Florida Legislature Rejects Medicaid Expansion, Adjourns Without Vote
The Florida state legislature adjourned on Friday without a vote on Medicaid expansion that would extend healthcare to 1 million Floridians. The Florida state Senate and House were unable to resolve their differences on two proposals that would extend Medicaid coverage. One version, passed by the state House, would use $237 million in state funds to expand...
Florida Teenager Arrested Over ‘Science Experiment’
A 16 year old student in Bartow, Florida was arrested under felony charges earlier this week after a science experiment caused smoke and a loud noise on school property. Kiera Wilmot* mixed toilet bowl cleaner and aluminum foil in an 8oz plastic bottle for a science experiment after hearing it would produce non-toxic smoke from...
Colorado Legislature Passes Voter Expansion Bill
Yesterday, the Colorado state legislature approved a bill that will expand voter rights in the state. The bill would provide every voter a mail-in ballot, allow same-day voter registration, create a statewide voter database, and replace assigned precincts with general “voter centers.” The bill which passed in the state Senate with a vote of 20 to 15...
Bangladesh Death Toll Reaches 507
The death toll from the eight story building collapse in Bangladesh last Wednesday has passed 500, making it the worst industrial disaster in the country’s history. Nine people have been arrested in connection with the collapse. An initial investigation found that the top four floors of the eight story building had been constructed illegally without permits. The factories...
Feminists Critical of Decision to Appeal Plan B Ruling
Late Wednesday night, the Obama Administration filed an appeal in the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals challenging a federal judge’s decision that emergency contraception must be made available over the counter with no age restrictions. According to the New York Times, the Department of Justice will argue that Judge Edward Korman, who issued the ruling,...
Linda Dorcena Forry Wins Boston Democratic Primary
Linda Dorcena Forry won the Democratic primary for the open Massachusetts state Senate seat. She is the firstHaitian-American to win a Massachusetts state primary, and will be running for a seat traditionally held by Irish-American men. “I’m so grateful to the many, many members of the community, the folks who came out and supported the campaign...
Ireland Unveils New Abortion Legislation
On Wednesday, the Irish parliament unveiled the Protection of Life In Pregnancy Bill which clarifies when a woman can have a life-saving abortion. Under the new bill, women can terminate a pregnancy when there is a significant threat to her life, including suicide. In the case of an emergency, a single doctor can approve and...
Amid Massive Hunger Strike, Obama Renews Push to Close Guantanamo
President Obama announced his renewed desire to close the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay in a press conference yesterday. He said that the prison was created in an understandable reaction to the tragedy of 9/11, “but we are now over a decade out. We should be wiser. We should have more experience in how we...
Signature Drive for 2015 Mississippi Personhood Begins
Last week, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood approved the language for a 2015 ballot measure that would amend the Mississippi state constitution to define life as beginning at conception. Now, supporters must collect 107,216 valid signatures of Mississippi voters to add it to the Mississippi ballot in 2015. Initiative Measure No. 41, originally approved by the state...
First Female Speaker of Bangladesh Takes Oath
Yesterday, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury was sworn in as Bangladesh’s first female Speaker of the Parliament. She was unanimously elected by the Parliament earlier Tuesday to fill the vacant seat. Previously, Chaudhury, a member of the majority Awami League party, was the state minister for women and children affairs. In addition to advancing women’s equality through her “Women’s...
Saudi Arabia Launches First Domestic Violence PSA
The King Khalid Foundation (KKF) in Saudi Arabia has launched the first advertising campaign to combat violence against women in Saudi Arabia. The advertisement features a woman in a niqab with a black eye and a caption that reads “Some things can’t be covered – fight women’s abuse together.” Other versions of the poster feature the slogan...
WA State Senate Staffer Says Gays Can Go “Grow Their Own Food”
A staff person for Washington state Senator Mike Hewitt (R-Walla Walla) recently told a Washington blogger that LGBT individuals can fend for themselves when they are denied services under a recently proposed bill. Jay Castro, a reader of the Washington blog column Slog at The Stranger, called Senator Hewitt’s office to ask about his sponsorship of SB...
