Review of Federally Funded Abstinence-Only Education Finds Misleading Messages

The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US (SIECUS) released its fourth annual review yesterday of a selection of federally funded abstinence-only education programs. The reviews found that “the curricula are riddled with messages of fear and shame, gender stereotypes, and medical misinformation that put young people at risk.” SIECUS reviewed three abstinence-only curricula (WAIT (Why Am I Tempted?) Training, Why kNOw, and Heritage Keepers) used in over a dozen states. These three programs have received over $6 million in federal funds since FY 2001.

“Curricula that instill fear and shame in young people, disparage condom use, perpetuate gender stereotypes, and contain anti-abortion messages have no place in any program for school-aged young people, let alone programs sanctioned by the federal government, and paid for with hard-earned tax dollars,” said William Smith, vice president for public policy at SIECUS, in a release accompanying the report.

Forty-six percent of all high school students and 63 percent of all high school seniors are sexually active, according to SIECUS. In the past six years, nearly $800 million dollars has been given to abstinence only education programs.

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Clinton Introduces Bill to Protect Sexual Assault Victims

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) introduced the Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies (CARE) Act in the Senate last week. The CARE Act (SB 3945) would require hospitals to routinely offer emergency contraception (EC) and post-exposure treatment for sexually transmitted infections to sexual assault victims.

According to the bill, between 25,000 and 32,000 rape and incest victims become pregnant every year. It is estimated that 22,000 of these pregnancies could be prevented if victims had timely access to EC. While exceedingly safe and effective if taken within 5 days, EC is most effective (95%) if taken within 24 hours.

The bill provides for risk assessment of sexual assault victims and appropriate treatment such as antiretroviral drugs, which have been proven to prevent infection of HIV. The bill would require that risk assessment and treatment be available to all victims, regardless of ability to pay.

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Labor Relations Board Rules on Charge Nurses, Redefines ‘Supervisor’

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled yesterday that some nurses who are responsible for assigning tasks to other hospital employees will be considered supervisors under federal law, thus unable to join a labor union. The case involved a dispute at Oakwood Heritage Hospital outside of Detroit, Michigan. The hospital argued that two-thirds of the potential bargaining unit who worked – either permanently or temporarily – as charge nurses were actually “supervisors” because of their responsibilities of assigning, overseeing, and directing other workers on a shift, the Washington Post reports. The traditional definition of a supervisor has been someone who can hire, fire, and discipline employees. Charge nurses, however, only direct their co-workers.

Labor groups have responded with concerns over the NLRB’s ruling. Ross Eisenbrey, vice president of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) told the Sacramento Bee, “If the ruling remains unchanged, this is going to have a devastating effect on unionization in the country.” EPI estimates that, under the new definition of supervisor, about 1.4 million American workers would lose their union membership.

California Nurses Association President Rose Ann DeMaro spoke out against the decision, saying, “We have a decision that ultimately opens the door to the deunionization of registered nurses and silencing their voice.” DeMaro added that California nurses would strike if an employer implemented the change, which would affect about 30 percent of the Association’s membership, the Sacramento Bee reports.

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Los Angeles Fire Captain Claims Sex Discrimination

Los Angeles fire captain Alicia Mathis filed a complaint against her department last week, claiming gender discrimination, a hostile work environment, and harassment. According to the Los Angeles Times, this could be the first class-action lawsuit brought by female firefighters against the department. In front of the Los Angeles City Hall, Mathis recalled her experiences, including having a fellow firefighter climb in to her bed and kiss her at night, being denied a transfer in favor of a less qualified man, and her fear of speaking out against the male harassers in her department, according to the Times. She said that, while her decision to make her complaint public could possibly end her career, her stories and the stories of her fellow female firefighters have propelled her to step up as the public figure in this case.

“It took a lot of courage for her to step forward like this and she has my support 100 percent … I’ve been fighting racism and sexism in this department for 31 years – the system is broken,” said Captain Jerry Thomas, reports the Los Angeles Times. In the past, African-American and rookie firefighters have been the most vocal about the discrimination they have experienced; a 1995 report also found rampant sexual harassment and discrimination, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

According to the Los Angeles Daily News, Mathis and her attorney may not pursue the lawsuit if the fire department adopts certain internal systems, such as creating a procedure to document harassment complaints and the formation of a panel to investigate complaints.

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Foley Scandal Grows

The impact of the widely reported scandal involving former Representative Mark Foley continues to grow. The scandal not only involves House Republican leadership, and what they knew and when they knew it, but it may also involve the executive branch. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) sent a letter to the Inspector General of the Department of Justice requesting an investigation into why the FBI only recently began its investigation into the Foley matter. CREW had provided emails allegedly from Rep. Foley to a former page in July 2006 and asked for an investigation at that time.

