No debate
Today is…
Eight years since Trayvon Martin was murdered. Feels like yesterday and a lifetime ago.
Ash Wednesday, so the Echo in my kitchen can probably stop suggesting king cake recipes. Ship has sailed, Alexa, time to queue up some fried fish.
National Pistachio Day, and I say we all deserve a nice piece of baklava for making it through ten primary debates - and still two more to go are you kidding me.
Abortion
A symbolic vote on 2 key abortion bills puts senators in close reelection campaigns in a bind
Katelyn Burns, Vox
See also AP, The Hill, MSNBC, Newsweek, Politico, USA Today
The Senate held a vote but failed to pass a bill Tuesday that would ban abortion after 20 weeks and another called the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,” which would require medical providers to “exercise the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion.”
Where 2020 Candidates Stand on Repealing the Hyde Amendment
Amy Roost, Bitch Media
As the 2020 election takes shape, the possible repeal of Hyde has already become a hot topic, so it’s a good time to review where 2020 candidates stand.
Idaho State Representative Says 'I Don't Know Why Planned Parenthood Hasn't Been Nuked' in Anti-Abortion Tirade
Rosie McCall, Newsweek
A Republican legislator has been heavily criticized after he remarked that he doesn't understand why no one has "nuked" Planned Parenthood. Vito Barbieri picked up the topic of abortion at a local event on Saturday. Responding to an audience question, he called for greater unity in the anti-abortion movement and complained of judicial authority, which he accused of "marginalizing" the state legislature.
Iowans bring personal abortion stories to Capitol for hearing on anti-abortion constitutional amendment
Stephen Gruber-Miller, Iowa City Press-Citizen
Iowans told personal stories of sexual assaults, unplanned pregnancies, abortions and faith at a public hearing on Tuesday night that drew hundreds to the Iowa State Capitol.
Hearing held at capitol on constitutional abortion amendment
O. Kay Henderson, Radio Iowa
A statehouse hearing has given supporters and opponents of abortion a chance to voice their opinions on a proposed constitutional amendment. Republican lawmakers have drafted the amendment in response to the Iowa Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling that Iowa’s Constitution guarantees women a right to an abortion.
Bipartisan Kansas Medicaid deal ‘locked down’ as abortion amendment standoff continues
Jonathan Shorman, Wichita Eagle
When Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and Senate Republican Leader Jim Denning unveiled a Medicaid expansion compromise in early January, supporters of providing health coverage to upwards of 130,000 additional Kansans were ecstatic. Expansion was once again within reach. Less than two months later, conservative opponents appear to have the upper hand.
Critics: 'Conscience' bill lets Kentucky providers refuse abortions, care for trans people
Deborah Yetter, Cincinnati Enquirer
Any health care worker could refuse to provide treatment that violates his or her conscience under a bill pending in the state Senate. It's a measure critics say could limit patient access to a host of services, such as abortion, contraceptives or care for transgender individuals. Insurance companies also could refuse to pay in such cases under Senate Bill 90, sponsored by Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield.
What Moving From Louisiana to Maine Has Taught Me About Disparities in Abortion Access
Vanessa Shields-Haas, Ms. Magazine
As a long-time volunteer with the New Orleans Abortion Fund, my activism has taken me to the front lines of the battle over bodily autonomy, politics and reproductive health in the deep south. I recently moved to Maine, and the disparities in access illustrate both what is possible to lose, and what is possible to gain when it comes to reproductive health care.
Stop scapegoating Asian-American culture to justify bans on ‘sex-selective’ abortions
Negar Esfandiari, New York Daily News
Right now, the New York City Council has an opportunity to be a leader for abortion access—by denouncing state legislators’ attempts to use racist stereotypes to push abortion out of reach for Asian American and Pacific Islander women. Last March, Assemblyman Marcos Crespo introduced the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA), legislation that would penalize any medical provider who performs an abortion based on the sex, gender, color or race of the fetus.
ACLU sues seven Texas towns for passing local anti-abortion ordinances
Edgar Walters, Texas Tribune
The ACLU is suing seven Texas towns in federal court over recent anti-abortion ordinances declaring the towns "sanctuary cities for the unborn." The controversial ordinances began popping up in small towns in East Texas last year and gradually spread across the state. As of February, 11 towns, extending as far west as Big Spring, had passed a version of the ordinance.
LGBTQ
The Supreme Court is about to determine the rights of same-sex couples looking to adopt
Vanessa Taylor, Mic
Across the nation, conservative lawmakers continue to push anti-LGBTQ legislation. Already emboldened by the Trump administration, those lawmakers may be further strengthened by a pending federal appeal. The Supreme Court announced this week that one of its newest cases could be a major blow to LGBTQ rights — and potentially undo a landmark decision from the 1990s.
John Roberts Has Waited a Long Time to Undermine LGBTQ Rights. Now He Has His Chance.
Jessica Mason Pieklo, Rewire.News
The Supreme Court announced Monday it was taking a case that could write religious objections into the Constitution. The case could have "profound consequences" for children in foster care, an ACLU official said. In his dissenting opinion in Obergefell, John Roberts warned that the decision would do little to squelch conservative attacks on LGBTQ rights.
Nonbinary people could get a gender-neutral passport under new legislation
Katelyn Burns, Vox
Nonbinary and intersex people could finally be able to obtain a passport that matches their gender identity under new legislation introduced Tuesday. The bill, introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), would create a third gender marker option, denoted by “(X), Unspecified” rather than the current “M” and “F” designations, on US passports, passport cards, or consular reports of birth abroad.
