national I SHORT TAKES
In anticipation of a likely overturn of Roe v. Wade from the Supreme Court, which would curtail abortion rights on a national level as soon as this June, a multitude of states are acting preemptively to restrict abortion access via state- level bans. After passing 108 abortion restrictions in 2021—the most enacted in any year since Roe was handed down in 1973—state lawmakers have continued the trend into 2022, with new restrictions in Idaho, Florida and elsewhere. “Efforts from banning treatment for ectopic pregnan-
cies to prohibiting people seeking abortions from leaving their home state show just how radical the anti-abortion agenda truly is,” Elizabeth Nash, Lauren Cross and Joerg Dreweke wrote in an analysis for the Guttmacher Insti- tute. But, they add, these outrageous measures “pull at- tention away from other abortion restrictions and bans that are moving quickly through some state legislatures. Moreover, these types of headline-baiting restrictions can make other devastating provisions, such as Texas-style bans or gestational age bans, seem less radical and harmful than they really are.” Earlier this year, Idaho became the second state to ban
all abortions after six weeks, following the model of Texas’ notorious SB 8 abortion ban, which went into effect in 2021. SB 8 is unique among abortion bans in that it au- thorizes private citizens to file suit against those who get abortions, an enforcement mechanism that has been likened to vigilantism. After Idaho, Oklahoma could po- tentially be the next to pass a “Texas-style” abortion law— the state’s Senate approved a similar ban in March. Given that the Texas ban pushed large numbers of abortion seek- ers to pursue care at Oklahoma clinics, an Oklahoma ban would be a devastating blow for access in the region. Other states to impose recent bans include Florida, Ken-
tucky and Arizona, all of which recently sent 15-week bans similar to one implemented in Mississippi last year (and currently under review by the Supreme Court) to their re- spective governors. And even more states are imposing re- strictions on access to medication abortion; at least 19 states (including Texas) have laws that ban using telemedicine to access abortion pills. These intensifying restrictions come at the same time as the Food and Drug Administration is beginning to ease regulations around the medication, al- lowing for easier access to telemedicine abortion, which has significantly increased abortion access for those living in rural areas with limited healthcare facilities.
A landmark #MeToo bill was signed into law by President Joe Biden in March after years of activism on the part of
www.msmagazine.com
Police investigate the scene of a mass shooting perpetrated by an “incel” (or “involuntary celibate”) at a Florida yoga studio in November 2018.
workplace sexual harassment and assault survivors. The Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act will ban forced arbitration in cases of workplace sexual harassment and assault and allow sur- vivors to file lawsuits against perpetrators. The bipartisan legislation was supported by former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson and former contributor Julie Roginsky, who sued former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes for sexual ha- rassment. “This is the first major piece of legislation to come out of the #MeToo movement,” Carlson and Roginsky wrote for Ms., “and is a giant step forward in fostering a workplace ecosystem that protects and uplifts survivors.”
According to a recent report from the National Threat Assessment Center (a division of the U.S. Secret Serv- ice), the threat of violence against women from men who term themselves “incel” (short for “involuntary celi- bate”) is on the rise. The NTAC emphasized the impor- tance of identifying early warning signs in men who are a potential danger, with the goal of staging interventions before violence occurs. The report, titled “Hot Yoga Tallahassee: A Case of Misogynistic Extremism,” spot- lighted the case of a 2018 shooting at a Florida yoga stu- dio that left two women dead and four others wounded. Per the report, the actions of the gunman (a military vet- eran and former teacher)—including aggressive behavior directed at women, prior arrests for battery, allegations of stalking and more—should have raised significant red flags prior to the shooting.
—OLIVER HAUG SPRING 2022 | 13
AP PHOTO/STEVE CANNON
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