Happy Sunday − and welcome to the best of The Conversation U.S. Here are a few of our recently published stories:

• College administrators are falling into a tried and true trap laid by the right
• How bird flu virus fragments get into milk sold in stores, and what the spread of H5N1 in cows means for the dairy industry and milk drinkers

Mini-history lessons are a Conversation staple. They’re a great way to provide vital context to the news of the day, be it a war, an economic data point or a new – or old – law. You likely have heard that Arizona will soon restore an 1864 law that bans all abortions unless the pregnant woman’s life is at risk. I could hardly think of a better example of when a bit of history helps put things into perspective.

That’s what Arizona State University’s Calvin Schermerhorn did in his story last week exploring what life was like in Arizona – especially for women – at the time the abortion law was passed. Women had few basic rights before Arizona became a state in 1912.

“In the late 1800s, women in Arizona, as in other places in the U.S., had no direct say in laws governing their bodies,” he writes. “All women in Arizona could not vote, serve on juries or exercise full control over property in a marriage.”

After opening the story with an example of a doctor prosecuted under the law, Schermerhorn paints a bleak picture of women’s rights when Arizona was a territory. Given how much Arizona, and health care, have evolved since then, it's not a surprise the Arizona House voted to repeal the law – legislation the state senate could take up this week. Those lawmakers would do well to read the history as they cast their votes.