Repro Rights Roundup: January 8, 2018
Hello and welcome to the first Repro Rights Roundup of 2018! The stable geniuses here at the Roundup hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are ready to get cracking on what is sure to be an important year in these United States. Today, we’ve got a mix of news, stories, and good ideas for the new year. Let’s dive right in.
1. While we were taking a holiday mental health break, the administration’s war on undocumented women and girls’ right to a safe abortion marched apace. In mid-December, a federal judge ruled that the federal government could not block two more undocumented teenagers from getting an abortion. Later that week, a memo from the director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement was unsealed, revealing that he believes it would be in one of the girls’ “best interest” to carry her rapist’s baby. And this? This is so unfathomably cruel that we hardly even know what to say. It is truly difficult to understand why this administration is so hellbent on harming vulnerable people broadly, and women specifically. And to these very good Christians, we’d like to remind them what their pal Jesus’ whole deal was: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Unless, of course, you like being arbitrarily attacked by the federal government. If that’s the case, we can’t really help you there.
2. Months after last year’s devastating hurricane season, Puerto Rican women are still struggling to access essential healthcare, including abortion.
3. 2017 saw a huge increase in pro-choice bills: 645 bills were introduced across the states, with 86 signed into law. At a time where it often feels like the states are trying to one-up each other with ghastly, sexist legislation, this gives us hope. Let’s shoot for even more in 2018.
4. We loved these reproductive justice resolutions for the year. Check them out and let us know what you would add.
5. ICYMI: We posted a terrific personal essay by playwright Brooke Berman earlier this week. It’s honest, unflinching, and real. Take a look.
Thanks for joining us at the Roundup! We’ll see you next week.
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.