The United States Department of Education last week released its much-anticipated amendments to the existing Title IX regulations—which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity that receives federal financial assistance.  The amendments make substantial changes to the existing Title IX regulations. Experts anticipate these new changes will result in an increase in the number of Title IX complaints, since they broaden the protections of Title IX. The Education Department is requiring all schools implement the new 2024 regulations by Aug. 1.&nbs ..read more

Happy April, and Happy National Poetry Month. Enjoy this list of the most exciting and extraordinary poetry titles I've read in the last year. I hope you find some collections that will have you reflecting on how poetry moves you, challenges you and represents you.  The post Reads for the Rest of Us: The Best Poetry of ’23-’24 appeared first on Ms. Magazine ..read more

Fortunately, there wasn't a copycat mass shooting on Saturday to grotesquely mark the 25th anniversary of the Columbine massacre on April 20, 1999. But just as we can be certain there will be another solar eclipse, it’s only a matter of time before a hail of bullets will block out the sun for another community somewhere in America. What’s also true? Expect the shooter to be male, probably white. The post Men and Mass Shootings 25 Years After Columbine appeared first on Ms. Magazine ..read more

Healthcare providers aren’t allowed to tell law enforcement about a patient’s abortion if they received the procedure in a state where it is legal, it is protected by federal law, or it is permitted by state law, the Biden administration said Monday. The rule will take effect in 30 days, and it represents a meaningful shift. But it’s unclear whether it will protect medical data for people who self-manage their abortions by receiving medication in the mail, often from a prescribing physician in a state with laws protecting reproductive rights. The post Medical Records for Out-of-State ..read more

Advocates for the LGBTQ+ community and sexual violence survivors are largely applauding the Department of Education’s newly released federal regulations to protect the rights of these groups in schools, though they also expressed reservations about the lack of clear protections for transgender athletes. Unveiled on Friday, the final rule under Title IX includes provisions that strengthen the rights of sexual violence survivors during investigations and of LGBTQ+ individuals to experience school in a way that aligns with their gender identity. Title IX is a historic civil rights law p ..read more

In a nationwide women’s consultation, Afghan women have expressed 'dread' and 'anxiety' over the potential international recognition of the de facto authorities (DFA), with 67 percent stating it would severely affect their lives. Among the participants, a majority stated that if such international recognition were to occur, it should only be contingent upon the removal of all restrictions in place by the Taliban against Afghan women and girls. The post Afghan Women Voice ‘Deep Disappointment’ and ‘Dread’ Over Potential Taliban Recognition appeared first on Ms. Magazine ..read more

This Wednesday, Idaho will attempt to defend its extreme abortion ban at the Supreme Court. Like many other abortion bans in the United States, the Idaho law contains a so-called life exception, which purports to allow an abortion when “necessary to prevent the death” of the pregnant person. But do these exceptions actually preserve the lives of patients in practice? As Mayron Hollis, Amanda Zurawski, the family of Yeniifer Alvarez-Estrada Glick, and countless others can attest, the answer is no. And the truth is, they’re not designed to.  The post The Lie at the Heart of the Latest Supre ..read more

The Arizona Supreme Court resurrected its zombie pre-statehood criminal abortion ban earlier this month, which is slated to go into effect as early as June. The decision, which took many by surprise, has sent Republican lawmakers and antiabortion activists in the state into a strategic tailspin as they seek to prevent the widespread outrage over the decision from transforming Arizona into a state that priorotizes reproductive freedom during the November elections. The post Arizona Republicans Are Divided Over Abortion. For Progressives, This Is a Political Opportunity. appeared first on Ms. Ma ..read more

The environmental and feminist movements have grown like stems and branches of a twisting vine or tree. Sometimes merging, sometimes growing apart. At times they have strengthened each other, yet at other times they have grown distant. Ultimately, they both address similar forces of oppression and exploitation. They share a common goal of dismantling the “status quo.” Their shared vision is the thriving of both women and nature. Climate change is not just an environmental crisis—it is a feminist crisis as well.  The post From Rachel Carson to Wangari Maathai—Meet the Women Who Ignited Env ..read more

The state of Idaho claims that it has the right to forbid pregnant women and girls—and only pregnant women and girls—from receiving emergency care that could save their lives. The post Idaho’s EMTALA Challenge Has Got Women Dead to Rights appeared first on Ms. Magazine ..read more