Pink Moon
Today…
is World Health Day. The tagline for 2020 is: support nurses and midwives.
or rather, tonight, is the Pink Moon, or Egg Moon, or by whatever name, slated to be the biggest and brightest full moon of the year.
was the birthday of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, 1890-1998. (She sure did live to 108.) Certainly I knew the name, but very little about the woman. She was a journalist and writer, and a passionate environmental activist who spent decades working to preserve the south Florida Everglades.
I do love a scrappy old woman. “Mrs. Douglas put in six-hour days well into her second century. She was known for ending her work day with a stiff drink – two fingers of scotch, neat.”
is also National Beer Day. if Scotch isn’t your thing. (It’s not mine.)
Enjoying the newsletter? Tell your people. Do it for Marjory. Do it for Scotch, neat, and cold beers, and phlox, and mamas who did almost two hours of 7th grade math and this newsletter before you got up this morning.
Abortion
The Coronavirus Crisis Threatens 2020 Voting Rights, Abortion, Other Civil Liberties, Watchdogs Say
Roger Parloff | Newsweek
The coronavirus pandemic, like any extreme crisis, is forcing tough choices between the competing values of safety and liberty. Already, the pandemic has presented challenges in four main areas, says David Cole, National Legal Director of the ACLU: voting rights, prisoner rights, disability rights, and—somewhat unexpectedly—abortion rights.
Red States Are Exploiting Coronavirus to Ban Abortion
Michelle Goldberg | New York Times
While America’s attention has been consumed by the coronavirus crisis, politicians who have long wanted to do away with abortion rights have seized their chance.
When the Abortion Clinic Is Open, but You Have No Way to Get There
Lauren Young | Rewire.News
“Not enough conversation is happening around how we transport patients and our volunteer networks that exist around the country.” Compounding these access issues today is the risk of exposure to COVID-19 as patients travel to and from clinics, hotels, and other shared spaces to receive care.
No Test, Minimal Contact: How One Abortion Clinic Is Adapting to Coronavirus Concerns
Anna Kambhampaty | Time
Wednesday, March 18, Maine Family Planning launched its first contact-free, no-test abortion telehealth program, one of only a few in the country, at a time when abortion access is being threatened by conservative lawmakers as well as the increasing financial and social hardships caused by the pandemic.
Anti-Abortion ‘Crisis Pregnancy Centers’ Are Still Open in States That Banned Abortion Because of Coronavirus
Carter Sherman | VICE
Some of the same states that have issued orders to ban abortion during the coronavirus pandemic are allowing anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers” to remain open. A VICE News review found these types of facilities remain open in states like Texas, Ohio, and Alabama. In each of those states, public officials have ordered non-essential businesses to close and non-essential medical procedures to be canceled due to the coronavirus.
Ohio, Oklahoma courts rule abortions can continue amid virus
Julie Carr Smyth & Ken Miller | Associated Press
Court decisions in two U.S. states Monday allowed abortions to continue after the procedure was caught in the crosshairs of governors’ orders suspending all non-essential elective surgeries due to the new coronavirus. The decisions in Ohio and Oklahoma responded to challenges by abortion rights groups.
Federal Judge Allows Some Abortions To Continue In Oklahoma
Sarah McCammon | NPR
A federal judge in Oklahoma has issued a temporary order allowing medication abortions and time-sensitive surgical abortions to go forward in the state during the coronavirus pandemic. That comes after Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an executive order that the state says would bans most abortions in an effort to preserve medical supplies for healthcare workers treating coronavirus patients.
CBS: Most abortion in Oklahoma will resume, despite governor's ban
CNN: Oklahoma judge blocks state order restricting abortion during coronavirus outbreak
'Total Panic': How One Texas Woman Sought an Abortion After Her State Banned Them
Galina Espinoza |Rewire.News
When Texas officials declared abortions "nonessential" amid the COVID-19 pandemic, one woman's abortion plans were derailed. She went on a five-day journey to legally get one.
