With New Taliban Manifesto, Afghan Women Fear the Worst

No education beyond the sixth grade. No employment in most workplaces and no access to public spaces like parks, gyms and salons. No long-distance travel if unaccompanied by a male relative. No leaving home if not covered from head to toe.

And now, the sound of a woman’s voice outside the home has been outlawed in Afghanistan, according to a 114-page manifesto released late last month that codifies all of the Taliban government’s decrees restricting women’s rights.

Why Is Harris So Passionate About Abortion Rights? Her Past Work Holds Clues. (New York Times)

“There are many other issues where she would weigh many different perspectives and bring her pragmatic approach,” said David Chiu, the San Francisco city attorney, who has known Ms. Harris for over 25 years. But, he continued, “on issues impinging on a woman’s reproductive freedoms and bodily autonomy and safety, she’s never brokered any compromise.”

In Vitro Fertilization Is the procedure in legal jeopardy? (CQ Researcher)

An Alabama Supreme Court ruling in February declaring that frozen embryos are children has thrown into question the legal landscape for in vitro fertilization (IVF) — an increasingly popular method for conceiving babies. During the current legislative session, 21 state legislatures considered “embryo personhood” bills that could give constitutional rights to embryos, and which, if enacted, could make IVF doctors liable for murder for routine disposal and/or freezing of embryos. Democrats are making support for IVF an election-year issue. Some congressional Republicans who say they want IVF to remain legal have nonetheless blocked Democratic legislation to protect the right to IVF and are supporting a proposal to grant constitutional protection to embryos from “the moment of fertilization,” potentially threatening access to IVF as currently practiced. The controversy has also focused new attention on what critics call a paucity of regulations to prevent errors in the IVF industry. Without nationwide rules ensuring IVF remains legal, some experts say access to the procedure could, like abortion, eventually be available only in selected states.

Abortion Post-Roe (CQ Researcher)

The Supreme Court's June decision overturning Roe v. Wade wiped out the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to an abortion in the United States. The ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization marked a rare instance in which the court has nullified an existing constitutional right. The decision has led to a near total ban on abortion in more than a dozen states and could profoundly change the country's political landscape. It also may open the door to changes in other constitutional rights, such as same-sex marriage and access to contraception. For now, the legal situation is rife with chaos and confusion over where and when the procedure is lawful. Delayed medical care has become increasingly common, as doctors are uncertain whether their decisions on emergency care for pregnant women violate the new laws. This change has triggered angry debates and could significantly affect the upcoming midterm elections and the 2024 presidential race.

For Black Women, ‘America Has Revealed to Us Her True Self’

Kamala Harris’s resounding defeat affirmed the worst of what many Black women believed about their country, even as some looked to the future with a wary determination.