Migration Category: Feminist Newswire

Stories from the Feminist News Wire.

Afghan President: No Gender Apartheid Under My Responsibility 

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Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan reiterated his commitment to women’s rights and human rights. In response to a question on the ongoing talks between the Taliban and the US, he stated that there are some questions that need to be answered, and the top question is gender.

He was specific in assuring the leaders and the Afghan women that “No Afghan woman, as long as I am alive and in a position of responsibility, is going to be subjected to gender apartheid.” It was a clear reference to how Afghan women were subjected to gender apartheid during the Taliban, something that worries Afghan women the most in the ongoing talks between the US and the Taliban. He continued, “our ambassadors to the United Nations and US are Afghan women, and they are second to none to anybody. The generation of young Afghan women sees the world as their potential stage.”

The Afghan president has been clear that if the Taliban are ready to end violence, the Afghan people will welcome them back to their society. He asked, “Are the Taliban ready to see the end of violence? If they are, the Afghan society is willing to reintegrate them.” However, he cautioned that if the Taliban see the peace process “as a Trojan horse to overthrow the government, then the society and government will mobilize.”

President Ghani also noted that 70% of the Afghan population is under 25 and that “they are not going to be caged,” a reference to how the Taliban treated women as well as young people under their power in the late 90s.

While speaking at Davos, he defended his legacy of the past five years. He said Afghanistan has made significant achievements in various areas, including security.  He assured the world leaders that the “Afghan security forces have emerged to be a significant force: our commandos are second to none in the region, our air force has tripled, our commandos and special forces have doubled. We have taken eight districts back from the Taliban.” The training of the security forces, especially the Afghan Air Force and the Afghan Special Forces have continuously been acknowledged as one of the major successes of the US intervention in Afghanistan.

 

Source: World Economic Forum 1/22/20

 

 

South Dakota Bill Restricting Medical Treatment for Transgender Youth Passes First Major Vote

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In South Dakota, a bill which will ban doctors from providing puberty blockers and prevent them from performing other treatments related to gender expression in children under the age of 16, has passed in the House State Affairs Committee by an 8-5 vote. Three conservatives broke with their party to vote against this bill, which opposes “experimental procedures,” while stressing encouragement and direction for applicable children.

It makes it a misdemeanor for doctors to perform sex-reassignment surgery or prescribe hormones for transgender youths. This passage will likely pave the way for lawmakers in other states (such as: SC, CO, FL, OK, MO) to pass equally restrictive bills with the end result of punishing medical professionals and parents, who provide any form of treatment for transgender or non-binary youth.

According to Kaiser Health News, this bill and others like it, are reigniting the “polarizing debate” between liberals and conservatives regarding both explicit medical information, as well as the role of parents and doctors in the lives of children and what their respective responsibilities are within this important issue.

While some states are introducing legislation as mentioned above, others are seeing a rapid increase in mobilized activists, civil rights organizations, and suicide prevention groups. While conservatives stress increased guidance for children “struggling with questions about their identity,” liberals have pointed out the positive effects that treatments like puberty blockers can have on the mental health of trans children, and especially teens, citing their ability to decrease risks of suicide in these individuals, as CNN reports.

Sources: Washington Post 01/22/2020; Kaiser Health News 01/23/2020; CNN 01/23/2020

New State Department Regulations Could Restrict Pregnant Women’s Ability to Come to the U.S.

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A department official from the State Department and a congressional aide reportedly said Wednesday that the U.S. State Department has a plan that could potentially make it more difficult for pregnant women to acquire visas to visit the United States.

These impending regulations are presumably the most recent in a string of attempts by the Trump administration to decrease the number of foreign travelers to the United States. The administration aims to decrease “birth tourism.”

People who are born in the United States will receive U.S. citizenship (unless you are the child of a diplomat or recognized government official from a foreign country) regardless of the parents’ citizenship status. The U.S. government currently does not record any statistics regarding the number of people who travel to the United States each year with the purpose to gain citizenship for the child, so the scope of the issue is unclear.

