Welcome back to the Lighthouse! Women’s History Month is ending, but as with Black History Month, that doesn’t mean that we should stop learning from the past and fighting for a better future until the month rolls around again. While this was technically from Black History Month, I want to share this fitting interview with Black feminist philosopher and professor Jeanine Weekes Schroer from Truthout about the richness of Black feminist thought. As Schroer explains:
In a variety of ways, Black feminist thought (and by extension, Black feminist philosophy) insists upon a permanent friction: Our inquiry will live in a socially, politically, ethically uncomfortable space. Our answers will be imperfect and/or incomplete. We will be able to pursue inquiry about the ways that diagnoses of neurodivergence are withheld from women and especially Black women; we will be able to articulate how that withholding harms and hinders Black women, but also how it might free them. Black feminist philosophy will have a greater tolerance for holding these conflicting “truths” at the same time.
Being able to hold multiple truths and to dig into those tensions is as relevant as ever. For example, today is Trans Day of Visibility, bringing to an end another Trans Week of Visibility and Action (TWoVA). The latter was created by Raquel Willis and Chase Strangio a few years ago, in part due to the tension and limitations inherent in trans visibility. After all, what good is visibility without solidarity and safety? As Willis explained in 2022, “We don't just want to be seen; we want to be heard and considered as well.” Given the despicable outcome in the Nex Benedict case, where prosecutors are choosing not to press charges for reasons that are purely victim-blaming, it’s important to recognize the on-going danger inherent in trans visibility and commit to actively protecting all trans people, especially trans kids. We deserve more than “solutions” that will only make things harder for us.
On the COVID-19 front, the intensity of spiking wastewater levels has lowered quite a bit, putting the national wastewater levels in the “Low” category. Although this is good news, it’s important to remember that while this is, “an indication of lower overall viral spread, [… it] is not a representation of low risk in our day-to-day lives, and continued masking and multilayered precautions continue to be necessary to protect ourselves and our communities.” Earlier this month, Alice Wong reflected on the current state of COVID, what Democrats owe high-risk people in the midst of it, and parasocial relationships on social media in an article I’d highly recommend, for all of the topics it covers. The 19th also talked to high-risk and disabled people about how they are dealing with the lack of care for their health and safety, especially those who are caregivers for other high-risk people.
Now, onto the newsletter!
Supreme Court doesn’t appear swayed by arguments in baseless abortion pill case
“Mifepristone is already available in our communities, and people are self-managing their abortions with it. This is what we’ve been doing, and we will keep doing because we do not receive our healthcare from the court.”
The Supreme Court has started hearing oral arguments in the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration case that seeks to limit access to one of the medications used for abortions (as well as miscarriage management, fibroid care, and more), mifepristone. The claim from the plaintiffs is that, “the expanded provisions violated anti-abortion emergency room physicians’ conscience protections, forcing them to care for patients experiencing complications as a result of using mifepristone.” Basically, they’re claiming that there could, possibly, someday — although it hasn’t happened yet — be an instance where the plaintiffs could have to treat someone who took the medication for an abortion and then had to come to the emergency room for severe complications, which would violate their conscience. That is despite the fact that mifepristone is safer than Tylenol, Viagra, and penicillin and very rarely has severe side effects.
Originally, the goal seemed to be to get mifepristone taken off the market entirely by questioning its original FDA approval, but it seemed unlikely that that would work out in their favor. Instead, they are focusing on later FDA decisions, notably the 2016 and 2021 changes that allowed mifepristone to be prescribed virtually and mailed, as well as to be used up to 10 weeks of pregnancy versus the previous 6 weeks. Given the increase in abortion pill use in abortion care in recent years, the biggest risk in this case is the undoing of virtual prescriptions and mailing of the medication. The 19th breaks down what this change could mean, such as less access to medication abortions leading to more surgical abortions, which are already less available and therefore even harder to obtain.
There are many angles to this case that the court is considering (or could): Should the Court be able to overturn decisions made by agencies like the FDA, who are meant to be the experts? Do the plaintiffs even have a legal standing in the first place if their concerns are all theoretical? What would a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs mean for the rest of the industry? While they won’t issue a final ruling until summer, so far it seems that most of the Supreme Court is skeptical of the plaintiff’s claims, which is a good sign. However, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas have both brought up the Comstock Act several times, which is the 151-year-old law that makes it illegal to send “obscene” materials through the mail. At the time it was written, this included things like, “contraceptives, substances that induce abortion, pornographic content, sex toys and any written material about these items.” Obviously, this isn’t typically enforced today, but the anti-abortion crowd has been hoping to change that. In response to this, Rep. Cori Bush officially called for a repeal of the Comstock Act, which she rightfully called, “a zombie statute, a dead law that the far-right is trying to reanimate.” Hopefully, it’ll soon be put to rest for good.
While we’re in a bit of a “wait and see” phase at this point, the news so far is (as usual) a mixed bag. It’s promising to hear that most Justices seem skeptical, and we could possibly see the case thrown out entirely. Considering the floodgates that would be opened by their siding with the plaintiffs on this case, that would certainly be a relief. But frankly, the fact that this case has even gotten this far despite how unpopular abortion restrictions are — and that it won’t put all arguments about access to abortion medication to rest — is a reminder that the fight for abortion access is far from over. To stay up to date on this case and other challenges to abortion, I recommend following organizations like Plan C and I Need an Abortion.
See also: You can listen to a recording of the arguments on the PBS website. The 19th and AP News both covered the recent announcement that CVS and Walgreens will both be making mifepristone available at their pharmacies where it’s currently legal. It still requires a prescription, however. From Jezebel, read about the story of the anarchist who helped bring abortion pills to the U.S.
