Senators Write to Sebelius Asking for Scientific Basis of Plan B Decision
Yesterday Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and 14 other US Senators issued a letter calling on Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to indicate the medical and scientific basis that led her to overrule the FDA’s decision to lift the age limit for emergency contraception and her refusal to permit the over-the-counter sale of the...
CRR to Refile Lawsuit Against FDA and HHS Secretary Sebelius
Yesterday US District Judge Edward Korman ruled that he would allow the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) to refile a case against the FDA for “imposing unnecessary age restrictions on emergency contraceptives, and seek immediate relief to allow broader access to available drugs.” Judge Korman will also permit CRR to add Health and Human Services...
US Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Arizona Immigration Case
The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case, Arizona v. United States<, concerning whether Arizona can impose its own stringent immigration law, given that immigration enforcement is typically under the purview of the federal government.Arizona’s SB 1070 mandates that police investigate and detain anyone believed to be undocumented and make arrests without warrants...
Hotline in Sierra Leon for Fistula Treatment
A new program in Sierra Leon, established by the Gloag Foundation, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and Airtel, enables women to call a toll-free number and speak with nurses to determine whether they are eligible to receive treatment for fistulas. Since the hotline was launched in October,...
Three Women Awarded Nobel Prize
On Saturday, three women were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. The three women – Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee, who led a women’s movement to protest the use of rape during Liberia’s civil war, Tawakkol Karman, a pro-democracy campaigner from Yemen, and President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberi, the first woman to be...
FDA Finds Yaz Contains Insufficient Warning Lables
On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted 21 to 5 that the label on Yaz and its predecessor Yasemin birth control does not adequately warn users about the drug’s risk of causing blood clots, which is higher than other oral contraceptives. In addition, the FDA found that Yaz and Yasemin did not contain...
Obama’s Deeply Paternalistic Statement on Plan B Decision
by Jon Walker This post originally appeared on Firedoglake. This is a pure expression of male paternalism regarding women being able to make their own reproductive decisions. From USA Today: President Obama said today that “as the father of two daughters,” he supports his health secretary’s decision to block over-the-counter sales of the Plan B...
Indian NGOs Release First Statement Supporting Midwives
At a regional midwifery workshop in New Delhi, hosted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), multilateral, bilateral, and international NGOs released the first-ever joint statement indicating their commitment to scaling up efforts for “adapting, disseminating, and implementing the confederation’s global standards of education, regulation, and professional association,” for midwifery. According to the statement, “The...
Abortion Not Linked to Mental Health Problems
A report by the United Kingdom’s National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, released by Britain’s Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the Royal college of Psychiatrists, indicates that abortions do not increase women’s tendency to develop mental health problems, including anxiety and depression. The report did, however, caution that mental health issues can increase for...
High Rate of Harassment of Black Lesbians and Transgender Men in South Africa
A report published by Human Rights Watch, entitled “‘We’ll Show You You’re a Women’: Violence and Discrimination Against Black Lesbians and Transgender Men,” revealed a high rate of discrimination against black lesbians and transgender men in South Africa. The report includes data from over 120 interviews performed in six provinces of South Africa. Many of...
ACLU Will Sue if OH Anti-Abortion Bills Passed
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio has indicated that it will sue if two anti-abortion bills, both of which have passed the state House, become law: a fetal heart beat bill, which would ban abortions after the fetal heartbeat is detected, and another bill that would prohibit Ohio residents from purchasing health insurance...
HERvotes Blog Carnival: Protecting Unemployment Benefits
by Hannah Gordon, Feminist Majority Foundation Welcome to the seventh #HERvotes blog carnival on the need to protect women and employment during these tough economic times, with a focus on the importance of extending Unemployment Insurance (UI) before the December 31st deadline. It is critical that Congress acts before the end of this calendar year...
