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After Abortion Ban in Alabama, State Representative Rolanda Hollis Introduces Bill Requiring Vasectomies for Men at Age 50


In May 2019, lawmakers in Alabama passed a wide-ranging abortion ban that would, among other things, punish doctors who performed the procedure on women at any stage of pregnancy with up to 99 years in prison. (A federal judge blocked the ban from taking effect in October 2019 until the matter is settled in the courts.)

Now, in response, a Democratic state representative in Alabama has introduced a bill that would require men to get vasectomies within a month of turning 50, or after their third child is born—whichever happens first. Per HuffPost, Rep. Rolanda Hollis acknowledges the bill is not a serious proposal, but rather a symbol meant to “send a message that men should not be legislating what women do with their bodies”—either through a straightforward abortion ban or through smaller incursions into women’s reproductive freedom.

“Year after year the majority party continues to introduce new legislation that tries to dictate [rules for] a woman’s body and her reproductive rights. We should view this as the same outrageous overstep in authority,” she said in a statement.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) responded to the proposed legislation on Twitter—and was then summarily mocked for his hypocrisy, given his support of limiting women’s reproductive rights. “Yikes. A government big enough to give you everything is big enough to take everything…literally!” he wrote. “Alabama Democrat proposes bill mandating all men have vasectomy at age 50 or after third child.”

“Yes, the government shouldn’t be involved in private reproductive health choices, yes, that’s a great point you made, yes,” historian and author Kevin Kruse replied to his tweet. The actor Patricia Arquette wrote, “Thought you wanted to stop unwanted pregnancies.”

“Wow how awful that the government is trying to interfere with bodily autonomy! What’s that feel like?” another Twitter user said.

And just in case the irony was lost on Cruz, one person laid it out super clearly for him. “This bill was not meant to pass; it was introduced to demonstrate how wrong it is to restrict people’s reproductive rights. In other words, the argument you’re applying to this bill shows how your own views on women’s reproductive rights are indefensible!” he wrote.

Cruz, unsurprisingly, has not responded to those calling out his double standard. Meanwhile, the assault on women’s reproductive rights continues.



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Senator Kamala Harris Introduces Bill To Combat Racial Disparities in Maternal Health Care


The U.S. is one of 13 countries in the world where maternal mortality rates are worse than they were two decades ago. And that alarming statistic hits one group of women the hardest.

For women of color, pregnancy and childbirth are often a matter of life and death. The risk of death from pregnancy-related causes for black women is three to four times higher than for women of other races. It’s something California Senator Kamala Harris has been vocal about in the past. And she’s pushing to make sure this maternal mortality crisis is being recognized and rectified through new legislation, as well.

Harris (along with 13 Democratic colleagues) introduced a bill Wednesday that she hopes will help lessen the discrepancies in treatment. The Maternal Care Access and Reducing Emergencies (CARE) Act would create two grant programs. One will address implicit bias based on stereotypes by supporting special training programs in medical, nursing, and other training schools. The other will incentivize maternal health care providers to offer integrated health care services to pregnant women and new mothers and reduce adverse maternal health outcomes, maternal deaths, and racial health disparities.

“Health equity for Black women can only happen if we recognize and address persistent biases in our health system,” Harris said in a press release.

The maternal health of black women has long been suffered in the dark, but in recent months we’ve heard harrowing stories of pregnancy and childbirth complications from two of the most famous women in the world: Serena Williams and Beyoncé.

Williams has been incredibly open about her emergency C-section, followed by blood clots in her lungs that threatened her life and required further surgery. And the intensely private Beyoncé revealed in Vogue‘s September issue that she had been on bed rest prior to the birth of twins Rumi and Sir due to toxemia (or preeclampsia) which causes swelling and hypertension. She, too, required an emergency C-section as her life, and the lives of her twins, were at risk.

For Harris, the bill is a continuation of her fight to bring black women’s maternal health care front and center. Earlier this year, she introduced a resolution to designate April 11-17 Black Maternal Health Week.

According to the CDC, the cause of an increase of pregnancy-related mortalities in America is unclear. For women of color, who face a myriad of health care disparities from access to racial bias perpetuated by stereotypes, the combination has proved life-threatening. Racism, researchers say, is at the center of this crisis.

“For example, even when we take medical history into account, black women are two to three times more like to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women with the same condition. And while maternal mortality rates are certainly greater for poor women than wealthier women, poverty alone can’t explain these disparities either. An analysis of maternal deaths in New York City found that black women who had at least a college degree still had greater mortality rates than white women who had not graduated high school,” obstetrician and gynecologist Jamila Perritt wrote for Glamour after Williams came forward with her childbirth experience.