According to the State Department official, the Federal Register is expected to feature the new rule “shortly.” Persons holding B1 and B2 nonimmigrant visas (also known as temporary visas for business, tourism or medical treatment) will be affected by the guidelines. According to the Washington Post, 5.7 million B1 and B2 visas were issued in fiscal year 2018.

The new guidelines will provide officials the ability to have discretion when they are determining whether or not a woman is trying to come to the United States solely for giving birth, not necessarily prohibiting all pregnant women to enter the country. How officials will determine this is unclear, especially since consular officers already conduct interviews with visa applicants about reasons for travel and length of stay.

Sources: Washington Post, 1/22/20; Code of Federal Regulations, 1/21/20

Idaho Legislator to Introduce Bill Banning Transgender Women from Women’s Sports

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Idaho legislator Rep. Barbara Ehardt (R-Idaho Falls) says that she is planning on introducing legislation that would ban transgender individuals from competing on high school sports teams that do not correspond with their birth sex.

While claiming that the legislation has “nothing to do” with anti-LGBT legislation, Ehardt is calling on the Idaho legislature to pass the bill which calls transgender women “those biological boys, those men”.

Ehardt says that “Boys and men will not be able to take the place of girls and women in sports because it’s not fair. We cannot physically compete against boys and men. The inherent biological, scientific advantages that boys and men have over girls and women, even if they were to take hormones, even if they were to spend a couple of years on estrogen, that’s not going to replace the inherent biological advantages that boys and men have”.

Similar legislation attempting to dictate what trans people can and cannot do have been popping up around the country. Most famously “bathroom bills” restricting trans people’s access to the public restroom of their choice. Many of these legislative attempts have been blocked or overturned by courts after being ruled unconstitutional.

Ehardt tried to introduce similar legislation in the 2019 session but said that the bill was not finalized then. After 18 months she believes it is ready.

 

East Idaho News 1/21/20; NBC News 3/30/17.

Idaho Legislator to Introduce Bill Banning Transgender Women from Women’s Sports

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Idaho legislator Rep. Barbara Ehardt (R-Idaho Falls) says that she is planning on introducing legislation that would ban transgender individuals from competing on high school sports teams that do not correspond with their birth sex.

While claiming that the legislation has “nothing to do” with anti-LGBT legislation, Ehardt is calling on the Idaho legislature to pass the bill which calls transgender women “those biological boys, those men”.

Ehardt says that “Boys and men will not be able to take the place of girls and women in sports because it’s not fair. We cannot physically compete against boys and men. The inherent biological, scientific advantages that boys and men have over girls and women, even if they were to take hormones, even if they were to spend a couple of years on estrogen, that’s not going to replace the inherent biological advantages that boys and men have”.

She asserts that the bill is not discriminatory because the wording of the bill focuses on DNA and chromosomes, meaning transgender men also cannot compete on men’s teams, so it is not singling out transgender women.

Similar legislation attempting to dictate what trans people can and cannot do have been popping up around the country. Most famously “bathroom bills” restricting trans people’s access to the public restroom of their choice. Many of these legislative attempts have been blocked or overturned by courts after being ruled unconstitutional.

Ehardt tried to introduce similar legislation in the 2019 session but said that the bill was not finalized then. After 18 months she believes it is finally ready.

Sources: East Idaho News 1/21/20; NBC News 3/30/17

New Gallup Poll: Three Out of Five Americans Dissatisfied with Restrictive Abortion Laws

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A new Gallup poll found that nearly three out of five Americans are dissatisfied with U.S. abortion policies—a record number driven by Democratic and Independent dissatisfaction towards increasingly strict abortion laws.

From 2001 until 2016, a roughly equal proportion of Americans were dissatisfied with abortion laws as Americans satisfied with with abortion laws. The latest number, from a January 2-15, 2020, survey, found 58 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with current abortion laws, marking an all-time high.

The 2020 poll also identified a mounting desire for less strict abortion laws—a stark contrast from previous polls that found Americans in favor of stricter abortion laws outnumbered those in favor of less strict abortion laws. A nearly equal number of Americans now want stricter laws (24 percent) as Americans who want more lenient laws (22 percent).

