Migration Category: news-1-5000-national

Six more officers in the Los Angeles Police Department were charged with misconduct yesterday for allegedly shooting unarmed gang members and framing them for crimes they did not commit. The six are also accused of delaying calling an ambulance for a victim bleeding to death as a result of the shooting. These officers are just a few in the dozens of officers charged with misconduct since a widespread police scandal broke last fall. Federal and local investigations are underway to attempt to rectify the crimes allegedly committed by LAPD officers, including wrongful conviction of suspects, brutal beatings, and rape. Katherine Spillar, National Coordinator of the Feminist Majority Foundation, and Penny Harrington, head of the National Center for Women & Policing, argue, “Introducing significantly greater numbers of women to the force would reduce police brutality incidents.” Research nationally and internationally has shown that women are less likely to use excessive force, and are better at defusing potentially violent situations.

Dr. Edouard Sakiz, CEO of Exelgyn, has been awarded the rare distinction of Commander of the Legion of Honor by French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. The ranking is one of the highest awarded by the French Government. As CEO of Roussel Uclaf, Dr. Sakiz pioneered the development of RU486 (now known as mifepristone in the U.S. and mifegyne in the rest of the world), which is a method of early pregnancy termination that also shows promise as a treatment for other serious diseases and conditions that afflict women.

Dr. Sakiz served as Roussel Uclaf CEO and then Chair of the company’s supervisory committee until 1995, when he formed Exelgyn and was awarded the worldwide (non-USA) patent rights to mifepristone. In addition to continuing to supply the medication for women in France, Great Britain, and Switzerland, Exelgyn has now made it available in Finland, Germany, Israel, Russia, Luxemburg, Norway, and Spain.

Sakiz also is the recipient of the French honors of Knight of the Legion of Honor (1979) and Officer of the Legion of Honor (1991). In 1994, Dr. Sakiz, along with his colleague Dr. Catherine Euvrard, received a Feminist of the Year award for his leadership in developing mifepristone and in transferring U.S. patent rights to the Population Council. The FDA is expected to act on the Population Council’s application for approval of the breakthrough medication by September 30, 2000.

In a report released on July 26th, the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control showed that 70 percent of women over age 50 have had mammograms within the last two years. This is up from 61 percent in 1994. The report also showed that death rates from breast cancer among women fell to 19 per 100,000 in 1998 from 23 per 100,000 in 1990. The study attributes this decline to better treatment methods and earlier detection. Mammograms are a key method of early detection, and are recommended annually for women over the age of 40 (your doctor may recommend screening earlier if you demonstrate specific risk factors). Clinic breast examinations and breast self-examination are recommended for women aged 20 and older. Visit the American Cancer Society’s Breast Cancer Resource Center for more information.

A recent poll conducted by Handgun Control, Inc. suggests that the gender gap in opinions regarding gun control could mean stronger support for Vice President Al Gore in his presidential candidacy. The poll, released July 24, says that when suburban women interviewed in six key states were made aware of the candidates’ stances and records on gun control, they favored Gore close to 30 points over Bush. Women do not support Bush’s defense of the “right to bear arms,” especially his recent move to sign into law measures that legalize carrying concealed weapons. The NRA’s support of Bush also influenced women’s opinions, with 57 percent favoring Gore, and only 29 percent favoring Bush. The poll showed that, overall, 60 percent of voters favor gun control measures such as owner licensing, mandatory safety locks and background checks at gun shows. Voters also indicated that they would be more likely to vote for candidates who support such laws. Given Bush’s record, gun control issues could substantially help Gore in the election, especially in gaining women’s votes, which could be a deciding factor in what will likely be a close race.

Tweny-one-year-old Methal Dayem, who was fatally shot on January 8, 1999, refused to give up an independent lifestyle for the submissive version of womanhood that her male cousins attempted to force upon her in the name of Islam, prosecutors and female family members say. On July 26, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Thomas J. Pokorny found Yezen Dayem innocent, due to DNA evidence found on gloves at the scene. Prosecutors presented evidence that Yezen Dayem’s car was seen near the scene, and that cellular phone records showed him placing a call one mile from the scene of the shooting around the time of the murder. A second cousin accused in the shooting, Musa Salleh, had his case dismissed for lack of evidence. Methal Dayem’s mother, sister and aunt were extremely angered by the decision, and are still seeking justice in this so-called honor killing.

