NWLC’s Weekly Roundup: May 14 – 18

Up ahead in this edition of NWLC’s weekly roundup: a couple international stories along with a look at “best intentions” laws and how they can hurt pregnant women here in America.

First of all, can we take a moment to talk about Valérie Trierweiler, the new first lady of France? She’s already unwittingly endeared herself to some American women – here are just a few of the reasons why:

• Ms. Trierweiler is one-half of France’s first unmarried presidential couple. Her partner – and newly sworn in French president to boot – is François Hollande.
• She has no plans to quit working. Instead, she’ll continue her work as a political journalist.
• Trierweiler is a working mother – she has three teenage sons, and like many working mothers she’s concerned about balancing her career and her family. “I’ve shared the fate of many working mothers, I felt guilty like them,” Trierweiler once said.
• And the kicker – here’s another quote of hers: “I haven’t been raised to serve a husband. I built my entire life on the idea of independence.”

Of course, it’d be awesome if France’s new president (or any country’s for that matter) were a woman, so that we could celebrate her achievement and not just her status as wife or partner to the male president. But I still think Trierweiler sounds like she’ll be a breath of fresh air in her role as the partner to a head of state.

On another international note: last week Argentina passed a law that has helped it become the “most trans-friendly country in the world.” The law allows trans people to legally change their gender identity without needing to get approval from a doctor or judge or having to change their bodies first. Even better? The new law passed with a vote of 55 for, and 0 against. Zero! And moreover, insurance companies in Argentina will now have to provide surgery or hormone therapy to trans individuals at no additional costs.

Argentina’s president, Cristina Fernandez, is expected to sign this bill. Bravo, Argentina!

Now for something back home: over on RH Reality Check, Soraya Chemaly has a new post up about “best intentions” laws and how dangerous they can be to pregnant women.

How dangerous? Well, take for example the case of Bei Bei Shuai. If you’re not familiar, Bei Bei Shuai is an Indiana woman who attempted suicide while pregnant. She survived the attempt, but the fetus did not. Following the incident, Shuai was charged with feticide and has been in jail over a year now. Just last week the Indiana Supreme Court upheld a mid-level appellate court ruling that could end up setting a dangerous precedent for pregnant women.

According to Chemaly, “laws established to penalize people who hurt pregnant women can actually be used against pregnant women themselves. … What this means is that feticide and fetal murder laws can now be used to charge, imprison and penalize pregnant women at the discretion of legislators and law enforcement officials.”

You can click here to read the entirety of her post. While these “best intentions” laws are certainly troubling to read about, her post is well worth your time to keep you informed on another attack on women’s reproductive rights.

Also of interest this week:

TV Show ‘Girls’ Adds to the Muddle on HPV Testing
Jay-Z Supports Gay Marriage
On Our Radar: Push Girls
‘Is This Feminist?’ Blog Hilariously Declares Everything Problematic
The Avengers: Are We Exporting Media Sexism or Importing It?
What the Affordable Care Act Means for Women
Four Myths About ObamaCare That Just Won't Die
Virginia delegate vows to block gay judge

That’s all for this week! What have you been reading? Let us know by sharing a link in the comments or emailing it to me at djackson(at)nwlc(dot)org.