Jonathan F. Mitchell engineered Texas's abortion crackdown—turning the courts into battlegrounds with his bounty-hunter enforcement. Want to see how legalism became weaponized? Read more: reprorights.substack.com/p/the-man-be...
Abortion rights scholar who runs a pro-choice newsletter called Repro Rights Now, which is at reprorights.substack.com Also the author of a forthcoming comprehensive history of the reproductive rights movement. Screenwriter/playwright. Love music.
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Jonathan F. Mitchell engineered Texas's abortion crackdown—turning the courts into battlegrounds with his bounty-hunter enforcement. Want to see how legalism became weaponized? Read more: reprorights.substack.com/p/the-man-be...
This is interesting. Does your niece know more?
Texas lawmakers just advanced HB 7, extending the state’s “bounty” model to abortion pills. What it means for women, courts, and the post-Roe landscape: 🔗 reprorights.substack.com/p/a-new-fron...
Good flick
Mexico has made real progress: more than half of the states have decriminalized abortion. But contradictory laws and conservative pressure still create fear for women and providers. Read the full story: reprorights.substack.com/p/mexicos-ab... #ReproRights #AbortionAccess #Mexico
🚨 On Aug. 22, Texas & Florida moved to join the Mifepristone case before Judge Kacsmaryk. Their filing leans on FDA records and declarations from antiabortion medical groups. Full breakdown here ⬇️ 👉 reprorights.substack.com/p/texas-and-...
I don’t think things will get better. For that to happen, we’d need visionary leaders who would develop new approaches to politics, art, film and journalism. Anyone who has that ability is shot down before they take off. We’re heading for a crisis where we don’t have any leaders built up.
It doesn’t surprise me that the establishment would marginalize a reporter who can dig into political finances and do true watchdog work.
People are oblivious to how imperiled repro rights are right now. They’re acting like nothing is happening. You’d think something would light a fire under their ass by now.
Honestly, the only thing I'm hoping for this year is for my newsletter to take off and for my book to sell well enough to allow me to quit driving Uber. I want a career in reproductive rights. If that happens, I'll also volunteer at the fire department and adopt a dog, as I'll have the time.
🚨 In Texas, lawmakers are pushing HB 7—the “strongest bill in the nation” targeting abortion pills. Friday’s hearing drew emotional testimony from doctors, faith leaders & women caught in the crossfire. Read @reprorightsnow 👇 reprorights.substack.com/p/texas-hous...
Illinois just strengthened access to reproductive health! Gov. Pritzker signed two transformative laws—one shielding providers who dispense medication abortion, the other requiring public colleges to offer contraception and abortion pills on campus. reprorights.substack.com/p/gov-pritzk...
I spoke to several women who attended Point Park this week. They’re not at all cognizant of any of the threats to repro rights, didn’t know what CPCs were and don’t have any steady source of information about abortion. We’re failing as leaders in connecting and guiding our young people.
We also need more support for people who want to break into theatre. London Playwrights, an organization I work with, has a service where people can get dramaturgical support and staged readings for a fee. We should at least have that here.
There are some things I’d emphasize in building a more thriving theatrical community. Let’s have more playwriting festivals and contests. Let’s stage more locally produced and written plays. Let’s cast a wider range of actors. Let’s not be afraid of upsetting any group or person with programming.
So I have a few thoughts. First it’s time to change the culture insofar as how we treat young people with fresh ideas. What’s been driving decisions isn’t working. So that’s first. We need to be more boundary pushing and less politically correct. And we need to take ideas from Little Lake.
They should do a trend piece about Instagram marriages that ended in divorce.
That’s actually something I support. And I’ve found most people of both parties want civics back in curriculums.
A good thing to do for a cub reporter is to go to tour city hall and learn what every department does. Find the location of every office, know its staff and leader, understand its record layout and what documents are publicly available and on databases. Socialize with them outside of work too.
You shouldn’t run for office without mastering how government works at every level. You should know about ordinances, zoning and codes. You should know how courts work. You should know the function of every agency and department. Don’t ask us for power until you develop that understanding.
If you want to know what most of us liked about Hollywood, it wasn’t the glamour or exclusive tendencies. It was that we saw ourselves, friends, family and rivals in the characters played by you. We actually disliked it when we thought we were made to feel less sophisticated.
