Stinko, blotto, free love, bathtub gin...
Today…
is National Cocktail Day, thank God finally.
is the birthday of Matilda Joslyn Gage (1826), described as a suffragist, abolitionist, Native American rights activist and – always a favorite – “free thinker.” So loaded. She pursues goals outside the home, she cavorts with others, she enjoys a nip, she swings from the goddamn chandeliers.
Also news to me, Gage inspired the term “Matilda Effect,” in which the achievements of women scientists are erased and/or attributed to their male colleagues.
Because “free thinker,” I did a quick search for pictures of the first party scene in Auntie Mame and was so pleased to find the above, accompanying a post on “the mythical lesbians of Auntie Mame.” You had not escaped my notice, ladies.
Do not let the share button escape your notice…
Abortion
Texas and Ohio Include Abortion as Medical Procedures That Must Be Delayed
Sabrina Tavernise | New York Times
Texas and Ohio have included abortions among the nonessential surgeries and medical procedures that they are requiring to be delayed, setting off a new front in the fight over abortion rights in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States.
Bust: Ohio Attorney General Attempts To Limit Abortion Access Amidst Coronavirus
Buzzfeed: Texas Has Banned Abortion During The Coronavirus Outbreak
CBS: Texas becomes latest state to halt abortion services amid coronavirus outbreak
NBC: Texas, Ohio order clinics to halt abortion procedures amid coronavirus
Refinery29: Why Ohio Is Trying To Stop Surgical Abortions During Coronavirus
Salon: Ohio attorney general orders clinics to stop all "nonessential" abortions because of coronavirus
Texas Tribune: No abortions in Texas unless the mother's life is in danger, Texas attorney general says amid coronavirus
Even in a Pandemic, People Still Need Abortions
Beth Vial | Newsweek
As the coronavirus spreads across the country, people are sheltering in place and canceling most or all non-essential outings, even doctor's appointments. Abortion patients, however, aren't afforded that luxury and now have to navigate a pandemic on top of an already restrictive web of laws. Imagine trying to get to an abortion appointment without using public transportation while your city is in lockdown and you are without income.
'I Feel Very Powerless': How Abortion Providers Are Dealing With COVID-19
Lauren Young | Rewire.News
Abortion providers face a complex interplay of questions about how to balance their own health, the need to physically distance, and the potential of COVID-19 to limit patients’ ability to travel for abortion services. A recent report by the Guttmacher Institute warned of an “extreme strain” on reproductive health care workers’ ability to serve patients in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Abortion Care Is More Essential During a Pandemic, Not Less
Christina Cauterucci | Slate
Officials [in Ohio and Texas] have said the bans are necessary to reduce coronavirus-induced strain on health care systems and reserve personal protective equipment, including masks and gloves, for more urgent uses during a time of nationwide medical supply shortages. Their misclassification of abortion as nonessential health care betrays a deep-seated indifference for the health and welfare of pregnant women. Abortion care isn’t a delayable luxury, even during a pandemic. It’s essential preventive care—and if anything, it might be more essential than usual.
Right-wing media and abortion opponents exploit the coronavirus crisis to spread lies about abortion
Julie Tulbert | Media Matters for America
While the coronavirus pandemic unfolds, right-wing media and abortion opponents have used the crisis to attack abortion access, advocates, and providers. Even in the early stages of coronavirus’ spread in the United States, safe access to abortion has already been impacted by anti-abortion policies at the federal and state level.
Coronavirus Could End Abortion Access in Some Parts of the U.S. Here's Why.
Valerie Kipnis | VICE
When women seek an abortion at Oklahoma City’s Trust Women’s Health clinic, they see a doctor who has flown in from out of state. It’s a relatively common setup for clinics in states where abortion and providers are under attack to work with out-of-state providers passionate about women’s right to abortion.
Parenting & Caregiving
Delivery Room Visitor Bans Are Confusing Patients
Irin Carmon | The Cut
Since hospitals operated by the NewYork-Presbyterian system banned all companions from the delivery room, confusion has spread whether other New York City hospitals, in the epicenter of the crisis, would follow suit.
Pandemic forces family members into new role: Caregivers for elderly loved ones
Sindya Bhanoo | Washington Post
Roughly 40 million Americans were providing unpaid elder care before the coronavirus pandemic. The number could be higher now. Younger relatives are moving older relatives out of assisted living facilities and rehab centers, while others are discontinuing home health services and losing access to respite provided by day-care centers, which have closed.
Reproductive Health & Justice
The Affordable Care Act Turns 10 Today. We Cannot Turn Back the Clock on Black Women's Reproductive Health and Rights
Alexis McGill Johnson | The Root
Healthcare in America has never been just. Inequity and racism are built into the system, and black women often bear the unjust burden. Our pain is taken less seriously; we are often misdiagnosed and untreated, and black women are three times more likely to die in childbirth. From provider bias and medical mistreatment to the structural barriers that prevent us from accessing health care, it is no surprise that our communities face greater health disparities.
“Muslim Women Banned for No Legitimate Reason”: Containing COVID-19 is Not An Excuse For Sexism
Sameena Karmally | Ms. Magazine
To slow the spread of COVID-19, U.S. mosques have made the difficult decision to limit prayer services. In Dallas, the recent DFW Imam Advisory describes three levels of restricted activity: The lowest level of restriction prohibits specific people from entering the mosque including those older than 60 or younger than 12; those with health issues, symptoms of illness, and anyone who has traveled in the last 14 days — and all women.
Are You Home Schooling Your Kids? Don't Forget Sex Education.
Cassandra Corrado | Rewire.News
Sex education is education—and if you’re braving math, science, and history to help your kid with their lessons, you should do the same for sex ed. Sex education is education—and if you’re braving math, science, and history to help your kid with their lessons, you should do the same for sex ed.
YOU KNOW WHAT. The next person, no matter how well-intentioned or correct, who comes with suggestions of what we need to be doing, homeschooling or otherwise… NO. NO MORE.
The GOP's Coronavirus Bailout Would Let Trump's Hotels Get a Loan But Not Planned Parenthood
Greg Walters | VICE
A gargantuan new economic stimulus plan being fiercely debated could have polar opposite implications for two potential borrowers: President Donald Trump and Planned Parenthood. Under language included in McConnell’s bill, the president’s hotel business appears to be fully eligible for emergency loans that could save it from bankruptcy in a downturn. Planned Parenthood, the reproductive healthcare provider and constant target of the GOP, would be banned from accessing crisis loans because of an “exclusion of nonprofits receiving Medicaid expenditures.”
Workplace Equality
Will Wilson, Andrew Luck's uncle, becomes CEO of US Soccer
Associated Press
Will Wilson, co-head of the NFL division of a sports representation agency and the uncle of former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, was hired Monday as chief executive officer of the troubled USSF as it faces a gender discrimination lawsuit by women on its national team.
Report Findings Show Most Companies Neglect to Address Gender Pay Equity
Benzinga
PayScale, Inc., released its annual State of the Gender Pay Gap report in advance of Equal Pay Day on March 31. The report provides an in-depth examination into the impact of gender pay inequity and reveals that progress in closing the gender pay gap is slow, as women are earning 81 cents for every $1 earned by a man—a nominal change over last year's 79 cents on the dollar earned by men.