Elevated Access Flies People Across Texas Border for Reproductive Health Care

Texas made obtaining an abortion virtually impossible since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, . For a state as large as Texas, getting to where abortion is legal can be the challenge.

But volunteer pilots are giving flight to women in need of abortion care.

Elevated Access is an organization that coordinates small plane pilots with people in need of an abortion. The match-ups are done online. Elevated Access embraces anonymity. The pilots don’t even know the names of their passengers.

Privacy and secrecy is baked into the process of connecting people who need abortions with pilots who want to help. Elevated Access started a year and a half ago, and so far they’ve flown more than 600 missions for more than 800 people around the country. 

https://www.tpr.org/public-health/2023-12-28/volunteer-pilots-give-flight-to-women-needing-abortion

Ebony Alerts Will Be Used to Highlight Missing Black Children and Young Adults

Blacks make up 14% of the U.S. population but represent 38% of the missing children in the country.

Beginning in January, Ebony Alerts will debut to highlight missing Black children and young adults between the ages of 12 and 25, a tool to be used by the California Highway Patrol and other agencies. 

A larger percentage of missing Black children are classified as "runaways" in comparison to white children, who are classified as "missing," according to the Black and Missing Foundation. This discrepancy affects the information being sent out in Amber Alerts, which notify the public of missing children that are seen to be at risk.

https://www.pleasantonweekly.com/news/2023/12/28/ebony-alerts-debut-in-january-to-draw-attention-to-missing-women-and-children-of-color

Russian Court Bans "LGBTQ Movement"

As part of global moves against LGBTQ+ inclusivity, Russia’s Supreme Court has moved to classify the “international LGBT social movement” as an extremist organization. 

This ruling criminalizes not just any activist working to advance human rights for queer individuals, but could also enable prosecutors to target anyone who supports LGBTQ+ people. 

“If you speak at all about LGBT rights, whether you do it by protesting peacefully, or just posting comments on social media by saying anything in public, anything at all, you're going to be in trouble,” says Tanya Lokshina, associate director for Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia division.

https://time.com/6342383/russias-court-ban-of-the-lgbtq-movement/?fbclid=IwAR0V8qqZNBPniutOUkIsrbJNwC2f5-vITZDJrq0UBBcCdoHoqHfZYGCfASY