On June 21, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in favor of a federal law prohibiting those with a domestic violence restraining order against them from possessing a firearm. United States v. Rahimi (2024) served as a test case for the conservative-leaning court, especially after the court’s decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association […]
Louisiana Passes Law Requiring Public Schools to Display the Ten Commandments in Classrooms
On June 19, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed a Republican-sponsored bill requiring public schools — from kindergarten to university — to display a poster of the Ten Commandments in all classrooms by 2025 to maintain state funding. The law specifies that the poster must be at least 11 feet by 14 feet, with the 10 […]
Thailand to be the first Southeast Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage
On Tuesday June 18th, Thailand’s Senate overwhelmingly passed a marriage equality law, paving the way for it to become the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. It will now become the third Asian country to allow same-sex marriage. The legislation labels marriage as a partnership between two individuals and changes references to […]
Senate Republicans Block a Bill to Protect IVF
On June 13, the GOP blocked a bill aimed at protecting and expanding access to in vitro fertilization (IVF). The rejection of this bill demonstrates a concerning trend throughout the country condemning the use of IVF. The Right to IVF Act, introduced by Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), planned to expand access to fertility treatments like […]
Southern Baptists Reject Ban on Women Pastors — Substantive or Semantic?
On Wednesday, June 12th, the Southern Baptist Convention voted on a controversial amendment to their constitution — one that would formally ban women from pastoral roles in all affiliated churches. This amendment failed, narrowly missing the 2/3rds supermajority needed by only receiving 61% of the vote. While this measure may have failed, its sheer existence […]
Supreme Court Unanimously Upholds Full Access To Mifepristone
On Thursday, June 13th, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected a challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone. The FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine case was brought by the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine against the Food and Drug Administration in an attempt to restrict mifepristone access. Mifepristone was approved by the FDA in 2000 and is […]
Shinnecock Indian Nation elects first female chair in over 200 years
People often wonder what the world would look like if it were run by women. Would there be less war? Greater partnership between countries? Universal access to health and social care? Safer streets? Of course, the number of female leaders has increased dramatically in the last few decades. Then again, anything can be a dramatic […]
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions holds hearing on abortion access
On June 4th, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a hearing on “The Assault on Women’s Freedoms: How Abortion Bans Have Created a Health Care Nightmare Across America.” Filled to the brim with women young and old, the room was tense as the audience waited for opening remarks from Senator Bernie […]
Florida Law Restricting Treatment for Transgender People is Thrown Out by a Federal Judge
On June 11th, a federal judge struck down a 2023 Florida law which blocked gender-affirming care for transgender minors and restricted this treatment for adults. For minors, this law stopped puberty blocking treatments and cross-sex hormones. For adults, this law still allowed treatment, but it could only be done by a physician, not an advanced […]
Study Shows Record-Breaking Voter Turnout for Women in College
For years, older generations have often viewed the youth vote as unimportant due to perceived low voter turnout and have stereotyped college students as politically unmotivated or even apathetic. While this may have been true in the past, a 2021 study by Tufts University has disproven this stereotype and shown how the youth vote may be a vital part […]
International Human Rights Groups Demand Afghan Women’s Participation in the Third Doha Meeting
In a letter to the UN, the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security – expressed the growing concern about how the international community lacks the “necessary resolve to defend and advocate for the human rights of Afghan women and girls.” This will be the third Doha meeting, taking place in Doha, Qatar on […]
The Ever-Widening “Gender Chasm” of the Upcoming 2024 Presidential Election
The gender gap, the percentage difference between women and men voting for a specific candidate, has existed since at least the 1980 presidential election. In that election, while a slim majority of women did vote for Ronald Reagan, they did so at a rate of 8 points less than their male counterparts. Since 1996, women have […]
Contraception Bill Fails to Pass in the Senate
On June 5th, a bill to protect Americans’ access to birth control was thwarted by Senate Republicans. Democrats unanimously supported the bill with two Republicans, Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), crossing party lines to back the legislation. However, the vote failed 51 to 39, short of the 60 votes needed for the bill […]
At the Doha Conference, the Decision to Give Afghan Women Their Seats at the Table Must Be Clear
June 30th will mark over 1,000 days since the closing of secondary schools for girls and 500 days since the edict banning women from receiving a university education. The United Nations will be hosting the annual Doha Meeting in Qatar on June 30th where various countries and special envoys, including the UN will discuss various […]
Mexico Elects its First Female President
In a historic first, Claudia Sheinbaum has been elected Mexico’s first female president. While votes are still being tallied, Sheinbaum is on track for a landslide victory, winning around 58 to 60% of votes, according to Mexico’s electoral agency. Other candidates, Xóchitl Gálvez and Jorge Álvarez Máynez are predicted to get around 27% and 9% […]
Afghanistan: Where history repeats itself at the expense of women
This article is adapted from an opinion piece by Dr. Sima Samar, originally published in Ms. Magazine. Dr. Sima Samar is a human rights advocate and medical doctor who belongs to Afghanistan’s ethnic Hazara minority group. Dr. Samar served as Minister of Women’s Affairs from 2001 to 2003 and was the highest ranking woman in […]
Department of Justice sues two organizations and seven individuals for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit on Monday, May 20 in the Northern District of Ohio against Citizens for a Pro Life Society, Red Rose Rescue, as well as seven individuals for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. The FACE Act “prohibits threats of force, obstruction, and property damage intended […]
Kansas Abortion Providers Sue to Block New Intrusive Reporting Law
Kansas abortion providers have filed a legal challenge against House Bill 2749, a new law that mandates abortion providers to report patients’ reasons for seeking an abortion to the state. House Bill 2749 requires each patient to specify the most important factor influencing their decision to have an abortion. The options include: interference with education, […]
The Feminist Majority Foundation hosts annual Global Women’s Rights Awards
Earlier this month, in Los Angeles, the Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) was joined by some of the most inspiring women’s rights activists who have been on the frontlines of the fight for equality for the 16th annual Global Women’s Rights Awards. Awards were given to acknowledge and celebrate the hard work of three women in […]
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signs the national petition for the Equal Right Amendment
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has made history as the first mayor of a major city in California to sign the national Sign4ERA petition supporting the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) — a national constitutional amendment that would explicitly prohibit sex-based discrimination. Mayor Bass was joined by former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, […]