Lynne Cheney has her own conservative record to back feminists’ concerns about a possible Bush-Cheney White House. In today’s New York Times, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott called her “fantastic,” and some top Republicans feel she deserves a cabinet appointment in a G.W. Bush presidency. Cheney served as Chairwoman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in the Reagan and Bush administrations, pushing an increasingly conservative ideology. Cheney was accused of pushing multicultural projects aside for more “traditional” ones, and chides so-called “cultural relativists” for “taking over American art, literature and education.” While at the NEH, Cheney supported funding a film about the civil war, but barred funding a film about Christopher Columbus’s violent treatment of Native Americans. She also supports teaching a Western centrist view of history and culture. Lynne Cheney serves as a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where her husband is a trustee, promoting conservative values in American culture and education. Her educational stance includes support of school vouchers, which would greatly endanger the public school system and further blur the separation of church and state. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Independent Women’s Forum, an ultra-conservative organization that takes an anti-woman, anti-choice, anti-affirmative action stance and promotes modesty for women as a way to combat discrimination and sexual assault.

A NY Times/CBS News Poll shows that, despite recent suggestions that voters see no distinction between Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George Bush, Americans recognize “pronounced differences” on how the candidates would approach certain important issues, including health care, the environment and abortion. Voters also distinguish the two candidates’ leadership qualities, although over half the poll’s respondents felt the contrast between Gore and Bush was “more about issues than about personal qualities.” A focus on the issues could prove rewarding for Gore, as voters feel Gore is much more likely than Bush to ensure abortion rights through pro-choice Supreme Court appointments, to enact measures to protect the environment, and to provide affordable health care.

The July 25th poll shows Bush leading Gore 46 percent to 40 percent, although other recent polls have Gore closing the gap (See Feminist News, July 19). While 66 percent of those polled felt Bush was a good leader, compared to only 55 percent who said that of Gore, Gore received high marks for integrity and character, and is no longer linked, in voters’ minds, to the Clinton scandal, which Republicans had hoped would hurt Gore’s presidential chances.

Early this morning, Richard Cheney accepted George W. Bush’s invitation to join him on the Republican ticket in the upcoming presidential election. Cheney, former Secretary of Defense under George Bush, may have a “moderate persona” but his voting record is ultra-conservative. Cheney opposes reproductive rights, the Equal Rights Amendment, openly gay servicemembers in the military, gun control and affirmative action measures. Cheney supports high military spending and prayer in public schools. As a member of Congress from the state of Wyoming, Cheney voted against federal funding of abortions, even in cases of rape or incest, or when the woman’s life is in danger. He also voted against international family planning spending (for more information, see NARAL’s Vice Presidential Candidate Report Card).

Cheney served in the Nixon administration, and was White House Chief of Staff under Gerald Ford. Bush supporters expect Cheney to allay voters’ fears about Bush’s inexperience in foreign policy. Cheney’s conservative record, however, speaks louder than the “moderate” appearance he made as a Congressman. Cheney supported the death penalty and opposed campaign finance reform. He also voted against spending on environmental programs, and supported oil drilling in an Alaskan Artic National Wildlife Refuge. He is CEO of the Halliburton Company, a petroleum service company, and favors lifting the U.S. ban on aiding undemocratic regimes in the interests of making more profits on oil pipelines in regions such as the Balkans.

Cheney serves as a trustee at the American Enterprise Institute, an ultra-conservative think-tank whose ranks include Newt Gingrich and Charles Murray, author of The Bell Curve, a book which claims genetic and immutable differences in intelligence between blacks and whites. The Institute opposes hate crimes legislation, and has been conducting anti-gay research. Cheney’s wife is on the Board of Directors of the International Women’s Forum, a conservative, anti-gay, anti-affirmative action, anti-women’s rights group that vows to “respect and appreciate the differences between, and the complimentary nature of, the two sexes” (Mission Statement).

