Author: Feminist Newswire

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (R) published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on Friday in which he endorses over the counter birth control and calls for fellow Republicans to do the same and take contraception out of political debates.

In his opinion piece, Governor Jindal supports the statement from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecology supporting the availability of oral contraceptives over the counter and without a prescription. He argues that Republicans have let Democrats run away with the idea that Republicans are against birth control and contraception. He states “As an unapologetic pro-life Republican, I also believe that every adult (18 years old and over) who wants contraception should be able to purchase it.”

He continues “Why do women have to go see a doctor before they buy birth control? There are two answers. First, because big government says they should, even though requiring a doctor visit to get a drug that research shows is safe helps drive up health-care costs. Second, because big pharmaceutical companies benefit from it. They know that prices would be driven down if the companies had to compete in the marketplace once their contraceptives were sold over the counter.”

“Contraception is a personal matter-the government shouldn’t be in the business of banning it or requiring a woman’s employer to keep tabs on her use of it,” he argues.

Last month, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecology (ACOG) issued a statement saying that oral contraceptives should be available over the counter and without a prescription for all women. ACOG stated that if women had over the counter access to birth control, it could lead to a reduction in unintended pregnancies in the country, as well as reduce the economic impact of the U.S.’s high rate of unintended pregnancies.

Jindal is the current head of the Republican Governors’ Association, and a possible GOP presidential candidate in 2016 according to Politico.

Media Resources: Wall Street Journal 12/14/12; Politico 12/14/12; CBS 11/21/12

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Yesterday the Michigan Senate approved HB 5711, a sweeping package of anti-abortion legislation that will enforce everything from TRAP laws to requiring a risk assessment prior to a procedure. “Super Bill” HB5711 was first proposed in June, and has been in the Senate since August. Yesterday the bill was approved on a vote of 27 to 10, and merely needs to be signed by Governor Rick Snyder to become law.

HB 5711 requires that clinics meet the same standards and regulations as surgical centers and that fetal remains are to be treated the same as a dead human body, including authorization from the local or state registrar before cremation. The bill also requires that doctors provide a written “risk assessment” to patients at least 24 hours before having a procedure and prohibits the use of telemedicine to prescribing abortion-inducing medication. Doctors will also have to certify that a woman is not being coerced into having an abortion by asking probing and invasive questions as a result of HB 5711.

Michigan’s state legislature has passed multiple pieces of anti-choice legislation this week while the majority of media attention has been directed towards the right-to-work bill. House Substitute for S.B. 1293 and House Substitute for S.B. 1294 were both approved by the Michigan Senate and House and immediately prevent abortion coverage from being included in any health insurance exchange program as required by the Affordable Care Act. Both of these laws were passed as part of the restructuring of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan. These two bills are separate from both approved, which are all pieces of anti-choice insurance legislation passed by the state Senate and sent to the House Insurance Committee. If S.B. 612, 613, and 614 are passed in the House, they will prevent abortion from being a covered procedure under any health insurance policy, and would require women to purchase an additional separate policy purely for abortion coverage.

Media Resources: USA Today 12/13/12; Detroit News 12/12/12; Huffington Post 12/12/12; Feminist Newswire 12/12/12, 12/11/12

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While Michigan was in the news due to its new “Right-to-Work” bill, the Michigan House took the opportunity to approve two anti-abortion laws on December 6th.

House Substitute for S.B. 1293 and House Substitute for S.B. 1294 were both approved by the Michigan Senate and House and immediately prevent abortion coverage from being included in any health insurance exchange program as required by the Affordable Care Act. Both of these laws were passed as part of the restructuring of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan. This allowed their passage to fly under the radar because they are reforming existing laws about insurance coverage. The new laws will go into effect immediately and will only affect policies through the state health insurance exchange.

These two bills are separate from S.B. 612, 613, and 614, which are all pieces of anti-choice insurance legislation passed by the state Senate and sent to the House Insurance Committee. If S.B. 612, 613, and 614 are passed in the House, they will prevent abortion from being a covered procedure under any health insurance policy, and would require women to purchase an additional separate policy purely for abortion coverage.

Media Resources: Feminist Newswire 12/11/12; DailyKOS 12/8/12

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Michigan governor Rick Snyder signed a Right to Work bill into law yesterday. This new law limits union power by preventing unions from taking dues from employee paychecks. Instead, employees must voluntarily give a portion of their paycheck to the union.

