029 – You Should Know This…

Hello Dear Friends,

How are you? How’ve you been?

It has been 14 weeks since I last wrote to you.

I needed to step back to handle a few things– cut off a few people.

Now, I’m back and super excited to start writing about the stories that I think you should know about. 

Here are a few of the headlines that captured my attention this week.

Love,
Kim B.

P.S. What stories are are your radar? What do yo want to learn more about. Hit me up, and I’ll see what I can find. <3

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

Right-Wing Texas Politicians Continue Assault on
Federally-Supported Civil Rights

Texas Attorney Ken Paxton has filed a complaint against EEOC guidelines designed to protect the LGBTQ+ community.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says that all workers should be allowed to choose their preferred pronouns and use the restroom that best matches their gender identity.

Paxton says that the decision should be left up to state agencies. (Source.)

The complaint comes just days after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a law that criminalizes abortion after six weeks and incentivizes people to try to profit from others’ pain. 

Paxton won the AG seat on the same ticket as Abbott in 2015. He rose to prominence as an active supporter of the Tea Party. 

Hundreds of Native American Girls Reported Missing in Wyoming

Wyoming’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Task Force says that 710 indeigenous people went missing there between 2011 and 2020. 

The January 2021 report is seeing renewed attention after police found the remains of a woman believed to be “Van Life” Youtube vlogger Gabby Petito. 

According to the report, 51 percent of white homicide victims receive extensive media coverage. 

By comparison, the study says that only 30 percent of Native Americans killed in the U.S. get any media coverage. (Source.)

Petito, a white woman, was reported missing on September 11. The mysterious, and perhaps sinister, circumstances surrounding her death captured headlines. 

Her partner Brian Laundrie went “missing” after police identified him as a person of interest. Police have since obtained warrants to search his home and electronics. 

Is an HIV Vaccine Around the Corner?

COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer Moderna is gearing up to start human trials on an experimental HIV vaccine. (Source.)

Like the coronavirus vaccine, the HIV vaccine is said to be a result of mRNA research. 

Currently, the most popular HIV prophylactics are PrEP (a daily pill that scientists say is 99 percent effective at preventing the disease) and condoms. 

Phase I of the trial will include 56 HIV-negative adults ages 18 through 50. (Source.)

Opinion: The Saddest Part About The Texas Abortion Law

Let me start off by saying, that pro-choice does not mean pro-abortion. 

Pro-choice means you believe that only a woman, her doctor and/or her loved ones know whether or not she is equipped to bring a child into the world. 

You believe people have a right to make those kinds of life-altering health decisions without your unwelcome intrusion. 

You understand that preganant, wealthy women who want to have abortions will fly to places where it is legal to have them. 

You understand that banning abortion will mean that poor women will automatically have less agency over their lives and their bodies if they get pregnant. 

You’ve heard the stories of desperate women using wire hangers and other dangerous means to rid themselves of unwanted pregnancies– killing themselves and any chance of a child in the process. 

However, the saddest part of all of this dawned on me during my recent conversations with men.

One day, it suddenly dawned on me how few of them truly understand how quickly, and how wildly, the Texas law forces people to make a decision about whether or not they can have a child. 

Quick Maths: A woman has one period a month (or every 4- 5 weeks). Just one.

Many, if not most, pregnant women spot the first month and mistake the spotting for their period.

Even if a woman, by grace, learns that she is pregnant in the first 5 weeks (or after one missed period), the new Texas law only gives her one week to decide, fund, and take time off from work to have have an abortion if they want one. 

Moreover, the law allows people to make thousands of dollars by profiting from others’ pain. 

And given the wealth disparity in this country, that just struck me as plain old cruel. 

IN OTHER NEWS…