Come on, you little fighter
Today…
is Black Maternal Health Week (#BMHW2020), which goes April 11-17.
is National Peach Cobbler Day. Seems a little early, doesn’t it? Shouldn’t we still be in berries?
I’m keeping this brief since I’m already way later than I’d like. It is a rainy, dreary Monday and because I am nothing if not a creature of habit, my brain only goes to a few songs. I’d have been 8 when this came out, and I remember it being one of the first radio songs that I knew all the words to.
Abortion
States That Use COVID-19 To Ban Abortion Are Increasing Risks, Hardships And Trauma Nationwide
Janet Burns | Forbes
Numerous state lawmakers have chosen the extra step of declaring virtually all abortion care or procedures “nonessential,” rather than letting doctors decide (along with patients) what’s essential and safe right now. In doing so, [they] not only cause added burdens for delayed patients, their families, and other state residents in a moment of economic upheaval; they also increase the chances of spreading the virus across states and overloading healthcare systems in coming days.
I Tried to Get an Abortion in a Blue State During the Pandemic. It Was Complicated.
Becca Andrews | Mother Jones
The doctor told me to make a decision—they weren’t sure if they would even be able to offer abortions in the coming days. What if it became an elective procedure because of the virus?
Alabama
Alabama can't prohibit abortion during pandemic
Kim Chandler | AP
A federal judge on Sunday ruled that Alabama cannot ban abortions as part of the state’s response to coronavirus. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson issued a preliminary injunction sought by clinics to prevent the state from forbidding abortions as part of a ban on elective medical procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thompson said abortion providers can decide whether a procedure can wait.
CBS: Judge rules Alabama can't prohibit abortion during coronavirus crisis
HuffPost: Alabama Can't Ban Abortions As Part Of COVID-19 Response, Judge Rules
Arkansas
Arkansas orders clinic to halt abortions during outbreak
Andrew DeMillo | AP
Arkansas on Friday ordered the state’s only surgical abortion clinic to stop performing the procedure except to protect the life or health of the mother during the coronavirus outbreak. The state Department of Health told Little Rock Family Planning Services in a letter it violated an April 3 directive ordering health providers to reschedule procedures that can be safely postponed.
Mississippi
Governor Bans Abortions in Mississippi, Claiming Need to Preserve Medical Supplies
Ashton Pittman | Jackson Free Press
All “elective surgeries,” including abortions, will cease in Mississippi for the next two weeks under a new executive order, Gov. Tate Reeves announced Friday. The governor claimed that the move will free up personal protective equipment for hospitals to use as they deal with an escalating number of COVID-19 cases statewide.
Texas
Abortion providers take fight with Texas coronavirus-inspired ban to Supreme Court
Robert Barnes | Washington Post
The legal tug-of-war between Texas abortion providers and the state’s leaders who want to ban the procedure during the coronavirus pandemic landed at the U.S. Supreme Court on Saturday night. Twice a Texas district judge has agreed with the providers that the state’s prohibition of medical procedures that are not “immediately medically necessary” cannot be enforced against the time-sensitive and constitutionally protected right to abortion.
AP: Texas clinics ask Supreme Court to allow certain abortions
Bloomberg: Bloomberg: Virus News Texas Abortion Clinics Seek Supreme Court Intervention
CNN: Abortion dispute spurs whiplash for abortion clinics in Texas
CNN: Abortion providers ask Supreme Court to freeze ruling blocking some abortions in Texas
Los Angeles Times: Supreme Court asked to block Texas abortion ban
Newsweek: On-Again, Off-Again Abortion Access in Texas Spills Contested Emergency Powers Into Federal Court
New York Times: Fight Over Texas Abortion Ban Reaches Supreme Court
Politico: Abortion providers ask Supreme Court to ease pandemic-related ban
SCOTUSblog: Texas abortion dispute reaches Supreme Court
Virginia
Virginia governor rolls back abortion restrictions
Tal Axelrod | The Hill
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) on Friday signed legislation into law that would roll back several restrictions on abortion in the state. The legislation repeals regulations mandating those seeking an abortion to get an ultrasound at least 24 hours prior to undergoing the procedure and receive counseling on alternatives to abortion.