“The bottom line is, black women are dying wholly preventable deaths.”

The Los Angeles Times notes that Sen. Harris’ bill could face an “uphill battle” given that Republicans currently control Congress and few bills may pass in an election year. Other sponsors of the bill include U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Doug Jones (D-AL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tom Carper (D-DE), Sherrod Brown (D-OH). Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI).

“This bill is a step towards ensuring that all women have access to culturally competent, holistic care, and to address the implicit biases in our system,” Harris said.

Related Stories:

Serena Williams’ Childbirth Experience Should Be a Wake-up Call About the Medical Treatment New Moms Are Getting—Especially Women of Color

Beyonce’s Historic September Vogue Cover Is Here





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Floravere Introduces Wedding Dress Samples in Sizes 2 Through 24


Shopping for a wedding dress can be a long, laborious process. But more and more brands are trying to change that. When Floravere burst onto the bridal scene in November 2016, it promised luxury-grade gowns for $3,000 or less that could be delivered to your door and fit with a personal on-call stylist—a pretty revolutionary proposition, especially in the expensive world of weddings.) But there was a caveat: Though Floravere offered styles in up to a size 30, the samples for brides to try on at home were limited to sizes 12 and below.

As brides have explained in Glamour, as well as in other outlets, the lack of wedding dress samples in sizes beyond a 12 is reasonably frustrating. Without trying one on, it’s difficult to know how a gown will look until the day of. What’s more, having a tiny size range comes with negative implicit messaging: If you can’t fit into the bridal samples provided, it suggests you’re not the “right”-size bride.

With its latest launch, Floravere is changing that. Its Firsts Collection, which is available online now, comes with a brand-new feature: Samples can be requested in sizes 2, 6, 12, 18W, or 24W—a far more inclusive range than previously offered. There’s also no surcharge for ordering a larger size—which, yes, is a thing at some bridal stores.

PHOTO: Floravere

A dress from Floravere’s Firsts Collection

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“Firsts” is an emblematic name for the Floravere’s new offering: Each dress, ranging from halter-neck sheaths to lace-adorned A-line gowns, is named for a female pioneer—like Marie Curie, Judy Garland, and Amelia Earhart. (Styles begin at $850.) The name also references the change it’s making within the bridal space: “I think we’re really the first to revolutionize and drive innovation in bridal,” Floravere cofounder and CEO Molly Kang tells Glamour. “We’re truly the first to really offer luxury wedding dresses that you can try on across sizes, no matter where you live.”

PHOTO: Floravere

A dress from Floravere’s Firsts Collection

Denise Jin, Kang’s cofounder, says customers requested a wider range of sample sizes pretty much since the beginning of Floravere: “Literally the day we launched, we started getting feedback from women.” Some plus-size shoppers would tell her about having to hang a dress on a hanger around their necks to imagine how it would look in their size, since they couldn’t fit into the pieces provided. “I don’t think we fully understood prior to that how frustrating of an experience this could be if you’re over a size 12,” she recalls.

PHOTO: Floravere

A dress from Floravere’s Firsts Collection

“I think, for me, one of the big things has been this assumption that if a customer is bigger, that means that she is not willing to pay as much for a product, or she’s looking for different products that aren’t as fashion-forward or chic,” Kang says of the misconceptions in the bridal space, specifically, that Floravere’s Firsts Collection challenges. “And I think the landscape is really waking up to the reality that those two things are just absolutely not true.”

PHOTO: Floravere

A dress from Floravere’s Firsts Collection

Floravere’s commitment to changing that landscape includes increasing the number of products with size-inclusive samples available to customers. Kang and Jin say that the brand is already at work on expanding that offering available in Firsts Collection to the brand’s core offerings. And those extended sample sizes could turn up sooner than you think: Since Floravere releases more than two seasonal collections per year, “the assortment is constantly changing based on the feedback that we’re getting from customers,” Kang adds.

PHOTO: Floravere

A dress from Floravere’s Firsts Collection

Like the fashion industry at large, the bridal market has been slow to embrace size inclusivity, though brands like Floravere, David’s Bridal, and Kleinfeld have been leading the change. Giving brides a wider range of wedding dress samples to try on while they’re planning their big day is a pretty major development—and a step Floravere’s founders say every brand should consider.

“At the end of the day, I think if you’re committed to doing inclusive sizing, there’s absolutely a way to do it,” Kang says. “We’re lucky that we can be nimble in a way that other established players can’t, but we would love to see the entire industry embrace the change.”

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