Storytelling suffered recently because characters must have flaws that set them back and that they have to overcome to realize their potential. In our society, people won’t acknowledge their flaws or confront and change them. They refuse to say they’re there. And so they can’t create them in story.
A new threat to IVF access is emerging— debates over “Restorative Reproductive Medicine” that sideline proven fertility treatments. Why policy is catching up to ideology → reprorights.substack.com/p/a-new-thre...
Consider donating to rebuild Riley's Pour House. It's an essential Irish business that was a good place to listen to our folk music and appreciate Irish culture. www.post-gazette.com/life/food/20...
For instance, I don't think Al Franken should have been pressured to resign. He was popular, funny, and colorful, which is uncommon among Democrats. Katie Hill should not have resigned either. All that happens when you force those things to occur is that natural leaders avoid running for office.
With any sex scandal in politics, I don't think the general public cares about it nearly as much as reporters do or those political operatives and politicians virtue signaling about it. I'm not talking about Epstein or any specific scandal. It's just a general observation.
I’ve been workshopping a play I wrote with a group called London Playwrights, which is obviously based in England. A member of the organization who is providing edits and feedback to my story that is based there suggested reading this book. Look forward to reading it. #theatre
I don't look at social media following and say, "this person should be my leader" simply because of that. Instead, what occurs to me is, "This person is the most prominent person associated with the Democratic Party. And its approval rating stands at 27 percent. Why is he or she leading?"
So the logical question for the presidential candidates in 2028 would be, "Do you support retaliatory gerrymandering as a way to offset gerrymandering that happens in states like Texas? Or do you think the Democratic Party should take a stance against gerrymandering generally and out of principle?"
And what that entails is securing legal victory after legal victory in state supreme court after state supreme court regarding gerrymandering as you try to build precedent for why an appeals court or the Supreme Court should write an opinion that forces legislative redistricting to be bipartisan.
The posturing of some NYC-based reproductive rights organizations in California and New York on this gerrymandering stuff further reflects why we need to decentralize command. Our job is to combat gerrymandering in restrictive states through strategic advocacy that isn't undermined by hypocrisy.
And in states where there isn't a ballot initiative process, you have to think of ways to win the state legislature and then the governor's office to decriminalize abortion. Part of that means addressing gerrymandering and fighting it. But if you support Newsom, then you look hypocritical.
It's difficult to politically posture against gerrymandering in antiabortion states when you support Newsom or Hochul in gerrymandering their states. For me, the solution is federal legislation guaranteeing fair representation. Or a SCOTUS decision. So, I don't understand lining up behind that.
I hope you can understand why I want new leaders. If you can’t even acknowledge I’m there, then I can’t bring my problems to you. Furthermore it’s not just my generation. It’s younger ones. And it’s not fair to us or them that our leaders don’t want us to succeed.
My leaders never did this. But I’m telling the younger men to read feminist writers like Susan Brownmiller, Ricki Solinger, Leslie Reagan and Betty Friedan. Read, write about and discuss things like sexual assault, body dysmorphia and repro rights. You’ll have an easier time relating to women.
My book is meant to be read by men of all races. I want 20-year-old men to engage the research so that they can not only understand abortion history, but have a mastery of it so that when it’s their time to lead, they’ll earn the trust of women depending on them to know what they’re doing. #books
It might have been my reading of Willkerson's Caste book that prevents me from ever adopting the Hollywood caste mentality. I admire the creativity of the community, but I want to be more inclusive, as that town is, by its nature and fabric, an exclusive one. So we don't jive there.
In addition to Call, Sign Chaos, I would also suggest reading Isabel Wilkerson's Caste. One analogy she draws is a comparison between humans and wolfpacks. If we allow all races to be alpha men and women, then we'll have a better chance of having leaders not driven by envy and insecurity.
Another thing that I want to say that I think needs to be changed is the reaction from leaders who say, "Is it our fault that (white or black) men don't help him? If he's upset, take it up with them." In today's America, after Obama, that's unacceptable. You're also his leader. So help him or her.
