In the first case of its kind since the fall of Roe v. Wade, a Louisiana grand jury has indicted Dr. Maggie Carpenter, the New York OB-GYN whom Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also sued for prescribing telehealth abortion pills to a Texas woman. On Jan. 31, Louisiana indicted Dr. Carpenter and issued an arrest […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Trump Reinstates Global Gag Rule, an Assault on Women’s Health around the World
Photo from Unplash Donald Trump has begun his second term in office by signing an executive order that prevents foreign organizations receiving U.S. global health assistance from providing information, referrals, or services for legal abortion, or advocating for access to abortion services in their country. This policy is widely known as “The Global Gag Rule.” […]
Trump’s Pardons of 23 Antiabortion Extremists Endanger Providers and Patients
Capitol Police prepare to arrest Lauren Handy, third from left, of Anti-Choice Project D.C., and other antiabortion demonstrators, who participated in a “pray-in” outside the office of then-Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to protest a canceled House vote that would ban abortions after 20 weeks on March 25, 2015. (Tom Williams / CQ Roll Call) *adapted […]
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 […]
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. […]
Eligible Afghan Refugees Denied Access to Resettlement Following Trump’s Executive Orders
On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump introduced a slew of executive orders including the swift signing of an order suspending the resettlement of all refugees to the United States for an indefinite period of time. As a direct effect of this order, more than 1,600 Afghans who had been approved by the U.S. Government to […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The International Criminal Court 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 […]
Senate Hearing Revisits the ‘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 […]
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 […]
Democratic Women’s Caucus Announces Executive Steering Committee, Fighting for Women’s Rights Under a New Administration
Photo by Simon Ray on Unsplash Yesterday, Tuesday, January 21, the Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) announced its Executive Steering Committee for the 119th Congress. The DWC brings together Congresswomen from across the nation to create state and local support for women’s rights and opportunities, no matter where they live. Spearheading this mission are Chair Teresa […]
LGBTQ Community is Targeted in First Set of Executive Actions
Photo by Unsplash On January 20th, 2025, a new executive order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” was issued marking a significant shift in federal policy on sex and gender. The order, presented as a measure to protect women’s rights, redefines sex as a biological characteristic […]
Gender Disparities in the Wake of the Los Angeles Wildfires
Photo by Daniel Lincoln on Unsplash As increasingly severe natural disasters rage across the globe, such as the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles, their devastating consequences extend beyond burned landscapes and lost homes. These disasters reveal stark gender disparities in their impact, underscoring why climate change must be viewed through a gender-sensitive lens. Natural disasters, […]
The Laken Riley Act Signals a New Era of Immigration Policy
Photo by Louis Velazquez on Unsplash Republicans in Congress are moving toward reshaping U.S. immigration policy with a strict immigration detention law, The Laken Riley Act. This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain non-citizens who have been arrested for nonviolent crimes including burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting of $100 or more. […]
The Continued Attack on Transgender Student Athletes
Photo by Thiago Rocha on Unsplash Along with over 400 other human rights organizations, the Feminist Majority Foundation has signed on to a letter written by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights to oppose H.R. 28, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. This House bill would alter Title IX to […]