In a speech encouraging young women to see themselves as potential political leaders, Marie Wilson of the Women’s Leadership Fund and the White House Project discussed the results of a recent poll with an audience of young women at the Girls Nation leadership conference in Washington, DC. The survey, conducted by the White House Project Education Fund, showed that 50 percent of women aged 18-24 would consider running for political office to work for a specific issue they cared about, and 75 percent believed that politics and government would be improved by electing more women. Young women, while turned off by the male-dominated and money-motivated climate of the political world, are more likely than their male peers to be motivated to run for office to work on particular issues, and would benefit greatly from mentors and the stories of “ordinary women” who have made accomplishments in a particular area. Aside from needing female role models in office who have made accomplishments and gained recognition, girls need to learn about successful women in politics who have made strides on a particular issue of interest because young women see running for office as a means to accomplish change, not just as an end in itself.

Republicans will meet this week to design the official party platform that is expected to be ratified at the upcoming Republican National Convention beginning next week in Philadelphia. Although convention delegates admit there is continuing tension within the party regarding abortion rights, 43 percent of those delegates still advocate adopting a constitutional ban on abortion. Despite GOP presidential candidate George W. Bush’s claim that he favors abortion rights in cases of rape and incest, he supports the Republican proposal for a constitutional amendment against abortion.

Just two days after the Congressional Black Caucus charged the Republican-controlled Senate with exhibiting racist and sexist tendencies in holding up President Clinton’s minority and female judicial appointments, senators approved the first black female judge for the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals. US District Judge Johnnie B. Rawlinson’s nomination to the appellate court post had been pending since February. The nomination of another black judge, James A. Wynn, Jr. for the all-white 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond continues to be held up by Senator Jess Helms (R-NC). Helms maintains that Senate Democrats stalled a nominee he favored in 1992 and, because of that, he has blocked hearings on Wynn’s qualifications despite the fact that there are four vacancies on the 15-member court for which Wynn has been nominated.

The anti-abortion group Priests for Life printed a full-page ad in the New York Times today, urging lawmakers, voters, and those running for public office to vote strictly along anti-abortion lines. The group of Catholic priests pledge to preach their anti-choice message throughout the election season “from thousands of pulpits all across America, using print media, radio, television and the internetƒ” For more information on the Priests for Life and their anti-abortion activity, please see the Feminist Majority Foundation’s press release that highlights the group’s ties to the violent wing of anti-abortion forces.

A US House judiciary panel heard testimony on the so-called “Born Alive Infant Protection Act of 2000”, proposed legislation that could be used by abortion opponents to argue against the “murder” of “persons” in utero. Among others, the panel heard from anti-abortion activist and perennial congressional witness Gianna Jessen, whose biography includes the claim of having survived a failed saline abortion. The legislation was introduced by staunch abortion foe Rep. Charles Canady (R-FL) and has the support of the National Right to Life Committee.

In a visit to George W. Bush’s home state of Texas, Vice President Al Gore highlighted what he called a “gross mismanagement” of the state’s budget. Gore pointed out that Texas now ranks number one in the country for industrial pollution while it is number two for children living in poverty and number one for families without health insurance. Although Bush claims that Texans benefited from tax cuts, Gore says that special interest groups were the recipients of the majority of those cuts. Governor Bush made an attempt last year to push a $2 billion tax cut but when the state’s original prediction of a $6.4 billion surplus was reduced to only a $1.6 billion surplus, the tax cut had to be scaled back. State budget officials announced that Bush had in fact underestimated the potential Medicaid expenditures by about $610 million and they say the net surplus that Bush is predicting could be nonexistent by next year, leaving virtually little money to enroll the state’s 600,000 uninsured children in Medicaid programs.

