Migration Category: Feminist Newswire

Stories from the Feminist News Wire.

Kamala Harris’ Proposal Provides a Middle-Ground on Healthcare

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This morning, two days before she takes the stage for the second Democratic presidential debate, Senator Kamala Harris released her new Medicare For All plan, calling for a government-run health insurance system that includes provisions for private insurance plans.

Though Harris originally signed onto Senator Sanders’ Medicare For All legislation, which details an expedited path to government-run insurance and an elimination of private insurance plans, her proposal is more moderate, giving a longer window of time in which to transition to the new system. Harris’ proposed plan also clearly supports a continued role for private health insurance companies within the requirements set for Medicare plans.

A significant debate surrounding the Medicare for All proposals introduced by multiple presidential candidates involves the immediate transition from private healthcare plans to a government-run health insurance system. This morning’s proposal seeks to address these concerns and provide a method to incorporate the benefits of a government-run system with the familiarity of private health insurance plans. Progressive critics often argue against proposals similar to Harris’, citing the support for large corporations and the proliferation of corruption in the healthcare industry.

Senator Harris’ plan will likely still include the protections for reproductive health care outlined in Senator Sanders’ Medicare for All bill, which includes “comprehensive reproductive, maternity, and newborn care.” The bill ensures that the Hyde amendment will not restrict Medicare funding for abortion services, noting that the existing plan would not apply to the newly proposed program.

Both existing and proposed Medicare for All plans provide a stark contrast to the proposed restrictions to Medicare under the Trump Administration. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), proposed a new abortion restriction in February under the Affordable Care Act in their “2020 Payment Notice.” The rule is meant to deter insurers from covering abortion services, requiring insurance companies that have plans covering non-Hyde abortions to also have at least one matching plan that does not cover these abortions. Non-Hyde abortions are abortions for pregnancies that are not a result of rape or incest and do not threaten the mother’s life.

 

Media Resources: Feminist Newswire 2/11/19; Politico 4/10/19; Medium 7/29/19; Politico 7/29/19

White Male University Of Mississippi Students Posed with Guns in Front of Emmett Till Sign

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***Warning: graphic topics of violence and racism***

On July 25, 2019 ProPublica unveiled an Instagram photo posted of three young white men in front of Emmett Till’s sign commemorating his brutal death and the ignition of the Civil Rights Movement. The students were suspended on Wednesday from their fraternity, Kappa Alpha, a historically racist institution, amidst the outcry from the ProPublica news article. University of Mississippi’s spokesman Rod Guajardo stated that the student’s photo is “offensive and hurtful” but it did “not violate the school’s code of conduct.”

Someone reported the disturbing image to Ole Miss Office of Student Conduct,  and the complaint states, “The photo is on Instagram with hundreds of ‘likes,’ and no one said a thing […] I cannot tell Ole Miss what to do, I just thought it should be brought to your attention.” Their actions reporting the Instagram photo, with 274 likes, is the reason the university and the public were made aware of the issue. The photo was posted by Ben LeClere on his private Instagram account in March 2018 for John Lowe’s birthday with the caption “one of Memphis’s finest and the worst influence I’ve ever met.”

This picture eerily echoes the distributing history of Emmett Till who was shot in the head by a band of white supremacist men. Emboldened by Trump’s open racism, events such as these have surfaced in the media, such as the well-known Charlottesville riot in 2017, one of the most visible displays of hatred from the new so-called “alt-right” movement. The President responded to the violence by condemning hatred “on many sides,” and arguing that he was not responsible for the rise in racist hate groups. Richard Spencer, notorious white supremacist, chanted “Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory” to a cheering crowd preforming Nazi Salutes after Trump’s taking of power in 2016.

Since the sign’s commencement in 2007, it has been the target of white supremacist hate crimes ranging from bullet holes, theft, KKK vandalism, and throwing the sign into the river Emmett Till’s body was discovered in. The Emmett Till Memorial Commission has ordered a bullet proof sign to replace the current sign. They proclaimed “We believe it is important to keep a sign at this historic site, but we don’t want to hide the legacy of racism by constantly replacing broken signs […] The commission hopes this sign will endure, and that it will continue to spark conversations about Till, history, and racial justice.”

Puerto Rico Governor Expected to Resign Amidst Mass Protest

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Puerto Rico’s Governor Ricardo Rossello announced he will resign in early August after weeks of public protests over recently revealed homophobic and sexist messages Rossello sent government officials. His chief of staff as already resigned and Rossello has also resigned from his position as president of the new Progressive Party.

The massive city-wide protests erupted earlier this month in response to a series of messages in a group chat between governor Rossello and his inner circle. The remarks made in private were homophobic and misogynistic in nature with crude language and comments that jokingly mocked the victims of Hurricane Maria. This came after recent corruption related arrests of high-profile government officials.

Puerto Rico’s politics have long been dominated by the governor’s Progressive Party and this recent published transcript has forced the people of Puerto Rico to rethink the administration elected to serve their best interests. The frustration and recent tumultuous atmosphere of Puerto Rico comes out of the decade long disconnect between government officials and the common people. Protesters want the immediate resignation of Rossello and want to get rid of the unelected oversight board created by Congress aimed at managing the finances of the island’s government.

