Good on the computer
Today…
we may get Supreme Court decisions starting at 10am ET. #WaitingForLyle
is National Cosmopolitan Day. I’m not wild about them, to be honest. Too sweet for my taste.
is Roast Leg of Lamb Day, and all I can think about is the Alfred Hitchcock episode.
I’m already late, so sure, a quick story…
In my late 20s, I was home for a month while I job-hunted in Pittsburgh. My computer was at Nana and Pap’s, because dial-up, and I’d be there for hours, tappity tappity tapping away.
One day, Nana mentions she can’t find one of her recipes. “Impossible Pumpkin Pie,” a super-simple recipe with Bisquick and pumpkin pie mix. (Very mid-century Good Housekeeping.) No problem, tappity tappity tap, “I found it, Nana,” print, here you go.
Pap. was. wowed. He talked up my computer skills to the rest of the family so many times, it became a running joke. (Not around Pap, though, Lord no. He didn’t do self-deprecating.) Later, my sister added an even better layer when she decided to push back on Pap’s pro-Rachel cheerleading.
Pap: You oughta hear how she types. That girl is good on the computer, I’ll tell you what.
Josie: You know, Pap, I’m pretty good on the computer, too.
Pap: Not like your sister.
We died. Not like your sister. He sure did.
Aaaanyway. I think about him a lot as I pull these together every morning. He would be beside himself. “How many people read your letter? That many? You are good on that computer, man, wow…”
Pap can’t imagine why you wouldn’t share this. “What are you, goofy?”
Abortion
The Coronavirus Made a Mess of Abortion Access. What the Supreme Court Decides Next Month Could Be Worse.
Becca Andrews | Mother Jones
Abortion law expert Mary Ziegler offers a legal roadmap for how we got to our current moment—and what to expect from June Medical Services v. Russo.
Repro Legal Helpline Relaunches to Better Respond to Increased Calls on Self-Managed Abortions
Audrey Gibbs | Ms.
Repro Legal Helpline is a mobile hotline run by If/When/How that provides free legal advice and criminal defense to women who may be criminalized for self-managing their abortions—a practice on the rise in the U.S. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, the helpline has seen a doubling of incoming calls inquiring for advice on a description of their legal rights.
Trump Pushes Young Republicans Away. Abortion Pulls Them Back.
Maggie Astor | New York Times
In interviews with two dozen Republicans ages 18 to 23, almost all of them, while expressing fundamentally conservative views, identified at least one major issue on which they disagreed with the party line. But more often than not, they said one issue kept them committed to the party: abortion.
I Had Trouble Confirming COVID-19 Abortion Policies—and I'm a Reporter
Dennis Carter | Rewire.News
Dedicating entire workdays to clarifying state policy on abortion care often left me with one troubling question: Can the layperson figure this out for themselves?
Teens Face Extra Barriers to Abortion. This New Site Can Help.
Dennis Carter | Rewire.News
A new site tells young people exactly how to navigate judicial bypass, the workaround for state laws that remove their bodily autonomy and agency. It’s called judicial bypass, and understanding the ins and outs of it for most people would require hours of online research or a team of lawyers.
LGBTQ
Nonreligious LGBTQ People Face Discrimination, Stigma
Donald Padgett | The Advocate
A new report from American Atheists titled Reality Check: Being Nonreligious in America reveals high levels of discrimination and stigma for nonreligious people in general and notes that those who are LGBTQ have a disproportionate lack of family support.
Amazon VP Quits in Protest, Highlighting Big Tech’s Firings of Minority, Women, and LGBTQ Labor Activists
Ali Breland | Mother Jones
Only one of the 11 employee organizers who were fired by [Amazon and Google] in recent incidents was a straight, white man. The rest were people of color, women, and LGBTQ individuals.
Here’s How Our LGBTQ+ Elders Are Faring in the Pandemic
Donald Padgett | Out Magazine
They are the original friends of Dorothy. They stood on the frontlines at Stonewall, only to later lose countless friends during the HIV/AIDS pandemic of the 1980s. And while they are disproportionately at risk and suffering from the ongoing viral pandemic, these resilient veterans of the early struggles for LGBTQ+ acceptance and inclusion are once again showing they are up for the fight.
Pregnancy & Parenting
The ‘fourth trimester’ and plight of new mothers during a pandemic
Nicole Graev Lipson | The Boston Globe
For decades, the US has treated the health of new mothers as an afterthought to that of their babies. But a growing coalition of doctors and policy makers is determined to change that – even during the coronavirus outbreak.
Nearly Half of Men Say They Do Most of the Home Schooling. 3 Percent of Women Agree.
Claire Cain Miller | New York Times
A survey suggests that pandemic-era domestic work isn’t being divided more equitably than before the lockdown.
