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...
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...
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...
UPDATE: As Death Toll Rises, So Do Protests in Bangladesh
The death toll from a building collapse in Bangladesh on Wednesday has now climbed over 300 as many others are still trapped beneath the wreckage of what used to be garment factories and a shopping center. Shahinur Islam, a Bangladesh Army spokesperson on the collapse, told reporters that the number of people confirmed dead has reached 304. H.T. Imam,...
Woman Could Go To Jail For Life-Saving Abortion In El Salvador
A woman who faces a life-threatening, non-viable pregnancy may have to choose between saving her life or going to jail in El Salvador. “Beatriz”, who is currently 22 and already a mother of a young infant, was diagnosed with multiple severe illness and is 18 weeks pregnant. In addition, the fetus will not survive more...
Federal Court Upholds MA Clinic “Buffer Zone”
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court upheld a Massachusetts law establishing a protest-free “buffer zone” around abortion clinics. The 1st U.S. district Court of Appeals determined that a 2007 law establishing a 35-foot “buffer zone” around abortion clinic entrances, exits and driveways did not violate the First Amendment rights of anti-abortion protesters. Protesters claimed that the buffer...
Senate Passes Defense Budget Including Abortion Access
Last night the Senate voted to approve the National Defense Authorization Act, which details the military’s budget and spending for 2013 and expands servicewomen’s right to abortion access. The NDAA would extend insurance coverage for abortion to military women who were raped. Currently, federal law prohibits servicewomen from using their insurance to cover an abortion...
Anti-Choice Amendment 6 loses BIG in Florida!
Pro-choice forces, led by Planned Parenthood and a coalition of women’s groups including National Organization for Women and Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF), overwhelmingly defeated state constitutional Amendment 6 proposed by the Republican-controlled state legislature. FMF campus organizers, Sarah Shanks, Francesca Witcher, Kari Ross, and Jacky Oppler, led a statewide college campus drive to defeat the...
Historic Gender Gap Rules: Women’s Votes decisive in Presidential and Senate Races
President Barack Obama won re-election with 55% of women’s votes and 45% of men’s votes for a decisive and historic 10% gender gap, according to CNN exit polls. This is the second largest gender gap in Presidential voting recorded by exit polls, according to the Center for American Women and Politics. The largest was in...
Historic Election Results
On Tuesday, November 7th 2012 the United States of America reelected President Barack Obama, while the Democrats and Republics held on to their control of the Senate and the House, respectively. Historic victories and milestones in this year’s election results include: -President Barack Obama won re-election with 55% of women’s votes and 45% of men’s...
Sweeping Victory for Marriage Equality
Yesterday, voters in Maine, Washington, and Maryland voted to legalize same-sex marriage, and voters in in Minnesota rejected a constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as between one man and one woman. Same sex marriage is already legal in six states and the District of Columbia via legislative action. However, the issue of marriage...
Planned Parenthood Challenges Texas Ruling to Defund Abortion Affiliates
After a federal appeals court rejected Planned Parenthood’s challenge to a ban on government funding for the state’s women’s health clinics on Friday, Planned Parenthood immediately filed another lawsuit contesting the ban. In the new lawsuit, Planned Parenthood argues that the “Affiliate Ban Rule” is illegal on the grounds that the appeals court ruling has...