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Zieba Shorish-Shamley of the Women’s Alliance for Peace and Human Rights in Afghanistan condemned the Taliban’s oppression of women and girls at a Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee hearing on Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs held July 20th. “People living under Taliban rule are subjected to an extreme interpretation of Islam practiced nowhere else in the world. It is especially repressive toward women,” remarked Senator Boxer, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee. In her questioning of witness Assistant Secretary of State Karl Inderfurth, Senator Boxer proposed that special refugee status be granted to Afghan women and girls. Inderfurth responded that the State Department would consider her proposal. More aid to Afghan NGOs and refugees and increased involvement of women in the peace process are necessary to safeguarding women’s rights, according to Shorish-Shamley. Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), who chaired the hearing, said that the Taliban rule was “suffocating” women and girls in Afghanistan and called upon Congress to take steps to end the atrocities in Afghanistan. The witnesses at the hearing also testified that Afghanistan’s terrorism and drug trafficking pose threats to global stability, and that multilateral cooperation will be crucial to ensuring a peaceful transition for Afghanistan. Continued pressure on Pakistan, which is suspected of funding the Taliban regime, will be also be critical to restoring women’s rights and human rights in Afghanistan.

Just over a week since an unidentified assailant stabbed Dr. Garson Romalis outside his Vancouver medical office, investigators continue their search for the man responsible for the second attack on the abortion provider. While most Canadian anti-abortion groups have denounced the attack on Dr. Romalis, two prominent American anti-abortion extremists have issued inflammatory statements regarding the use of violence against abortion providers. Donald Spitz of Pro-Life Virginia said, “God bless the Baby Liberation Army in its fight to save innocent babies from babykilling abortionists.” And convicted arsonist Joshua Graff said, “While some so-called pro-lifers are praying that ƒ Romalis in Vancouver recovers from a stabbing attack last week, I have to admit I am praying he suffer severe and deadly complications if he does not repent.” British Columbia’s premier, Ujjal Dosanjh, has offered abortion providers $250,000 for added security measures stating, “The government has an obligation to ensure that both the abortion providers and the recipients are able to both provide and receive this service under safe circumstances.” Authorities have now released a composite sketch of the assailant. He is a white male believed to be in his 20s and is described as clean-shaven with a dark complexion, dark hair, and thin build. He was wearing dark jeans and a dark, hooded sweatshirt at the time of the attack. Witnesses have reported seeing the suspect near the clinic before the attack. Vancouver Police ask anyone with information about this person or incident to please call 604-717-2511 or 604-717-2519.

Planned Parenthood has filed a class-action lawsuit against the oldest family-owned drug store chain in the nation charging that the company’s insurance plan that excludes coverage for contraceptives illegally discriminates against women. This case, brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, is not the first effort by women’s groups to demand insurance coverage for contraceptives. In this country, less than half of all traditional insurance plans cover any of the five prescription contraceptives and only a third cover the cost of birth control pills. Chris Charbonneau, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Western Washington pointed out that, “Policies that don’t include contraceptives force women to pay 68 percent more out of pocket than men for health care.” Only thirteen states have passed laws requiring private insurance plans that pay for prescription drugs to also include contraceptive coverage but a federal initiative to do the same, called The Equity in Prescription Contraceptive Coverage Act, has been stalled in Congress since 1997.

The Congressional Black Caucus has charged the Republican-controlled US Senate of demonstrating racist and sexist tendencies in confirming judicial appointments. Since November 1999, the Senate has confirmed 42 percent of President Clinton’s white nominees but less than 18 percent of his black nominees. Senators also take approximately two months longer to consider each black nominee when compared to white nominees and 65 days longer to consider women compared to men. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) has rejected the charge that race plays any role in the confirmation of judicial nominees.

With the razor-thin Supreme Court decision in Stenberg v. Carhart protecting abortion rights, the abortion issue is becoming increasingly critical to the presidential race and the selection of Vice Presidential candidates, especially in Bush’s selection of a running mate.