LGBTQ
Despite Pandemic, the Biggest LGBTQ Legal Battles Are Hurtling Forward
Kate Sosin | NewNowNext
The coronavirus pandemic has largely shuttered the courts, but last week, lawyers at the ACLU were still busy drafting a lawsuit challenging an unprecedented Idaho bill that bars transgender students athletes from sports. HB500, signed into law by Idaho Gov. Brad Little at the end of March, is seen as among the most pressing LGBTQ legal challenges of the moment.
Pregnancy & Parenting
Fertility apps can be 'misleading' for women, review finds
Katie Hunt | CNN
Smartphone period trackers or fertility apps are a daily part of many women's lives as a tool to monitor their menstrual cycle or help them plan or prevent pregnancy. But experts say women shouldn't turn to fertility apps during the Covid-10 pandemic to avoid unintended pregnancies simply because people may be unable or too wary to visit their doctor face to face.
Studies Show Moms Take on More Invisible Labor, and It Makes Them Feel Isolated and Depressed
Marisa LaScala | Good Housekeeping
It's really easy for mothers overlook the effects of invisible labor on their mental health. "Women themselves often don’t realize how much they are doing," says Jelena Kecmanovic, Ph.D., founder and director of Arlington/DC Behavior Therapy Institute. "They just find themselves always on the run, exhausted, and never having time for themselves."
New Jersey lawmaker: In COVID-19 crisis or no, moms shouldn’t be alone for delivery
Dino Flammia | WKXW-FM
No woman should be forced to deliver a baby alone, Assemblyman Raj Mukherji says. Mukherji, D-Hudson, said that's a main driver behind legislation he's set to introduce Thursday that would state, in law, that hospitals are required to permit expecting mothers one support person in the delivery room during childbirth.
After 28 Years, New York Has Lifted Its Ban On Paid Gestational Surrogacy
Morgan Brinlee | Romper
Less than two months after Gov. Andrew Cuomo renewed his office's efforts to aid LGBTQ individuals and couples grappling with infertility, New York has legalized paid gestational surrogacy. Legislation ending the state's 28-year ban on the practice of gestational surrogacy was passed Thursday as part of New York's 2021 fiscal year budget. As a result, New York residents will legally be able to enter into paid surrogacy contracts beginning February 2021.
Reproductive Health & Justice
Why you need to know what 'misogynoir' means right now
Rebecca Ruiz | Mashable
Even if you're unfamiliar with the term misogynoir, which is anti-black misogyny that specifically targets black women, you've likely seen it in action or experienced it firsthand. Misogynoir is not only offensive and hurtful — it's also often harmful. Bailey says that such attitudes toward black women may be linked to poor health, social, and economic outcomes.
Workplace Equality
Women Could Be Losing Jobs at a Higher Pace Than Other Groups During the Coronavirus Pandemic
BeLatina
“While the unemployment rate increased to 4.4% from 3.5% in the official report, the last two weeks of unemployment benefit filings suggest that the true rate is probably about 18.3% for adults,” William Rodgers, chief economist at the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University, told CNN. Among adults, Hispanics and African-Americans have been hit the hardest, at 18.7% and 20.7% respectively.
Congress has a chance to protect pregnant employees with the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
Katherine Krems | National Law Review
In January, the House Education and Labor Committee approved the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which would follow the ADA’s framework and require employers to provide pregnant workers with reasonable accommodations. First introduced in 2012, it is time for Congress to finally pass this bill and support all women in the workplace.
Supreme Court Rules in Cases Involving Age Discrimination, Traffic Stops : NPR
Nina Totenberg | NPR
The U.S. Supreme Court sided with older federal workers on Monday, making it easier for those over 40 to sue for age discrimination. The 8-to-1 ruling rejected a Trump administration position that sought to dramatically limit the legal recourse available to federal workers.
Can coronavirus shutdown lead to equal pay for U.S. women’s soccer?
Ann Killion | San Francisco Chronicle
Can a shutdown have a silver lining? Not for most areas of life. But our current holding pattern could end up being a positive in the case of the U.S. women’s soccer team and its contentious battle with its employer, the U.S. Soccer Federation.
Coronavirus shines light on issues of child care, housing, and paid family leave in Michigan
Mary Kuhlman | Detroit Metro Times
Gilda Jacobs, president and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy, says the coronavirus pandemic has brought to light issues such as the need for paid leave and better access to health care.