Cindi Leive, Susan Collins, Serena Williams: Broadsheet July 2

Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Serena Williams cries foul on unfair drug testing, Sen. Susan Collins is back in the spotlight, and an editor shares her own experience with abortion. And on a personal note, happy birthday to one of my own MPWs—my mom. Have a productive Monday.

EVERYONE'S TALKING

• Talking about abortion. There's a long and important tradition of women who've tried to help dispel the myths and stigma that surround abortion by publicly sharing their own experience with the procedure. The list of those who've spoken out includes Billie Jean King, Gloria Steinem, Whoopi Goldberg, Representative Jackie Speier, Lindy West, Rita Moreno—and now former Glamour and Self editor Cindi Leive.

In this New York Times op-ed, Leive writes that her decision to share the story of her abortion, which happened when she was a freshman in college, was prompted by the news that Justice Kennedy is retiring, putting the future of abortion rights in jeopardy. "Against this alarming backdrop, my silence started to feel like a holdover from a safer time. Which this most certainly is not," writes Leive.

While it would be naive to think that every Broadsheet reader shares the same opinions about abortion, I urge you to read Leive's essay—even if you don't agree with her views.

Reflecting on her previous choice to keep this very private decision to herself, Leive writes that silence "has a price: First, it renders the women who make this choice anonymous and lets those who would deny us our freedom do so without looking us in the eye...But would it be quite so easy to demonize this common experience if it were clear that the women who have gone through it include kindergarten teachers, clergywomen, Republicans, C.E.O.s, the woman who served your coffee this morning, who cleans your house, who signs your paycheck, who patrols your neighborhood? As the activist Renee Bracey Sherman, who runs the We Testify site, put it: 'Everyone loves someone who has had an abortion. And if you think you don’t, they just haven’t shared their story with you yet.'" New York Times

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

• Getting testy. Serena Williams is pushing back against unfair and unequal drug testing after a drug tester showed up to her Florida home 12 hours earlier than she said she would be available. For context: Williams has been drug tested this year more than other U.S. women's tennis stars—in fact, she been tested more times than the top five U.S. male stars. In a news conference yesterday, Williams said she's not opposed to drug testing, but: “Just test everyone equally.” Fortune

• It's time for 50/50. Of the states that have had primaries so far, at least eight have a shot at electing a legislature that is at least 50% female in November. (So far, not a single U.S. state legislature has ever included more women than men.) These NYT graphics break down the stats state-by-state, laying out how much progress women have made—and how much is still to be achieved. New York Times

• Keep an eye on Collins. Republican Senator Susan Collins (ME) is back in the spotlight—this time over questions about whether she will support President Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court. Yesterday, she told ABC's The Week, “A candidate for this important position who would overturn Roe v. Wade would not be acceptable to me, because that would indicate an activist agenda that I don’t want to see a judge have." She added that the landmark case legalizing abortion is settled law, and justices must respect legal precedent. On Friday, the president said he'd narrowed his search to about five finalists—including two women—and will announce his pick on July 9. Fortune

• Getting murkier for Merkel. Angela Merkel’s position as German chancellor became more precarious on Sunday after her interior minister, Horst Seehofer, rejected a European deal on limiting immigration as insufficient, threatening her government. WSJ

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Dame Inga Beale is stepping down as chief executive of Lloyd's of London.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

• Where's Ivanka? Refinery29 has launched a new regular column: "What Ivanka Trump Did This Week." The White House has not made public the first daughter and adviser to the president's schedule, notes Refinery, prompting the publication to explore "what she does all day." Refinery29

• 25 slaying in '18. TechCrunch has a list of 25 female founders and investors—including Promise cofounder Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CardUp CEO and founder Nicki Ramsay, Node CEO and founder Falon Fatemi—"who’ve had a pretty good 2018 so far," and promises that a sister list will soon follow. TechCrunch

• Cute couple. Professional basketball player Sue Bird and soccer star Megan Rapinoe are the first same-sex couple to grace the cover of ESPN’s magazine’s annual Body Issue. Rapinoe describes their decision to be photographed together as "kind of bad-ass." I couldn't agree more. ESPN

• Time for more critics of color. #TimesUp is taking action to "increase access for underrepresented critics and entertainment reporters." The group is encouraging journalists to create a profile on Critical, a new tool designed to provide "a strong bridge between content and audiences whereby we ensure that every voice is heard.” Women and Hollywood

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