The New York Times calls this “the first presidential campaign in which the Republican candidate truly appears to be weighing whether to pick a No. 2 who supports abortion rights.” Governor Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania has been high up in the running, although conservative Bush supporters are undermining his candidacy because of his pro-choice stance. The New York Times noted that “several advisors to Mr. Bush said…that Mr. Ridge would be at the top of the list were it not for his stand on abortion.” But a recent survey by the Associated Press suggests that delegates to the upcoming GOP convention are more concerned with electing Bush than electing his running mate, and if a pro-choice VP would make Bush more palatable to moderate voters, they would support such a candidate. Almost half those surveyed said they “could support” a pro-choice VP candidate, and the top pick out of all those in the running was Ridge.

Senior Republican advisors have suggested that Bush is not seriously considering a pro-choice running mate, but has led the public to believe so as a strategy to “placate” abortion rights advocates. Bush advisors fear that choosing Ridge would anger the Catholic church, as he is Catholic but pro-choice and has had problems with the church in his state. They also fear that Ridge has “become too closely identified with the abortion issue.” Many Republican political experts and Bush supporters are stressing the need to nominate a strongly anti-choice VP, in line with the Party’s stance.

The attention on Ridge as a pro-choice candidate is ironic given his recent “D” grade from NARAL, which issued a comprehensive report on the voting records of all vice presidential hopefuls. Ridge was evaluated as “disappointing;” NARAL highlighted his statements that abortion should only be legal in the first trimester, and only in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman is endangered.

The extremely anti-choice Governor Frank Keating of Oklahoma, the Washington Post argues, has a strong chance of winning the VP candidate seat, given his anti-choice stance and long record of political positions. He is a “pro-business” Republican who has supported proposed Oklahoma legislation that would strip union power, and was appointed to various federal positions under Reagan and Bush. NARAL gave him an “F” on abortion-related issues. Bush’s prospective running mates also include the anti-choice candidates Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Fred Thompson of Tennessee, both of whom received “F”s from NARAL.

In related news, three polls released over the weekend revealed that Gore is closing the gap on Bush. A CBS News Survey says Gore garnered 41 percent support, with Bush leading at 43. A USA Today/CNN Gallup poll says Bush leads Gore 45 to 43, down from 50 to 41 a week ago.

Fr. Frank Pavone and his anti-abortion group Priests for Life held a press conference yesterday to launch their new ad campaign directed at the upcoming presidential election. At the same time, the Feminist Majority Foundation and the Institute for Democracy Studies jointly called attention to Fr. Pavone’s endorsement of anti-abortion extremists and militant tactics. The FMF/IDS press release, issued the day of Pavone’s news conference, illustrates that Fr. Pavone justifies extremist tactics like criminal trespass, and highlights the relationship between Pavone and prominent anti-abortion extremists, many of whom have been jailed for their anti-abortion activities. Notably, the Priests for Life Web site includes links to dozens of anti-choice organizations, including notorious, violent groups like Lambs of Christ, Operation Rescue, and Joseph Scheidler’s Pro-Life Action League.

President Eleanor Smeal said, “We hope that Priests For Life’s announcement making choice a priority in voting is a turn of strategy from harassment at clinics. We welcome voters making abortion a top priority in the upcoming presidential election.”

Pavone said Catholics (including politicians) have a “responsibility to protect life,” and made statements revealing his disregard for the separation of church and state, according to representatives of the Feminist Majority Foundation who were present at the press conference. Pavone further made an analogy to stealing, saying that the American judicial system punishes thieves, who are condemned by the church; why, he extrapolated, does the judicial system refuse to punish “murderers” who violate the Catholic church’s teachings on abortion? In a related press release, Rev. Barry Lynne of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State reacted: “When churches try to force dogma on all Americans through the political process, it seriously undermines the separation of church and state.”

According to the Associate Press, the Priests for Life ads are scheduled to run in the New York Times this week, with television spots to follow in mid-August, and will plead with pro-choice Christian politicians to “stop being a scandal to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Pavone admitted that not all Catholics agree with his anti-choice stance. In fact, Catholics for A Free Choice notes that 59% of all Catholic women of childbearing age practice contraception, similar to the rate of 60% among the general population of American women.