On the House side, news reports have revealed that some members of House leadership knew for months and possibly years of Foley’s inappropriate emails to and behavior toward teenage pages. House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), who took over former Rep. Tom DeLay’s leadership position, has said that when he learned last spring of Foley’s misconduct, he immediately informed Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL), though he later equivocated, telling the Washington Post that he was not sure if he had spoken with Hastert. Hastert has said that several members of Congress, including Rep. Thomas Reynolds (R-NY) (the national Republican Congressional Committee chair), Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) (the chair of the House Page Board), and Jeff Trandahl (then-Clerk of the House), were aware of emails between Foley and a page in 2005, but that the exchange was not sexually explicit, simply “over-friendly,” according to Roll Call. At that time, Foley was only ordered to cease communications with the teenager. Boehner and Reynolds’ offices learned of the email exchange from Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA), in whose office the page had served, according to the Post. Kirk Fordham, who served as Foley’s campaign manager and chief of staff until 2005, has been advising Foley over the past few days, according to the Palm Beach Post. Fordham is now Rep. Reynolds chief of staff.

ABC News reports that House Republicans have been warning pages about Foley for at least the past five years. However, AMERICAblog points out that even after Republican staff warned the page class of 2001-2002 to stay away from Foley, Rep. Shimkus spoke of Foley’s contact with the pages, introducing Foley as “someone who spends a lot of time with you” when addressing the pages at their farewell ceremony. Foley then describes a private lunch with one of the male pages, noting that the page had to notify the Clerk of the House (John Trendahl), according to AMERICAblog.

Democratic leadership is calling for an internal investigation into the situation.

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Senate Kills Teen Endangerment Act, Again

Democratic leadership in the Senate blocked the Teen Endangerment Act, officially known as the Child Interstate Abortion Act, late Friday night when Republicans were unable to obtain the 60 votes required to move to a vote. The bill would have criminalized the transportation of a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion by anyone other than the parent or legal guardian, such as a grandparent or sister. It would also have required doctors to contact a parent or legal guardian of out-of-state patients 24 hours before performing an abortion, even if the abortion provider’s state did not have parental notification or consent laws. The House version of the Teen Endangerment Act was passed last week. If the bill had passed in the Senate on Friday, it would have become law. President Bush had previously agreed to sign the bill if it had passed in both houses.

“Only 13 percent of US counties have any abortion provider at all, so for many women the closest clinic is in a neighboring state. This bill would have forced many young women into either unwilling motherhood or an unsafe, illegal abortion,” said NOW President Kim Gandy in a press release.

“The purpose of this bill was to rally the right-wing base for the midterm elections, nothing more,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority. “House Republicans must have known the bill was going nowhere when they passed it.”

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Federal Judge Rejects Ohio Law Restricting Mifepristone

Federal Judge Susan Dlott ruled last week that an Ohio law that restricted a physician’s ability to prescribe mifepristone (also known as RU486) for a medical abortion is unconstitutional. Under the Ohio law, physicians in Ohio would have been unable to prescribe mifepristone after 49 days of gestation or in any other dose other than 600 milligrams, Kaiser reports. The law would have codified the Federal Drug Administration’s (FDA) guidelines for the drug, even though many physicians administer the drug at lower doses up to 63 days of gestation.

Judge Dlott previously issued a temporary injunction of the Ohio law in September 2004, one day before it would have become enforceable in September 2004. The law, which never actually went into effect, was found to be “impermissibly vague” by Dlott. According to the AP, Dlott ruled against the law because there was no exception to protect the health of a woman.

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Sexually Assaulted GI is Charged After Going AWOL

The Army has brought charges against military police officer Suzanne Swift because she has refused to do another tour of duty in Iraq after being sexually harassed during her first stay. Swift has reported sexual abuse and harassment by three noncommissioned officers during her time in the military; two of these reported incidents occurred while Swift was stationed in Iraq. The Army has verified the incident that happened in the US, and the perpetrator has been disciplined, The Washignton Post reports.

One of Swift’s complaints is against her platoon sergeant in Kuwait, saying he coerced her into a sexual relationship. “And you know, I was 19. I fell for it, and for months I was like his little sex slave, I guess. It was disgusting, and it was horrible, and I didn’t know what to do,” Swift told The Seattle Times. Officials in the Army claim they are taking the accusations seriously, but they have been unable to prove them true: “He said he didn’t – it was his word against hers,” said Sgt. Maj. Yolanda Choates, according to The Washington Post.

