5SR - August 10, 2023

Today’s curator is the founder of #5SmartReads, Hitha Palepu. She’s a consummate multihyphenate - CEO of Rhoshan Pharmaceuticals, author of WE’RE SPEAKING: The Life Lessons of Kamala Harris and How to Pack: Travel Smart for Any Trip, and professional speaker. Hitha is an unabashed fan of Taco Bell, Philadelphia sports teams & F1, romance novels, and is a mediocre crafter. She lives in NYC with her husband and two sons.

This analysis shows which voters rejected Ohio’s Issue 1 measure (PBS News Hour)

The new battlefront for reproductive healthcare access within states is no longer being decided in their legislatures, but through referendums and amendments to the state’s constitutions.

And the side fighting to protect abortion rights keep winning.

In the case of Ohio, voters overwhelmingly voted AGAINST changing the threshold to introduce amendments to the state’s constitution (upping the votes required from a simple majority to 2/3 of votes). The vote breakdown mirrors what we’ve seen in both the 2020 and 2022 elections (early vote margins leaning Democratic, same day voting leaning Republican). But what’s different about this election is in how many Republicans crossed over to vote no, and how many women turned out compared to other elections (especially Democratic women).

If the turnout in November is the same, Ohio could enshrine abortion protections in their state constitution with a simple majority, as this ballot measure met qualifications to be on the November ballot. The state election board will still have to draft the language of the ballot measure, but it’s a spark of hope in the fight for reproductive healthcare rights in a state that’s attempting to ban them.

Black and poor people found less likely to access medication abortion (Axios)

Medication abortion is great. But it’s not right for everyone, which necessitates the need for surgical abortion access to any patient who may need it.

And a lawmaker or lawyer should not be involved in that decision at all, but that’s the tragic reality for those who live in the 21 states that have banned or restricted abortion.

A recent survey showed that surgical abortion was the preferred or expected option for Black respondents and for those with family incomes below the poverty threshold. And while each respondent has their individual reasons for wanting a surgical abortion, the time necessary for a medication abortion (days for the products of conception to be eliminated and rest & recovery) is certainly a contributing factor.

I am simultaneously heartened by the voters’ will to protect abortion in states that are restricting in, and also heartbreakingly aware of the work we have to do to give every person in this country equitable access to necessary healthcare.

We have work to do.

Is It Time To Embrace “Opinion Fatigue”? (Bustle)

I love the news movement we’re building with #5SmartReads for a number of reasons - helping tens of thousands start every day smarter in under 5 minutes, amplifying underrepresented perspectives, and learning from our team of contributors.

On a personal level, I really love that #5SmartReads has helped me draw and enforce my own boundary with opinion fatigue - if I feel strongly about a perspective or news story, 5SR is my place to share it after I’ve had a chance to process and reflect on it. If it doesn’t make it into 5SR, then it’s not an opinion that needs to be shared widely.

“Am I contributing something new to the conversation?” is something I always ask myself before sharing mine.

We all have opinions. But I think we need to invest more energy to deciding when, where, and why we share said opinions - and if they even need to be shared in the public square in the first place. On the consumption of other people’s opinions, I highly encourage timers to your social media consumption, and swapping these dopamine spiking habits for ones with a more gentle dopamine lift (reading fiction, crafting, or going for a walk without your phone).

The world must unite now to halt the Taliban’s repression of Afghan women and girls (The Guardian)

I’m grateful for Gordon Brown (a former primer minister of the United Kingdom and the UN envoy for global education) for vocally speaking out against the Taliban’s war on women and girls, and for outlining specific solutions that the West can - and must - take to defend them.

I encourage you to read and share this article, but I’ll leave you with the words that reaffirmed my dedication to this fight (and also spurred another donation to Code 2 Inspire, Afghanistan’s first coding school for girls and women):

The Magpie Edit: Edition 49 (Magpie by Jen Shoop)

Jen’s blog is one of the few I still read every morning while sipping my coffee. I love to get lost in her beautiful prose, whether she’s reflecting on the fleeting nature of parenting to sharing thoughtfully curated products that I actually do need.

Her Instagram will also highlight passages that I may have missed during my quick skim - like this one:

The discipline/disciple paradox is one that I haven’t given much thought to, but I haven’t been able to stop analyzing the minutiae of my day from this lens since reading this post (and the larger essay).

I appreciate Jen’s thoughts on how discipline looks and is treated differently for women than men, which we don’t hear nearly enough about the way we do about deep work, atomic habits, and the widely shared productivity advice espoused by men of privilege who assume the same of their readers.

Come for the best kids’ school shoe recommendations (I bought Hill’s sneakers for Rhaki, and a pair of big kids’ New Balances of Rho), and stay for the thoughtful commentary and comments.