The Week(s) in Women

Big gains in Sierra Leone and Brazil; New York at the forefront of abortion access; and why are sports organizations still forcing women to travel to dangerous states?

Hello readers, and welcome to the Week in Women, a rundown of this week’s women’s rights news. And I’ve been really bad about posting these, so this is more like The Month in Women — back to regularly-scheduled weekly posting next week.

New leadership in New Zealand: Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Prime Minister of almost six years, announced she would be stepping down ahead of this year’s elections. She cited burnout as the main reason for this decision, saying that the demanding job has taken a major toll and she does not have “enough in the tank” to lead. Predictably, one woman’s frankly thoughtful and humble decision to pass the baton was forced through the lens of misogyny, with a BBC headline blaring, “Jacinda Ardern resigns: Can women really have it all?”

Mothers and babies more likely to die in “pro-life” states: This study really says it all: In states that banned abortion after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling, mothers are three times more likely to die during pregnancy, childbirth, or in the year after than mothers in states that protect abortion rights. And babies in these supposedly “pro-life” states are 30% more likely to die.

The abortion fight in New York: The next stage of abortion rights is happening in New York, writes Michelle Goldberg for the Times, as brave doctors begin to mail abortion pills across state lines. This piece is a must-read if you want to understand how the abortion rights movement can fight back and deliver safe abortion care to women in need, no matter where they live.