Migration Category: Feminist Newswire

Stories from the Feminist News Wire.

Trump Administration Amends Rule to Weaken LGBTQ Employment Protections

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Following a thread of Supreme Court decisions that protected business owners’ rights to discriminate on the basis of gender and sexual orientation, on August 15th, 2019 the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) — a branch of the U.S. Department of Labor — published a proposed rule that aims to expand the number of federal contractors eligible for religious exemption, and the period for public comment ends in just a few days on September 16th, 2019.

This proposed rule will clarify that government contractors may make employment decisions that align with their religious beliefs, weakening nondiscrimination protections available under 1965 executive order (EO) 13672. While the rule does state that contractors may not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, or other protected identities, the proposal has prompted criticism that it would ultimately permit government contractors to discriminate against LGBTQ+ employees under the guise of religious freedom.

The Trump administration’s proposed rule broadly defines federal contractors that would qualify for religious exemption as any contractors “that are organized for a religious purpose, and engage in exercise of religion consistent with, and in furtherance of, a religious purpose.” This would allow virtually any organization to claim religious affiliation.

In October, the Supreme Court will hear arguments about whether discrimination of LGBTQ+ employees violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which does not specifically mention sexual orientation or the nuances of gender-identity.

Critics of the rule argue that it is government-funded discrimination disguised as religious freedom. “Once again, the Trump administration is shamefully working to license taxpayer-funded discrimination in the name of religion…We will work to stop this rule that seeks to undermine our civil rights protections and encourages discrimination in the workplace,” American Civil Liberties Union Senior Legislative Counsel Ian Thompson said in a written statement.

According to the Center for American Progress, since 1965, EO 11246 has protected federally contracted and subcontracted employees from discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, and national origin. Years later in 2014, President Barack Obama amended EO 11246 to include protections from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender-identity by issuing EO 13672, therefore extending unprecedented employment protections to members of the LGBTQ+ community.

These protections outlined in the amended EO 11246 cover approximately one-fifth of all U.S. civilian employees, according to the OFCCP.

 

Sources: Politico 8/14/19; CAP 9/3/19; DOL

Pregnant Migrant Woman Had Labor Stopped By American Doctors, Taken Back to Mexico By U.S. Customs and Border Patrol

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An eight-and-a-half month pregnant migrant woman travelling from El Salvador was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol after crossing the Rio Grande, and while the anonymous woman began experiencing labor contractions U.S. border agents took her to a hospital where American doctors gave her medications that would stop her labor and was quickly sent back to Mexico.

The Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, officially called the Migrant Protection Protocols, has demanded that migrants who wish to seek asylum must go through the process outside of the United States, leaving many to wait in Mexican cities along the border. Additionally, President Trump has pushed for “safe third country” agreements with Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. These agreements urge those nations to absorb some of the migrants who wish to seek asylum in the United States. The agreement with Guatemala, which was signed by President Trump and the Guatemalan minister of interior in July, states that any migrants who travelled by land through Guatemala and did not first seek asylum there will be automatically ineligible to seek asylum in the United States.

The woman is now waiting in a tent camp in Matamoros, Mexico with her young daughter, and is due to give birth to her second child any day. According to Jodi Goodwin, her attorney, she is scared to give birth in the street or in a migrant shelter. Pregnant women are especially vulnerable in these overcrowded shelters due to lack of access to clean water, food, or adequate medical care. While the Department of Homeland Security has said that vulnerable populations may be exempt from the “Remain in Mexico” policy, they have released statements saying that pregnant women are not inherently classified as vulnerable, and will be considered for exemption on a case-by-case basis.

There have been six cases where pregnant women have been sent back to Mexico due to this policy. U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon has urged that the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security open an investigation into these cases.

Sources: Los Angeles Times 5/19/2019; CBS News 8/11/2019; New York Times 8/18/2019; Associated Press 9/6/2019; The Guardian 9/6/2019; Time 9/7/2019

The Fight for Women’s Justice in Mexico Continues with Silent March in Capital City

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On Sunday, September 8th, hundreds of citizens took to the streets of Mexico City to participate in a silent march to end the ever-present violence against women in Mexico.