Suggested edit: Nearly Half of Men Say They Do Most of the Home Schooling. 97 Percent of Women Say They’re Full of Shit.
"I’ve Exhausted Myself Trying To Be The Perfect Mom"
Jurnee Smollett | Refinery29
The truth is, with the bar of motherhood set so impossibly high, there really is no doing it right, all the time, in every way. And now, in the throes of a global pandemic, the bar has shifted even higher. If you, too, are making meals out of old cereal, abandoning screen-time limits, and, you know, are occasionally terrified about what the future holds, you’re not alone.
Having a New Baby Is Hard. Doing It During Coronavirus Is a Nightmare
Jessica Zucker | VICE
Isolation, a lack of in-person support, and the looming threat of job insecurity have created a perfect storm in which postpartum mood and anxiety disorders can thrive.
I don’t want to suggest a “who has it hardest” ranking, so I’ll say I cringe hardest at the idea of having a toddler/preschooler in the Alla This. A little one with big feelings, who needs all the attention, who asks so, so many questions but doesn’t really understand the answers? Whew.
My Husband and I Split Home Duties Equally. Then We Had a Second Kid
Audrey Goodson Kingo | Working Mother
It’s when the routine breaks down that two kids is exponentially harder. When one of our kids got sick and we were still at our respective workplaces, I was usually the one who left work to tend to them—no big deal when you’ve got one reasonably healthy kid, but a much bigger disruption with two who need TLC.
Reproductive Health & Justice
Vibrators should be covered by health insurance, says former US Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders
Canela Lopez | INSIDER
Former US Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders told Insider she believes prescription vibrators should be covered by insurance in the US. Elders has always valued reproductive justice. She was asked to resign from her post as Surgeon General in 1994 for her progressive stances on teaching young people about masturbation. Elders told Insider sexual stimulation can have plenty of health benefits that some health professionals do not acknowledge.
“Good morning, urgent care? Hi, yeah, this is Rachel…”
These Are The Safest Birth Control Options If You Have High Blood Pressure
Lindsay Mack | Romper
Having high blood pressure can affect most every avenue of your life, even including your sex life. For example, here's one question you'll no doubt ask yourself at one point: Which birth control is safest for high blood pressure? You might be surprised by how many different options are still on the table
CDC: 40% of U.S. teens are sexually active
Brian P. Dunleavy | United Press International (UPI)
The percentage of teens in the United States that are sexually active has continued a 30 year decline, the CDC reported Wednesday. Roughly 40% of never-married teens between 15–19 years of age reported having sexual intercourse in 2017, the most recent year for which data is available, and an overwhelming majority uses contraception – condoms, for the most part – the agency said in the new report.
Supreme Court
Justices wary of 'Obamacare' birth control coverage changes
Jessica Gresko & Mark Sherman | Associated Press
The Supreme Court seemed concerned Wednesday about the sweep of Trump administration rules that would allow more employers who cite a religious or moral objection to opt out of providing no-cost birth control to women required by the Affordable Care Act.
Bloomberg: Roberts Questions Trump’s Curbs to Obamacare Birth-Control Rule
CBS: Supreme Court hears arguments on birth control coverage
CNN: Supreme Court hears Obamacare contraceptive mandate challenge via telephone
Deseret News: How far can the government go to help religious objectors? The Supreme Court hears arguments to this tricky question
The Hill: Justices split over religious exemptions for ObamaCare birth control mandate
National Law Journal: Exasperated Roberts Confronts Lingering Birth Control Coverage Questions
NPR: Supreme Court Hears Case On Birth Control Access And Obamacare
New York Times: Supreme Court Divided Over Obamacare’s Contraceptive Mandate
Refinery29: This Case Will Determine The Future Of Birth Control — & It Has Everything To Do With Religion
Reuters: U.S. Supreme Court wrestles with Obamacare contraception case
Roll Call: Supreme Court treads back into birth control coverage debate
SCOTUSblog: Argument analysis: After marathon argument, little consensus on future of birth-control mandate exemptions
USA Today: Supreme Court struggles to find balance between religious freedom, reproductive rights
Vox: A Supreme Court showdown over birth control got much messier Wednesday
Wall Street Journal: Supreme Court Split Over Religious Exemptions for Birth-Control Coverage
Separating out the RBG headlines, because folks really went to town on the image of her calling in from the hospital.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Speaks in Case Argument After Hospitalization
David McLaughlin | Bloomberg News
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg spoke at length during oral arguments Wednesday while she remains in a hospital for a benign gallbladder condition. Ginsburg raised concerns about a Trump administration effort to grant employers a broad right to a religious or moral exemption from the Obamacare requirement that they offer free* birth control through their health-care plans.
