Minnesota State House Approves Same-Sex Marriage
Yesterday, the Minnesota state House approved a law that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state by a vote of 75 to 59. The bill is expected to be voted on by the Senate on Monday and could be signed by the governor as early as Tuesday. Representative Tim Faust (D FL-District 11B) spoke about the vote “Ninety-nine-point-nine percent...
Working Families Flexibility Act Passes House, Threatens Over Time Pay
A bill that would remove over time pay and replace it with “comp” time passed the House yesterday in a vote along party lines of 223 to 204. The Working Families Flexibility Act, dubbed the “More Work, Less Pay Act” by Democrats, would replace overtime pay at the hour-and-a-half rate with comp time that workers...
North Carolina Legislature To Consider ‘Abortion Risk’ Bill
The North Carolina Senate Health Committee passed a bill yesterday that would require that students are told that having an abortion is a significant risk factor for later pre-term births. The measure now heads to the floor of the state Senate. Senate Bill 132 [PDF] requires that seventh grade students be taught that abortion is one...
Fire in Bangladesh Garment Factory Kills 8 as Collapse Deaths Pass 900
Thursday night, a fire broke out in a garment factory in the Mirpur area of Dhaka, Bangladesh, that killed eight people. No workers were in the building at the time. Officials say that the building owner, four of his staff members, and a senior and low-level police officer died when they were overcome by toxic fumes...
Air Force Sexual Assault Unit Chief Charged with Sexual Battery
The chief of the Air Force’s branch on sexual assault prevention and response was arrested over the weekend on charges of sexual battery. According to the Arlington Police Department, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffery Krusinski groped a woman in a parking lot early Sunday morning. She fought him off when he attempted to grab her again and immediately...
Delaware Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage
Yesterday, the Delaware state legislature voted to legalize same-sex marriage and the bill was signed into law by the governor moments afterwards. The bill passed in the state House two weeks ago on a vote of 23 to 18. It was approved by the Senate yesterday on a vote of 12 to 9. Governor Jack Markell...
Arkansas Asks Federal Judge to Dismiss Abortion Ban Challenge
On Tuesday, the state of Arkansas asked a federal judge to dismiss a court case that challenges the state’s abortion ban after 12 weeks. Attorneys for the state of Arkansas filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the ACLU and the Center for Reproductive Rights on behalf of two abortion providers in Little...
Air Force Sexual Assault Unit Chief Charged with Sexual Battery
The chief of the Air Force’s branch on sexual assault prevention and response was arrested over the weekend on charges of sexual battery. According to the Arlington Police Department, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffery Krusinski groped a woman in a parking lot early Sunday morning. She fought him off when he attempted to grab her again and immediately...
Minnesota Judges Dismiss Anti-Abortion Funding Lawsuit
Last week, a Minnesota judge dismissed a lawsuit that attempted to end state insurance coverage for abortion.The lawsuit, brought against the state by a conservative anti-abortion legal group on behalf of “taxpayers”, alleged that the Department of Human Services was using tax-payer money to fund abortions for women on state assistance when the procedures were...
Bangladesh Building Collapse Death Toll Pass 700, Protests Continue
The official death toll from a building collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh has surpassed 700 as more bodies were recovered on Tuesday. Officials said that the death toll had climbed to 705. It is the country’s worst industrial disaster and the worst disaster in the history of the garment industry. Survivors of the eight story building collapse...
Rhode Island Becomes Tenth State to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
On Thursday, Rhode Island became the tenth state to legalize same-sex marriage. In a vote of 56 to 15, the Rhode Island state House approved changes in a bill approved by the state Senate. That evening Governor Lincoln Chafee (I) signed the bill into law. Governor Chafee, who has been pushing for marriage equality since he...
No Decision Yet for ‘Beatriz’ in El Salvador
The Supreme Court of El Salvador has still not issued a decision about whether or not it will allow a woman in El Salvador to terminate a life-threatening, non-viable fetus. “Beatriz”, who is currently 22 and already a mother of a young infant, was diagnosed with multiple severe illnesses and is 18 weeks pregnant. In...
