Red States Launch New Anti-Abortions Laws, Pleaing with US Supreme Court Directly

Arkansas Near-Total Abortion Ban Appeals Directly to US Supreme Court

Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a ban on almost all abortions in Arkansas. The law outlaws abortion except in cases where the mother's life is in danger and makes no exceptions for rape or incest. It will face legal challenges, but that's what proponents want: They want to see the issue go to the Supreme Court to revisit Roe v. Wade.

Arkansas inserted very specific language into the bill that states: “"A person shall not purposely perform or attempt to perform an abortion except to save the life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency." Performing or attempting an abortion in any other circumstance will result in a $100,000 fine or 10 years in prison, or both.”

In addition, the Arkansas legislature made a very specific plea to the Supreme Court in its preface to the law. The preface reads in part:

"The State of Arkansas urgently pleads with the United States Supreme Court to do the right thing, as they did in one of their greatest cases, Brown v. Board of Education, which overturned a 58-year-old precedent of the United States, and reverse, cancel, overturn, and annul Roe v. Wade, Doe v. Bolton, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey," referring to Supreme Court decisions in favor of abortion rights.

In January 2016, the US Supreme Court refused to review Arkansas’ blatantly unconstitutional ban on abortion at 12 weeks of pregnancy. The SC let stand a May 2015 appellate court decision striking down the Arkansas law.

How this new crush of state anti-abortion laws will fare in the SC is unknown. With three new Trump-appointed justices sitting on the nine-justic court, anti-abortion activists are hopeful to overturn a woman’s right to an abortion mandated by the US Supreme Court.

Related: Organizations Join Council of Europe’s Urgent Call for Poland to Ensure Access to Lawful Abortion Care and Services

Malal Yousafzai Launches Extracurricular Apple TV Programming Partnership

Women’s rights activist Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai is building on her longstanding relationship with Apple with an exciting, original programming partnership for Apple TV+. The alliance will produce dramas, comedies, documentaries, animation, and children’s series, — all born of Malala’s historic ability to inspire people of every age in every country in the world.

“I believe in the power of stories to bring families together, forge friendships, build movements, and inspire children to dream,” said Malala Yousafzai. “And I couldn’t ask for a better partner than Apple to help bring these stories to life. I’m grateful for the opportunity to support women, young people, writers, and artists in reflecting the world as they see it.”

Malala and her new production studio Extracurricular is an extension of Apple’s long-running relationship with the young women who was shot in the head by Taliban forces. Sitting in her Swat Valley school bus on Oct. 9, 2012, Malala remained unconscious and in critical condition at the Tawalpindi Institute of Cardiology. In a symbolic girls education nightmare watched by the entire world, Malala was then airlifted out of Pakistan to the UK to seek asylum.

The brilliant humanitarian and activist, inspired by her own education activist father Ziauddin, recovered at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham UK. In addition to offering world class medical resources, Birmingham has a large population — about 20% — of Muslims from all over the world.

When Malala founded Malala Fund to champion every girl’s right to 12 years of safe, free, quality education, Apple proudly became her first Laureate partner “supporting the organization’s work with local advocates and teachers in eight countries where girls face significant education challenges. Apple also assists with technology, curriculum, and research into policy changes to support girls’ education. The partnership has since expanded, and in Brazil, Apple’s 10 Developer Academies have partnered with Malala Fund to advance girls’ education opportunities there and around the world”, writes the Apple Newsroom. .

The voice of young women worldwide, Malala Yousafzai graduated virtually from Oxford University in Fall 2020. She wrote an essay published on Vanity Fair “Not the Ending I Imagined”: Malala on Her Virtual Oxford Graduation”.

Malala will join Apple’s burgeoning roster of creative visionaries, including Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Will Smith, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Idris Elba, Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Octavia Spencer, Kumail Nanjiani, Alfonso Cuarón, and more.