Vermont's leadership on childcare, the court decision shaping homeless debates in America
and why 12-week abortion bans are not like European restrictions
Apologies for getting a little behind on this newsletter, but I’m glad to share some recent stories I published over the last month! And I should have at least one, if not two more coming later this week before I leave for a little vacation.
The first story is about Martin v. Boise, a five-year-old federal court decision that says you can’t be punished for sleeping outside on public property if there are no adequate alternatives available.
While it hasn’t earned wide name recognition, I wrote this story because Martin is really shaping every major debate happening today about homeless tent encampments in America. Whether you’ve heard about “sanctioned encampment sites” or “daytime camping bans” or wonder what cities are thinking about doing regarding the rise of unsheltered homelessness, I hope this story is clarifying about a lot of the moving factors at play. You can read it here.
The second story is a more positive one. It’s about a landmark piece of legislation the Vermont legislature just passed to expand access to childcare and raise the wages of childcare workers. The bill authorizes $125 million in annual investment and comes after nearly a decade of organizing. My story wrote about the political strategy advocates used to get it done, which notably shares some commonalities with New Mexico, which also authorized major new investments in childcare last fall. (I wrote about New Mexico’s organizing in 2022.)
Note: since the story came out Vermont’s Republican governor has vetoed the bill, but lawmakers have a date scheduled for June 20 to override it. You can read the story about Vermont’s activism here.
And lastly, Republicans are pointing to Europe where 12-week gestational age limits are more common to make the case that their new 12-week abortion bans in North Caroline and Nebraska are “reasonable” and “moderate” and in line with international standards. My story looks at why this is deeply misleading on a number of counts. You can read that here.
Thank you for your support, and for keeping me posted on what’s happening in your communities!