Feminist Daily News

Focus on the Family to Lay Off 200 Staff

Focus on the Family, a Colorado Springs-based Christian non-profit group, will eliminate 202 jobs this week. According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, the decision to cut jobs w...

ACLU Questions Limitations on Reproductive Services for Undocumented Teens

The American Civil Liberties Union requested documents from the federal government Monday on current US policy that limits teenage refugees' access to reproductive care. According to the

Professional Japanese Baseball League Drafts First Woman Player

Sixteen-year-old pitcher Eri Yoshida became the first woman to be drafted by a professional Japanese baseball league this week. Negotiations are still being made, but Yoshida could become the first woman to share the field with professional male players, breaking a huge barrier for female athletes. ...

ACLU Questions Segregation in Mobile, Alabama School

The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Alabama sent a letter last week to the Mobile County School System, the largest school system in Alabama, warning that mandatory sex segregation policies are illegal. Hankins Middle School, one of the system's schools, was segregated by sex for the ...

Sex Traffickers Plead Guilty to Fraud and Prostitution Charges

Ten members of an internet-based sex trafficking network were sentenced last week in the United Kingdom after pleading guilty to money laundering and prostitution charges. The group was arrested earlier this year following raids on brothels in Surrey and Central London. According to the

Forced Abortion Planned by Chinese Officials

Arzigul Tursun, pregnant with her third child, is hospitalized under orders by Chinese officials who plan to forcibly terminate her pregnancy. China has a one-child-per-family rule. Tursun is allowed to have two children because she belongs to the Uighur minority group. Local officials determined ...

Military Promotes First Woman to Four-star General

Lieutenant General Ann E. Dunwoody became the first woman to be promoted to the rank of a four-star general on Friday. According to CNN, Dunwoody became a three-star general in 2005, which made her the h...

Increasing Attention on Sex Selection in India

Sex selection practices are gaining increased visibility and criticism in India, where the sex ratio has declined significantly. According to The Telegraph the national ratio is 927 women to...

Uruguayan President Vetoes Abortion Rights Legislation

Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez vetoed legislation Thursday that would have legalized abortion in the first trimester. The bill was passed in the Senate earlier this week and would have allowed women to end a pregnancy in the first 12 weeks due to hardship on the basis of economics, family, age, ...

UN Population Fund Releases 2008 Report

The United Nations Population Fund released its annual State of the World Population Report this week. The report (see PDF) focuses on cultural politics and development, examining gender inequality and c...

Same-Sex Marriage Licenses Now Issued in Connecticut

Connecticut began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples Wednesday morning. The Connecticut State Supreme Court ruled in October that banning same-sex marriage violated the state constitution. Connectic...

Temporary Injunction Delays Oklahoma Anti-Abortion Law

A temporary injunction has prevented an Oklahoma anti-abortion law from going into effect November 1. The law, Senate...

Afghan Schoolgirls Targeted in Acid Attack

A group of Afghan girls walking to school were sprayed with battery acid by two men on motorcycles Wednesday. The attack, which blinded at least two of the victims, took place outside of the Mirwais Nika Girls High School in the southern city of Kandahar. It is speculated that the Taliban is behi...

Feminist Activist Released from Iranian Prison

Esha Momeni, a feminist activist, was released from Evin prison in Iran Monday where she had been held since October 15. She was originally arrested on supposed traffic violation charges while working for the One Million Signat...

Anti-Choice Groups Plan Protest at Tiller Hearings

Operation Rescue announced Tuesday their plan to respond to a week-long hearing in the case against Dr. George Tiller, a late-term abortion provider, with anti-choice protests. According to a

Supreme Court Hears Case on Gun Rights for Domestic Violence Abusers

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday on a federal gun ban that affects individuals convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence charges. In 1996, lawmakers approved an amendment to a federal gun ban that restricted those convicted of violent felonies from owning guns to include those convict...

Pay Gap Persists Between Male and Female CEOs

A recent CEO Pay Survey finds that a wage gap exists between male and female CEOs. The latest findings from The Corporate Library's CEO Pay Survey: CEO Pay 2008, found that not only are fem...

Milwaukee Voters Approve Paid Sick Leave Law

Milwaukee voters approved a ballot referendum last week that will require paid sick leave for workers. The referendum, which passed with 68 percent voter approval, will require employers to provide workers with nine paid sick days. Businesses with less than 10 employees will be required to provide...

Dr. Sima Samar Wins 2008 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award

Dr Sima Samar's selection as the winner of the 2008 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award (ADRHA) was announced Monday by Taiwan Foundation for Democracy Chairman Wang Jin-pyng. The award honors Dr. Samar's significant...

Historic Election Results for New Hampshire State Senate

The New Hampshire state senate is the first state-level legislature in the United States to have a female majority. Women will hold thirteen of the twenty-four (54%) state senate seats in the upcoming session. New Hampshire State Senate President