30 abortions outlawed in texas, Ikea's going green

big idea: most abortions are outlawed in texas

we’re delving into a hot button social issue this week, which is unusual - really, who wants to hear three brown guys’ opinions on abortion anyways? but, this is big news so here we go: a 5-4 late-night supreme court ruling upheld a law banning most abortions in texas. this is no doubt the conservative court’s first step towards dismantling the right to a safe, elective abortion.

the supreme court originally enshrined that right into law nearly 50 years ago in a case called Roe v Wade, and conservatives have been attempting to erase that precedent for decades. the texas law, which is already being replicated by state legislatures around the south, seems to have done just that.

the law effectively bans all abortions after six weeks of pregancy, which accounts for 85% of all abortions in texas. Roe v Wade permitted abortion up until 22 weeks. the law was purposefully written to avoid court battles by leaving enforcement up to citizens rather than state authorities. instead of the state AG suing abortion clinics, an anti-abortion activist could round up a gang of friends to sue clinics instead, resulting in a potentially crippling number of lawsuits.

there’s a ton more to unpack here, from how the supreme court issued this ruling, to how John Roberts has effectively lost control of the court, to how big business is reacting to the ruling. you can read all that, and more, on this week’s hottake.

story to watch: Ikea pivots to sustainability

a year after introducing a furniture buyback program in most of the countries in which it operates, Ikea is piloting a similar resale operation here in the US. it’s part of Ikea’s efforts to become a more sustainable business, with the hope being consumers sell used furniture back to Ikea for store credit instead of just throwing out that $10 lamp.

Ikea is hoping customers will be okay with returning products for up to 50% back, and that other customers will be willing to buy those same products for a slight markup. this is a remarkable turnaround for a business which is almost defined by the disposable nature of its products, an incredibly environmentally-unfriendly practice.

we’ll see how Ikea’s pilot goes, but other businesses known for their expendable products, like fast fashion brand Gap, are getting into the secondhand market too. we guess if you’re willing to buy a used t-shirt, a used mattress isn’t a huge stretch either...