Grievances have been building as the quality of life after Hurricane Maria deteriorates drastically for many people. The US territory’s economic recession has forced employers to lay off workers while public services are being cut off. Many schools are forced to shut down, tuition are rising, and the island’s government has failed to help rebuild communities that are still suffering the debilitating effects of Hurricane Maria.

 

Media Resources:  CNN 06/24/19, NYT 06/18/19, NYT 06/19/19

School District Threatens to Send Children into Foster Care over School Lunch Debt

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Forty parents in the Pennsylvania Wyoming Valley West School District received letters this week from district officials threatening to remove their child from their home and place their child in foster care if they do not pay their child’s school lunch debt. Out of the district’s annual 80 million dollar budget, $22,000 dollars is owed in school lunches; a small fraction of the budget that is being used to threaten to separate children from their families. The families that received the letter were families that had a school lunch debt of $10 or more.

Luzerne County Manager David Pedri told NPR that “the foster care system should never be viewed as a punitive agency or weaponized to terrorize children and families” in response to the letter. County officials have criticized the school district’s decision to threaten families and have asked district officials to stop using the language in the letter.

The Wyoming Valley West school district is one of the poorest districts in the state and many parents are struggling to pay bills on low-wage jobs. Bill Vinsko, a lawyer in Pennsylvania, stated that the letter is “really scary for parents who are trying to work for the best interests of their kids.” Not paying for a school lunch on time is not “neglect” and only further vilifies poor and working class families. “No child should have to imagine the horror of being ripped away from their parents because their family is struggling economically,” Senator Bob Casey said.

This past month, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D) and Sen. Tina Smith (D) introduced the No Shame at School Act—a bill that would provide solutions for districts struggling with large school lunch debts. The bill would prohibit schools from publicly identifying and shaming students with outstanding lunch balances. Under this bill, schools would also no longer be able to employ debt collectors in an attempt to collect school lunch debt. However, schools will be able to apply for reimbursement from the federal government for up to 90 days of an unpaid school lunch debt.

As of now, there are many school districts across the country that provide free meals regardless of family income. In Boston, the largest city to have one of these programs, public schools have been providing free meals since 2013.

 

Media: NPR 7/22/19, ABCNews 7/19/19, The Hill 6/19/19, CNN 6/19/19, Feminist Newswire 9/5/13

Trump Administration Delays Enforcement of Title X Abortion Restriction

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On Saturday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sent out a notice to federally funded family planning clinics, stating that clinics would be given extra time to comply with a Trump administration rule announced last week that eliminated Title X funding for clinics that provide abortion referrals.

The notice stated that the government “does not intend to bring enforcement actions” against family planning clinics that have demonstrated “good-faith efforts to comply.” According to the notice, clinics receiving Title X funding must send a compliance plan to the department by next month and must separate their office spaces from exam rooms where abortions are performed by March of next year.

After the Trump administration’s rule was announced on Monday, HHS originally ordered immediate compliance. Consequently, Planned Parenthood, which controls over 400 clinics nationwide, responded by stating that its clinics would not comply with the order.

In addition to cutting Title X funding for clinics that provide abortions, the rule mandated that abortion counseling at clinics be performed only by physicians or advance practice clinicians. It also stated that abortion counseling would be optional instead of standard medical protocol.

Clare Coleman, CEO of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, told NPR that the order goes even further, because for Title X recipients, it “changes the rules around how [they] can speak to patients about their contraceptive care. It allows providers to select the range of contraceptive methods that are offered and would allow providers to exclude methods that they object to, even if patients are interested in those methods.”

Established in 1970, Title X of the Public Health Services Act is the only federal domestic program that is exclusively concerned with providing funds for family planning and reproductive health services. Title X funding is awarded through competitive grants to healthcare providers that prove they are the most qualified for meeting the needs of the communities they serve.

Title X provides over $260 million to family planning clinics and serves over 4 million people annually. Since the inception of Title X, statutory law has explicitly outlawed the use of Title X dollars for abortion procedures. Instead, Title X grant money has gone towards other sexual and reproductive health services. In 2016 alone, health centers used Title X funding to provide 720,000 Pap tests, more than four million STD tests (including HIV tests) and nearly one million breast exams. According to the Center for American Progress, women’s health centers that receive money from Title X prevent 1 million unintended pregnancies each year.

 

Media Resources: Feminist Newswire 3/31/19, Feminist Newswire 6/19/19, The New York Times 7/21/19, NPR 7/21/19

Dr. Leana Wen Removed as Planned Parenthood’s President

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After less than a year on the job, Dr Leanna Wen M.D. has been removed from her position as Planned Parenthood’s president. Per the statement released by Dr. Wen, the ousting occurred after disagreements between Dr. Wen and Planned Parenthood’s board on the direction of the organization following the severe blows from the far right on reproductive rights, especially on the front of abortion access. Wen also stated that she was ousted after a secret meeting despite having been in good faith negotiations regarding her departure.