Lydia Saad, Gallup’s director of U.S. Social Research, stated that since Trump’s election, “Democrats have been less satisfied with the nation’s abortion policies and significantly more likely to say the laws should be less strict.” Meanwhile, “Independents went from leaning in favor of stricter laws to equal portions espousing each side of the issue.”

Saad states Trump’s rhetoric may be partially responsible for increasing dissatisfaction with abortion laws, however, the findings “also [align] with an increase in abortion restrictions.” In 2017 alone, states adopted 63 new abortion restrictions—the largest number of restrictions since 2013.

While this number decreased slightly in 2019, the Guttmacher Institute emphasizes the 2019 restrictions are increasingly harsh. Nearly half of the 2019 restrictions sought to ban all, most, or some abortions.

Saad remains skeptical as to whether this shift in opinion could affect 2020 voting habits. “Democrats’ heightened alarm about reproductive rights may help their party in the 2020 election if Democrats are more motivated than usual to vote on the issue, or if the issue influences more independents than usual to support the Democratic candidate,” Saad pointed out. “However, this could change after the primaries when the Democratic nominee and Trump are able to debate the issue directly.”

 

 

Sources: Gallup, 1/22/2020 ; Guttmacher Institute, 1/2/2018, 12/10/2019

Elizabeth Warren Pledges Half Her Cabinet Will Be Women

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Massachusetts Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren pledged that at least half of her top executive branch positions would go to women or non-binary people if she wins the presidency.

Senator Warren continues in a recent push to convince voters that a woman can win the presidency. As the pivotal early primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire loom, this promise comes as Warren hopes to garner the female vote. Warren and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota are the two remaining women in the 2020 race after California Senator Kamala Harris and New York Senator Kristen Gillibrand suspended their campaigns last year. Senators Warren and Klobuchar also happen to be the two candidates endorsed by the New York Times editorial board yesterday.

She has also promised not to hire any working lobbyists, to implement a more severe ethics plan that the previous two administrations, and to impose hiring restrictions for former lobbyists. Additionally, Senator Warren’s plan includes a pledge to hire all key positions in the White House by Inauguration Day.

“Our government officials can best serve the American public when they reflect the diversity of the country itself,” Warren noted in a Medium post outlining her plan to revitalize the executive branch after the election. “The federal government does a dismal job on diversity and inclusion.”

Former President Barack Obama’s administration had only eight female cabinet members at the most, and Donald Trump appointed only 4 women out of 23 members. According to data compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the United States currently ranks 77th in the world for women’s representation in Congress. While the countries compared have differences in terms of their political and economic systems, the United States continues to underrepresent women in government, even after a historic year for women in the 2018 congressional elections.

Sources: HuffPost 1/21/20; New York Times 1/19/20; CNBC 3/5/19; Inter-Parliamentary Union Archive 2/1/19.

New Maryland Bill Proposes Parental Consent Requirement for IUDs

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On January 8th the Maryland House of Delegates introduced a bill, House Bill 53, that would require minors to have written parental consent to get insertive contraceptive devices, such as the intrauterine device (IUD) and implantable rod. This bill does not require parental consent for minors to receive other forms of birth control, such as the pill and patch. Currently, Maryland is one of the 23 states that allow minors to access birth control without parental consent.

The intention of the bill is for parents to be informed about the health of their children; however, experts state that parental consent laws can often prevent young people from accessing the birth control that they need. By requiring parental consent, it delays the time in which an adolescent may start using birth control which could result in unplanned pregnancy, or can cause teenagers to not utilize birth control at all. According to Rebecca Thimmesch, manager of Advocate for Youth’s Free the Pill Council, adolescents living in unsafe situations may be blocked from getting birth control when parental consent is required.

Critics of the law state that insertive contraceptive devices are effective in preventing pregnancy, as they are 20 times more effective than the pill. Teenagers are more likely to experience contraceptive failure with the pill than adults do, so experts argue that restricting access to the most effective forms of birth control cause more harm than good.

This form of legislation is part of a larger trend of lawmakers requiring parental consent and notification for numerous reproductive health care services. There are states that require the consent of the parents for a minor to use birth control and only have exceptions such as minors needing to be married or a high school graduate. Additionally, 21 states that require parental consent when a minor wants to obtain an abortion.