Forty percent of Mexican women experience sexual violence in their lifetime, according to the United Nations. Investigations into these cases are often careless, skewed in favor of the male perpetrator, and fail to collect forensic evidence of the assaults. Only 2% of reported rapists are consequently imprisoned.

In 2018, a survey was conducted by the Mexican government that concluded over eighty percent of Mexican women do not feel safe in their country.

The protesters carried pictures of murdered and missing female friends and relatives during their silent demonstration- just a small representation of the estimated 9,000 women who have disappeared in the past few years.

Elideth Yesenia Zamudio, the first mother to arrive on Sunday, said of the injustice, “We have the right to live without fear. We have to change the mindset as a society. These men are used to us being submissive.”

Sources: ABC News 9/8/19, Washington Post 9/8/19

Former Lowell Correctional Institution Inmates Protest after Woman is Brutally Beaten

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Two weeks after guards at Lowell Correctional Institution — the largest women’s prison in Florida and the second largest in the nation — brutally beat a woman with mental and physical disabilities, former inmates from the women’s prison protested the inhumane prison conditions they have experienced for more than a decade, including physical and sexual abuse.

Saturday morning, a four-hour vigil was held outside the Lowell prison compound in part to protest the beating that left Cheryl Weimar, a 51-year-old inmate, paralyzed from the neck down. According to a local news station, fifty people attended the protest.Weimar’s lawyer, Ryan Andrews, says Weimar remains hospitalized and connected to a breathing apparatus.

Following the attack and paralyzation of Weimar, former Lowell inmate Jordyn Cahill expressed her disgust over the beating in a YouTube video, citing the sexual abuse she experienced herself during her eight years at the facility. In her video, Cahill named several correctional officers, including supervisors, and stated that they extorted her for sex and sexually assaulted her during her time at Lowell, sometimes demanding sexual favors in exchange for basic necessities such as toilet paper.

“For Cheryl, or any other incarcerated woman who has been physically or sexually abused by an officer, or any male inmate who is physically or sexually abused, I am going to tell my story, I’m going to promote others to tell their story and I’m going to share the f— out of it,” Cahill said.

A Lowell activist group, Change is Now, also uploaded a video online following the news of the abuse of Weimar. The video, posted on Facebook, includes pictures of women who have died at the prison as a result of abuse or medical neglect.

“Lowell Correctional family, friends and formerly incarcerated have sat silent long enough while our daughters, sisters, mothers, aunts, grandmothers and other women incarcerated in Lowell Correctional Institution have been harmed in one way or another,’’ Change is Now said in a press announcement about Saturday’s protest.

Lowell Correctional Institution, run by the Florida Department of Corrections, has a long history of human rights violations. The beating of Weimar is now under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Department of Corrections. No officers have been charged or fired.

“It is imperative that the public find out what happened here and that the public have access to the videotapes showing Cheryl beaten to within an inch of her life,” said Andrews. “What happens behind the walls at Lowell is evil.”

 Source: Miami Herald 9/7/19; WFTV 9 ABC 9/8/19

“Glitter Revolution” Protests Police-Perpetrated Sexual Violence in Mexico

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Originating in Mexico City, the “revolución diamantina”, or the “glitter revolution”, is a new movement started by Mexican women to protest institutionalized sexual violence perpetrated by Mexican polices forces.

The movement began in response to an incident in Azcapotzalco on August 3rd, in which a teenage girl was raped by four Mexican police officers. The police crime followed promises by newest President Lopez-Obrador that the high rate of sexual violence in Mexico would decrease as a result of his presidency. However, since taking office, Lopez-Obrador’s administration has significantly cut funding for projects such as women’s shelters.

Due to the widely accepted social concept of machismo, or the dominance of masculine pride, domestic violence in Mexico is rampant. 2016 figures show that an average of seven women are murdered each day in Mexico— a crime for which men are almost never prosecuted.

The first protest of the “glitter revolution” began when over three hundred women gathered in Mexico City on August 16th to shower Mexico’s chief of security in pink glitter.

“It’s unbelievable … They can’t see the pain in the faces of the mothers and sisters of murdered women, and the raped women, and the harassed women who were there at the protest,” 28-year-old Mexican feminist Sandra Aguilar-Gomez said of the government’s reactions to the glitter revolution protests.

Aguilar-Gomez commented that she does not believe the glitter revolution will cease in the near future.

