Repro Rights Roundup: December 26, 2017

Hello and welcome to this holly jolly edition of the Repro Rights Roundup! Although this past week wasn’t completely free of questionable-to-awful moves on the women’s rights front, we here at the Roundup are taking a holiday break from bad news. Here’s a festive handful of positive stories that we think you’ll enjoy.

1. One of the silver linings on the dark cloud currently floating over our country is that more women than ever are running for office. 2018 could very well be the beginning of the feminist wave we’ve been waiting for. We, for one, welcome the coming matriarchy.

2. A second federal judge has halted the Trump Administration’s contraceptive coverage rollback, protecting American women’s access to affordable birth control for the foreseeable future. Credit is due to the attorneys general of California, New York, Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland for filing this lawsuit and protecting the rights of their constituents.

3. Cory Booker has introduced the Access to Birth Control Act, which would prohibit pharmacists from denying women access to birth control or emergency contraceptives for any reason.

4. Despite what you may have heard, politicians needn’t trade away women to squeak out a victory in a tough district. Doug Jones’ victory in Alabama is proof that choice is part of a winning platform in every state, no matter how red or how blue.

5. A great podcast called Abortion Diary is helping women who have had abortions share their stories. Not only does making these accounts public help other women who’ve had an abortion feel less alone, it helps normalize it to those who are skeptical or outright hostile. The more we are able take control of the narrative around abortion, the more the world will see it as a necessary, routine medical procedure that must be safe and legal. We are grateful to Abortion Diary for making it their mission to do exactly that.

That’s all from us this week. We’ll get back to the fight next week, but for now, enjoy your holiday!

Natalie Tyson is a contributor to A Is For. Natalie lives in Virginia, where she writes stuff, bakes stuff, and drinks a truly remarkable amount of seltzer water. You can't find her on any social media - it terrifies her - but she's glad you asked. She accepts tips.