If this bill is signed into law, it will go into effect on October 1, 2020.

Sources: House Bill 53 1/8/20; CNN 1/17/20; Vox 1/14/20; Kaiser Family Foundation 5/1/19; Guttmacher Institute 1/1/20

#MeToo Activist Released by Chinese Authorities

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After being detained for nearly three months, a Chinese #MeToo activist and journalist, Sophia Huang Xueqin, has been released by authorities in China. Police detained Huang in mid-October of last year in Guangzhou on the vague charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”

Huang has been a prominent figure in China’s emerging #MeToo movement, which has had some difficulties getting off its feet, and has worked to help women recount cases of sexual assault and abuse online in an effort to push back against government censors as well as a culture permeated by male domination. In addition to her work in the #MeToo movement, Huang has written about her experiences with protests in Hong Kong. Huang herself exited a career at a national news provider in China after facing harassment by a senior colleague at her job. (NYT2) Friends reported that Huang’s passport was confiscated in August after she began writing about her experiences with the protests in Hong Kong.

According to the New York Times, the Chinese government has attempted to cripple the #MeToo movement by censoring phrases like “anti-sexual harassment” as well as removing online petitions for more protection for women. Although it remains unclear why Huang was both detained and released, human rights activists celebrated but advised vigilance with the Chinese government’s actions to continue to remove dissenting voices.

“This is Xueqin, and I’m back,” she wrote, according to a friend who wishes to remain unidentified and who received the message. “One second of darkness doesn’t make people blind.”

Sources: The New York Times, 1/17/20, 10/24/19, 1/23/18.

Representative Ayanna Pressley Releases Inspiring Video About Living With Alopecia

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Representative Ayana Pressley, a Democrat from the 7th district of Massachusetts, released a video yesterday via The Root’s Twitter revealing that she has alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss.

For Ms. Pressley, she felt as though her hair story was both personal and political. She described her decision to publicly address her condition as “…about acceptance, I hope this starts a conversation about the personal struggles we navigate, and I hope that it creates awareness about how many people are impacted by alopecia”.

Ms. Pressley started the video with how she found a hairstyle – Senegalese twists – that made her feel like herself. She described her twists as “a synonymous and conflated part of not only my personal identity, and how I show up in the world, but my political brand”. When she found out she could no longer where them as her hair fell out, she felt like she was betraying her culture and letting down the little girls who looked up to a congresswoman who wore braids like them. “I felt naked, exposed, vulnerable” Ms. Pressley described.

Ms. Pressley’s Congressional colleagues rallied around her after the announcement. Tweets of encouragement came from the likes of Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and former senator John Kerry (D-MA).

Over six million people in the United States have alopecia. It effects all ages, genders and races. The autoimmune disorder occurs when the immune system attacks healthy hair follicles for unknown reasons. There are several different treatments, but none have proved completely effective.

Ms. Pressley closed her video with the statement “I’m trying to find my way here, and I do think going public will help”.

Sources: Twitter 1/16/20; The New York Times 1/16/20.

First Woman Appointed to Management Position in the Vatican

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This Thursday, Pope Francis named Francesca Di Giovanni the Undersecretary of Multilateral Affairs for the Secretariat of State, an important Vatican office. Di Giovanni will be the first woman to hold a management position in the Roman Catholic Church. 

Leadership positions in the Vatican are largely male-dominated, in part because many are reserved for priests, bishops, or cardinals–roles that are only accessible to men. Nevertheless, Pope Francis has expressed intentions to elevate more women to decision-making roles in the church, citing women’s predisposition towards peaceful resolutions as useful in conducting international affairs. Di Giovanni’s appointment is Pope Francis’s first significant step in accomplishing this goal.

Throughout her career, Di Giovanni has specialized in international law regarding migrants and refugees. As the Undersecretary of Multilateral Affairs, Di Giovanni will manage a team that administers relations between the Vatican and intergovernmental organizations like the United Nations, with special attention to economic development, environmental protection, and empowering women internationally.