That 27 percent approval rating of the political parties doesn't just mean they're dissatisfied with that leadership alone. It's a level of dissatisfaction and frustration that spans all leadership sectors. We seek individuals who help people succeed. Not subtweeters who deny them opportunities.
If you're running for president or higher office and notice that the general approval rating for the current approach to leadership hovers at 27 percent, then you should examine what's going wrong and adjust accordingly so that more people have faith in you and your party. So take all that advice.
For instance, a humorist who lampoons the rationales people have to justify racism may not be the best person to write about abortion. Someone who has read hundreds of books on the topic and has published extensively on it would be considered an expert in the field. So shift responsibility.
One thing Mattis discusses is how real-world situations affect a plan. You can approach something with a strategy, but there are always unforeseen challenges, and sometimes those you lead won't excel at one task, while others will excel at it. So, you adjust the plan and shift people around.
There's a good book on how to be an effective leader as a man. It's called "Call, Sign, Chaos," and it was written by James Mattis, who commanded the Marine Corps and served as Secretary of Defense. It left a deep impression on me and shaped my ideas of leadership. That might help you develop.
And don't go up to men or women you're leading and characterize their asking for your help as some desperate plea. What you say is, "You're a strong man, and I'm also a strong man. I respect what you've done, and it's my job to get you ahead and over this hump."
You also can't hold it against a young man for doing what he was supposed to do in mastering topics like reproductive rights. If he's going to lead women, he must understand what affects them. If you're threatened because you didn't study those topics when you were younger, that's your problem.
Or openly communicate about the person through subtext on social media. If you'd like to talk about the person, please feel free to do so offline at a bar or another suitable setting. Don't treat the person as Voldemort or as the unmentionable. You're his leader. Accept that or move aside.
I'm helping leaders develop by providing them with feedback on what younger men are frustrated with. First and foremost, if you're a man in your 40s or older, you can't act like someone isn't there. When they address you as the leader, you mention them by name and then help them with their problems.
Pregnant workers in Texas just won a major victory. The Fifth Circuit ruled the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act is constitutional, restoring vital job protections. #abortion #pregnancy Full story: reprorights.substack.com/p/appeals-co...
Next time someone interviews or talks to Kurt Russell, ask him how he squares away being against gun control and then celebrating and cherishing his most famous role as Wyatt Earp. What was the OK Corral about but gun control? The whole fucking point of Tombstone was taking away guns.
If I ever make it as a writer and truly break through, I’m gonna do two things. Get a dog from the shelter and then volunteer at the fire department.
I’m patient with people, including my leaders who may be growing into their roles. But it frustrates me that they’re not willing to help when I tell them I want to get to the point professionally where I can start a family. I’m not asking a yacht. Just a middle class life.
I intend on publishing the abortion book in the next six months. I don’t know what’s after. I have a Facebook page called, “Saying Farewell to Arms: An argument for Gun Control.” Conceptually it’ll do for gun control what I did for abortion. I also want to explore fiction and my Irish heritage.
I also saw it as the responsibility of older men to look out for men of their race as well as others. From my view, black men also led white men. White men also led black men. So I criticized men of all races when they failed to help those who weren't of their own.
Some asked me why I often have a contentious relationship with my leaders. Much of it has to do with philosophy. They were the PCU, politically correct generation, that wanted to emphasize group-based differences. I wanted to do the opposite and focus on individual merits. Fundamentally different.
Part of that means we break the patterns set by previous generations of not elevating promising young leaders to positions of influence. We must provide them with the time, money, and resources necessary to become and be great leaders. That's a responsibility of older men and women to do that.
I've also heard from several people that the "Democrats have no one' insofar as compelling presidential candidates. That's not just the average Joe. It's highly influential people who told me that. We need to do a better job of creating welcoming environments for politically talented individuals.
One of the failures of Democratic leadership, whether it's Shapiro, Buttigieg, Whitmer, or Newsom, is that-while they will censure homophobia or transphobia among white men-they will never directly address it or criticize it when it comes from other groups. They're afraid to. I don't respect that.
I'm opposed to gerrymandering in principle. And don't condone it simply because "the other side is doing it too."