Sources: The Guardian 8/26/19, Merion West 8/22/19, UN Women 11/29/17

“Crazy Rich Asians” Writer Adele Lim Leaves Warner Bros. Because of a Pay Disparity with White Male Co-Writer

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Adele Lim, an experienced television writer who was celebrated for bringing authenticity to the screen adaptation of Singaporean author Kevin Kwan’s book last year, said in a Hollywood Reporter story Wednesday that she was offered significantly less than white male co-writer Peter Chiarelli to work on the sequel of “Crazy Rich Asians,” the blockbuster hit that was praised for boosting Asian representation in Hollywood.

According to sources who spoke to the Hollywood Reporter, Lim’s starting offer for the sequel was $110,000 — a fraction of the $800,000 to $1 million Chiarelli was offered. Lim said she believes women and people of color are often brought onto big projects like “Crazy Rich Asians” to add cultural details to a screenplay, but not to craft an actual story. “Being evaluated that way can’t help but make you feel that is how they view my contributions,” Lim told the Hollywood Reporter.

Jon M. Chu, the director of Crazy Rich Asians, reportedly selected Lim to work on the original film because he wanted a female perspective in the writers’ room since the film has a female protagonist. Now that Lim is leaving, Chu’s plan to keep the cast and production team intact for the upcoming sequels is disrupted.

Lim, a Chinese Malaysian woman, was praised for bringing authenticity to the 2018 film as one of the only screenwriters from Southeast Asia, where Kwan’s books and the film adaptations are set. “When I came on, we basically talked about how I grew up in this culture,” she said. “Important doesn’t begin to describe it when you’re talking about describing a culture and family that the world — that America — hasn’t seen before. You want it to come from an authentic perspective.”

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Chiarelli volunteered to split his portion of the fee with Lim, but she declined the offer. “Pete has been nothing but incredibly gracious, but what I make shouldn’t be dependent on the generosity of the white-guy writer,” she said. “If I couldn’t get the pay equity after CRA, I can’t imagine what it would be like for anyone else.”

Despite pushing Lim out and causing a setback in film production, Chu is in no rush to get the sequel started. “There’s too much responsibility and too much precedent from the first movie that the last thing I want to do is just hit a date and release the movie,” Chu said. “There’s still too much work to do. Our focus isn’t on the timeline, it’s on getting the story right.”

Source: TWP 9/4/19; HR 9/4/19

2020 Democratic Candidates Hold Climate Crisis Town Hall Forum

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Yesterday, ten of the Democratic presidential candidates vowed to take unparalleled action on climate change in the first prime-time televised forum dedicated to the issue in a presidential race, promising to undo the current administration’s environmental policies, allocate trillions of dollars to promote renewable energy programs and pressure companies to pay new fees and taxes on carbon dioxide pollution.

The town-hall style forum on CNN was a response to strong interest in the politics of climate change among many Democrats and young voters, particularly the Sunrise Movement—the youth-led movement that helped develop the Green New Deal. The 7-hour event followed the Democratic National Committee’s decision not to sanction a debate devoted to the subject, frustrating student activists and some candidates.

Each presidential candidate was given a 40-minute segment so they could provide long responses to questions from both CNN moderators and passionate audience members. The questions covered a wide range of topics including the environmental implications of meat consumption, fracking bans, and former Vice President Joe Biden’s relationship with former fossil fuel executive, Andrew Goldman.

During the forum nearly all candidates agreed to end oil and gas leases on public land, rejoin the Paris climate change agreement and to create incentives for sustainable farming practices, prompting criticism from candidate Senator Cory Booker. “I’m sorry,” he said. “That is, like, a cost of entry even to run for president.” Addressing climate change is not one item on a list of policies, it is “the lens through which we must do everything,” he said. Under his administration, he said, every department would be expected to have a climate plan.

More than half of the 2020 candidates that were at the forum also supported putting fees and taxes on carbon dioxide pollution in some form, targeting larger companies. This idea, though controversial, is the one policy that most environmental economists agree is the most effective way to reduce carbon emissions.