Sources: The Boston Globe 1/15/20; NPR 1/15/20; Vatican News 1/15/20

WNBA and Players’ Union Propose Historic Collective Bargaining Agreement

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In a time where female athletes across sports are speaking out against gender discrimination and pay inequalities, the WNBA has positioned itself as a leader by coming to a potential collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the players’ union that features salary increases, maternal and family leave benefits, and improved travel accommodations.

This agreement takes steps in closing the gap for WNBA players and is reflective of the fight for equality taking place in women’s sports. The U.S. women’s soccer team has been at the forefront of this fight, suing the U.S. Soccer Federation over gender discrimination with a trial date set for May after being handed class status. They earned $4 million for winning their fourth World Cup this summer as opposed to the French men’s team who earned $38 million for winning the 2018 Men’s World Cup.

If ratified by the league’s board of governors and union membership, the contract would come into effect in May of this year until 2027. Players could earn more than $500,000 from salaries, league marketing agreements, and bonus incentives, around three times the amount of last season’s ceiling. The maximum salary alone would rise from $117,500 to $215,000, an increase of nearly 83 percent.

Whereas the NBA splits league revenue with its players about 50-50, the WNBA currently only shares about 20-30 percent of its revenue with players. The new contract would be even with the NBA and share revenue equally. Many WNBA players play overseas in order to supplement their limited salaries. According to the Washington Post, the average salary in the WNBA in 2018 was approximately $70,000.

Provisions for maternity leave would additionally improve under the proposed CBA. Players would be able to earn a full salary on maternity leave with an additional child care stipend of $5,000. Arenas would feature designated spaces for nursing, and players could seek reimbursement for adoption, surrogacy, egg freezing, and fertility treatment in amounts up to $60,000. Travel accommodations would be upgraded for players with the contract providing for individual hotel rooms and economy plus flights.

In a quote from the Seattle Times, Sue Bird, a guard for the Seattle Storm and partner of USWNT player Megan Rapinoe, notes the importance of this contract for women in sports. “The deal represents moving forward both from a WNBA perspective, but also in general, for women in sports and society,” Bird said. “When you look at things like what we’re able to do with maternity leave and family planning … We’re going to be looked at as – I think – pioneers in the sports world.”

Sources: The New York Times, 1/14/20, 11/8//19; Time, 8/16/19; Seattle Times, 1/14/20; Washington Post, 1/14/20.

U.S. Ranked 15th Best Country for Women in the World

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U.S. News and World Report released a report ranking the best countries for women this Wednesday, and the report placed the United States 15th, behind not only countries like #1 Denmark, #2 Sweden, or #3 Netherlands, but also the U.S.’s close neighbor Canada, who came in at #5.

In the United States, 90 percent of people surveyed believed that women should be entitled to all the same rights as men, but only 66 percent agreed that women actually have the same economic mobility and opportunities afforded to men.

Another factor bringing down the U.S.’s ranking is the pay gap, in which women in the U.S. earn about 80 cents for every dollar made by their male counterparts. The gap is widened when examining women and men with bachelor’s degrees – in this demographic, women make only 74 cents to every dollar that men make.

Paid maternity leave was another large factor used to determine which countries were best for women. Denmark, ranked number one country for women and for raising kids, offers both parents 52 weeks (one whole year) of paid parental leave. The United States, on the other hand, is the only modern, industrialized country that does not mandate paid maternity leave. This often means that women have to choose between starting a family or losing their jobs. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 15% of private workers in the U.S. have access to any paid family leave at all.

Senior data editor for U.S. New and World Report Deidre McPhillips commented on these rankings on Good Morning America. “In many of the countries that top the best countries for women ranking, perceptions tend to align with reality,” she stated “”Quantitative measures of gender parity in employment, educational attainment, health and political involvement … consistently find Nordic nations toward the top. These countries also tend to have generous parental leave and childcare policies”.

The U.S. improved its overall ranking this year in the best country ranking, but it still has a way to go before becoming number one.

Sources: Yahoo News, 1/15/20; U.S. News & World Report, 1/15/20; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 1/15/20; Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development 1/15/20; Good Morning America 1/15/20.