One of the main issues between the two parties was the framing of abortion as a healthcare issue rather than a political one. There were also reports of disagreements over Dr. Wen’s management style. Following her ousting, The New York Times reported that the organization wanted a more aggressive political leader, and as such, decided to appoint Alexis McGill Johnson as acting CEO and president of both Planned parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Dr. Leana Wen was the first Asian American as well as the first physician in 50 years to become the president of Planned Parenthood in 2018 after Cecile Richards announced her resignation. Previously, Wen was the Baltimore City Health Commissioner, leading the oldest health department in the United States and improving the city’s overall well-being. During her four years as the commissioner, Wen issued a blanket prescription for naloxone, which reverses opioid overdoses, to all residents of Baltimore, saving about 3,000 people in three years. In addition to combating the opioid epidemic, Wen also led initiatives to support transgender-related medical services; reduction of infant mortality; coverage for children who need glasses; medication and food access to seniors; expansion of trauma and mental health service; and programs to treat gun violence as a public health issue.

 

Media Resources: Democracy Now 07/16/19; Refinery 29 07/16/19; The New York Times 07/16/19; Feminist Newswire 03/12/19

Four Democratic Congresswomen Call Trump’s Racist Tweets a Distraction

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Yesterday, four democratic congresswomen of color held a joint press conference to address a series of racist tweets made by President Trump in which he called for the women to “go back” to the countries they came from. The four women, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib, condemned his words as hateful rhetoric, emphasizing that his tweets were simply part of his weak attempt to divide the country on the basis of race, gender, and immigration status.

Three of the four women were born in the United States, and Rep. Omar has been an American citizen since she was a teenager. Ocasio-Cortez commented that she was not surprised by Trump’s words, stating that “weak minds and leaders challenge loyalty to our country in order to avoid challenging and debating the policy…He does not know how to defend his policies, so what he does is attack us personally.”

Pressley emphasized that Trump was using his tweets as a political tool. She told reporters that the attacks were “simply a disruption and a distraction from the callous, chaotic and corrupt culture of this administration.” Tlaib underscored Pressley’s point, stating that “we cannot allow these hateful actions by the President to distract us from the critical work to hold this administration accountable.”

Trump’s racist tweets came just one day before he instructed the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to issue a rule that would end all asylum claims for migrants who had to travel through another country to arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border. This rule effectively chips away at existing immigration law, which allows migrants to request asylum if they fear persecution or torture in their country of origin.

Trump’s tweets are also a clear attempt to distract the public from recent developments involving his transition staff as well as his cabinet. Yesterday was the first day of the second criminal trial resulting from Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Bijan Rafeikian, a former Trump transition official in charge of intelligence matters, is now on trial for operating as an unregistered agent and receiving payments from a foreign country. In addition, last week, Alex Acosta formally resigned as labor secretary amid controversy stemming from a lenient plea deal he offered as US Attorney to billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was indicted on charges of sex trafficking and abuse.

Trump’s racist tweets came as no surprise to the congresswomen, because he continued to further his racist agenda on Friday when he confirmed that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would begin raids to deport thousands of undocumented immigrants in 10 major cities, including Miami, Chicago, and Los Angeles. His announcement on ICE came amidst reports about horrendous conditions at immigrant detention facilities at the Texas border. In fact, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez was one of the most outspoken members of Congress to address the conditions. She took to Twitter, writing that “This administration has established concentration camps on the southern border of the United States for immigrants, where they are being brutalized with dehumanizing conditions and dying.” A team of lawyers, doctors, and advocates noted that children are being held past the legal time limit, people are going weeks without showering or changing clothes, and most do not have access to quality food or medical care.

 

Media Resources: Feminist Newswire 7/12/19, New York Times 7/15/19, YouTube 7/15/19, Los Angeles Times 7/15/19, YouTube 7/15/19

Justice Denied Once Again as Eric Garner’s Murderer Goes Free

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Five years after the death of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man whose last words “I can’t breathe” started a rallying cry, the Justice Department has decided that they will not bring federal charges against the New York City police officer allegedly responsible for strangling him to death. The announcement came exactly when the deadline on the statue of limitations ran out, and no charges were pressed on Garner’s alleged murderer, Daniel Pantaleo.

On July 17th, 2014, Garner was stopped by NYPD officers on a street corner in Staten Island for allegedly selling loose cigarettes. Garner’s friend, who was with him at the time, captured the encounter, which depicted Garner pulling his arm away from the Pantaleo and Pantaleo putting him in a chokehold and forcing him to the ground. In the video, it can be heard that Garner repeated “I can’t breathe” eleven times as officers continue to restrain him. After falling unconscious, officers left him on the sidewalk as they awaited an ambulance to arrive. He was announced dead at the hospital an hour later.

Despite the medical examiner ruling Garner’s death as a homicide and the NYPD having a specific policy prohibiting the use of a chokehold, Pantaleo was neither indicted nor pressed charges. Immediately following the announcement that Pantaleo would not be indicted in 2014, hundreds of demonstrators spilled into the streets in New York City, blocking traffic in the Lincoln Tunnel and on the Brooklyn Bridge and staging a die-in at Grand Central Station. “We All Witnessed Murder” one protester’s sign read.