Supporters of the law believes that this will lead to economic growth since employees who currently aren’t union members, public or private, won’t be forced to have an automatic deduction from their paycheck. However, union advocates believe that this new measure will hurt all employees economically because unions won’t be able to afford to bargain for better working conditions and pay rates.

When speaking in Redford, Michigan, last week, President Obama commented, “You know, these so-called right-to-work laws, they don’t have to do with economics. They have everything to do with politics. What they’re really talking about is giving you the right to work for less money.”

Media Resources: ABC News 12/11/12;Politico 12/11/12; Washington Post 12/11/12

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Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin filed a lawsuit on Tuesday challenging a state law that would force doctors who perform medical abortions to face possible criminal charges. Wisconsin Act 217 went into effect in April of this year and required women seeking a medical abortion to visit the doctor three times before receiving the medication. Doctors administering the medication also had to prove that a woman was not being coerced into taking the medication.

Planned Parenthood filed a case to repeal the law in the federal U.S. District Court in Madison on the grounds that it is unconstitutional because it is so vague that doctors do not know what is necessary to comply with the law. The suit is against Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, Wisconsin district attorneys, and the state’s Medical Examining Board, all of whom are supposed to enforce the law.

Teri Huyck, President of Planned Parenthood of Wisonsin, told the LaCrosse Tribune, “We are in court to make sure decisions about pregnancy once again belong to a woman, her family and her faith, with the counsel of her doctor.” Since the law went into effect, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has halted dispensing the abortion pill.

Media Resources: LaCrosse Tribune 12/12/12; RH Reality Check 12/12/12; WTAQ 12/12/12; Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin Email statement 12/11/12; Feminist Newswire 4/23/12

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Yesterday, Texas Governor Rick Perry vowed that he would do everything in his power to end abortion access.

At a press conference by Texas Right to Life, Rick Perry told attendees “Let me be clear, my goal – and the goal of many of those joining me here today – is to make abortion at any stage a thing of the past. But while Roe versus Wade prohibits us from taking that step, it does allow us, the states, to do some things to protect life if they can show there is a compelling state interest. I don’t think there’s any issue that better fits the definition of a compelling state interest than preventing the suffering of our state’s unborn.”

While at the press conference, Perry bragged about his previous actions to restrict abortion access, such asdefunding Planned Parenthood and requiring mandatory ultrasounds for women who want to have an abortion. He also endorsed legislation that would ban an abortion past 20 weeks into the pregnancy, even in cases of rape or incest, though no such legislation has been proposed in Texas yet.

“This session, I’m calling on the legislature to strengthen our ban on the procedure, prohibiting abortion at the point a baby can feel the pain of being killed. We have an obligation to end that kind of cruelty,” he said.

Pro-choice activists are already concerned about the implications of Governor Perry’s words. Heather Busby, executive director of NARAL Pro-choice Texas told the Houston Chronicle “This proposed abortion ban is a cruel attempt by anti-choice extremists to curb access to care for women in the most desperate of circumstances.” Bebe Anderson, the U.S. legal director for the Center for Reproductive Rights, told theHuffington Post “There is no denying that Governor Perry and the state legislature’s unprecedented and unrelenting assaults on women’s reproductive rights in 2011 are causing hardship for women in Texas every single day. And now the governor has made it clear that Texas women will once again be public enemy number one in 2013.”

Media Resources: Houston Chronicle 12/11/12; Huffington Post 12/11/12; ThinkProgress 12/11/12; Feminist Newswire 10/26/12, 1/12/12

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United State Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia defended his controversial stance on gay rights by comparing homosexuality to murder while speaking at Princeton University on Monday.

Associate Justice Scalia was speaking at a lecture at Princeton to promote his new book. Self-identified gay first year student, Duncan Hoise, asked Scalia about his dissenting opinion in the 1993 case Lawrence v Texas in which Scalia compared having morals against homosexuality to having morals against murder or bestiality.

“If we cannot have moral feelings against homosexuality, can we have it against murder? Can we have it against other things?” Scalia questioned. “It’s a form of argument that I thought you would have known, which is called the ‘reduction to the absurd.’ …I don’t think it’s necessary but I think it’s effective,” he explained. Scalia concluded “I’m surprised you aren’t persuaded.”

