So lets be honest – last week was a pretty turbulent and terrible week. But, through all of the bad, there were some feminist wins – and we’re back again to share them with you:
Huge win in Ireland for abortion rights
The Irish public voted on Friday in favor of repealing the constitution’s Eighth Amendment, one of the world’s strictest anti-abortion bans, and legalizing the right to abortion. In a remarkable display of support, hundreds traveled home (#hometovote) to cast their votes. The movement to repeal the Eighth Amendment has been around since the amendment’s inception, however, it started gaining traction in 2012 after the death of Savita Halappanavar, a woman who died in an Irish hospital due to an infection caused by a miscarriage – after being denied an abortion by medical staff due to the Eighth Amendment. With this win, we remember Savita and all of the others who have been denied access to crucial medical care in Ireland.
highly recommend scrolling through the #hometovote to see just how far some women have travelled for #repealthe8th – here are some from LA, Australia, Vietnam, Argentina. pic.twitter.com/Gql1tSXO3N
— Rossalyn Warren (@RossalynWarren) May 24, 2018
“I hope we’ve done you proud.”
After Ireland voted to repeal an abortion ban, people left messages at a memorial for Savita Halappanavar. She died in 2012 from an infection after doctors refused to give her an abortion during a painful miscarriage. pic.twitter.com/kpkmUpTa68
— AJ+ (@ajplus) May 28, 2018
Seen this photo a dozen times in a day. Makes me cry everytime. #repealthe8th pic.twitter.com/wBhdluPlUA
— Jenna Price (@JennaPrice) May 26, 2018
U.S. District Judge backs transgender rights
After his case was sent back to lower courts by the Supreme Court, U.S. District Judge Arenda Allens ruled in favor of high school student Gavin Grimm last week, thereby affirming the right of transgender students to use bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity. Grimm, a Virginian who has been fighting the Gloucester County School Board for over four years, issued a statement saying:
After fighting this policy since I was 15 years old, I finally have a court decision saying that what the Gloucester County School Board did to me was wrong and it was against the law. I was determined not to give up because I didn’t want any other student to have to suffer the same experience that I had to go through.”
Women win in primaries
Following up from the week before, feminists across the country are continuing to achieve incredible victories in primaries across the country. Gina Ortiz Jones is moving mountains as she has a shot to be Texas’ first woman, first out lesbian, first Iraq war veteran, AND first Filipina-American to represent the 23rd district. A few states over, Stacey Abrams celebrated a victory in Georgia, making her the first Black woman to ever receive a major party nomination for governor. She stands to make history again in November – if elected, Abrams will become the first African-American woman elected governor in the United States. Congratulations!
The featured image for this Feminist Wins blog post is a derivative; original photo by Sinn Féin / Creative Commons.