Nate Houghteling’s Post

Two years after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the pro-life movement and its Republican allies found themselves unprepared for the implications. The triumph in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization now appears more like a tragedy, raising pressing questions for the movement and its stakeholders. The absence of consensus among Republicans on key issues post-Roe has led to a political vacuum, enabling extreme activists to drive draconian measures at the state level. As they grapple with new challenges, Republicans face debates on bans, exceptions, penalties, and more, highlighting the complexities of navigating a post-Roe world. The recent rejection of a challenge to abortion and miscarriage-management drug use underscores ongoing efforts to restrict access, illustrating the evolving landscape surrounding reproductive rights. Please be sure to read the blog today in Medium by Maggie O'Neill, founder and CEO of the non-partisan campaign, Vote for Your Daughter. #ReproductiveRights #RoevWade #DobbsvJackson #ProChoiceMovement #VoteforYourDaughter #RoevWade

Melinda French Gates to Donate $1 billion to Women’s Causes, Particularly US Reproductive Rights Among the causes Ms. French Gates will champion are those pertaining to reproductive rights in the US, which have been curtailed in a number of states following the landmark Roe v Wade decision’s overturn. For More Details: https://rb.gy/oif9fh  #Womenentrepreneurs #Womeninbusiness #TopWomeninBusiness #BestBlogsforWomen #WomenEmpowerment #womentimesmagazine 

In the wake of Vice President Kamala Harris's ascension as the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party, the Howard University Initiative on Public Opinion conducted a poll on the opinions of Black voters July 22-24 in relation to Harris's candidacy. The report includes results from more than 2000 respondents from more than 30 states, weighted by gender and education level. Results suggest that Harris is best known for her advocacy for reproductive rights, that her best path to victory is to select a white male running mate, and that respondents view her as a politically moderate Democrat. The poll results also show that 93% of those polled plan to vote for VP Kamala Harris. https://lnkd.in/e_S57qf7

As a provider of last resort for the world’s largest vulnerable, undervalued, disenfranchised, and marginalized patient population, women; I have found elements that are well organized, well funded, and clandestine interwoven into the fabric of existing legislative, judicial, and board processes. Maybe, I should have more properly stated that these elements have found me! Elements which, while operating in the shadows, have an agenda designed and dedicated to curtailing women’s reproductive rights to autonomy and choice by decapitating the process, removing the physician at any cost. These pervasive elements yield outsized power because of wealth. One only needs to examine the case of Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe), who sold out the Pro-Choice movement, only to recant her support of Pro-Life elements on her deathbed. Right wing Republican organizations and foundations including the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society, with “ political dark money”, under the control of the Bradley, Freiss, Koch, Olin, and Scaife families espouse anti-choice, anti-woman, anti-family, anti-science, anti-evidence based medicine, and anti-LGBTQ+ agendas. The Mitch McConnell and Donald J Trump engineered partisan, conservative John Roberts’ Supreme Court with Samuel Alito, Clarence “Harlan Crow” Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney- Barrett as Federalist Society cronies are all furthering the dismantling of women’s reproductive rights! All having lied mendaciously through Senate confirmation processes allegedly as proponents of “PRECEDENCE”! Their collaborations with Leonard Leo reek with the stench of a rotting corpse, apparent to anyone with any nasal awareness! His “pass through” payments to Virginia Thomas further evince the ethical violations! Even more unbelievable is the court’s failure to intervene with a prompt immunity decision with respect to an ex-President who led an insurrection, now advocating for the pardon of insurrectionists, whose neo-fascist, autocratic, demagoguery is undermining every democratic guardrail, but is now given a DEFACTO DELAY with no reasonable avenue to a trial before this election!!! Incredibly, it gets WORSE, ALITO DEMONSTRATES HIS PARTISANSHIP WITH AN “UPSIDE DOWN FLAG” in support of Trump’s “Stop the Steal” campaign!! THE HYPOCRISY NEVER ENDS, this court is ruled by ideology, not the law! Harold O Alexander MD ABOG Certified OB/GYN 1986-2016 Princeton/Howard U Howard U College of Medicine 1977 Frank W Ballou Sr HS

There are just so many people out there doing amazing stuff in so many different ways and areas. Hats off to Lizz Winstead, who as per the blurb for the podcast: ⏸ is one of the two women who co-founded the iconic news satire program The Daily Show. She's gone on to become co-founder of the not-for-profit organization 'Abortion Access Front'. It's described as a "coven of hilarious badass feminists who use humor" to bring the conversation about women's reproductive rights into unexpected places — one of which being the highly entertaining and informative podcast Feminist Buzzkills. ⏸ I see this as an example of acting locally that may take you to acting globally, working out how best to pitch your message, how best to bring #awareness of the importance of your message, in this case when it goes to how others are seeking to control the way of being of women around the world. In this context, I cannot resist setting out my favourite quote on #humour, from Hermann Hesse’s Steppenwolf: ❗only humour (possibly the most original and brilliant of humankind’s achievements) can accomplish the otherwise impossible feat of uniting all spheres of human life by bathing them in the iridescent light of its prisms ❗ Thanks Lizz Winstead for your humour in this most serious and sensitive issue.