Scalia’s remarks come just a few days after the Supreme Court announced that it will see a case regarding the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Proposition 8 next year. Though official dates have not been determined, hearings on the cases will most likely begin in late March with a ruling expected sometime in June.

Media Resources: CBS 12/10/12; The Daily Princetonian 12/10/12; Huffington Post 12/10/12; Feminist Newswire 12/7/12

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The state Senate of Michigan passed a package of anti-abortion legislation last week in an effort to pass abortion restriction legislation before the end of the lame duck session. SB 612, 613, and 614 seek to eliminate insurance coverage for abortion services with no exception for rape or incest.

The bills would prevent abortion from being a covered benefit under the state health care exchange that must be implemented by 2014 as part of the Affordable Care Act. They also would prevent abortion services coverage from being supplied by private insurance policies from an employer. In this case, the employer or the individual would have to purchase a separate policy specifically for abortion coverage. The only abortion exception that would be covered without a supplemental policy would be in a situation where the woman would die without the procedure.

Desiree Cooper of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan told the Huffington Post “It feels like [state legislators] are completely tone-deaf to what Americans want in general, which is for legislators to pay attention to the economy, particularly in Michigan, and to women and their power to say, ‘This is what we want, and this is what we don’t want.'”

The Michigan House is scheduled to consider SB 612, 613, and 614 sometime this week. The Michigan House is also set to consider HB 5711 which would impose TRAP regulations on abortion clinics by forcing them to meet the same standards as surgical centers. In addition, HB 5711 would prohibit the use of telemedicine to prescribe medical abortions and require doctors to prescribe medicines to induce an abortion in person. Currently 21 out of 83 counties in Michigan do not have an OBGYN, which forces some women to rely on telemedicine for abortion care.

Media Resources: Detroit Free Pree 12/8/12; Huffington Post 12/6/12; ThinkProgress 12/6/12

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On Friday, United States District Court Judge James C. Fox ruled that North Carolina could not offer “Choose Life” license plates because they violate the First Amendment.

Fox determined that without a license plate promoting a pro-choice message, the proposed anti-abortion license plates violated the First Amendment and constituted “viewpoint discrimination.” According to NBC, legislation creating both a pro-choice and anti-choice specialty plates had been defeated six times in the North Carolina legislature.

Chris Brook, legal director of the ACLU-NCLF who lead the legal fight against the license plates, told reporters, “This is a great victory for the free speech rights of all North Carolinians, regardless of their point of view on reproductive freedom. The government cannot create an avenue of expression for one side of a contentious political issue while denying an equal opportunity to citizens with the opposite view.”

Representative Mitch Gillespie (R-McDowell), sponsor of the legislation, says that he will urge the Attorney General to appeal the court’s decision.

Media Resources: NBC 12/10/12; San Francisco Gate 12/10/12; WRAL 12/10/12

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The United States Supreme Court has announced that it will hear two cases regarding same sex marriage. One case challenges Proposition 8, the California state ban on same-sex marriage and the other challenges the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Though official dates have not been determined, hearings on the cases will most likely begin in late March with a ruling expected sometime in June.

Theodore Olson, a lawyer who is leading the fight against Proposition 8, told Bloomberg this decision is “perhaps the most important remaining civil rights issue of our time.” Chad Griffin, executive direct of the Human Rights Campaign, told USA Today “I fully believe that this court’s going to come down on the side of freedom and equality.”

LGBTQ rights, abortion rights, and the death penalty have been on the court’s radar already this year. In October, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said: “The death penalty? Give me a break. It’s easy. Abortion? Absolutely easy. Nobody ever thought the Constitution prevented restrictions on abortion. Homosexual sodomy? Come on. For 200 years, it was criminal in every state.” Later that month, the court refused to hear a case proposed by anti-abortion Personhood Oklahoma that dealt with extreme personhood legislation.

Media Resources: Bloomberg 12/7/12; USA Today 12/7/12; Feminist Newswire 11/27/12

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South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint announced on Thursday that he will be leaving the Senate to lead the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation at the end of the year.

