In a recent piece for Rewire News Group’s Campus Dispatch series, Colleen McFadden shared how she went from doom-scrolling to taking action.

“Somewhere among the dismay,” Colleen said she decided to ask herself, “‘how can I help? How can I be most effective?’”

For Colleen, the answer was to return to school in her 40s to obtain a family nurse practitioner degree and work in reproductive health. “This is how I can help,” she wrote. “I will advocate for and provide services to people who want and need them.”

At Rewire News Group, we’re asking the same question: How can we be most effective? Every day, we navigate the complexities of the U.S. reproductive and sexual health, rights, and justice movement, bringing you news grounded in science and health. And like Colleen, we refuse to quit. Even when the challenges seem overwhelming, we uncover and report stories that spark hope, reminding us that progress is possible.

Here are some recent rays of hope energizing us this month:

Ten abortion rights measures are appearing on state ballots—thanks in part to advocates working across state lines. Our ballot tracker has kept readers informed, and our summer intern, Lorien Tyne, took our coverage a step further by spotlighting the people behind the ballot measures. Organizations like The Fairness Project have been essential in helping states learn from others’ successes.

An Ohio judge blocked two anti-abortion laws that would have banned telemedicine for medication abortions and prevented non-doctors, such as midwives and advanced practice nurses, from prescribing mifepristone.

A reproductive rights organization celebrated a major legislative win as its five-bill package advanced in state legislation. Co-sponsored by Reproductive Freedom For All California, these bills would expand access to abortions and labor and delivery. SB 729, which would require insurance companies to cover IVF treatment, is a particular victory, after numerous failed attempts at passing similar legislation.

Dread your pap smear appointment? Here’s some positive news. The FDA has approved a test for cervical cancer that allows a person, while in a health-care setting, to use a swab for their vaginal sample—no metal speculum required. Some of the tests are currently being shipped, with more expected to roll out later this fall.

It’s wins like these and the stories of people like Colleen that inspire us every day and remind us why this work matters.

Help spread these moments of hope—and truth—to the people who need them the most.

Thank you for inspiring us every day,

Imani Gandy
Editor-at-Large
Rewire News Group