#5SmartReads - January 25, 2023

Hitha on Brazil's diplomatic corps, what a first trimester abortion actually looks like, and romance novels

January 25, 2023

That equality is a pendulum when it comes to advancement is just wrong - but that’s for another day.

This article is a necessary reminder that this is a global issue, and a single administration can wipe out decades of progress. Let’s take a look at what’s happening in Brazil.

Former president Jair Bolsonaro’s foreign agenda was centered on defending his far-right agenda, veering away from the country’s former policy that was rooted in global cooperation and instead aligning with fellow strongmen. While President Lula is actively reversing many of Bolsonaro’s actions (one of his first moves was to appoint the most diverse cabinet in Brazil’s history, similar to President Biden’s first move as president). But Lula’s global diplomatic corps has a lot to do in the wake of the Bolsonaro term:

“The country’s highly professional and once-respected foreign service was “hijacked” to serve this ultraconservative agenda, Chade added. He describes watching embarrassed Brazilian diplomats forced to defend outlandish positions at the United Nations, while the international community looked on with befuddlement and concern.

“We were there having to back positions that were basically against our vocation, against our very nature,” said Vida Gala. Fearing retribution that would further harm their career progression, female diplomats who were once vocal about their demands retreated into the shadows.”

Equality is something we sadly have to continuously fight for. The first step is to remember that the fight is still happening, and we have to stay in the fight.

I’m a little too dependent on my morning coffee.

Okay. A lot dependent.

And while I know a little bit about the science of coffee (caffeine, namely), I did appreciate this easy-to-understand chemistry lesson of coffee and why we respond to it the way we do (it has to do with caffeine’s similar ring structure to adenosine, which promotes sleep, and binds to adenosine receptors and thus wakes you up).

I didn’t need another reason - or a few - to enjoy my morning cup. But this article is making me want another…

When I drive down to Pennsylvania from New York, the number of anti-abortion billboards featuring second and third trimester fetuses (but presented as an early pregnancy) are a near permanent fixture.

And rooted in so much misinformation.

I want to buy out those billboards and replace them with the pictures in this article, which shows what the products of conception of the majority of abortions actually look like (~80% of abortions are performed in the first nine weeks).

If there’s one article you read today, please make it this one. It is so important to have facts - clear as day - presented when we are taking about restricting essential healthcare to over half of the population.

“In many ways, medical care related to abortion has never been more straightforward. And we know abortion is an important part of primary care and could be widely available in mainstream practice settings — if the Dobbs decision hadn’t suddenly thrust many of our colleagues in states across the country into jeopardy.

Instead, we find ourselves in a country divided by politics rather than by patient need. Ensuring that our patients, colleagues and the general public have clear, objective information about abortion is critical for patients to get the care they deserve.” 

I finally got to meet Lily Herman yesterday (follow her if you’re not!), and the conversation flowed like a river - and kept flowing into romance novels.

This is one of the very smart articles Lily shared on her stories yesterday, and there are so many parallels I saw between Katie Fustich’s romance reading to my own. Especially this sentiment:

“Romance novels are the only type of literature that is considered actively anti-intellectual—the only kind of book one could read and somehow others would have a basis to consider you less intelligent for doing so.”

This is one of the most beautifully written pieces on a person’s journey of falling in love with love stories.

And if I haven’t convinced you to pick up a romance yet, perhaps Katie will.

Whenever I feel dejected about the state of national politics, I look to see what’s happening at the state level.

And this is such an important action being taken by North Carolina’s legislature, especially after grid attacks left thousands of residents without power for days in December.

Now I could talk about the state of the electric grid as long as I can talk about romance novels, and the woefully slow, regressive, and inadequate upgrades being made to the grid literally keep me up at night. But to see the state legislature taking fairly swift action is something that gives me some comfort. And seeing other states - South Carolina, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon - discuss these matters between both parties and with increasing frequency is promising news.

Now if we can get every state to do this…

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