Eric Garner’s death highlighted police violence and led to anti-police violence demonstrations across the country. In the wake of the decision not to indict Ferguson Police Department officer Darren Wilson in the killing of unarmed teen Michael Brown, and the decision to not indict the officer responsible for Garner’s death, protesters sought an end to excessive and lethal force by police officers.  On Twitter  after Garner’s death, the hashtag #CrimingWhileWhite rose to trending status as people shared personal examples of how they benefited from their white privilege in police encounters. The hashtag #AliveWhileBlack emerged in response, as people shared stories of racial profiling despite having committed no crime.

Media Resources: New York Times 07/16/19; The Daily Beast 07/16/19; Feminist Newswire 11/1//15

Amazon Workers Strike during Prime Day

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Amazon workers across the globe are striking because of grueling production demands, unsafe working conditions, and many other issues during the company’s largest two-day sales event—from July 15 to July 16th—known as Amazon Prime Day.

Amazon released a statement in response to workers striking, claiming, “Events like Prime Day have become an opportunity for our critics, including unions, to raise awareness for their cause, in this case, increased membership dues. These groups are conjuring misinformation to work in their favor, when in fact we already offer the things they purport to be their cause—industry leading pay (full-time employees at our Shakopee facility make $16.25– $20.80), benefits, and a safe workplace for our employees.”

But many workers within Amazon vehemently disagree with this statement. As reported by Business Insider, an anonymous employee stated, “It is shameful that while Amazon chooses to be the industry leader in so many aspects of their employment policies, and yet continues to allow other aspects of their policies to be worthy of being called ‘inhumane.’”

In the past, Amazon has faced criticism for unsafe and unsanitary working conditions. Many workers have shared their experiences of working at Amazon—claiming that unsafe working conditions resulted in major injuries. For the past two years, Amazon has been named as a part of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health “dirty dozen”—a list of the top 12 companies in the United States with the most unsafe working conditions.

Amazon had originally intended to open a new headquarters in New York City, but had to change their plans in February following intense backlash from activists and lawmakers in the community.

Unions and labor rights have recently been challenged in the Supreme Court. In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled against public-sector unions in Janus v AFSCME, deciding that unions can no longer collect fees from public employees who opt not to be union members yet are covered by and profit from all of the benefits that unions achieve.

 

Sources: Feminist Newswire 7/2/18, The Guardian 7/30/18, The Guardian 2/14/19, COSH Network 4/24/19, Business Insider 7/12/19, Quartz 7/15/19, The Independent 7/15/19

Black Maternal Health Caucus Holds Stakeholder Summit at the Capitol

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Last Thursday afternoon, the Black Maternal Health Caucus (BMHC), composed of Congress members, such as co-founders Lauren Underwood (IL-14) and Alma Adams (NC-12), Jackie Speier (CA-14), and Ilhan Omar (MN-5), gathered to hear the opinions of the stakeholders involved in developing a course of action to how to best deal with the issue of discrepancies in the maternal mortality rates for Black women. Many organizations were present, ranging from Planned Parenthood and the American Medical Association to SisterSong and the Black Mamas Matter Alliance.

The BMHC was founded on April 9th of this year to increase awareness of Black maternal health and to develop strategies to provide more culturally-competent care. For the United States as a whole, the maternal mortality rate has actually increased by 26% from 2000 to 2014 and currently has the highest mortality rate of the industrialized nations. The outcomes worsen when taking into account race: Black women are three to four times more likely to die of pregnancy complications than non-Hispanic white women. In New York, Black women are 12 times more likely to die from complications.

The range of organizations present showed that solving this issue will require the work of those across many fields as finding a solution is interdisciplinary. CEO and founder of AncientSong, a doula service based in Brooklyn, New York, Chanel Porchia-Albert’s statement focused on the important role that doula’s play in the community and how their skills could be used to aid in the reduction of maternal deaths. Her suggestion to the caucus was to recognize doula’s as a viable healthcare option and to expand Medicaid to cover their services to give patients a wider-range of options when going through childbirth. She also acknowledged how culturally-competent, community-based doulas actually help to reduce the number of deaths associated with childbirth.

 

Media Resources: Rep. Alma Adams 6/11/19; Rep. Alma Adams 4/09/19; American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist; Feminist Newswire 4/17/18

Afghan Director Roya Sadat’s Movie Wins Best Screenplay at SAARC Film Festival

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On July 7, “A Letter to the President” by renowned Afghan filmmaker Roya Sadat won Best Screenplay at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Film Festival in Sri Lanka. Afghanistan’s Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Mohammad Ashraf Haidari, received the award on Sadat’s behalf.

The festival featured 34 films from the eight SAARC countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. “A Letter to the President” was one of four films from Afghanistan.

“A Letter to the President” chronicles the life of Soraya, a powerful police chief in Kabul. The film sheds light on the abuse Soraya suffers by her abusive husband whom she eventually kills. When she is sentenced to capital punishment, Soraya writes to the President of Afghanistan in an attempt to save her own life.