LGBTQ
What Lorena Borjas Did for the Trans Girls of Queens
Cecilia Gentili | New York Times
She pushed us to shine authentically, to become a scream of subversion that says, “I am here, and I deserve happiness, too.”
Florida
Tallahassee City Commission approves conversion therapy ban
John Riley | Metro Weekly
On Wednesday, the Tallahassee City Commission unanimously passed an ordinance to ban the practice of conversion therapy on minors and vulnerable adults within the city limits.
North Carolina
Advocates fear North Carolina schools' virtual learning system will out transgender students
John Riley | Metro Weekly
LGBTQ advocates are demanding that North Carolina’s public schools introduce changes to an online virtual learning platform that they say, in its current form, potentially “outs” transgender students by classifying them according to their legally recognized name and designated sex at birth — which may conflict the name they regularly use in class and their gender identity.
Virginia
Virginia Gov. Signs First LGBTQ-Inclusive Civil Rights Law in South
Trudy Ring | The Advocate Magazine
Gov. Ralph Northam signed the Virginia Values Act into law Saturday, making his state the first in the South with an LGBTQ-inclusive antidiscrimination statute. The act prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, public and private employment, public accommodations, and access to credit. It takes effect July 1.
DailyKos: Virginia Gov. signs sweep of progressive bills, including Confederate monuments and LGBT rights
The Hill: VA Gov. Northam signs LGBT anti-discrimination act into law
Metro Weekly: Virginia governor signs LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections into law
Pregnancy & Parenting
Doulas Are Laboring Under Coronavirus Restrictions
Collier Meyerson | New York Magazine
Birth is still physical, and hospitals are still hard to navigate, so doulas are having to get creative to help their clients.
Women Say They Are 'Falling Off The Cliff Of Fertility' As Pandemic Puts Treatments On Hold
Sacha Pfeiffer | NPR
Due to the coronavirus, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine has recommended suspending new treatments.
Maternal Health Is the Other Public Health Crisis We Need to Talk About Now More Than Ever
Parents
There’s no denying that we are in the midst of a maternal health crisis in this country that started well before the current pandemic. Parents.com investigates how we got here, and what can be done to empower the thousands of expecting mothers heading into the delivery room.
What It’s Like to Be a Doula Working With Black Pregnant People Right Now
Nina Bahadur | SELF Magazine
In our new series What It’s Like, we speak with people from a wide range of backgrounds about how their lives have changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. For our latest installment, I spoke with Chanel Porchia-Albert, a doula and birth educator in Brooklyn and founder of Ancient Song Doula Services, about how the pandemic is affecting her organization’s work and clients.
Reproductive Health & Justice
The Gender Lens on COVID-19
Mikki Morrissette | Minnesota Women's Press
One of the stories we are following in this COVID-19 world is how women and children are finding safety in homes when sheltering in place includes domestic abuse. Another is how healthcare workers — predominately women — are being protected. Here is what we have been learning so far.
Work & Money
Black Women’s Livelihoods Will Be Yet Another Coronavirus Casualty
Chandra Thomas Whitfield | In These Times
For many reasons, Black women are particularly hurt by the virus’s economic toll. Black people are often “the last ones hired and the first ones fired” when the economy takes a hit, and Black women undoubtedly bear the brunt. As the saying goes, and history has proven time and again, “If White America catches a cold, Black America gets pneumonia.” In 2020, that pneumonia is quite literally the coronavirus.
The Economic Impact of Coronavirus on Women is 'Devastating" and Exacerbating Gender Inequality, Says Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg
Alexandra Hutzler | Newsweek
Because women are likely to bear the brunt of the coronavirus-related recession, Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg said she sees the global health crisis as a wake-up call for the country to address long-existing gender inequalities. "The impact is devastating," Sandberg told Newsweek, pointing to research from her women's organization Lean In. "You know how they say never waste a crisis? We need to not waste this moment to fix the structural problems that women face."
King says women athletes should stay focused on fight for equality
Rory Carroll | Reuters
Tennis great Billie Jean King on Saturday said that despite the myriad of setbacks facing female athletes due to the coronavirus pandemic, they should not lose sight of the need to continue their push for equality.