Sources: NYT 8/4/19; NYT 8/5/19

D.C. Dress Codes Disproportionately Affect Black Girls, Report Finds

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A new report released on Wednesday by the National Women’s Law Center found that the racial breakdown of the student body in D.C. schools directly correlates with the strictness in dress code policy and that D.C. charter schools have twice the number of restrictions as that of public schools and suspend girls for dress code violations at higher rates.

According to the authors, majority Black high schools (schools where Black students make up 51 percent or more of the student body) have more dress code restrictions on average than other high schools. This report serves as a follow-up to a previous one that was published in April of 2018 by the NWLC that primarily focused on the discrimination that Black girls face due to school dress codes. It has been argued in the past that, regardless of race, dress codes are frequently gendered and primarily target young women.

Black girls in D.C. are 20.8 times more likely to be suspended from school than white girls. Additionally, Black girls are frequently targeted due to choice of head-wraps, hair styles, body type, and other factors. As a response to these policies, some students across different high schools have organized protests, walkouts, and campaigns to confront their administrations about dress code policies.

Ayiana Davis, a student at Duke Ellington School for the Arts, talked about a “head wrap clapback” that was organized by students in order to highlight policies about headwear. “We were just trying to prove a point because we were like, ‘Don’t sit here and scrutinize these kids just because they came in a durag, or just because they came in a scarf, or bandanna, and call it unprofessional, because this is literally school, not a job.’”

In a statement released on Wednesday, a spokesman for D.C. Public Schools said that school officials have conducted feedback sessions with students, teachers, and staff to discuss the NWLC report and look at other recommendations that they feel would best support students.

Sources: NWLC 4/24/18; NWLC 9/4/19; Washington Post 9/5/19

Anonymous Victim of Brock Turner Releases Her Name and New Memoir

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Chanel Miller, the victim of rapist Brock Turner who has remained anonymous until now, is releasing a memoir detailing the infamous trial and her life since the assault.

Miller is releasing her memoir Know My Name on September 24. She speaks out about what happened the night of her encounter with Turner and the grueling process of going through a sexual assault case, especially while deciding to remain anonymous. The memoir allowed her to review witness testimonies and other court documents she had not previously had access to, shaping her own emotions and writing.

Miller’s famous anonymous statement in court sparked many conversations about sexual assault. Judge Persky, the judge on the case, was recalled by voters for being lenient on ruling due to claiming that a “prison sentence would have a severe impact on him.” The culture around sexual assault began to change more broadly with the Governor of California, Jerry Brown, signing mandatory minimum sentences for sexual assault into law and Stanford University creating a hard alcohol ban on campus.

Brock Turner, arrested with sexually assaulting Miller, was charged with rape, felony sexual assault, and attempted rape. He was later convicted of three counts of felony sexual assault. Turner faced up to fourteen years in prison, but prosecutors advised six years. He was sentenced to only six months, and released after serving only three months.

Miller had been out at a Stanford University fraternity party when she had consumed too much alcohol. She left the party and stopped behind a dumpster. It was there that Turner sexually assaulted Miller while she was unconscious. Two students came, saved Miller, and pinned down Turner until police came to arrest him.

Miller talks in her book about what happened that night, the process of reporting a rape, and her psychological trauma. Miller’s eloquent writing skills, evident in her anonymous impact statement, are said to be apparent in her memoir. Andrea Schulz, the editor of Miller’s book, talks about how Know My Name could “change the culture that we live in and the assumptions about what survivors should be expected to go through to get justice.”

Sources: CNN 9/5/19; CNN 9/2/16; NYT 9/4/19

Students Rally to Support CA Bill That Requires Colleges to Offer Abortion Services

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Students rallied on Tuesday in Sacramento to support the passage of SB 24, or the College Student Right to Access Act, a bill that would require public universities to offer nonsurgical abortions at all student health centers.

Last Friday the state Assembly Appropriations Committee voted for the bill, with 13 legislators in favor of the bill and five opposed. “SB 24 reaffirms the constitutional right of every college student to access abortion care. College students that wish to end their pregnancy should have the right to access that service on campus without delay,” said California State Senator Connie Leyva in a statement that was released.

Feminist Majority Foundation affiliated student groups at Cal State Northridge, Cal State San Marcos, Cal Poly Pomona, UC Riverside, and UC Davis traveled to Sacramento to attend the rally. This summer, Feminist Majority Foundation organized student visits to key California legislator’s offices to discuss the importance of passing SB 24.