Sadat directed the film over a period of two years and reported that filming was extremely difficult at times due to threats of violence she received. While filming “A Letter to the President,” she was chased at gunpoint by individuals who were angry that her film featured a woman who did not cover her head. Consequently, the US Department of State honored her as a recipient of the International Women of Courage Award. The State Department highlighted Sadat’s activism, mentioning that she founded the Afghanistan International Women’s Film Festival to encourage more women to enter the filmmaking industry.

Sadat’s film also recently won the One Future Prize at the Munich Film Festival. The prize is presented to a director whose film demonstrates “that our world has one common future.” The group presenting Sadat’s award, speaking of the film’s main character, stated that “her integrity and her courage to resist are an example to us all. All this is told by the equally brave young Afghan director Roya Sadat, the first female practitioner of her craft in the post-Taliban era.”

Other Afghan activists have also used art to create social change and engage international audiences. ArtLords, a group of Afghan artists, recently painted a mural in London outside of the Defend Media Freedom Global Conference where Afghan officials were in attendance. Omaid Sharifi, the chairman of ArtLords, told TOLO News that he wanted the mural “to reflect the role of freedom of the press in Afghanistan.” Sharifi also took to Twitter, stating that “this is our statement for protection and support of journalists and free press all over the world.”

 

Media Resources: Tolo News 3/23/18, Tolo News 7/8/19, Tolo News 7/9/19, Tolo News 7/11/19

Parliament Votes to Protect Same-Sex Marriage and Abortion in Northern Ireland

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Last week, U.K. members of parliament (MPs) voted to extend same-sex marriage and abortion rights in Northern Ireland via two measures that will go into effect as long as the regional government in Northern Ireland remains defunct.

The Chief Executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, Ann Furedi, told CNN that Tuesday’s vote on abortion was a “truly historic moment” and that she is “extremely grateful to all those MPs from across the UK who made clear that they would no longer turn a blind eye to the injustice and suffering faced by the women of Northern Ireland.”

Current abortion laws in Northern Ireland are among the most restrictive in the world: those who receive an abortion may face life in prison, and the legislation does not include exceptions for rape, incest, or fetal abnormalities. In fact, the UN Committee overseeing CEDAW has stated that Northern Ireland’s restrictive abortion law “constitutes violence against women.”

The UK government reported that in 2018, over 1,050 individuals from Northern Ireland traveled to England and Wales to receive an abortion, an increase of nearly 200 people from last year. In an attempt to make abortions more accessible, the British government announced in 2017 that it would begin funding abortions for residents of Northern Ireland through the Government Equalities Office.

While Northern Ireland is a member of the United Kingdom where abortion and same-sex marriage are legal, the Northern Ireland Assembly, a regional government, has traditionally had legal control over both issues. The Assembly collapsed in 2017 between the Democratic Unionist and nationalist parties over whether to remain a part of the United Kingdom or create a united Ireland. If the Assembly does not regroup and repeal the measures approved on Tuesday, the measures will become law.

 

Media Resources: Feminist Newswire 2/3/19, New York Times 7/9/19, CNN 7/10/19

Women Make up 25% of the Student Population at Afghanistan’s Higher Education Institutions

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At Afghanistan’s higher education institutions, 25% of the student body population are women, including Tehmeena Painda, one of the highest achievers of the ‘Kankor’ University entrance examination- earning her a spot at Kabul Medical University. 

This is an amazing achievement for young women in Afghanistan, where girls were prohibited from going to school during the Taliban regime, and a multitude of female students cannot finish high school due to lack of security, poverty, and cultural barriers. 

On July 10th, the Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education released the Kankor’s scores, resulting in 147,000 out of 189,000 graduating students will attend one of the 240 universities in Afghanistan. Those students who did not do well on the Kankor will seek education elsewhere at private universities. 

Since 2015, USAID have been providing the Ministry of Higher Education with heavy-duty printers, scanners to score the marked exams, portable biometric kits, laptops, and trained ministry staff on how to use them. The equipment also records each applicant’s photograph and fingerprints as proof to their identity, which is verified when they return to take the exam.

Although there has been a significant increase in the numbers of university students, there has not been much improvement on Afghanistan’s employment. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), Afghanistan has the highest unemployment rate in the world- between 25 and 30%.

 

Media Resources: Tolo News 7/10/19,  The Global Post 7/2/18, USAID 11/1/17

Federal Appeals Court Blocks Trump Administration’s Birth Control Exemptions

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Last Friday, the 3rd U.S Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a nation-wide injunction to block the Trump administration from enforcing new rules that would allow employers to obtain exemptions from an ACA requirement that insurance must cover women’s birth control. This decision upheld a district court decision issued in January that blocked regulations issued by the Department of Health and Human Services allowing employers with religious and moral objections to seek exemptions from this ACA requirement.

In Friday’s decision, the three-judge panel agreed with the Democratic state attorneys general from Pennsylvania and New Jersey arguing that the Health and Human Services rules had “serious substantive problems.” The Trump administration itself cited that up to 126,400 women nationally would lose contraceptive coverage due to the rules issued by Health and Human Services.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro commended the ruling as a “huge victory for women’s rights and the rule of law.” Shapiro, along with New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, brought the lawsuit against the Trump administration’s regulations. In a statement, Shapiro further added that “contraception is medicine—pure and simple.”