What's Happening at Lakeshore Liberation?
Nothing new to share this time!
What’s Going on in Reproductive Justice
Advocates for Youth put out a handy Instagram guide to Opill, the first over-the-counter birth control pill. WPR talked to some Wisconsin pharmacies about how they’re trying to determine what the demand might look like so they can stock accordingly.
Speaking of birth control, a federal appeals court sided with a Texan dad that Texan teens need parental consent to receive a birth control prescription from clinics using federal funding — the last confidential option teens had — dealing another blow to bodily autonomy under the guise of “parent’s rights” (to control their kids’ bodies). Jane’s Due Process released a statement about the ruling.
I shared a bit about what was going on with IVF treatments Alabama last month, and there have been some updates. Earlier in March, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey quickly signed into law a bill that grants immunity for IVF, both for those providing the services and using them, allowing providers to resume these services. But while this was great news for IVF patients and providers, it still doesn’t address the original issue of embryos being considered “children,” and this stop-gap measure makes it easier to kick that issue down the road. There is also the chance that Republicans will revisit IVF in the future to create more precise restrictions, like limiting what can be done with frozen embryos after patients are done having children in ways that will make the process even more costly and challenging. And we’re already seeing how the (terrible) logic of these bans is impacting other states. In Tennessee, Republicans blocked a bill that would have codified protections for IVF and birth control, claiming that it is unnecessary and would undermine their abortion ban (the latter, of course, being their real concern). And more states are following suit in trying to enact similar “fetal personhood” laws. Truthout looks at how this trend is part of a long tradition of trying to control who can reproduce.
Affiliated Medical Services, the single independent abortion clinic that Wisconsin had in previous years and which had closed, has reopened in Milwaukee! Check out the POWERS newsletter for more information on this incredible news.
Wisconsin Watch reported on our state’s lack of postpartum coverage for those on Medicaid, which only lasts for 60 days. Despite multiple opportunities to expand this to a year, Republicans continue to block these attempts. Why? Let’s see what Assembly Speaker Robin Vos had to say about why he doesn’t support it: “[W]e give away too much free stuff.” Vile!
Back in November 2023, I had mentioned the alarming rise in syphilis cases in the US and how it’s impacting babies. Now, ProPublica is covering the failures of our government to take action against this crisis (and the downplaying of it), despite knowing about shortages in the medicine that treats syphilis that are making things far worse. Unsurprisingly, a monopoly on the production of the medicine also plays a role, as well as prioritizing (uninfected) military members over (infected) pregnant people.
What’s Going on in Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s primary election is coming up on April 2nd — that’s in just 2 days! In These Times talks to organizers about the Listen to Wisconsin campaign to vote “Uninstructed Delegation” in the presidential primary vote to show Joe Biden that he must take action against the genocide in Palestine to earn our vote. To learn more about this effort, Listen to Wisconsin has a really thorough FAQ!
The “parent’s rights” group trying to undo the Eau Claire Area School District’s gender support plan were served another loss when the federal appeals court sided with the lower court decision and dismissed the case. Trans rights (and children’s rights) prevail!
The Wisconsin bill to expand the child care tax credit that I talked about previously has been signed into law!
What I've Been Reading
Meta has started automatically limiting recommendations of “political content” in people’s feeds, which they vaguely define as content that is, “likely to mention governments, elections, or social topics that affect a group of people and/or society at large.” NPR reports on their reasoning, as well as how to change your settings.
In an exciting update, Signal is now allowing the use of usernames (that can be changed at any time) on their services, so you don’t have to give out your phone number to connect with people via the encrypted app. The Intercept did a great rundown on the change and how it brings additional privacy to Signal.
A Different, Messier World by P.E. Moskowitz is a concise piece on queer physicality and what we’re losing by retreating into individual identity over relational ones.
Looking at everything happening globally, here are some new resources and readings I’ve come across this month:
Hammer & Hope’s third issue is out, and it’s entirely about Palestine.
In Truthout, Eman Ghanayem reflects on Ramadan during an on-going genocide.
In These Times released a digital roundup of resources about Palestinian culture, to combat the cultural genocide occurring.
The Black Alliance for Peace created a toolkit for ending imperialism and occupation in Haiti. It provides a lot of easy-to-understand historical information, as well as ton of ways to get involved.
From the Everything is Horrible substack, a look at how fascism functions (and grows), to demonstrate that yes, Republicans are fascists. And as a palate cleanser from Convergence, how a strong labor movement can help defeat the far right.
What I'm Watching
We just watched through all of Feel Good, which was a second watch for me and a first for my partner. It’s still one of my favorite shows that balances humor, drama, and romance in a way that feels so incredibly real.
What I'm Listening To
From Reveal podcast, The Plague in the Shadows digs into the early history of HIV/AIDS in the United States and how women were excluded from AIDS diagnoses and care (and how incarcerated and formally-incarcerated women fought to change that).
Places to Donate To & Actions to Take
Cian finally has a top surgery date set in May! He’s been fundraising for a while but could use more support, especially as the date gets closer.
Palestine Action’s Legal Defense Fund supports activists in Britain who have been instrumental in shutting down Israel’s largest arm firms.
This petition - Demand DePaul University Take Action Against Professor Jason D. Hill - explains the wildly racist, anti-Indigenous, and genocide-denying statements made by a professor at DePaul University in Chicago. Sign to help demand that action is taken by the school!
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
Feel free to share them below or contact me directly.