ABC: Hospitalized Justice Ginsburg joins Supreme Court debate on Trump contraception rule
AlterNet: Ruth Bader Ginsburg destroys Trump solicitor general in live hearing from her hospital bed
CNN: Ruth Bader Ginsburg participates in Supreme Court arguments from hospital
Law360: Ginsburg Grills Trump Administration After Health Scare
Reuters: U.S. Supreme Court's Ginsburg takes part in arguments after treatment
Upworthy: Ruth Bader Ginsburg slays Trump attorney from her hospital bed during birth control hearing
USA Today: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg joins oral argument by telephone from hospital
Vice: RBG Just Went to War for Your Birth Control - From the Hospital
And this very, very important Supreme Court news…
AP Courtside: Who flushed? Phone arguments’ unresolved issue
AP
Lawyer Roman Martinez was responding to a question from Justice Elena Kagan, late in his argument for striking down a federal law barring robocalls to cellphones, when live audio picked up the familiar sound.
Work & Money
Parental leave laws don't do enough for single moms – but there's a way to fix that
Deborah Widiss | The Conversation
U.S. laws could be made more fair by allowing single parents to receive as many weeks of benefits as two-parent families. Or the laws could be changed to allow a single parent to share benefits with a different family member, such as a grandmother, who could help with care. Because the cost of providing benefits is spread through the tax system, this approach would provide much-needed support for single parents without placing an extra burden on individual employers.
The #MeToo Helpline
Toni Van Pelt | Ms.
An estimated four-fifths of poor Americans are unable to access the legal services they need because they can’t afford the cost. NOW and Legal Momentum have teamed up again to create the SYMS|Legal Momentum Helpline—to provide free information, assistance and referrals to women and girls facing discrimination and harassment at work, in school and at home.
For Mother's Day, let's give women equal pay
Amy K. Nelson | NBC News
Two months into COVID-19 in America, and we’ve gained a new appreciation for the dedication and bravery of nurses, caregivers, grocery clerks, and garment workers sewing lifesaving protective equipment. And while these heroes and our nation’s health are on the forefront of our minds, many of us have begun to ask: When can we return to normal? But here’s the glitch: The old “normal” didn’t work for women, and it didn’t work for families. Our system is broken.
The Pandemic Is a Family Emergency
Liza Featherstone | The New Republic
As we give up many of our pleasures, make terrifying financial sacrifices, and drive our intimates nuts, we are doing so with the understanding that the work of keeping people alive must be shared by all.
This TNR piece is long - I haven’t even finished it yet - but a LOT to dig into there.
"They Will Suffer The Longest": Ai-jen Poo On Why Domestic Workers Need Help Right Now
Natalie Gontcharova | Refinery29
We spoke with National Domestic Workers Alliance founder Ai-Jen Poo about the roots of her activism, the history behind the disenfranchisement of domestic workers, and what domestic workers need the most right now.
Scared to Return to Work Amid COVID-19? These Federal Laws Could Offer You Some Protections
Madeleine Carlisle | Time Magazine
Should you refuse to return and be fired? Should you quit and risk losing unemployment benefits? In an unprecedented pandemic, what legal protections exist for workers? That calculus will be different for workers in different states, experts say.
Our Broken Unemployment System Is a National Scandal
Clio Chang | VICE
Months into economic shutdown, millions of Americans still haven't received unemployment checks—a travesty that is the direct result of anti-welfare decisions that make the process as difficult as possible.
‘I gave up on being Superwoman’: Juggling jobs and child care is testing moms in unprecedented ways
Caitlin Gibson, Helena Andrews-Dyer, Amy Joyce, Ellen McCarthy | Washington Post
This Mother’s Day, eight women balancing careers and kids concede that thriving is out of reach. Surviving is enough.
More, More, More
Our Response to Adele’s Weight Loss Says More About Us Than Her
Evette Dionne | Bitch Media
Here, as always, perceived desirability, which often becomes a double-edged sword for fat people, is less about the person at the center—in this case, Adele—and more about the baggage we bring into these conversations and then project on those participating in it.
Male Experts Are Dominating Coronavirus News Coverage, Study Finds
Alice Broster | Bustle
The pandemic has proven to be a really uncertain time and no area of life has been left untouched. The way you work, live, and socialize has totally changed. However, a report has revealed that the voices on air haven’t been diverse. There’s been an overwhelming number of male experts on news shows during the pandemic.
“Reports of the ERA’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated” (Part 4)
Carrie Baker | Ms. Magazine
This is the fourth in a multi-part series examining the half-century fight to add women to the U.S. Constitution—and a game plan on where we go from here.