Louise Melling, the deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, also praised the court for its decision. In a statement, she wrote that “yet another court has stopped this administration from sanctioning discrimination under the guise of religion or morality.”

This decision is a huge legal win for access to legal birth control across the country. Melling further noted that the ACLU “applaud[s] the order to enjoin the enforcement of these discriminatory rules.” When the rules were first proposed at the end of 2018, Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority Foundation, argued that “women across the country see these rules for what they truly are: a misogynistic effort by self-righteous politicians to give employers control over their bodies.”

 

Media Resources: Feminist Newswire 11/8/18, The Hill 7/12/19, Reuters 7/12/19, ThinkProgress 7/13/19

Oklahoma Judge Upholds Ban on Second-Trimester Abortions

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The Center for Reproductive Rights has vowed to take an Oklahoma abortion-ban to the state Supreme Court after an Oklahoma district judge upheld a law banning second-trimester abortion procedures last Friday. The Oklahoma Supreme Court has previously rejected multiple anti-abortion bills similar to this ban.

The Center for Reproductive Rights challenged the Oklahoma law after it was first passed in 2015. The legislation prohibits the use of common instruments employed in second-trimester abortions, effectively banning the procedure entirely. It has been kept on hold for the past four years as the legal challenge went through the court system. Julie Rikelman, director of litigation for the Center for Reproductive Rights described the bill as a “back-door ban on abortion itself,” explaining how the procedure is “the standard of care for abortion after approximately 14 weeks.”

Multiple other states have attempted to pass similar laws; however, the Oklahoma judge is the first one to not block the ban. Laws in Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, and Texas that have issued a ban on the same procedure have all been blocked due to the Supreme Court precedent that stops states from placing an undue burden on any individual seeking an abortion within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy.

The Oklahoma ruling comes amidst a surge of anti-choice legislation within the Oklahoma state legislature. This past February, lawmakers advanced two bills through committee that restrict an individual’s access to reproductive care. One requires doctors to inform women who have decided to have a drug-induced abortion that the procedure is reversible. Pro-choice advocates have argued that this can negatively affect doctor-patient relationships and promote a policy that has not been proven to be medically safe.

The second law states that if Roe v. Wade is overturned, Oklahoma will automatically ban abortions and make the procedure a felony. Similar legislation has been passed nationwide as the threat to Roe increases. These laws are often referred to as trigger bans as they are automatically “triggered” if Roe is overturned. Oklahoma is already one of the 19 states with laws that could restrict the legality of abortion. If this ban passes, it would become the ninth state to implement a trigger ban. In 2019 only, over 250 restrictive abortion bills have been introduced in state legislatures. Several states such as Kentucky and Mississippi have attempted to pass “heartbeat bills,” which would ban abortions as soon as the sixth week of pregnancy before most women even know they are pregnant.

 

Media Resources: KOSU 2/26/19; Feminist Newswire 4/3/19; Guttmacher Institute 7/1/19; Washington Post 7/12/19; Vice 7/12/19

U.S. Pledges to Include Afghan Women in Peace Talks

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After a week of marathon talks in Doha among Afghans, the U.S. Special Envoy for Reconciliation to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, reassured that the U.S. is not “running and cutting” from Afghanistan. Mr. Khalilzad was speaking to an audience at Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security at Georgetown University, via a video link from Qatar. Mr. Khalilzad mentioned that the U.S. wants to leave a “very positive legacy” in Afghanistan. He also assured the audience that “women will be at the table. They were present for the conference and we will make sure they have a seat or several seats at the negotiating table.” He emphasized that “any successful society needs to empower its women. There has to be equality before the law for all citizens. My commitment to them remains that they will have a place at the negotiating table.”

Mr. Khalilzad also stated that, “we (U.S.) look forward to a long term relationship of friendship and partnership with Afghanistan. We would like to leave a very positive legacy here. We are not cutting and running. We are not looking for a withdrawal agreement. We are looking for a peace agreement. And we are looking for a long term relationship of partnership with Afghanistan.”

Mr. Khalilzad has held eight rounds of peace talks with the Taliban as well as meetings with many of the regional players and NATO allies. The latest round of these talks, which were held July 7-9, was considered to be the “most productive.” In his video speech, he reiterated that in their talks with the Taliban, they have made “substantial progress” on four elements, including, “that Afghanistan will not be a threat to the international community, particularly to the United States and allies, but also to other countries. Second, is that the Taliban are interested in our military posture in Afghanistan. Third, is the need for Afghans to dialogue with each other and to negotiate a road map for their own future, and the fourth element is a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire to end the fighting.”

Earlier in the week, negotiations to end the Afghanistan war took a step forward as well. Around 60 Afghan delegates, 10 of them women, and 17 members of the Taliban participated in the first intra-Afghan peace talks in Doha. The 60 members were government officials, civil society representatives, human and women’s rights activists and former politicians, all participating in their personal capacity.