Her other complaint is against her squad leader in Iraq who allegedly pressured her into having sex with him. Swift told The Washington Post that she feared retaliation if she refused him. After ending the relationship, he ordered her to do early morning workouts, wear a wall clock around her neck, and report hourly to him in full gear.

Swift has made national headlines since refusing to deploy in January and has gained a vast amount of support from peace activists and women’s rights groups, including CodePink. These groups have started a petition drive and have demonstrated near her current base in Fort Lewis, WA, AP reports.

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DC: Students Protest “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

College students engaged in a sit-in on Tuesday in Washington, DC to protest the discrimination against lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals in the military. Students from the University of Maryland, American University, and George Washington University organized at a military recruiting center in downtown DC to protest Public Law 103-160, which is also known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” This legislation shapes US military policy, prohibiting lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals in the military from revealing their sexual orientation.

The action included the attempt of two LGB students, Mandy Craig and Alexandra Douglas-Barrara, to enlist in the military. While the women expected that they would not be allowed to enlist because of their sexual orientation, the recruiting center locked the doors, denying them entrance.

Students occupied a waiting room at the recruiting center and sat along the streets to protest the legalized discrimination. Douglas-Barrera commented, “Our message today is raising awareness of the harmfulness of this policy. It really is counterproductiveÉwe’re in need of recruits.” Further, the protest was designed to bring attention to the 65,000 LGB troops enlisted without the ability to disclose their sexual orientation.

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CA: Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Bill Protecting Abortion Patients, Providers

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill designed to protect patients and employees of reproductive health clinics from anti-abortion extremists who may use violence against them. Introduced by Assembly Member Noreen Evans in February and signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger on Tuesday, the bill, AB 2251, codifies that “no person, business, or association shall knowingly publicly post or publicly display on the Internet the home address, home telephone number, or image of any provider, employee, volunteer, or patient of a reproductive health services facility” with the intent to incite or threaten violence against the identified individual.

Too often, patients, employees, and supporters of abortion clinics become the target of violence. Assembly Member Evans commented on the necessity of the bill, saying, “Women should never face vigilante justice for exercising their reproductive rightsÉ The same goes for those who work to enable women to exercise those rights,” CBS reports.

Other bills relating to women’s health signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger included a law to protect a women’s right to timely access of prescription drugs, regardless of a pharmacist’s ethical concern; a law to mandate health care coverage for the HPV test; and a law to raise standards for hospitals that collect breast milk from mothers for their own children, CBS reports.

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Women’s Bylines Lacking in “Thought-Leader” Magazines

Women writers continue to be underrepresented at five of the top “thought leader” magazines. An update of a report in last winter’s Ms. magazine reflects that the number of women writers has not increased since last year.

In The Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair, women earned just 447 of the 1,446 bylinesÑabout 31 percent. Harper’s had the most glaring disparity of men to women writers, with a ratio of seven to one. Moreover, women are often relegated to “hearth and home” stories, rather than to “hard-news” stories.

Ruth Davis Konigsberg, a deputy editor at Glamour and the author of the reports, points out that the number of women writers does not reflect the readership of these magazines. The New Yorker (with a byline ratio of four men to one woman) has a fairly gender-balanced audience of 1,799,000 women and 1,710,000 men. Vanity Fair, with a byline ratio of three men to one woman, has an opposite ratio in terms of readership: three women to one man.

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House Once Again Passes Legislation Endangering the Health of Teens

Only weeks before the midterm election, the US House of Representatives passed the controversial Teen Endangerment Act yesterday in a 264 to 153 vote. The act, officially called the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, criminalizes the transportation of a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion by anyone other than the parent or legal guardian. If a pregnant teen has another trusted adult, such as a grandparent or a sister, take her across state lines to have an abortion, the adult would be subject to fines of $100,000, a year in prison, or both. The act would also require doctors to contact the parents of out-of-state patients 24 hours before performing an abortion, even if the abortion provider’s state does not have parental notification or consent laws.

The House previously passed very similar legislation in April of 2005, which was prevented from becoming law when the significantly different Senate version of the legislation was blocked from reaching a Congressional conference committee by Senate Democratic leadership. Because it did not accept the Senate version of the legislation, the House needed to pass new legislation for the bill to be re-considered. Instead of passing a bill identical to the Senate’s version, the House passed essentially the same bill it passed in April. It is unlikely that the House and Senate will reach a compromise on the legislation before Congress leave for the November elections, according to Associated Press.