“It’s inspiring to see so many feminist students fighting for reproductive equity on college campuses. They are demanding their CA legislators support SB 24 and expand access to medication abortion, which will set an important precedent: abortion access for all,” said Emily Escobar, a campus organizer with Feminist Majority Foundation.

Supporters of the bill say that the new rule would allow students easy access to abortion services, as many students do not have cars and must travel some distance to receive care, giving them more time to focus on classes. If passed, the law would go into effect January 1, 2023.

Sources: Daily Californian 4/4/19; Newsweek 9/3/19; Daily Californian 9/4/19

France Moves To Address Femicide Problem As Domestic Violence Related Deaths Increase

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The French government has taken measures to address the increase in domestic violence related deaths that have occurred in France since the beginning of the year, including a series of conferences to address the prevention of femicide, specific prosecutors and courts to handle domestic violence cases, and universal protocol to address the danger of women’s domestic situations.

So far this year in France 100 women have died at the hands of an intimate partner or former partner, which amounts to about one woman being killed every three days. Recent data from Eurostat shows that more women are killed in France each year than in Britain, the Netherlands, Italy, or Spain. Only Germany and Switzerland outrank France.

“These aren’t family dramas, or crimes of passion,” said @Feminicide, a group on Facebook that has tracked the domestic violence related killings since the beginning of the year. “This is domestic violence perpetrated by frustrated men who have given themselves a license to kill. These are systematic assassinations rooted in a problem with our society, and in a patriarchal education system that gives men the right to possess and dispose of women and children.”

The French government has opened up a national debate that began on September 3 and will end on November 25 which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. A series of 91 conferences will be held to discuss the prevention of domestic violence, femicide, and how to appropriately support victims and punish offenders. The meetings will include government officials, lawyers, and victim’s rights groups.

Prime Minister Edouard Phillipe presented a series of changes that will enable French authorities to respond more diligently to domestic violence situations such as establishing a universal protocol to assess the danger victims are facing and designating special prosecutors and courts to handle domestic violence cases.

“Acts of domestic violence are not disagreements within a couple where the blame is shared,” stated Mr. Philippe. “Very often it is a process of sexist control, so ingrained in our mentalities and our habits that some men have grown used to a form of impunity.”

Sources: NYT 9/3/19; France 24 8/7/19

Trump Administration Ends Deferred Action Program for Immigrants Seeking Medical Treatment

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This week the Trump administration ended deferrals of deportation for immigrants with severe medical conditions, giving them only 33 days before they must leave the country and lose access to live saving treatment that they cannot receive in their home countries.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services sent out letters this week without any formal announcement to the public about ending the medical deferred action program. The program allowed immigrants or their relatives to receive medical treatment without fear of deportation. The agency receives around 1,000 deferred action applications a year.

The agency said that medical related deferred action requests are now the responsibility of Immigration and Customs Enforcement event though ICE has said they were not notified of the change and potentially do not have the ability to take on this role.

Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) plans to call for a congressional oversight hearing after learning of the denial letters being sent out. “What’s so troubling about this, beyond the cruelty of it, is the lack of transparency around the process,” said Pressley. “There was no public comment period, not even a public announcement of this, and so I’m working with my colleagues to get answers and to urge this administration to change course.”

Many of the individuals receiving treatment are children with cancer, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, and other more rare disorders that require specific and specialized care. A significant portion of those who came to seek treatment in the U.S.  cannot receive the same care in their home countries. Many are calling the decision to end the medical deferred action program a “death sentence” because of this.

“I have been feeling super scared and overwhelmed,” said Maria Isabel Bueso, who suffers from a rare genetic disease. “The treatment that I receive keeps me alive.”  Lawyers are scrambling to prevent their clients from being deported, but have not received any information on how to proceed.

Sources: NPR 8/27/19; NYT 8/29/19

Department of Homeland Security Blocks Congressional Oversight Committee from Visiting Detention Centers

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Rep. Elijah Cummings sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security yesterday expressing his alarm at DHS’s decision to block the House Oversight Committee from visiting 11 detention centers after previous visits revealed serious problems with the treatment of migrants being held in ICE custody.

