on such failures, citing the need to avoid legal and reputational risk.
Vermont Senate overrides governor's minimum wage veto
Wilson Ring, Times Argus
The Vermont Senate voted Thursday to override Republican Gov. Phil Scott's veto of a bill that would increase the minimum wage to $12.55 over the next two years. The vote in the Democrat-controlled Senate was 24-6 vote in favor of the veto override, which happened the first day the chamber was eligible to vote on Scott's Monday veto. It's unclear when the House, which also has a Democratic majority, will vote on the bill.