Virginia Becomes the 38th State to Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment

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The United States has never been closer to officially creating an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the U.S. Constitution. On Tuesday, January 14, a Virginia statehouse committee approved a measure to “bring the amendment to a full vote” which was voted upon by the Virginia House of Delegates and state Senate on Wednesday, January 15.

With a vote of 59 ‘yay’ to 41 ‘nay’ in the Virginia House and 28 ‘yay’ to 12 ‘nay’ in the Virginia Senate, Virginia has just become the 38th state to ratify the amendment designed to “guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex” and “seeks to end the legal distinctions between men and women in terms of divorce, property, employment, and other matters.” The significance of the number 38 comes from the requirement that all proposed amendments receive the approval of at least 38 states in order to be added to the Constitution–and early ERA advocates have awaiting that number since 1972 when Congress passed the resolution.

The ERA would allow more protections and rights for U.S. women while also impacting the creation of new laws in areas that concern gender discrimination or the wage gap, just to name a few. Even with the excitement of progress, the road ahead remains hazy as the ERA is expected to face some battles in court before being adopted.

Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority and former president of the National Organization for Women, notes that, “We recognize that this is not the last fight for the ERA. We are entering into a legal fight for it to be recognized. The arbitrary timeline put in the preamble of the ERA, which would not be in the Constitution, we believe is not binding. The national ERA campaign is going to continue to win even more states and to win ratification for state ERAs in state Constitutions. We are intent on finally getting the job done of winning full equality in this country.”

One issue weighing heavily on everyone’s minds is the reality of Congress’s 1972 resolution that “enacted a deadline of seven years for the measure to get its 38-state minimum ratification.” The deadline was again extended to 1982, but at the time only 35 states had ratified. However, ERA momentum has since picked back up as Nevada (2016), Illinois (2018), and Virginia (2020) have joined the fight regardless of the deadline as “advocates say Article V of the Constitution explicitly states than an amendment proposal be ratified once the 38-state limit is met, with no stipulation for deadlines.”

The U.S. House Oversight Committee recently passed a resolution to remove the arbitrary timeline which the House and Senate will vote on next.

Source: ABC News 1/12/20; ERA.org 1/15/20

New FX Series Follows the Movement that Birthed the Equal Rights Amendment

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A new FX series starring Rose Byrne as feminist leader Gloria Steinem and Cate Blanchett as antifeminist Phyllis Schlafly will premiere in April.

The series, called Mrs. America, will center on the fight to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the 1970s at the height of the women’s liberation movement. Conservative lawyer Phyllis Schlafly famously campaigned against the ERA, which is still unratified. The series coincides with renewed momentum around the passage of the ERA, with Virginia poised to become the 38th and final state needed to ratify the amendment.

The show boasts a host of characters based on real leaders of the women’s movement. Rose Byrne plays Gloria Steinem, and former Orange is the New Black star Uzo Aduba has been cast as former Congresswoman and historic presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm. Elizabeth Banks will play Jill Ruckelshaus, activist and former head of the White House Office of Women’s Programs, Tracy Ullman will portray Feminine Mystique author Betty Friedan, and Margo Martindale will play feminist leader and former Congresswoman Bella Abzug.

The first three episodes of the series are slated premiere on Hulu on April 15.

Sources: The Advocate 1/9/20; Vanity Fair 1/9/20

Delaware Man Charged after Allegedly Throwing Molotov cocktail at Planned Parenthood Clinic

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A Delaware man has been arrested and charged with federal crimes after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at a Delaware Planned Parenthood clinic last Friday night.

18-year-old Samuel James Gulick has been charged with maliciously damaging a building with fire or a destructive device and intentionally damaging a facility that provides reproductive health services. If convicted he faces a $250,000 fine and up to 20 years in prison.

At around 2:15 a.m. on January 3 a surveillance video captured a man approaching the Delaware clinic and spray-painting the term “Deus Vult”, or “God wills it”, on the front of the building. The phrase is often associated with the white nationalist movement. Gulick then walked off the porch and pulled the Molotov cocktail out of a plastic bag, lit it, and threw it at the front door of the building. The device extinguished itself after about a minute, damaging the front window and porch of the clinic.