In his letter Cummings wrote that detainees had said in a previous visit that “…toddlers—and in one case even an infant—were being fed burritos rather than age appropriate food, young children were held in cold rooms without appropriate clothing, and parents were not given a sufficient number of diapers for their children. One detainee alleged that a Border Patrol agent told a child who had spilled soup that the child would not receive more food unless the child drank the spilled soup off the floor.”

He also said that in previous visits border agents had prevented officials from meeting with the detainees. In one instance, an ICE agent had threatened to end a tour a facility when a detainee got the attention of one of the visiting member of Congress and said he had been abused. Cummings said that regular visits are necessary due to the questionable conditions of the detention centers.

The move by DHS comes only a week after acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan testified that members of Congress were welcome to visit any of the detention centers. The new restrictions would prevent Congressional representatives from visiting 11 different detention facilities that have been the subject of concern over the treatment of immigrants and the conditions in children and adults are being held. The decision came after the Oversight committee members were already on their way to inspect the facilities, despite having given DHS several days advance notice.

“It appears that the Administration expects Congress to be satisfied with receiving agency tours of facilities—in some cases without the ability to photograph conditions or interview detainees—and not to question the policies or decisions that agency officials make,” Cummings said in his letter. “That is not the way effective oversight works. Congress has an independent responsibility under the Constitution to determine whether federal programs are operating as they should be—not merely to accept the Administration’s word for it.”

Sources: The Hill 8/29/19; Huffington Post 8/29/19; Feminist Newswire 8/21/19

OR Exits Title X Program Due To Abortion Restrictions

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Oregon’s public health agency said Tuesday that it will withdraw from the Title X program and no longer use federal funds for reproductive health clinics due to the Trump administration’s restrictions on abortion care, making it the third state to leave the program since last week.

The Oregon Health Authority sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services stating that with would withdraw from the Title X program rather than comply with the new domestic “gag rule” that prevents reproductive health providers who receive Title X funds from mentioning abortion and giving their patients a full range of options.

“If HHS had left the state any choice other than violating the rights of individuals seeking reproductive health care, Oregon would have remained in the Title X program. HHS’ abandonment of the principles of the Title X program is upsetting, deeply disappointing and an unconstitutional violation of women’s rights,” wrote Lillian Shirley, director for the Oregon Public Health Division.

Oregon has used $14.5 million provided by Title X to help fund 106 clinics over the past five years. The state has said they will use additional sources to make up for the loss in funding. “Every person in Oregon should know this federal action will not prevent health clinics and care providers from continuing to offer the full range of high-quality, personalized and trusted reproductive health services they have always delivered,” stated Patrick Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority.

Oregon joins Vermont and Washington in deciding to stop accepting federal funds from Title X due to the new restrictions. The state is also the primary plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the new rules, along with 19 other states and the District of Columbia, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the American Medical Association.

Sources: The Hill 8/27/19; KATU 8/27/19; Feminist Newswire 8/16/19

OK Judge Rules Johnson & Johnson Must Pay $572 Million in Opioid Trial

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An Oklahoma judge ruled on Monday that pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson is responsible in part for the opioid crisis that ravaged the state due to deceptive marketing practices and must pay $572 million.

Judge Thad Balkman wrote in his ruling that Johnson & Johnson “engaged in false and misleading marketing of both their drugs and opioids generally, and the law makes clear that such conduct is more than enough to serve as the act or omission necessary to establish the first element of Oklahoma’s public nuisance.”

The state initially asked for $17.2 billion, alleging that the drug company created a public health crisis that killed over 6,000 Oklahomans and arguing that Johnson & Johnson had become a “public nuisance”. The ruling for $572 million will only support the state’s recovery program costs for a year.

“Though several of the state’s witnesses testified that the plan will take at least 20 years to work,” the judge wrote in his ruling, “the state did not present sufficient evidence of the amount of time and costs necessary beyond year one to abate the opioid crisis.”

Oklahoma has also received settlements from Purdue Pharma for $270 million and Teva Pharmaceuticals for $85 million in the wake of the alarming number of opioid-related deaths the state has experienced. Attorney General Mike Hunter told reporters, “It’s going to be an important step forward in dealing with the epidemic. Certainly we would have liked to walk out of here with $17 billion, but realistically we’ve been able to get together almost a billion dollars to help Oklahoma.” This is the first time a state has successfully sued a pharmaceutical company for damages related to the opioid crisis.