You should also emphasize some more educational aspects of Italian culture. It would have been cool if there would have been some Renaissance stuff about Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Dante or Giotto. Maybe some commedia dell'arte. Show some Sophia Loren movies or some from Scorsese or Coppola.
So if I could offer some input about Little Italy Days…I’d have a wider array of different pasta dishes for sale. So cacio e Pepe, carbonara or Roman-inspired. Artichokes. Bolognese contrasted against southern italian lasagna—with and without ricotta. Limoncello and Amalfi-inspired. Etc.
AI is great for scholarship, but I caution researchers to verify the citations provided by any of those platforms. Lawyers have been caught citing nonexistent papers after using ChatGPT to write their briefs. What's good is that you can upload PDFs of articles or transcripts and write with them.
From clinic blockades to Jan. 6: Carol Mason traces how anti-abortion activism merged with far-right extremism, white nationalism & authoritarian politics. Essential reading. #abortion #antiabortion #rescuemovement 🔗 reprorights.substack.com/p/from-clini...
Buffering. Millennial guys get the joke.
I don't think any of the traditional power brokers in NYC are giving AOC and co. a run for their money. They don't adapt. They are paralyzed by a misguided notion of what is good and bad for their optics. Just put yourself in a Long Island waitress's shoes or a taxi driver's. Then craft a message.
My response to AOC saying that everyone has to fall in line behind the Democratic candidate for NYC mayor is to point out Bill Clinton's line that Democrats fall in love, while Republicans fall in line. You must woo and seduce voters throughout the primary and general elections. Not patronize them.
Hollywood shouldn’t give up on social justice plays or movies as the tabloids are now saying. Just don’t go overboard. For every movie like Dances with Wolves, do a rom-com like When Harry Met Sally or a western like Tombstone. It’s all about balance and not overdoing something to make it stale.
Texas Senate hearing spotlighted growing tensions around abortion law clarity vs. access. Bipartisan bill could offer guidance—if it doesn’t open the door to reviving pre-Roe criminal statutes. Dive into the debate: reprorights.substack.com/p/texas-sena... #abortion #texas #politics #abortionrights
The anti-abortion movement isn’t as united as it looks. Fights over criminalizing patients, fetal personhood bills, and federal bans are fracturing the post-Dobbs landscape. 📖 Read @ReproRightsNow: reprorights.substack.com/p/unraveled-... #AbortionRights #Dobbs #ReproJustice
Governor Stitt just signed an executive order targeting Planned Parenthood and other providers—even those who refer patients for abortion. Advocates say this could devastate care for low-income Oklahomans. 🧵 Story: reprorights.substack.com/p/oklahoma-g...
Not sure. I just got a great milkshake that was a mixture of peanut butter and brownies.
Parkside creamery in Trafford. #pittsburghfood #food
There’s also a preconception of how a liberal is supposed to look, dress and speak. But in my experience presenting in working class areas, some people sympathetic to racial and gender equality don’t look the part. They can be fat, bald-headed, toothless and hairy all over. But they’re with us.
I try to give honest assessments of why the Democratic Party has shrunk here. It's multifold. The rhetoric doesn't reflect how most people talk. Liberals often tend to dismiss and scoff at online users who disagree with them. They want to purge the party of some people. Etc.
Tony Moreno doesn't have a snowball's chance of winning the mayor's race against O'Connor. But it's interesting to see Republicans try to gain a foothold in Pittsburgh politics. Rick Santorum once held the congressional seat there, and it is a socially conservative city, as Cyril Wecht put it to me.
I also want journalists to give equal weight to Sanger defenders, such as Ellen Chesler, and then mention that there are people in the black community, including Faye Wattleton and Dr. Willie Parker, who have defended and praised her.
If we want to use this Sydney Sweeney culture war to go into in-depth discussions about the history of eugenics, that's fine. However, I would like Margaret Sanger's legacy to be accurately placed within that context by acknowledging that eugenics prevailed among everyone at the time.
#music m.youtube.com/watch?v=s0rL...
Abortion access for veterans is under threat again. The VA wants to reinstate a decades-old ban, ignoring state bans and service-related risks. @votevets.org Submit public comment. Read what’s happening: 📎 reprorights.substack.com/p/va-moves-t...
