No time to say goodbye, hello
Today…
is National Pecan Day. I would be proud to partake of some pecan pie.
was the birthday of Anne Sullivan (1866-1936), teacher to Helen Keller. They were so much more interesting, complicated, and especially in Helen’s case, way political than one would realize growing up with The Miracle Worker. (Though the scene at the water pump isn’t entirely made up. Helen did have a breakthrough in terms of making meaning of the letters Anne was signing into her hand. The movie scene is a lot, I know, but I’m fascinated by that moment, that spark of oh my God I get it. Can you imagine. How much of the world unlocked in a blink. That’s amazing to me.)
You see now why I sometimes run late? Sometimes it’s because there’s so much news, or I’m trying to read and do 7th grade math. But sometimes? I’m just down another rabbit hole. Did Jackie Mitchell really strike out Babe Ruth? When did Minneapolis pass the country’s first-ever trans-inclusive civil rights ordinance? Why are there no gifs of Balki’s “sweater of a thousand itches” from Perfect Strangers? Oh nooooo…
I’m getting so close to 100 subscribers. And who knows, maybe they’d spur me to move a little faster. Maybe. Worth a shot.
Abortion
Abortion clinics: Pandemic boosts demand, heightens stress
David Crary | AP
The coronavirus outbreak has fueled attempts to ban abortions in some states, but providers where the procedure remains available report increased demand, often from women distraught over economic stress and health concerns linked to the pandemic. “The calls we’ve been getting are frantic,” said Julie Burkhart, who manages clinics in Wichita, Kansas, and Oklahoma City.
How to Get an Abortion During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Paige Alexandria | Rewire.News
From securing financial assistance for abortion care to self-managing abortion to using telemedicine, here are ways people can obtain care amid the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alabama
Alabama cannot bar abortions in response to the coronavirus pandemic, federal judge rules
Matthew Rozsa | Salon
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson ruled Sunday that the state cannot bar abortions in response to the coronavirus pandemic. "Based on the current record, the defendants' efforts to combat COVID-19 do not outweigh the lasting harm imposed by the denial of an individual's right to terminate her pregnancy, by an undue burden or increase in risk on patients imposed by a delayed procedure or by the cloud of unwarranted prosecution against providers.”
Arkansas
Arkansas Is Being Sued For Banning Abortions During Coronavirus, But Letting Dentists Continue Taking Appointments
Ema O'Connor | BuzzFeed News
The ACLU filed an emergency lawsuit Monday seeking to block a state order in Arkansas that would prevent the state’s sole clinic from performing abortions during the coronavirus outbreak.
AP: Clinic challenges Arkansas banning abortions during pandemic
CBS: ACLU sues Arkansas to keep abortion available amid coronavirus outbreak
CNN: Arkansas sued over restricting abortion access during coronavirus
Oklahoma
Appeals court blocks Oklahoma COVID-19-related abortion ban
AP
A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a lower-court order that overturned the Oklahoma governor’s ban on abortions during the coronavirus outbreak emergency. The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit allows abortions to continue in Oklahoma, the ban issued by Gov. Kevin Stitt notwithstanding.
Texas
Abortion During a Pandemic? Texas Says No in Many Cases.
Sabrina Tavernise | New York Times
Pregnant women are scrambling to get access to the procedure, driving hundreds of miles out of state. The fight has resulted in a flurry of court rulings.
The One Republican Lawmaker in Texas Who Supports Abortion Rights
Renuka Rayasam | POLITICO
State Rep. Sarah Davis has been rankling her fellow Republicans for years. When the state GOP banned the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay rights group, from its annual convention, Davis publicly admonished the party. … And she is the only Republican lawmaker in the entire state of Texas who supports abortion rights, having consistently voted against the party’s perennial efforts to limit them.
U.S. appeals court blocks Texas curbs on medication abortion
Lawrence Hurley | Reuters
A U.S. appeals court on Monday blocked Texas from enforcing curbs on medication-induced abortions as part of the state’s restrictions aimed at postponing medical procedures not deemed urgent during the coronavirus pandemic. The 5th Circuit allowed a federal judge’s decision blocking the state from applying restrictions to abortions induced through medication to go into effect.
What One Texan Had to do to Get an Abortion During the Pandemic
Christine Grimaldi | Texas Observer
Republican-controlled Texas is using the COVID-19 pandemic as the latest strategy in their anti-abortion playbook, and it’s affecting people’s lives.