While today is awful, my true belief is that a just world with reproductive freedom for all is still possible. Even if Trump (and Trumpism) remains influential, his agenda is not inevitable. There are more floors to visit between "vote" and "exit". We must stay engaged, and do everything in our power to resist his xenophobic, misogynistic, and anti-rights agenda. But—and this is critical—as damaging as Trump is, it’s time we recognize that intersectionality, accessibility, and materiality aren’t just virtues to signal or boxes to check. They are essential, powerful tactics we must actively and ruthlessly deploy. Every day, I learn from the diverse, fearless partners fighting on the frontlines of justice struggles around the world. And I’m questioning: why is the U.S. regressing on reproductive rights while so many other countries are making strides—decriminalizing, legalizing, and liberalizing after years of advocacy and organizing? This says to me that we in the U.S. have much to learn from movement partners across the globe. How are so many around the world fighting and winning? Of course, there isn’t just one strategy. But a difference we see is a clear-eyed recognition that the granting of rights is fragile. And, a knowledge that to WIN (and here I'm speaking specifically to my fellow feminist and repro community folks) we need to address intersecting challenges like climate justice, economic inequality, and antiracism alongside our SRHR work. No matter how strongly someone feels about abortion rights, it's not the only issue that touches our lives. And when we show up for each other and build broad multi-issue bases, we’re unstoppable. Donors, this applies to you, too. Take this moment to consider: how might silos, opaque processes, and bureaucratic barriers hinder organizers? Are these structures pushing them to take fewer risks, follow played-out scripts, or choose between sustainability and true community-centered work? Some food for thought while this wound is fresh. We will keep fighting, but perhaps it’s also time for some reflection. Let’s make this moment a turning point—just a chapter, not the conclusion, of our story. Today, as always, I am proud to say that I stand with the brave. And I'm definitely not ready to Exit anytime soon.

Why Reproductive Rights Weren’t Enough: Insights from the 2024 Election As we reflect on the 2024 election, it’s clear that reproductive rights, while crucial, weren’t enough to propel Vice President Kamala Harris past Donald Trump. In my recent interview with U.S. News & World Report, I share with Cecelia Smith-Schoenwalder the complex dynamics at play. Despite strong support for abortion measures in 10 states, Harris underperformed compared to President Biden’s 2020 results, particularly among Hispanic women and white voters without a college degree. This election underscores the challenges women candidates face and the evolving priorities of the electorate. Read more about my analysis and the surprising trends that emerged. Let’s continue the conversation on how we can better support women’s rights and political representation. #ReproductiveRights #WomenInPolitics #PoliticalAnalysis

"The ground campaign is dead" seems to be a growing consensus on why Kamala Harris lost. I call BS. Sure, the Harris campaign out-knocked the Trump campaign 10 doors to 1 in some battleground states and still lost. That’s not the problem. Here’s what a ground game cannot do for any campaign: Mobilize the vote if you’re running on the wrong issues. We see it in how reproductive rights played out in this campaign. - She made this her issue. - Many voters agreed with her on the issue. - They voted yes on the issue. - And then they voted yes for Trump. The Harris campaign didn’t get the ballot question right. Reproductive rights was not the ballot question. How do we know this? Because abortion rights ballot measures succeeded in seven of the 10 states where they were proposed. Millions of people voted for abortion rights and also for Donald Trump. Canvassing and door knocking cannot fix a broken message or a bad strategy. It can't push back a tsunami. But it can make the difference in tight races where the strategy and the message carry some resonance. I'm pretty sure there's no one at BC NDP HQ thinking the ground game has no role to play in modern campaigns. Also, the Trump campaign did invest in GOTV, it just did so differently than the Harris campaign, outsourcing its GOTV to supporting organizations. Which itself may be a big lesson. In a polarized world, surrogates may be better placed to mobilize than you. But no matter who you outsource to, or how many doors you knock on, if you don’t understand the ballot question, people won’t mobilize for you. That's not the ground game's fault.

This is huge news for anyone who cares about the health and economic wellbeing of women and girls. And who understands the impact on business and our country as a whole. While critical, it's one win in a series of battles. As we heard from Danielle Silber and Julia Taylor Kennedy at Moving the Needle last month, there are more opportunities ahead to protect and broaden access to reproductive healthcare and family planning. Including: ➡ As many as eight states will likely have reproductive freedom on the ballot this November, a massive opportunity. Look out for New York, Florida, Missouri, Maryland, Nevada, Nebraska, Arizona and Colorado. Danielle, her team at the ACLU, and other groups are organizing now. ➡ Voting rights and election integrity have everything to do with reproductive freedom, like as we saw last year in Ohio—and will again, when Ohioans vote in November on a measure that will impact its future in the state. They'll decide whether to establish a nonpartisan redistricting commission or reinforce the ruling party's power. Julia's team at the Center for Reproductive Rights is tracking which companies publish their policies on access to abortion services and travel. She shared new data showing 70% of women and 59% of men ages 18-44 would be discouraged from taking a job in a state that restricts access to abortion. There are so many ways to get involved personally or professionally with the vital work to advance reproductive rights. Women executives, join us at Moving the Needle to find some of the right ways for you to plug in.