Progressive Voices
State lawmaker: NC must resist the ongoing radical overhaul of its public schools
In the past, North Carolina has been a leader in the South and the nation on education because we knew that investing in education is the best way to ensure a strong economy supporting working families. Unfortunately, our public schools are under assault, and the current Republican majority at the General Assembly is considering extreme […]
HB2 shadow still looms large in NC, but how large?
Once again, North Carolina is looking down the barrel of a barrage of far-right legislation. Again unchecked by the counterweight of a gubernatorial veto (thanks to one legislator’s act of astounding deceit), Republicans are gleefully railroading extremist social legislation into law. A top reason: some important changes that have overtaken our state’s politics in recent […]
We aren’t supposed to imply that the Founders (slaveholders) weren’t always paragons of virtue
LONDON – In 2022, the Prince and Princess of Wales (you know them as William and Kate) toured the Commonwealth countries of the Caribbean, former slave colonies. They made a bit of a mess. At one event the royal couple were supposed to meet a bunch of children, but found themselves separated from the kids […]
From my cold dead hand: Gun groups perpetuate militia myth to keep whatever arms they dream of
About the Second Amendment: I have questions. I cannot wrap my lizard-sized brain around the notion that the reason for people to keep and own guns is to protect against tyranny. Spare me the historical discourses about the establishment of the Second Amendment, because I realize a bunch of a rag-tag colonists rose up against […]
After the act, SB 20: Reflections on North Carolina’s new abortion ban
After the sun set on May 16, 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly completed their override of the Governor’s veto of a bill that will now dramatically restrict reproductive rights in our state. Before all that happened, the Council and our allies co-authored a letter to every member of the General Assembly asking them to […]
Senate budget would take education funding to destructive new depths
“Fund students, not systems” has become the rallying cry of the country’s most extreme school choice zealots. It’s a silly motto for many reasons. Notably, private schools and public schools are both “systems,” and systems are necessary to efficiently provide students with high quality education serving the public good. Despite the motto’s obvious ridiculousness, it […]
Public School Forum leader: Senate budget proposal comes up woefully short
The State of North Carolina has money. In 2022, North Carolina had over $6 billion in unappropriated funds. This year, North Carolina is expected to have at least $3 billion more than budgeted in revenue. This is a significant surplus. And yet, the budget speeding through the Senate this week — a proposal based solely […]
Physician: Abortion bans are mainstream…in countries where people die from them
When I was training to become a family doctor, I spent the summer in rural Kenya caring for women who had resorted to drinking poison, inserting sticks in their bodies, or visiting an untrained provider in unhygienic conditions to end a pregnancy. At the same time, a friend in my home state of Indiana, was […]
NC OBGYN: Abortion ban will harm patients and the practice of medicine
North Carolina’s anti-abortion bill (Senate Bill 20) will have many direct and detrimental impacts on the people of our state. The bill includes numerous unnecessary restrictions on the provision of healthcare and requires medically unnecessary visits and documentation — all of which will provide no benefit to patients and only serve to erect further barriers […]
NC physician shares her patient’s painful abortion dilemma
I am a family doctor in North Carolina and taking holistic care of people during their pregnancy as part of my daily job. This includes counseling about genetic testing, medication safety during pregnancy, managing miscarriage, and discussing abortion. I share with permission a patient story that is powerful, and sadly, not unique. The female body […]
How and why did my choices become a political statement?
For the past decade, anti-abortion lawmakers have needlessly and relentlessly attacked our right to bodily autonomy, and our right to access safe and legal abortion care in North Carolina. These lawmakers have been especially ruthless this session in their attempt to take away the right of all North Carolinians to access an abortion. Access to […]
What’s behind the Republican attack on accreditation?
If you were going to spend thousands of dollars seeking a college degree, you’d want to be sure to get your money’s worth: knowledge vetted by subject-matter experts; teachers who use the best practices to promote student growth; and a range of experiences that help you discover and develop your potentials. You’d want to avoid […]