The Taliban continue to refuse to meet with the Afghan government officials in their official capacity. Although informal, this was the first major meeting of the Taliban members with Afghans from different backgrounds and generations, including those who staunchly defend the progress achieved in Afghanistan.

 

Media Resources: Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security 7/11/19

Acosta Resigns as Labor Secretary After Criticism Over Lenient Epstein Plea Deal

Posted on by Feminist Newswire

Today, Alex Acosta formally resigned as labor secretary amid controversy stemming from a lenient plea deal he offered as US Attorney to billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was indicted last week on charges of sex trafficking and abuse. During Acosta’s announcement, Trump emphasized to reporters that the resignation was solely Acosta’s decision.

Yesterday, House Democrats called for a briefing from the Justice Department on Acosta’s role in a 2008 case involving sex trafficking charges against Epstein. Democratic members of Congress and presidential candidates also called on Acosta to resign. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took to Twitter, writing that “@SecretaryAcosta must step down. As US Attorney, he engaged in an unconscionable agreement w/ Jeffrey Epstein kept secret from courageous, young victims preventing them from seeking justice.”

Epstein was arrested July 6 on a charge of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors and on one count of sex trafficking of minors. When federal agents searched Manhattan home, they discovered numerous lewd photographs of young women. Prosecutors noted that “thousands of sexually suggestive pictures of young women and girls seized in his Manhattan home demonstrate the predatory attitude that Mr. Epstein continues to have towards young women.”

Epstein’s July arrest has drawn attention to his past criminal history. In 2008, he was accused of sex trafficking young women in his Palm Beach home as well as in Manhattan and the Caribbean. Despite these horrendous accusations, Epstein plead guilty to two charges of soliciting prostitutes, for which he served 13 months in county jail and registered as a sex offender. His sex trafficking charges, which Epstein would have had to serve life imprisonment for, were dropped by Acosta, who at the time was the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. The plea deal that Acosta offered Epstein was incredibly lenient: the FBI investigation into the sex trafficking charges was called to an end and Epstein’s accomplices in the crimes were granted immunity. To ensure that the victims of Epstein’s crimes would not attempt to challenge the non-prosecution agreement, Acosta also helped conceal the deal from victims.

 

Media Resources: Twitter 7/8/19, Feminist Newswire 7/10/19, New York Times 7/11/19, BuzzFeed News 7/12/19, New York Times 7/12/19

As the Border Crisis Persists, Take Action Today

Posted on by Carmen Rios

The most recent string of reports from the border demand our attention—and our action.

Earlier this month, the Homeland Security Inspector General released a scathing report detailing overcrowding and other inhumane conditions at detention centers along the border, much of which has been confirmed by recent visits to facilities by lawmakers.

“After I forced myself into a cell with women and began speaking to them, one of them described their treatment at the hands of officers as “psychological warfare,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted after a visit to a center in El Paso, Texas. “This has been horrifying so far.”

Feminists have been fighting back against the Trump administration’s shameful treatment of migrants since last summer, when a zero-tolerance policy instated by the president resulted in thousands of children being forcibly separated from their families and officials announced that women seeking asylum from abuse and sexual violence would no longer be eligible for shelter in the U.S.

As the border crisis persists, so must we. No matter where you live or what means you have available, you can take action today. Here’s 10 ways to start.

#1: Take to the Streets

Earlier this month, activists made headlines by holding hundreds of #CloseTheCamps protests across the country in opposition to inhumane conditions at detention centers and dehumanizing practices by ICE—but the march toward justice goes on.

On Friday, July 12, Lights for Liberty vigils nationwide will make space for lawmakers, advocates and individuals to show solidarity with migrants and honor the memory of those who have died in detention center. You can find the Lights for Liberty event nearest you in their database.

#2: Volunteer Your Time

Show up for migrants by showing up where you’re most needed—as a volunteer providing key support services to the leaders of this fight.

The International Rescue Committee has an extensive database detailing all of their volunteer opportunities across the U.S.—including chances to help with citizenship training and teach English to resettling individuals. The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants also provides a number of both remote and local volunteer opportunities, and Stand With Immigrants can help you connect with activists on the ground wherever you are.

Volunteer lawyers, translators and CBP monitors are also critically needed at specific sites along the border. Organizations like the ABA, ACLU and Translators Without Borders can help you put your legal and linguistic expertise to good use in this moment.

#3: Keep the Movement Strong

Organizations agitating for immigrant justice, providing critical resources to migrant families and working to advance policies that protect immigrant and refugee families need support more than ever in this current moment. Consider giving a tax-deductible gift to RAICES, International Rescue Committee, Women’s Refugee Commission, ACLU and Immigrant Families Together today to fuel their urgent work.

#4: Help Detained Migrants Post Bail

Posting bail for detained migrants stops their lives from being interrupted and disrupted in the time before their court date. Bail bond funds, which are reserves of money allocated to posting bail for immigrants nationwide, make that possible. Consider donating to the Freedom for Immigrants’ National Bond Fund and the Fianza Fund today.

