El Salvador Supreme Court Hears Arguments to Save Beatriz’s Life
Yesterday the Supreme Court of El Salvador heard open arguments in a case where they will determine if doctors can administer a medically necessary abortion for a woman who could die as a result of her pregnancy. “Beatriz”, who is currently 22 and is already the mother of a young infant, was diagnosed with multiple...
Army Sexual Assault Prevention Coordinator Face Sexual Assault Charges
A U.S. Army Sergeant tasked with preventing sexual assault in the military is being investigated for charges of “abusive sexual contact.” The Sergeant 1st Class, whose name has not been released, served as the Sexual Harassment/Assault Result Prevention (SHARP) Coordinator and Equal Opportunity Advisor at Fort Hood in Texas. U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command is handling the...
Western Retailers Pledge To Increase Safety in Bangladesh Factories
This week, major Western clothing retailers announced their support of new safety regulations in Bangladesh garment factories following the eight story building collapse that kill over 1,100 people. The Swedish retailer H&M, Spanish Inditex (Zara), British Primark and Tesco, Dutch C&A, and others all announced their commitment to pay for fire safety and building improvements as part...
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Introduced in Congress
Yesterday, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act was introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate aimed at strengthening workplace protections for pregnant workers. The bill is aimed at strengthening the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, which prohibits workplace discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. Despite being illegal to fire someone...
Federal Judge Refuses to Stay Order on Emergency Contraception
On Monday, the federal government appealed to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to block the unregulated sale of emergency contraception, commonly called Plan B, after a federal judge refused to delay the enforcement of his decision to make Plan B available over the counter for women and girls of all ages. On Friday, U.S. District...
Minnesota Becomes 12th State to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
Yesterday the Minnesota state Senate approved a bill that will allow same-sex couples to marry in the state beginning August 1, 2013. The Minnesota Senate voted in favor of marriage equality 37 to 30, after the state House approved the bill on Thursday in a vote of 75 to 59. Governor Mark Dayton (D) is scheduled to sign the...
Angelina Jolie Publishes Op-Ed About Preventive Double Mastectomy
Today, Angelina Jolie published an op-ed in the New York Times detailing her decision to undergo a preventive double mastectomy. Jolie explains that her risk of developing breast cancer before the surgery was 87% due to a “faulty” gene BRCA1, and describes the procedure that she went through to remove her breasts. In the op-ed, Jolie writes: I wanted...
Fast Food Worker Strikes Spread Across the Country
On Friday, hundreds of fast food workers in Detroit walked off the job in a one day strike to raise the minimum wage. The Detroit protest comes after similar protests in St. Louis, Chicago, and New York. An estimated 400 workers at 60 different restaurants in Detroit walked off their jobs to join protests calling for a...
Cervical Cancer Vaccines will Be Available for $4.50 in Poor Nations
Pharmaceutical companies Merck and GlaxoSmithKline will provide cervical cancer vaccines for as little $4.50 a dose in poor countries to fight high rates of deaths from cervical cancer. The drugs Gardasil and Cervarix, made by Merck and GlaxoSmithKline respectively, prevent human papillomavirus (HPV), which is a leading cause of cervical cancer. In developed nations deaths caused by cervical...
NJ Governor Vetos Early Voting Bill
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) vetoed a bill on Thursday that would have created 14 days of in-person early voting in New Jersey. Governor Christie argued that the bill was too expensive and that the current early voting system in New Jersey is satisfactory. Currently residents may request, complete, and return a “vote-by-mail” ballot 45 days...
Survivor Rescued From Bangladesh Building Wreckage
On Friday rescuers in Dhaka, Bangladesh saved a woman who is still alive after the eight story building collapsed on April 24. The woman was discovered as a rescuer was cutting away iron rods and heard her cries for help. The woman, identified as Reshma, was in the building’s prayer room at the time of the...
Farmworkers Fired For Fleeing California Wildfire
Last week, more than a dozen farmworkers at the Crisalida Farm’s strawberry fields in California were fired when they left the field to take refuge from the smoke and ash from a nearby wildfire. Workers said on May 2 ashes were falling on them and they were having difficulty breathing from the smoke from a wildfire...
