Election

The SAVE Act: A Voter Suppression Tactic Disguised as Election Integrity

Photo from Unsplash Under the guise of “election integrity,” new legislation threatens to create unnecessary barriers to voting. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX-21) introduced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, H.R. 22 in early January, with a vote expected in the coming weeks. This legislation is yet another attempt to suppress the votes of marginalized […]

Courts

Pennsylvania Court Case Could Reshape the State’s Medicaid Abortion Coverage

On Wednesday, Feb. 5, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania re-heard a civil case against the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. The case, Allegheny Reproductive Health Center v. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, represents a decades-long fight by reproductive health organizations to remove Medicaid restrictions on abortion funding. Medicaid is a government-funded health insurance program that […]

Abortion

Missouri Republican Introduces Federal Abortion Ban in the House

Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Miss.) has introduced a new bill in the House, the so-called “Life at Conception Act” (HR 722), which would ban abortion across the nation. According to a press release from Burlison’s office on Jan. 24, “This landmark legislation declares that unborn children are ‘persons’ under the 14th Amendment to the United States […]

Politics

Trump Offers Buyout to Federal Employees

On January 28, the Trump administration sent a letter to all federal employees outlining a buyout scheme called “Deferred Resignation.” According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, this program would allow federal employees to resign between now and February 6, with the resignation taking effect on September 30. In the meantime, employees would be […]

Politics

Trump’s Federal Aid Cuts Met With Resistance

Two federal judges have blocked the Trump Administration’s efforts to cut all federal grant and loan programs.  U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan paused the cuts last Tuesday for a week to allow for full arguments on it. U.S District Judge John J. McConnell followed suit on Friday, siding with a coalition of 22 states.  “The […]

Education

Picture Books Pulled from Shelves as Book Bans Rise

In a new report, PEN America has revealed the top banned picture books during the 2023-2024 school year. Among these 23 titles, many center on LGBTQ+ themes, U.S. history, and diversity.  PEN America defines a school book ban as “any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent […]

Politics

Pete Hegseth Confirmed as Secretary of Defense Despite Troubling Allegations

Photo from Unsplash Pete Hegseth’s confirmation as the United States Secretary of Defense represents a significant and deeply troubling moment for women’s rights, government accountability, and public service integrity. Despite widespread criticism over his history of alleged violence against women, inflammatory rhetoric, and divisive behavior, Hegseth was confirmed after a 50-50 Senate vote, with Vice […]

Health

IVM: An Advancement for Reproductive Health

Photo by Amr Taha™ on Unsplash Amid nationwide attacks on reproductive health and justice, a new fertility treatment provides hope to those trying to conceive. It’s called in vitro maturation (IVM), and it mirrors most of the procedures of in vitro fertilization (IVF), with one key difference: doctors collect immature eggs instead of mature ones. […]

Abortion

Study Shows Potential in a New Drug That Could Increase Accessibility to Medication Abortion

Photo by Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition on Unsplash A recent proof-of-concept study from The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) found promising results for a new medication abortion drug.  While there are already established medication abortion regimens around the globe, primarily the combination of mifepristone and misoprostol, mifepristone is fairly limited and pricey, making it […]

Immigration

Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump From Ending Birthright Citizenship

Photo by Nitish Meena on Unsplash On Thursday, January 23, a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship, or automatic American citizenship for all babies born in the United States. The executive order—called Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship—was part of the flurry of anti-immigrant EOs Trump signed on his […]

Politics

Trump Terminates First Woman to Lead a Branch of the Military

Last Tuesday, January 21, President Donald Trump terminated U.S Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Lee Fagan. She was the first female leader to head a branch of the military.  The Coast Guard appointment is a four-year term, but Fagan had only served two. She was nominated by former President Joe Biden to lead the Coast […]

Afghanistan Womens Rights

ICC Seeks Arrest Warrants for Taliban Leaders Over Gender Persecution

In a historic decision, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for two top Taliban leaders for widespread violations of the Rome Statute, the treaty that underpins the court’s jurisdiction. The move underscores growing international outrage over the Taliban’s systemic abuses against women and other vulnerable groups in Afghanistan since their return to power […]

Abortion

Senate Hearing Revisits the Misleading and Dangerous ‘Born-Alive’ Bill

Photo from Unsplash On January 22, 2025, the Senate revisited the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,” introduced by Senators Roger Marshall and James Lankford (R-OK), during a contentious hearing. This legislation, which mirrors similar efforts in the House, seeks to reinforce protections for infants after “attempted abortions.” However, the bill has drawn criticism for being […]

Activism

Cecile Richards, Feminist Trailblazer and Former Planned Parenthood President, Dies at 67

Photo by Aiden Frazier on Unsplash Cecile Richards, former Planned Parenthood president and life-long feminist activist, passed away Monday, January 20, from brain cancer at 67. Richards was a leader in progressive politics for decades and was most known for cementing Planned Parenthood as a political powerhouse during contentious right-wing attacks leading up to and […]

Politics

Trump Sets the Tone for Second Term

Photo by rob walsh on Unsplash On Jan. 20, in front of his family, billionaire tech CEOs and Cabinet members, Donald Trump was once again sworn in as president of the United States. His inaugural speech laid out his extreme policy priorities, ranging from immigration to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and more. He moved […]