#5: Send Supplies (and Airline Miles!) to Migrants

Material donations can be critical for migrants at the border or immigrants recently released from detention. You can donate toiletries, canned food and other non-perishable items in-person or through mail to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants and No More Deaths. Your extra air miles can make a difference as well: Miles4Migrants uses them to reunite immigrant and migrant families by plane.

#6: Visit a Detention Center in a Show of Solidarity

Showing up outside of a detention center to protest is powerful and important—but for the individuals inside, walking through the front doors could be more immediately meaningful. Visiting one of the detention centers across the country is one small way to show solidarity with the migrants inside.

Freedom for Immigrants has existing visitation programs in some states, as well as information on how to create one and what to prepare for when visiting. Other organizations also provide lengthy guides on how to create local visitation programs and what to expect when visiting, including the Women’s Refugee Commission and the Detention Watch Network.

#7: Make Room for Refugees—and Support Your Newest Neighbors

If you have the means and have a safe, spare room or shelter, you could consider being a host for refugee families at Room for Refugees. Organizations like Miry’s List and the Syrian Supper Club also provide local support to resettling families and individuals—and connect them to their larger community.

#8: Stay Informed

Now is the time to study the background on U.S. immigration; learn about apprehensions at the border in six charts and read this timeline detailing what’s happened so far in family separations. Keep your eyes wide open. We must remain vigilant.

#9: Talk to Your Lawmakers

Especially if you live in states along the southern border or ones that support the border facilities, calling your representative can let them know that their constituency—the population whose votes they’ll be campaigning for come 2020—cares about migrants and opposes the abusive conditions that they’re subjected to. Here’s a searchable directory to find your representative and their contact information, and organizations like YouLobby, the ACLU and Indivisible East Bay provide call scripts and tips.

#10: Vote!

It’s almost time for the 2020 elections—and one of the best things you can do is vote for state and federal lawmakers who are committed to ending the human rights abuses at the border and advancing a political agenda that grants migrants, asylees and refugees the dignity and opportunity they deserve.

Feminists can make a difference at the polls. Register to vote today, and urge your friends, family members and neighbors to do so, too. When we vote, we win—and families at the border are counting on us to speak up when it matters most.

ICE Raids Plan to Arrest and Deport Thousands of Immigrant Families

Posted on by Feminist Newswire

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is scheduled to begin raids in major cities this Sunday to deport thousands of undocumented migrants, according to former and current officials of the Department of Homeland Security.

This order is known as “collateral” deportations, which targets families, and includes the deportation of over 2,000 migrants. The New York Times states that “the authorities might detain immigrants who happened to be on the scene, even though they were not targets of the raids.”

This operation is expected to take place in 10 major cities including Miami, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Agency officials have yet to expose specific details about the raids, supporting several officials’ statements that the Trump Administration’s goal is to deter families from migrating.

This order comes after the Committee of Oversight and Reform hearing on Kids in Cages: The Humanitarian Crisis at the Border. During the committee hearing, Yazmin Juarez, a migrant mother, testified on the death of her child due to the inhumane conditions at the detention facilities. Two-year-old, Mariee’s death is one of 7 deaths now reported from the border.

 

Media Resources: The New York Times 7/11/19, Huffpost 7/11/19, Feminist Newswire 7/31/18

Judge Blocks Ohio’s Fetal Heartbeat Law

Posted on by Feminist Newswire

Last Wednesday, U.S District Judge Michael Barrett temporarily blocked an Ohio law that would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, allowing clinics to continue to provide abortions. The law was slated to take effect this month, but Judge Barrett issued a preliminary injunction, blocking the law from taking effect while it is being challenged in court.

Using the 1992 Supreme Court decision Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Barrett argued that the Ohio law would place an “undue burden” on a women’s right to access abortion. Barrett further  wrote that should the Ohio law go into effect “one could characterize the obstacle Ohio women will face as not merely ‘substantial’ but, rather, ‘insurmountable.”

Freda Levenson, the legal director for the ACLU of Ohio, stated that “the court has upheld the clear law: women in Ohio…have the constitutional right to make this deeply personal decision about their own bodies without interference from the state.”

Earlier this April, Gov. Mike DeWine signed the Ohio law that officially banned abortions after 5-6 weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant. The law has an exception to save a woman’s life; however, there are no exceptions for cases of rape or incest. The law also penalizes doctors who perform abortion after a heartbeat is detected with a fifth-degree felony, up to a year in jail, and possible fines.

This decision is a sign of hope for abortion rights advocates who have challenged recent laws restricting access to abortion in several states. Elizabeth Watson, a staff attorney with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, argued that “this victory for Ohio women [will] stand as a reminder that these attacks on abortion access are illegal.”

Just two weeks ago, the ACLU and Planned Parenthood sued Arkansas and Georgia, while the American Medical Association sued North Dakota last Tuesday. Watson further stated that, “we will continue to work within the courts to hold anti-abortion state legislators accountable as long as they abuse their power to push abortion out of reach.”

 

Media Resources: Feminist Newswire 4/12/19, CNN 7/3/19, CBS News 7/3/19, The Hill 7/3/19

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