The car’s license plate was captured on video surveillance, which was registered to Gulick’s father, and law enforcement was able to identify the suspect through his social media which contained numerous anti-abortion posts. His avatar was a cartoon of Pepe the Frog, an image widely associated with white nationalists and the alt-right. Gulick was arrested by FBI agents on January 4th.

The FBI is investigating the case, alongside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Newark Police Department. He will appear in court for a detention hearing on Friday.

Sources: The Philadelphia Inquirer 1/7/20; The Newark Post 1/6/20; FOX 43 1/6/20

Women Gave Feminist Voice to 2020 Golden Globes

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On Sunday, January 5, millions of viewers tuned in to watch the 77th annual Golden Globes, celebrating the year’s most impressive entertainment. While host Ricky Gervais told the Hollywood audience not to use acceptances “as a platform to make a political speech,” many artists, mostly women, did use their privilege and spotlight to express political messages.

Among them was Michelle Williams, who received a Golden Globe for actress in a limited series for her role in FX’s “Fosse/Verdon”. Williams implied how abortion rights are critical to success and implored women across the country to vote for themselves and their lives. 

 “I’m … grateful to have lived in a moment in our society where choice exists because, as women and as girls, things can happen to our bodies that are not our choice.” She said she’d tried “to live a life of my own making … sometimes messy and scrawling, sometimes careful and precise, but one that I have carved with my own hand. And I would not have been able to do this without employing a woman’s right to choose.”

She added, “So women, 18 to 118, when it is time to vote, please do so in your own self-interest. It’s what men have been doing for years.” She paused for audience cheers. “It is what men have been doing for years, which is why the world looks so much like them. Don’t forget we are the largest voting body in this country. Let’s make it look more like us.”

Another emotional speech was given by actress Kate McKinnon as she presented Ellen DeGeneres with the honorary Carol Burnett Award for excellence in television. “In 1997, when Ellen’s sitcom was at the height of its popularity, I was in my mother’s basement lifting weights in front of the mirror thinking, ‘Am I gay?’ And I was. And I still am. But that’s a very scary thing to suddenly know about yourself. It’s sort of like doing 23andMe and discovering you have alien DNA. And the only thing that made it less scary was seeing Ellen on TV.”

McKinnon went on, providing clarity on the very real impact of representation on young lives. “She risked her entire life and her entire career in order to tell the truth, and she suffered greatly for it. … If I hadn’t seen her on TV, I would have thought, ‘I could never be on TV. They don’t let LGBTQ people be on TV.’ And more than that, I would have gone on thinking that I was an alien and that I maybe even didn’t have a right to be here. So thank you, Ellen, for giving me a shot at a good life.”

In another acceptance speech, actress Patricia Arquette pleaded the public to vote in 2020. 

“I know tonight, Jan. 5, 2020, we’re not going to look back on this night. In the history books, we will see a country on the brink of war, the United States of America. A president tweeting out a threat of 52 bombs, including cultural sites. Young people risking their lives traveling across the world. People not knowing if bombs are gonna drop on their kids’ heads. And the continent of Australia on fire. So while I love my kids so much, I beg of us all to give them a better world. For our kids and their kids, we have to vote in 2020, and we have to beg and plead for everyone we know to vote in 2020.”

 

Source : LA Times 1/6/20

Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem Arrested at #FireDrillFriday Climate Action

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Actress and activist Jane Fonda, along with Gloria Steinem, Ai-jen Poo, and Reverend William Barber II were arrested in Washington D.C. earlier today. Dolores Huerta (founder of United Farm Workers and Feminist Majority Foundation board member) was also in attendance. Fonda was arrested for the fifth time today at her ongoing climate action #FireDrillFriday, which began in October. The charges include crowding, obstruction, and incommoding.  Other notable celebrities like Sally Field, Ted Danson, Rosanna Arquette, Catherine Keener, Sam Waterson, and Paul Scheer have been arrested at previous actions

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#FireDrillFriday was inspired by climate change activist Greta Thunberg’s statement that “our house is on fire.” According to Jane Fonda’s website the demands include: the immediate passage of the Green New Deal, protection of indigenous lands and sovereignty, environmental justice for low income communities most affected by climate change, protection and restoration of biodiversity, and investing in sustainable agricultural practices.

