Susan Buttenwieser
Bio:
Susan Buttenwieser writes frequently about reproductive health care, immigration, and the criminal justice system. Her writing has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and she teaches creative writing in New York City public schools and with incarcerated women. Her short story collection, We Were Lucky With the Rain, was published by Four Way Books in September 2020.
Advocates are finding that in many states, ballot initiatives are an effective way to restore, protect, or expand abortion rights and access. At least 10 states will see abortion questions on their ballots this year.
Organizations that provide services and information have reported digital suppression of abortion information: “The Fight for Abortion Access Is Moving Online.”
A new report documents the connection between the hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures and measures to restrict voter access.
The bill affirms the legal right to abortion and miscarriage care and would protect patients and providers from criminalization.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade one year ago, abortion bans and restrictions have resulted in a wide range of negative impacts on obstetric and gynecological care.
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, abortion funds have adapted to the changed landscape to help keep abortion accessible despite restrictions.
Providers are gearing up for a possible ban on one of the two drugs used in medication abortion, as an anti-abortion group's lawsuit is expected to be decided this week.
Mifepristone will be accessible in pharmacies and through the mail, but still-existing regulations may blunt the new policy’s impact.
In the wake of the Senate investigation, the Justice Department may expand compassionate release to victims and survivors of sexual abuse in federal prisons.
Five months after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, providers face increased threats and harassment, emotional devastation, and the anguish of having to turn people away from accessing needed care. But they are determined to continue their work.
After some very promising campaign pledges, activists are giving the administration mixed reviews on immigration.
What happens now? Advocates and organizations have been preparing for the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
The proliferation of attacks on LGBTQ rights, abortion access, voting rights, and immigration have prompted activists to intensify coalition-building work.
As the world observes the two-year mark of the global pandemic, we take stock of the devastating impact on incarcerated women in the U.S.
As federal funding for struggling renters runs low, 12 million people are at risk of losing their housing.
Biden has proposed $45 billion to replace lead water pipes throughout the country, a move that could begin to remedy decades of neglect of clean water in the U.S.
The details of the case of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo are all too familiar across many workplaces.
In defiance of public opinion, state legislatures in 2021 have already passed the highest number of curbs on abortion since the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision.
A wave of anti-LGBTQ state laws, and the recent Fulton Supreme Court ruling, show the need for the federal civil rights law that is awaiting Senate action.
Activists are pushing the Biden administration to do more than “undo the damage” caused by Trump.
The Biden administration's early actions to promote LGBTQ equality are getting high marks from rights groups.
Using lessons learned from a decade-long onslaught against reproductive rights, activists are embracing strategies including coalition building, mobilizing pro-choice religious communities, and eliminating abortion stigma.
As the global pandemic enters its eighth month, the impact on those experiencing domestic violence has continued to intensify, and services are stretched to the limit.
Longstanding environmental policies are a factor in the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color.
The 5-4 decision affirms recent precedent by overturning provider restrictions in Louisiana.
This week’s Bostock decision creates stronger legal ground for more wins in housing, education, and health care, and in overturning the transgender military ban.
The Health and Human Services department is continuing plans to undo antidiscrimination provisions of the Affordable Care Act.
The COVID-19 shutdown is wreaking havoc on child visitations and family reunification.
Advocates are sounding the alarm about the risks of the new coronavirus spreading inside correctional facilities.
Advocates are expressing concern that less than four years after the court ruled that TRAP laws are unconstitutional, it has agreed to revisit the question.
The House passed a comprehensive rights bill last year, but it died in the Senate. A new proposed compromise would ban discrimination — but with a major loophole.
Human rights advocates are decrying the Trump administration's policy of requiring asylum seekers to stay in Mexico for the duration of their immigration proceedings.
After a surge of bans this year, abortion providers and advocates are expanding coalitions to widen the network of support for rights and access.
Pro-choice religious leaders are an increasingly visible component of the growing movement fighting back against extreme abortion bans.
The new research, by Building Movement Project, finds systemic barriers to leadership roles at nonprofits and calls for organizations to address bias.
Without passing any major anti-choice legislation, the Trump administration has managed to curtail access to reproductive health care by radically altering federal policies.
Advocates hope that the aptly named criminal justice law, which is limited in scope, could lead to broader reforms.
The deadline is approaching for public comment on the administration's latest proposal, which is already having a damaging impact on immigrants.
Advocates warn that the expansion of religious refusals could open the door to more discrimination in other areas.
With the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, anti-abortion activists see a new opportunity to overturn or gut Roe v. Wade.
The administration's deportation practices are sending women and LGBTQ would-be asylum seekers back to dangerous situations, where threats, violence, and even death may await.
The administration's family separation policy has mobilized a new wave of volunteers, donors, and activists to reunify families and fight back.
Anti-choice legislators have been quietly using insurance regulations to restrict abortion access.
The administration's funding priorities threaten programs that provide affordable contraceptive care to millions.
Thousands of people are feeling the immediate impact of the decision to force thousands of immigrants to leave the U.S.
The Republican bill is one step closer to becoming law.
Under the guise of religious freedom, the Trump administration is rolling back contraception coverage guaranteed under Obamacare.
Republican lawmakers are trying to rush through another bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and it’s their most harmful proposal yet.
Hidden in the House Republican budget bill, to be considered this week, are funding cuts for reproductive health services and new curbs on health care providers.
Republican Governor Greg Abbott has called a special session of the Texas legislature, and anti-choice and anti-trans bills are the hallmarks of the agenda.
The Congressional Budget Office scoring of the Republican Senate health care bill confirms that the proposed law singles out Planned Parenthood for defunding.
Harsh federal policies, as well as new anti-immigrant state measures, mean greater danger for immigrant women who are survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Women have benefitted from the Affordable Care Act, and women have a lot to lose if the new Republican health care bill becomes law.
With anti-choice politicians emboldened, and hearings for Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee underway, pro-choice activists are preparing for the worst.
With newly emboldened anti-choice legislators poised to pass more and more laws restricting abortion, reproductive rights groups are strengthening coalitions and working together with a new level of energy.
A new report details widespread abuse of transgender and gender-nonconforming people in U.S. prisons, jails, and immigration detention centers—and points to how corrections agencies can improve conditions.
The number of women in prison has been increasing at nearly double the rate of men. Advocates—including formerly incarcerated women—are taking a closer look at the reasons, and what can be done to stem the tide.
When a woman serves time in prison, it takes a toll on both her future and her children. New sentencing alternatives, including those that keep families together, are starting to gain momentum.
First-year orientation is too late for young men and women to start learning about consent. Activists are pushing for better access to early, comprehensive sex education as one way to have an impact.
With universal marriage rights within reach, LGBT leaders are reminding us that there is a lot more work to do for full equality.