The opioid crisis has disproportionately affected women throughout the country. According to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services, opioid related deaths among women increased 471 percent from 1999-2015 versus a 218 percent increase among men.

The Center for Disease Control says that “women are more likely than men to experience chronic pain and use prescription opioid pain medications for longer periods and in higher doses.”  While definitive factors impacting women’s opioid use are not widely known, biological and social influences, past experiences, geography, and demographic characteristics are all said to contribute to the problem.

Johnson & Johnson has been sued before for enabling a public health crisis that predominately harms women. In 2018 the company was forced to pay $4.69 billion to women who developed ovarian cancer after using Johnson & Johnson brand talcum powder.

Attorney Mark Lanier said in a statement that “for over 40 years, Johnson & Johnson has covered up the evidence of asbestos in their products. We hope this verdict will get the attention of the J&J board and that it will lead them to better inform the medical community and the public about the connection between asbestos, talc, and ovarian cancer. The company should pull talc from the market before causing further anguish, harm, and death from a terrible disease. J&J sells the same powders in a marvelously safe corn starch variety. If J&J insists on continuing to sell talc, they should mark it with a serious warning.”

Sources: NPR 8/26/19; CNN 8/27/19; Salon 8/27/19; Department of Health and Human Services 7/29/17

Harvey Weinstein Pleads Not Guilty To New Charges in Sexual Assault Trial

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On Monday, a New York City grand jury returned an indictment that included two new charges against former film producer Harvey Weinstein, who pled not guilty, pushing the trial date from early this September to January of 2020.

The charges came after new evidence was presented to the grand jury, allowing testimony from actress Annabella Sciorra, who alleged that Weinstein assaulted her in 1992. Weinstein has maintained that all of the reported incidents were consensual, despite over 80 women coming forward to accuse the producer of sexual harassment, assault, and misconduct.

Sciorra alleges that Weinstein raped her after he offered to drive her home during the filming of a movie produced by his company Miramax. After entering her apartment without incident, Weinstein later knocked on her door, pushed his way in, and began to take off his shirt.

“This is not happening,” Sciorra told him. “You’ve got to go. You have to leave. Get out of my apartment.”

Weinstein currently faces five felony charges including two counts of predatory sexual assault, one count of criminal sexual act in the first degree, one count of first-degree rape, and one count of third-degree rape. If convicted, Weinstein faces the possibility of life imprisonment.

Sources: The Guardian 8/26/19; Huffington Post 8/26/19; Feminist Newswire 10/11/17

Mayors Across the Country Condemn Trump Food Stamp Plan

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Mayors from across the US came together today to sign a letter condemning Trump’s proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program which would potentially disqualify 3 million people from receiving food stamps.

According to the letter, the changes to SNAP would harm the most vulnerable populations in the U.S.: children, seniors, and people with disabilities. The predominately Democratic mayors sent the letter to Jessica Shahin, an administrator at SNAP, decrying what they perceive to be a move by Trump to shift people off of welfare programs. “Our nation cannot remain globally competitive if our children do not have enough to eat; if our citizens do not have access to affordable health care; if housing and other basic needs are priced out of reach; and if adults who are willing and able to work cannot find jobs that will help them support their families,” the mayors stated in the letter.

The letter also discusses the how the new policy will have a far-reaching negative effect on their local economies claiming that SNAP recipients spend more and therefore are responsible for a “multiplier effect” that helps enable economic growth and assists in creating more jobs.

“This proposal will put children’s health and development at risk by removing their access to healthy school meals; and harm our economy by reducing the amount of SNAP dollars available to spur regional and local economic activity,” said the mayors.

The changes to the program will work to close a “loophole” that allows states to provide benefits to those whose savings and assets the Trump administration claim should make them ineligible for food stamps. Since the rule was posted online over 4,000 people have contributed their thoughts on the issue with numerous commenters expressing their outrage at the proposed rule calling it “horrifying” and saying the policymakers “should be ashamed of yourselves if you believe it is ok to make children go hungry for ANY reason”.