LGBTQ
Americans Aren't Polarized on LGBTQ Equality, Survey Finds
Trudy Ring | The Advocate Magazine
There is broad support for LGBTQ equality across the U.S., despite how polarized the nation is on many other issues, according to survey results released today by the Public Religion Research Institute. The survey found an overwhelming majority of respondents favoring inclusive nondiscrimination laws, while support for equal marriage rights is at an all-time high.
Anti-LGBT discrimination ballot drive moves to e-signatures
David Eggert | AP
A group spearheading a ballot drive to add LGBT anti-discrimination protections to Michigan’s civil rights law moved Monday to collect voter signatures online because of the coronavirus pandemic.
AIDS Memorial Quilt Scraps Are Being Turned Into Face Masks For Coronavirus
Kim Wong-Shing | GO
Seamstress Gert McMullin helped create some of the first panels for the AIDS Memorial Quilt in 1987. As a cure for AIDS has never been found, McMullin’s work never stopped; she has made hundreds of panels, more than any other seamstress. Now she’s turning leftover fabric into face masks to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pregnancy & Parenting
COVID-19 Shows The U.S. Needs Universal Family Care
Sarita Gupta | Forbes
It’s time to create fair policies that invest in human capital, especially for those whose “essential” jobs, or responsibilities in the home, are invaluable for the functioning of our society and our collective health and well-being.
Opinion: Address Kentucky's maternal health disparities
State Rep. Attica Scott | Cincinnati Enquirer
Maternal death rates in the U.S. and Kentucky are significantly higher for black women, who are four times more likely to die from pregnancy and birth-related causes than white women, says Kentucky state Rep. Attica Scott.
Reproductive Health & Justice
Planned Parenthood expands telemedicine offerings
Max Brantley | Arkansas Times
The emergency order to expand medical services available by telephone has given Planned Parenthood the opportunity to provide that service for 10 clinics in four states including Arkansas.
In Georgia, Black Women Lead the Fight Against High Maternal Mortality Rates and Anti-Choice Legislation
Gloria Oladipo | Rewire.News
With COVID-19 disproportionately impacting Black people in the United States, the pandemic will weaken the already fraught infrastructure of reproductive and maternal health care for Black communities. But Black women have always led the fight for reproductive justice—centering the needs of society’s most marginalized people.
Taxless time of month: Governor Inslee signs bill exempting menstrual hygiene products from sales tax
Nicole Pasia | University of Washington Daily
Last Friday, Gov. Jay Inslee signed SB 5147, which will provide “tax relief by exempting menstrual products from retail sales and use tax.” The bill, effective July 1, will make Washington the 18th state to exempt menstrual products from retail taxes. The bill was unanimously passed by the State Senate on March 7. Three days later, the House of Representatives approved the bill in a 95–2 vote.
Work & Money
What truly ails us isn't coronavirus. It's inequality.
Petula Dvorak | Washington Post
Yes, we have always had the haves and the have-nots, but never have we seen a single thing — a microscopic bug barely 100 nanometers wide — whiplash people’s lives so differently.
What the Public Is Saying to Congress: Expand Paid Sick Days and Paid Family and Medical Leave to All
Vicki Shabo | Medium
Public opinion is clear: Congress must fill critical and even deadly gaps left in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act enacted last month, which provides emergency paid sick days and limited paid family leave to some workers during the COVID-19 crisis. Coverage should be universal, according to voters — but federal law falls far short.
COVID through the gender lens
Megan Peterson | Minnesota Reformer
The gender inequalities and biases we are seeing are not new, but the concrete policies and barriers coming from them are. People who were already struggling to access basic health care, already worrying about paying the bills and already fighting for basic human dignity are being asked to depend on a society that was never built for them to thrive.
How The Secondary Gender Wage Gap Stifles Women's Financial Well-Being
Isabel Fields | Ms. Magazine
Over the past half a century, women’s participation in the labor force has grown significantly—leaving more money in their pockets. But women’s financial literacy hasn’t followed the same trajectory—leaving gaps in women’s knowledge about how to handle, invest and take care of their financial assets. Known as the “secondary gender wage gap,” this gendered financial literacy gap negatively impacts women, constantly stifling their financial well-being.
Silicon Valley’s #MeToo Moment Didn’t Change Anything
Taylor Majewski | OneZero
Companies have mostly approached imbalanced statistics through highly publicized diversity and inclusion efforts that aim to solve the problem through internal workshops, designated executive hires, and diversity reports. But in the wake of Silicon Valley’s own #MeToo movement, casually cruel, sexist, and racist tendencies run rampant in the industry’s subtleties, invisible in the statistics and present even without the most extreme versions of a “disruptor” mentality.