Nothing Like A Dame
Today…
is National Cheese Ball Day. A minor but significant holiday for my 12 year old.
is Nothing Like A Dame Day. I don’t make these up. But just last night, my friends and I went on a 20-minute tangent of Mommie Dearest quotes, so it seemed fitting. And my mother, who’s been watching AMC since long before it was cool, loves her a old Hollywood dame.
We could probably use a few more in a time like this, huh…
You either got it, or you ain’t. And, folks, I got it. You like it? You gotta share it.
Abortion
Actual Good News on COVID-19 Abortion Bans
Jessica Mason Pieklo & Imani Gandy | Rewire.News
On this episode of Boom! Lawyered, Jessica Mason Pieklo and Imani Gandy do their best to bring us up to speed on the latest developments in Texas, Ohio, Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, and the rest of the country.
Notes on Language: Why We Stopped Using 'Surgical Abortion' at Rewire.News
Regina Mahone | Rewire.News
To more accurately describe this type of abortion, many health-care providers have adopted the term “procedural” abortion. We are following their lead.
Kentucky
Abortion opponents send bill to Kentucky governor
Bruce Schreiner | AP
Republican lawmakers in Kentucky moved this week to give the state’s anti-abortion AG authority to regulate abortion clinics, but they may have acted too late if the state’s new Democratic governor objects. The legislature passed the bill late Wednesday, on the last day of session. But if Gov. Beshear decides to veto the bill and keep regulatory authority in his own administration’s hands, anti-abortion lawmakers won’t have the opportunity to override him.
(You know how I feel about Pearl Bailey. And a for-real dame.)
Michigan
Anti-Abortion Protesters Secure Right To Flout Michigan's Stay-At-Home Order
Carol Kuruvilla | HuffPost
Anti-abortion activists in Michigan have won permission to continue protesting outside a Detroit abortion clinic during the coronavirus pandemic. The activists settled a lawsuit against Detroit and Gov. Whitmer (D) on Tuesday, after the city agreed to drop a misdemeanor ticket against one protester for violating Whitmer’s stay-at-home order by demonstrating outside of the Scotsdale Women’s Center.
LGBTQ
I Am Worried About A Backslide In LGBTQIA+ Rights
Amber Leventry | Scary Mommy
While folks’ attention is on the pandemic, issues that hurt marginalized communities, specifically the queer community, are being ignored or allowed to breed. I am mourning the loss of queer visibility and the fight for equality.
As Pride 2020 Parades Are Canceled, a Digital Celebration Takes Their Place
Brittney McNamara | Teen Vogue
While June will be notably less fun without Pride parades, the European Pride Organisers Association isn't letting the month pass without some queer representation. If we can't gather physically, the EPOA and other organizations are banding together to create a digital Global Pride event on June 27.
(Too on the nose? Maybe, but good God, look at her. Dame for all genders.)
Nearly a decade after the repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell,' LGBTQ military veterans are receiving more support. Slowly.
Mica Soellner | USA Today
Even with lesbian, gay and bisexual service members able to openly serve for the past nine years, the question of whether the culture of the military has changed is up for debate.
Pregnancy & Parenting
I'm black and pregnant during the coronavirus pandemic and this is why I'm scared
Katie Kindelan | Good Morning America
Marbre Stahly-Butts, a 34-year-old woman in Brooklyn, spent most of her pregnancy planning to ensure she did not become a statistic in the maternal mortality crisis in the U.S., a crisis that disproportionately affects black women.
Fertility Clinics Cautiously Plan to Expand Services, Against Coronavirus Concerns
Tracy Clark-Flory | Jezebel
Last week, the New York Department of Health quietly issued an advisory clarifying that “sexual and reproductive health services” are “essential” and thus exempt from “shelter in place” requirements. The document went on to list services such as abortion, obstetrical care, STI treatment, and, perhaps more surprising, fertility services, including “infertility treatment.”
Expecting Parents and Pregnancy Experts Adjust to the D.C. Coronavirus Pandemic
Kayla Randall | Washington City Paper
The novel coronavirus pandemic has shut down the D.C. area and much of the rest of the world, and changed nearly every aspect of life. But labor and delivery cannot be shut down. Pregnant people and new parents still need everything they’ve always needed.
Reproductive Health & Justice
Kamala Harris Has Plan to Fight the Racial Disparities of the Coronavirus
Michael Harriot | The Root
“If I were to list the disparities, I would put them into buckets,” Harris explained. “I would put it into the public health bucket, the economic justice bucket, the educational justice piece, and environmental justice. But those aren’t exclusive, right? There are definitely others.”
And this key quote, for some of my favorite KHive members…
Although I thought I was speaking clearly, Harris either didn’t hear or intentionally ignored my suggestive hints when I repeatedly referred to her as “Vice President Harris.” Maybe this quarantine has robbed me of my “outside voice.” Or perhaps she was social distancing from my joke.
21st century dame. Wonder if she’d be open to wearing a hat…
Health Advocates and Leaders Address Disparities for Louisiana Women Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Akemi Briggs | KLAF-TV (Lafayette, LA)
April is National Minority Health Month (NMHM), an initiative intended to advance health equity across the country on behalf of all racial and ethnic minorities. April 11-17 is Black Maternal Health Week, a national campaign to increase awareness of Black maternal health disparities and advocate for change. Both topics are of interest to the Louisiana Center for Health Equity (LCHE).
More, More, More
How do you like it? Yeah? Oh, good. Then do me a quick favor and help spread the word.
I (Don’t) Want A Wife
Maggie Trinkle | Ms. Magazine
Editor’s Note: This essay is an homage and COVID-era update to to Judy Brady’s classic satirical feminist manifesto, “I Want a Wife,” which originated as a speech at a San Francisco protest in 1970. “I Want a Wife” was funny, yes, but it also made a serious point: Women who were “wives” did many considerate things for their families, usually without any recognition.
Facing “Existential Threat,” Nonprofit Leaders Look to Cope and Make Change
Amy Costello & Frederica Boswell | Nonprofit Quarterly
In our latest Tiny Spark podcast, we check in with three nonprofit leaders to find out about the extraordinary moments and excruciating challenges they are facing.
Did Gender Keep Democratic Women From Winning The Primary?
Danielle Kurtzleben | NPR
Gender was definitely a factor in this year's Democratic primaries. How could it not be after what the party has seen over the last four years? But the ways in which attitudes about gender impacted the outcome are varied, and of course more than a bit complicated.
How discrimination due to the coronavirus can be damaging to a person’s physical health
Theodora Yu | Sacramento Bee
Despite the shelter-in-place policies across the nation to combat the coronavirus pandemic, the number of discriminatory incidents remain on the rise. The related stress could have health impacts on those targeted, experts say.