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“I’ve heeded the call of Greta Thunberg, who was just named Time’s person of the year, left my comfort zone, and moved to DC to carry out weekly climate actions called Fire Drill Fridays. When I started, I didn’t know if the actions and the teach-ins that precede them would gain traction. It’s clear to me now that they have. They’ve tapped into a need that many people besides me appear to feel: take the next step beyond individual actions to reduce our carbon footprint (important as those are), not wait for the next climate march or protest and step out of our comfort zone as Greta as called upon us to do,” wrote Fonda in a recent blog post.

Fonda has moved to D.C. fulltime and plans to hold protests through January. Tomorrow is her 82nd birthday.

Sources: The Hollywood Reporter 12/20/19; janefonda.com

All photos by Jenny Warburg

South Carolina Bill Introduced That Would Compensate Pregnant People Forced to Give Birth

Posted on by Feminist Newswire

South Carolina state Senator Mia McLeod has introduced a bill called the South Carolina Pro Birth Accountability Act, or SB 928, that would compel the state to provide financial support to pregnant people forced to give birth due to the state’s proposed ban on abortion after six weeks.

The legislation would mandate that the state of South Carolina not only pay the expenses related to the pregnancy, but also cover the costs of raising the child until they are 18. The bill asserts that since a six-week-old embryo is not medically viable outside the womb, people experiencing pregnancy who cannot access abortion due to the state’s abortion ban are involuntarily acting as gestational surrogates for the state of South Carolina and therefore are entitled to the same compensation that voluntary surrogates receive.

“It’s not a tongue-in-cheek kind of bill. It took a lot of thought and a lot of preparation because no other state has introduced anything remotely similar and it certainly warrants a very thoughtful and deliberate discussion and debate, and I hope that we’ll have that,” said McLeod. “Every year, there is some bill that seeks to take from women. This is a way to give them a real chance at life.”

Compensation would include immediate eligibility for welfare benefits, including TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), and WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) which would continue until the child reaches the age of 18. South Carolina would also be required to cover any legal, medical, and mental health related expenses during and immediately after the pregnancy, including home visits from a private nurse. The state must also pay for a college savings plan for the child. If the pregnancy results in a disability for the parent or child, the state must pay all costs associated with that disability.

“Clearly the state has indicated it has a vested interest in this issue, so if that is the case, and if we are about to do what would be required under the fetal heartbeat bill, then surely there would be some provisions made for the women and girls who are forced to carry these babies to term,” stated McLeod.

The South Carolina abortion ban has been approved by the state House and will advance to the state Senate in 2020. South Carolina governor Henry McMaster has publicly stated that he will sign the bill if it reaches his desk.

Sources: Rewire News  12/13/19; Vice 12/16/19; SC Post and Courier 12/16/19

Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Obamacare Insurance Mandate

Posted on by Feminist Newswire

On December 18, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans struck down the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act as unconstitutional. This decision did not invalidate the entirety of the Act, but rather it sent the case “back to a federal district judge in Texas to ‘conduct a more searching inquiry’ into which of the law’s many parts could survive without the mandate”.

While the individual mandate was originally considered critical to the law’s function to protect people with preexisting conditions, Congress has since rendered it ineffectual.

This case, heard by a three-judge panel, serves as “the final zinger in a year of political battles over the future of the Affordable Care Act”, as well as in the continuous political dialogue surrounding Medicare-for-all and reducing health care costs.

Unless the Supreme Court agrees to hear the case immediately, the future of the ACA will remain unclear until after the 2020 presidential election. Currently, the Trump Administration refuses to defend the ACA, so California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has taken on that role in court, leading 21 states in arguing to preserve the law.

“For California, and I think millions of Americans, it is indispensable to get clarity and certainty… and the best way to get certainty is to go to the Supreme Court. We will do it in due speed and deliberatively,” Becerra said.

If the Affordable Care Act were thrown out, over 17 million Americans could lose coverage, and over 50 million people with preexisting conditions would be in danger of having their coverage denied.

New York Times 12/18/19; Washington Post 12/19/19; Politico 12/19/19

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