Idaho Attorney General's Office concerned about legality of transgender athletes bill
Tommy Simmons, Idaho Press
The Idaho AG voiced concerns Tuesday about the constitutionality of a bill barring transgender girls or women from competing in school women’s sports, while also allowing any female school athlete’s gender to be challenged. After Rep. Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, requested the office analyze HB 500 as it is currently written, the office’s assistant chief deputy, Brian Kane, responded with an email Tuesday detailing the office’s legal concerns.
Idaho got closer to passing one of the most anti-transgender laws in the country
Alex Bollinger, LGBTQ Nation
Republicans in Idaho’s house are moving forward with a law that would ban transgender people from correcting the gender listed on their birth certificates. If passed, Idaho would join Tennessee as the only states that have laws that explicitly ban transgender people from updating their legal documents.
A Michigan high schooler wanted to write a paper supporting same-sex marriage. Her mother says the teacher refused
Alec Snyder, CNN
The mother of a Michigan high school student with same-sex parents alleges her daughter's English teacher infringed on her freedom of speech when she rejected a class paper on the topic of same-sex marriage. Destiny McDermitt, a 17-year-old junior at Hill-McCloy High School in Montrose, was assigned a project titled "Take a Stand," in which she was allowed to choose a subject and advocate for or against it, according to one of her mothers, Angela McDermitt-Jackson.
Why Fixing Second-Parent Adoption In New York Is A Big Deal
Danielle Braff, Romper
The paperwork and exams started piling up the second Lora Liegel and her wife had a baby. There was an interview with a social worker, a physical exam by a doctor, a meeting to demonstrate that Liegel and her wife could financially afford their baby, and more. “The second-parent adoption process made me feel like I had to prove that I was good enough, that I was a good parent,” says Liegel, founder of Second Parent, a platform for LGBTQ parents.
Ohio lawmakers introduce bill that would ban transgender athletes from girls high school sports
Anna Staver, USA Today
Transgender women and girls couldn’t join their schools’ female soccer, field hockey or track teams if a bill introduced Tuesday by two Ohio Republicans becomes law. “Girls want the chance to play fair and win by the rules,” Rep. Jena Powell, R-Arcanum, said.
Birth Control
A woman was told she needed her husband's permission to get her tubes tied. Her story went viral, but it's not uncommon.
Shira Feder, Insider
When one Twitter user posted about needing her husband's consent to get her tubes tied, it sparked a conversation about the difficulties women often face in trying to get the procedure. 18 states allow some of their health care providers to refuse sterilization services to patients. Users shared anecdotes about being sterilized without consent, or doctors refusing to perform the procedure on them.
Reproductive Health & Justice
Durbin: If You Want to Reduce Infant and Maternal Death Rates, Pass The Momma Act
River Bender
U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) made a unanimous consent (UC) request to immediately pass his Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness (MOMMA) Act. Durbin’s legislation seeks to reduce America’s rising maternal and infant mortality rate, especially for moms and babies of color who are significantly more likely to die during or shortly after pregnancy.
Disparity in deaths of black mothers gets renewed attention on Capitol Hill
Robin Bravender, The Virginia Mercury
The racial disparity in maternal deaths is getting renewed attention on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers have held hearings, introduced legislation and formed a black maternal health caucus in an attempt to raise awareness of the issue.
'Hood Feminism' Is A Call For Solidarity In Less-Than-Inclusive Movement
Ericka Taylor, NPR
Kendall's central thesis is that mainstream feminism in the United States has been anything but inclusive, despite being "a movement that draws much of its strength from the claim that it represents over half of the world's population."
“There is something wrong:” Colorado ACLU to examine women’s reproductive care in county jails
Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post
More than 1,000 pregnant women passed through Colorado’s county jails between July 2018 and July 2019, said Lizzy Hinkley, reproductive rights policy council for the ACLU of Colorado. The organization is examining the policies at all 59 county jails in the state that house women and expect to publish its findings this summer.
Rep. Lewis: 'Long way to go' for reproductive justice in Mass.
MetroWest Daily News
Massachusetts has “so much work yet to done” regarding reproductive justice and needs to update sex education in schools and expand abortion access, said state Rep. Jack Lewis, D-Ashland told a public forum on Tuesday night.
Workplace Equality
Harvey Weinstein Is Going to Prison. But That’s Just a Starting Point.
Manohla Dargis, New York Times
Now that the movie mogul has been convicted, Hollywood’s culture of secrecy and exploitation — and the cynicism that fuels it — needs to be blown up.
'Kill It.' Pregnancy Discrimination Takes Center Stage at Democratic Debate in South Carolina
Minda Zetlin, Inc.
Note to Bloomberg and anyone else who's grown too accustomed to being the boss: If you stay within the walls of your own company and speak only to your company's employees, then you can decide which conversations you want to have and which you don't. But once you step out the door into the real world and start talking with people who don't count on you for their paychecks, you may have to answer questions or respond to criticisms you don't feel like talking about anymore.
Bloomberg's partner on allegations of sexist remarks and NDAs: 'Get over it'
MJ Lee, CNN
Michael Bloomberg's longtime partner Diana Taylor has this message for anyone bothered by allegations of sexist comments leveled against the former New York City mayor and the non-disclosure agreements his company has used: "It was 30 years ago. Get over it."
The Boston Globe needed a better family leave policy. Meet the six women who made it happen.
Poynter Online
Six women — Meghan Barr, Shira Toeplitz Center, Maria Cramer, Katie Johnston, Victoria (Vicki) McGrane and Janelle Nanos — formed a committee in August 2017 to increase paid family leave at The Boston Globe.
Paid family leave claims are triple what was anticipated
The Everett Daily Herald
Weekly benefits under Washington’s new paid family leave law are now taking up to 10 weeks to process because of the high number of people applying for the program.