Newsroom Roundup 4/8

Hello Bloggers! Here is this week’s newsroom roundup provided by bloggers: blogforabetterme, SoreThumbBlogger, and empowHERfeminism

We hope you enjoy it!

Local:
State Senator Hashmi, alongside Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed, concluded their Right to Contraception Tour in Harrisonburg, urging Governor Youngkin to enact legislation that would formalize the right to contraception in Virginia. This legislation would codify access to and use of birth control medication, IUDs, condoms, and emergency contraceptive medication, also known as “Plan B.” A petition with 37,000 signatures from Virginians was also delivered to Governor Youngkin, urging him to act before April 8th. The tour provided Hashmi and Reed with a platform to highlight the importance of contraceptive access to the communities they represent, rallying support and raising awareness about the potential risks of government and Youngkin taking away or heavily restricting this fundamental right. With further research, Youngkin responded to the bill by vetoing the request that wanted legal protections for people and physicians in cases where they travel from out of state for contraceptive options. Youngkin goes on to say that despite supporting access to contraception, he felt the bill went too far, due to concerns about its specifics or broader implications.

National:

Pop star Olivia Rodrigo is currently on her ‘GUTS” tour all around the country. In efforts to participate and give back to anything she can she most recently launched her own non-profit called, “Fund 4 Good”. As stated on the website about the non-profit, Fund 4 Good, ““is a global initiative committed to building an equitable and just future for women and girls through direct support of community-based non-profits that champion girls’ education, support reproductive rights and prevent gender-based violence.” Around March 20th this year Rodrigo decided to partner with local chapters of the National Network of Abortion Funds. In particular, this initiative caused quite a controversy at her Missoury stop. For context, they are one of 14 states where almost all abortions are illegal. A fan reported that she received Plan B, condoms, and information for an abortion hotline from the abortion fund workers at her concert which caused hysteria among the local anti-abortion extremists who worried that this was inappropriate for little girls who were attending her concert. A Missouri Senator who was not named in the article even responded by saying, “As the father of a daughter, I am horrified by this,” and that Rodrigo “should be ashamed.” Rodrigo’s team announced they would no longer distribute emergency contraception at her shows.” From one angle, some might argue that artists like Olivia Rodrigo have a responsibility to use their platform for social good, including raising awareness about important issues such as sexual health and reproductive rights. On the other hand, critics might express concern about the appropriateness of distributing such materials at a concert attended by younger audiences. The abortion fund workers have since stopped handing out these products, information, etc unless an adult comes up to them and specifically asks for them. Overall, I believe such a big celebrity is making great efforts and using her platform for good, which many other celebrities should take note of.

Global:

On April 4th, McDonald’s made a deal to buy back all 225 of its franchises in Israel from Alonyal Limited, the company that owns and operates all the franchises in Israel. This decision comes in response to McDonald’s first annual revenue miss in nearly four years. This revenue loss is a result of the international boycott against McDonald after stores in Israel offered free meals to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and was accused of supporting the terror by Israel on Palestinian civilians. McDonald’s Corp released a statement following the announcement of the deal and is denying responsibility for the actions of these franchises in Israel. The statement reads, “McDonald’s Corporation is not funding or supporting any governments involved in this conflict, and any actions from our local Developmental Licensee business partners were made independently without McDonald’s’ content or approval.” As of today, there haven’t been any updates yet on when the deal will be solidified and ownership of these franchises will be transferred back to Mcdonalds Corp.