Studies have shown that 61 percent of parents are aware of their daughter’s pregnancy, according to the American Association of University Women. Of those young women who do not inform their parents of their decision to have an abortion, 93 percent had a trusted adult or friend accompany them to the clinic.

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Report Reveals Abuse, Neglect of Girls in New York Juvenile Prisons

Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a report on Monday revealing the abuse and neglect that is inflicted upon young girls in two New York juvenile prisons. The report highlights the prisons’ violent restraint methods, which consist of grabbing the girls from behind and pushing them to the floor, causing rug burns, bruises, and sometimes broken limbs. While this method of restraint is prohibited by international principles and should only be used “in order to prevent the juvenile from inflicting self-injury, injuries to others or serious destruction of property,” according to the ACLU, it is frequently used as punishment for minor infractions, such as an inmate forgetting to make her bed. This restraint technique was used an average of ten times a year per female inmate from January 2004 to January 2006.

Accounts of sexual abuse against incarcerated girls were also documented in the report. The ACLU and HRW reported that, in the past five years, there have been three cases of prison staff having intercourse with inmates. Employees also humiliated the girls by remarking on their personal histories of sexual abuse, sexual experience, and sexually transmitted infections, according to Reuters.

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Anti-Abortion Group Takes on Contraception

The Pro-Life Action League sponsored a conference this past weekend in Rosemont, Illinois, criticizing the use of birth control. The conference, called “Contraception is Not the Answer,” brought Christian conservatives together to extend the anti-abortion movement, organizing against all methods of artificial reproductive control. Joseph Scheidler, the leader of the Pro-Life Action League, explained the need for this shift in the movement to the Chicago Tribune, saying “contraception is more the root cause of abortion than anything else.”

The conference presented participants with several arguments against artificial birth control, including claims that birth control promotes sexual promiscuity and decreases the birth rate, Chicago Tribune reports. Damon Clarke Owens, president of New Jersey Natural Family Planning and a conference participant, adds that contraception changes the act of sex between a man and a woman into something other than a “unconditional gift to self” by rejecting “God’s gift of children,” according to the Chicago Tribune. Others falsely claimed that contraception doesn’t always prevent conception and must therefore be considered abortion.

Whether the conference’s message will resonate with the American public, however, is dubious. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 98 percent of sexually active 15- to 44-year-old women and girls have used at least one method of contraception and a Harris Interactive poll in July shows that 91 percent of likely voters believe that birth control options should be accessible to the American public, Kaiser reports.

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Maryland: Donna Edwards Concedes Primary

Donna Edwards conceded defeat yesterday to Representative Albert Wynn in the race for the Democratic nomination for Maryland’s fourth Congressional seat. Edwards’ primary was September 12, and after numerous problems at voting stations in many precincts, official results are still yet to be posted. However, unofficial results have Edwards trailing by 2,725 votes, so she publicly announced her concession to Wynn, who has served six terms already in the contested seat.

According to the Washington Post, several counties experienced difficulties on Election Day; some precincts opened voting booths late because access cards to activate electronic voting machines were unavailable. Elsewhere, some of the data cards from the electronic machines were not recovered or counted for nine days. Earlier, Edwards had announced that she would pursue legal action because of these errors. Yesterday, however, she told Washington Post reporters, “My gut tells me the problems we experienced aren’t going to be cured in litigation,” and that she hopes that lawmakers and the Maryland Board of Elections will investigate the mishaps from September 12.

Edwards ran against Wynn as a more progressive and feminist Democrat, challenging her opponent’s vote for the Iraq war and policies that benefit big business.

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Michigan Senate Passes Legislation to Make HPV Vaccine Required

The Michigan Senate passed two bills last Wednesday requiring girls entering the sixth grade in the 2007-2008 school year to receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Gardasil. If passed by the state Assembly after the end of their recess in November, the legislation will be the first of its kind since the vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June. The bills were passed in the state Senate 36-1.

The legislation passed by the Michigan Senate allows parents to not vaccinate their daughters for medical, religious, or philosophical reasons. Seventy-five percent of girls in Michigan will be covered by their insurance to receive the vaccine, which costs $360, and those who are not can receive coverage from the federal Vaccines for Children program, according to Kaiser Daily Women’s Health Policy Report.

The HPV vaccine is approved for women ages nine to 26 to prevent cervical cancer and genital warts caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18. HPV is responsible for 70 percent of all cervical cancer and 90 percent of genital warts cases, according to the FDA. Gardasil has been found to be most effective when given to young women before they become sexually active, as the vaccine only prevents contraction of the disease, and does not treat infected women. It is estimated that nationwide 9,700 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2006 and 3,700 will die from it, according to the Detroit Free Press.