Sources: NPR 8/22/19; NPR 7/23/19; Feminist Newswire 3/5/19

Trump Administration Instates Rules to Detain Migrant Children Indefinitely

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The Trump Administration has moved to enact new rules that would overturn protections that mandate safe and sanitary conditions at detention facilities and allow border agents to detain migrant children indefinitely, claiming it will allow them to keep families together.

Currently, the Flores settlement mandates that the government has 20 days to transfer migrant children and their families to state-licensed facilities. Since states don’t detain families, and don’t have licensing procedures for the facilities that would hold them, the government must release them after 20 days.

According to a 2018 proposal of the new rule, the Department of Homeland Security would be allowed to license its’ own facilities which would let the Trump administration decide the criteria for the facilities where families will be kept. The government says an unnamed third party will provide oversight on whether or not these conditions are being met.

Many reports have described the conditions in detention centers as dirty, overcrowded, and inhumane. So far five children have died in custody since September of 2018.

“This rule will separate more families and traumatize countless others in the process,” said Jess Morales Rocketto, chair of Families Belong Together. “The government needs to reunite families immediately, not expand the number of parents and children they jail with limited food, beds, toilets, or access to medical attention.”

The rule will require court approval before it goes into effect, and is expected to be challenged by immigrant and civil rights groups. The final version of the new rules will be published in the Federal register on Friday.

Sources: Politico 8/21/19; Huffington Post 8/21/19; Buzzfeed News 8/21/19

Chicago Man Arrested After Threatening to Attack Abortion Clinic on Social Media

Posted on by Feminist Newswire

19-year-old Farhan Sheikh was arrested in Chicago on Monday after making threats on social media to attack patients and doctors at an abortion clinic this coming Friday.

Sheikh posted the threats on iFunny, a meme sharing app that is becoming a hot spot for right-wing extremists and white supremacists. He was taken into custody by the FBI and charged with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, for which he could serve up to five years if convicted. He faces a detention hearing on Tuesday.

“I am done with my state and thier bullshit abortion laws and allowing innocrnt kids to be slaughtered for the so called ‘womans right’ bullshit,” he said in his post. “Ive seen nothing but whores go out of the way to get an abortion, but no more.”

Sheikh told agents that the threats posted online were jokes, even though he had insisted otherwise on the app. “To all the fbi agents in this app, I am NOT a satirical account. I post what I mean, and I WILL carry out what I post.”

Sheikh followed user ArmyOfChrist, the handle used by Justin Olsen who was recently arrested in Ohio for threatening an agent. Regarding Olsen’s arrest he posted, “They arrested armyofchrist for no reason except suppressing us and our freedoms.” Olsen previously posted on iFunny espousing support for mass shootings and attacks on Planned Parenthood. Olsen had been under investigation since February and was found with a stockpile of ammunition and guns. Agents decided to take him in after the recent shootings in Dayton and El Paso.

Sources: Huffington Post 8/20/19; Buzzfeed News 8/19/19; Buzzfeed News 8/15/19

New York City Police Commissioner Fires Officer Who Put Eric Garner in Chokehold

Posted on by Feminist Newswire

The New York City Police Department announced Monday that it will be firing Daniel Pantaleo, the officer responsible for the chokehold that led to the 2014 death of Eric Garner which prompted protests against police brutality across the country.

Pantaleo was fired two weeks after a disciplinary trial in which the presiding judge made a nonbinding recommendation for his dismissal for violating the New York City police department’s ban on chokeholds.

“The unintended consequence of Mr. Garner’s death must have a consequence of its own,” said New York City Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill, “Therefore I agree with the deputy commissioner of trial’s legal findings and recommendations. It is clear that Daniel Pantaleo can no longer effectively serve as a New York City police officer.”

Eric Garner died on July 14, 2014 after being arrested for selling loose cigarettes on Staten Island. Pantaleo put Garner in chokehold during which Garner repeatedly said “I can’t breathe” until he lost consciousness. Police then left him on the sidewalk until emergency services arrived and he was pronounced dead an hour later. His death highlighted a trend of police officers using excessive force against people of color which sparked protests across the country and gave increasing momentum to the Black Lives Matter movement who used Garner’s last words as a rallying cry against police brutality and racial profiling.

Sources: NYT 8/19/19; Huffington Post 8/19/19; Feminist Newswire 7/16/19

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