The VA served fewer than 140 abortion cases last year. Now it says that’s proof the service isn’t “needed.” But veterans’ health—and rights—are on the line. Read the full breakdown: reprorights.substack.com/p/va-moves-t...
If it was safe, I would. Some men don’t want vasectomies and don’t like condoms or don’t trust them. So if she was on the pill and so was I, then that’s great family planning.
A new male birth control pill is in Phase 2 trials—and it could be a game-changer. Non-hormonal. Reversible. High efficacy. Read more: 🔗 reprorights.substack.com/p/a-new-pill...
I've spent a great deal of my life studying women leaders, such as Margaret Sanger, as well as other feminists from diverse ethnicities and religions. None of them were desperately pleading for anything. As strong women, they were asking their leaders to do what they were supposed to do.
All the staged readings involved black people telling me that this line of dialogue or that line of dialogue needed to be adjusted and tweaked to make it seem more authentic. Then the scenes with white characters and racists were believable because they were drawn from my own experiences.
Insofar as fictionalizing it, I feel there is nothing wrong with a white writer creating the story, provided there is extensive influence from black people in the creative and editing process. There has been. I drive Uber in black neighborhoods daily and work with black people as editors.
I understand wanting Black people to research sundown towns. But many of these communities are predominantly white because of it. Therefore, the available researchers are predominantly white individuals. That may change with AI. However, it's better to have someone than to have no one at all.
BREAKING: 23 states, including Pennsylvania under Gov. Shapiro, are suing the federal government over a new law defunding Planned Parenthood. They say it's unconstitutional retaliation for abortion advocacy. 📎 reprorights.substack.com/p/states-sue...
NEW: Lawmakers just introduced the Restoring Essential Healthcare Act to undo Medicaid cuts that shut down clinics and blocked access to cancer screenings, STI tests & birth control. 📲 reprorights.substack.com/p/federal-la...
A federal court has struck down Tennessee’s law targeting individuals who assist minors seeking abortion care—citing First Amendment protections for free speech and advocacy. Learn more: 🔗 reprorights.substack.com/p/tennessee-... #abortion #tennessee
Hollywood has always been built on the star system. Someone becomes so well-known that they draw audiences. The problem now is they can’t create new stars. So the system doesn’t work.
I don’t think political correctness is what led to the decline of journalism and show biz. Other economic factors and developments in society did. But I do think the artificial constraints placed on writing and performances speeded up its disappearance because of how out of touch they were.
BREAKING: A federal judge blocks a Trump-backed law that cut Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood. The court ruled that the defunding was likely unconstitutional. Read the full story: reprorights.substack.com/p/federal-co... #ReproRights #AbortionAccess
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a court petition seeking a writ of mandamus to force Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck to enforce a $100K default judgment against Dr. Margaret Carpenter. reprorights.substack.com/p/texas-sues... #ReproRights #ShieldLaw #StateConflict
The Late Show didn’t fail because of political slant. It was essentially the same audience that followed the Daily Show. That show worked in a different era. It’s just that no one watched broadcast television anymore. They’re all on the way out. And movie promotion will change too.
Trump has appointed anti-abortion legal theorist Josh Craddock to a top DOJ role. Craddock argues the Constitution requires abortion to be banned nationwide. Now he’s inside the Office of Legal Counsel. 🧵 Full story: reprorights.substack.com/p/anti-abort...
Your response as a leader to someone telling your their life ambitions should be, “I appreciate that. And I’m going to use my influence politically and socially to help you get where you want.” It shouldn’t be, if we don’t prioritize your interests, “Fuck him. Who needs him?”
Altoona, Pa., hot dog counter that’s been around since 1918. Most old-fashioned hot dog joints were started by Greek immigrants. They used Texas or Coney Island in the names of their places, even if they weren’t anywhere near them. The hot dogs were marked by a special and secret chili sauce. #food
I don’t expect my leaders to fawn over me. But I do expect them to respond to me. Otherwise I will look for and support different leaders. And I think that’s completely fair and to be expected.
As far as I’m concerned, there are men who will stand up for principle and those who will stand up to take a posture. The first is done to advance human rights even in the face of unpopularity for doing so. The second is done to advance their own interest by appealing to base instincts.