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Health Officials Call for Routine HIV Testing

Federal health officials at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday recommended routine HIV testing for adults from 13 to 64 years old. The new guidelines are meant to prevent the spread of HIV and to diagnose the estimated 250,000 Americans who do not know they have the disease, according to the Associated Press. While these guidelines will not be legally required by health officials, the CDC hopes doctors will follow them and health insurance companies will choose to cover testing.

The guidelines aim to provide HIV screening that is universal, instead of only testing those who may be considered “high-risk,” as a way to provide early diagnoses in medical settings, according to the Boston Globe. The CDC also recommends testing to be voluntary and done only with the patients’ knowledge of the procedure. Eliminating barriers such as pre-test counseling and written consent forms would simplify testing and allow more health care facilities to provide HIV screenings, according to the Globe.

Critics of the new recommendations are concerned that universal testing could deplete funding for testing those who are at higher risk for contracting the disease. Barbara Murray, executive director of the AIDS Partnership of Michigan, asked, “Where’s the money going to come to do this? If it is taken out of the existing pool of money for testing, that’s insane,” reports the Detroit Free Press. Chief Executive Officer of the Midwest AIDS Prevention Project, Craig Covey, also critiques the CDC’s guidelines, saying that he worries that, without pre-test counseling, people may not understand their test results.

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New Legislation Demands Scientific Fairness for Women

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced a new bill, the FDA Scientific Fairness for Women Act, in the House yesterday. According to Dr. Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Research Center (NRC) for Women and Families, the legislation “prioritizes the importance of science and the health needs of women and helps to ensure that industry pressure and political ideology do not overrule scientific findings.” Under DeLauro’s bill, the director of the FDA’s Office of Women’s Health would report directly to the FDA Commissioner.

The bill specifically addresses women’s health issues related to emergency contraception (EC) and silicone breast implants. Earlier this summer, FDA scientists reported that the approval of EC over-the-counter was heavily influenced by political pressure, which delayed the drug’s approval. Even now, the drug will only be available without a prescription for women 18 years old or older.

FDA decisions surrounding silicone breast implants have also been subject to industry pressures, according to the National Organization for Women (NOW). Women with breast implants have higher rates of hazardous levels of an oxidized form of platinum in hair, urine, blood, and breast milk samples. Some women were unaware of these risks, and made their children sick after breast feeding.

Dr. Susan Wood, the former Assistant Commissioner for Women’s Health of the FDA who resigned because of the agency’s delay in approving EC for over-the-counter status, spoke out in support of the bill, saying, “Let good science drive the decision. The role of Congress is to have oversight over the FDA and to ensure that it is strong and effective. This bill will try to restore integrity to the FDA and create an office that can shape women’s health and help to make sure data are reviewed appropriately,” according to NOW.

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Study Finds Women and Minorities Hurt by Media Consolidation

Media consolidation cuts out women and minority television broadcast stations owners, according to a report released on Wednesday by Free Press, a nonpartisan media reform organization. The report, “Out of the Picture: Minority & Female Ownership in the United States,” analyzed the demographics of television broadcast station owners and found that women and people of color are vastly underrepresented in station ownership. Women own fewer than 5 percent of all broadcast stations but constitute 51 percent of the US population. Minorities own just over 3 percent of all stations but constitute 33 percent of the US population.

The report ties the lack of female and minority ownership to the negative effects of media consolidation and poor decisions by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Minority and women owners tend to own fewer stations and “find it difficult to compete with their big-media counterparts for programming and advertising revenue,” according to the report. Free Press calls on the FCC to make a greater effort to decrease media consolidation to make it easier for greater diversity in station ownership to exist.

“There are so few women’s voices on broadcast television, and part of the absence of women’s perspectives stems from the absence of women owners… The increasing consolidation of ownership is making women invisible,” said Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women.

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Muslim Group Names Woman as President

The Islamic Society of North American (ISNA) recently announced that Ingrid Mattson had been elected as its first female president, just days before the group’s annual convention. Her election is seen as a sign of “maturation” and an indication of progress for Muslim women’s rights, according to The American Muslim. Mattson said, “I think it shows what Muslims can do and would like to do,” the Associated Press reports.

This historic decision, however, has drawn criticism from some Muslims who feel that female leadership is violating the code of Islam. In addition, the opportunity to lead public prayer is often given to the president of ISNA. However, Islamic tradition prohibits women from performing this rite. Mattson has said that she does not object to this custom and will only lead ritual prayer for women, AP reports.

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