Commentary
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Our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions on complex topics.
The Supreme Court of Michigan ruled that voters get to decide in November whether abortion rights must be added to the state Constitution. This is a big win for pro-choice advocates, as putting the matter to vote could mean preserving abortion access in the Wolverine State. If democracy is truly the linchpin of our society, the GOP must get out of the way so voters in each state can decide whether abortion should be protected under their state constitution. The GOP’s drive to prevent the people from having their say, will be the death knell for the party. Too often are we seeing members of the right invest in trying to subvert the will of the people as it concerns this vital privacy right. In this Michigan case, for example, the state Supreme Court reversed a decision by the Board of State Canvassers, which had deadlocked along party lines. That deadlock allowed the GOP-backing board members to effectively killing the abortion measure citizens wanted to vote on. We know Michigan voters overwhelmingly wanted to decide whether abortion should be codified in the state constitution because those who petitioned to put the question on the ballot had garnered more than seven hundred and fifty thousand signatures—that is, hundreds of thousands of signatures more than required. The people—in this swing state, mind you—want their voices to be heard. Those in the some 40 states where the state constitution doesn’t protect abortion, people what their voices heard. Yet the GOP appears to still be doing its damnedest to silence those voices. That’s not democracy. Nor is it wise. We’re already seeing a byproduct of the overreaching conservative movement. Specifically, voter registration is spiking. Since word of the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade got out, women in states where abortion access is insecure are signing up right and left to vote. In Ohio, for instance, another swing state, women now make up fifty-four percent of newly registered voters. That’s the second highest jump of any state recorded… behind Kansas, that is— where voters recently shot down GOP efforts to remove abortion rights from in its state constitution. Women have also outpaced men in new voter registration by 15 Points in Wisconsin, 12 in Pennsylvania… and so on. This move to make people have children they don’t want won’t fair well for the right. These new voters are overwhelmingly young women and they’re leaning left. There’s no doubt that they’ll make their voices heard in November. Those who can vote on abortion access will be preserving their right to choice. And those who can’t will be backing lawmakers who will allow them to preserve their right to choice. Protecting abortion access will make its way onto ballots across the nation whether the GOP likes it or not. The party’s drive to subvert democracy by silencing the voice of the people will turn November blue. Whether the Republican Party can come back from that will have to be seen.
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Why are non-consensual pelvic exams still happening?
More states are beginning to crack down on the surprisingly common practice of medical students and professional staff performing non-consensual pelvic exams on unconscious men and women in hospitals, universities and other medical facilities. Just one year ago today, those practices remained legal in a majority of U.S. states. Now, however, a new directive from…
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Congress should repeal the Foreign Dredge Act
The collapse of Baltimore’s Key Bridge presents challenges for cleanup and construction crews who rely on dredging vessels to complete their work. That’s partly because of the Foreign Dredge Act, a 1906 law that prohibits foreign-made dredging vessels. Congress is now introducing a measure to revise parts of that law, although previous attempts to do…
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Gen Z women must fight for their rights
Gen Z, the first “digital native” U.S. generation, is entering the workforce, studying at university and serving in the military. From school shootings and cyber-bullying to COVID-19 and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, this generation has been shaped by unique trends and events, and how they will behave as citizens and voters is an…
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Users must have rights in Big Tech’s AI race
Big Tech companies across the board, including Meta, X, Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet are racing to draft policies that enable them to use user-generated content to train advanced generative AI models without user permission or compensation. The Federal Trade Commission is investigating where it can, but government regulations lag far behind the rapid pace of…
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Congress must act against corrupt Boeing monopoly
Boeing is in the news again following the suspicious death of a whistleblower who had agreed to testify against the company regarding its alleged use of “substandard” airplane parts. That news itself follows multiple incidents involving Boeing aircraft, including doors and hull panels flying off, fires breaking out, and landing wheels breaking off and crashing…
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