Jim DeMint was a vocal Tea Party Republican in the Senate who is credited by the New York Times as helping spark the Tea Party movement. In 2012, he endorsed controversial candidates Richard Mourdock and Todd Akin, who both gained national infamy with their comments regarding rape and abortion. In 2010, DeMint gained national press when he told reporters openly gay people and women engaging in premarital sex should not be allowed to teach in schools.

In a statement, DeMint said “I’m leaving the Senate now, but I’m not leaving the fight. I’ve decided to join The Heritage Foundation at a time when the conservative movement needs strong leadership in the battle of ideas.”

South Carolina’s governor Nikki Haley (R) will now have to select a replacement to serve until the next election in 2014. Many favor state Representative Todd Scott (R), who, according to the New York Times, was the first African American to serve in South Carolina’s Congress since Reconstruction after the Civil War. Among others who are possibly vying for the open seat is TV personality Stephen Colbert, who made an unsuccessful bid to run for President in the state in 2008 and is the host of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report“.

Media Resources: Huffington Post 12/7/12; Jim DeMint Statement “DeMint to Leave Senate to Lead the Heritage Foundation” 12/6/12; New York Times 12/6/12; Feminist Newswire 10/24/12, 9/24/12, 10/6/10

NEW ORLEANS, LA – JUNE 17 by Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com

Mississippi Democratic State Senator Alice Harden passed away yesterday at the age of 64. Harden died of an undisclosed but lengthy illness. She had served on the Mississippi state Senate since 1988, and is survived by her husband and daughter.

In her time as state Senator, Harden has been described as a champion for public education, workers’ rights, and immigrants’ rights. Harden wrote legislation that was approved requiring certified translators to be present in Mississippi courts. She also fought to gain pay raises for state employees. Prior to her time as a state senator she was a public school teacher, and brought her passion for education into the state Senate. She previously chaired the Mississippi Senate Education Committee and was the former president of the Mississippi Associations of Educators.

Mississippi state Representative Alyce Clarke (D-Hinds) was a longtime friend of Harden. “We’ve lost a good woman,” she said. “She was always a voice. When we needed a voice in the Senate, or in the community, we knew Alice would be there. I never had any doubt that she would be in there, doing what she felt like was in the best interests of her constituents.”

Bill Chandler, executive director of Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance based in Jackson, spoke highly of Harden in the Jackson Free Press. “She really was a giant for human rights, for workers rights and for immigrant rights,” he commented.

Governor Phil Bryant told the Jackson Clarion Ledger “Having served in the Mississippi Senate for 24 years, Sen. Alice Harden was a pioneer for civil rights and a staunch supporter of public education. …She served her constituents well and will certainly be missed.”

Media Resources: Jackson Clarion Ledger 12/6/12; Jackson Free Press 12/6/12; WJTV 12/6/12

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Maryland and Washington state began implementing parts of new legislation legalizing same-sex marriage today. Same-sex marriage was approved in both states, as well as in Maine, in the November election.

In Maryland, same-sex couples can now begin the process for obtaining a marriage license from the state. Licenses for same-sex couples won’t be valid in January 1st, 2013, when the new law will officially take effect. However, two of the largest jurisdictions in Maryland will begin issuing licenses as early Thursday according to local WJLA. Couples with a marriage license dated for January 1st, 2013 can begin exchanging vows at the beginning of the new year.

In Washington, same-sex couples were in line at midnight to get marriage licenses. According to the Seattle Times, over 200 couples were in line at midnight to get licenses in the city. Whereas in Maryland couples won’t be able to exchange vows until 2013, Washington couples can proceed with ceremonies as early as Sunday, after a mandatory three day waiting period after receiving a marriage license. Pete-e Peterson, the first to get a license with her partner Jane Abbott Lightly, told the Huffington Post, “We waited a long time. We’ve been together 35 years, never thinking we’d get a legal marriage. Now I feel so joyous I can’t hardly stand it.”

Same-sex couples in Maine can begin exchanging vows December 29th when the state law goes into effect. There is no mandatory waiting period for a marriage license in Maine.

Media Resources: Huffington Post 12/6/12, Reuters 12/6/12; Seattle Times 12/6/12. WBAL 12/6/12, WJLA 12/6/12

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As of 12:01am Thursday morning, the recreational use of marijuana became legal in the state of Washington.

Initiative 502 takes effect today, a month after it was approved by Washington voters. The new law permits the recreational use of marijuana and the regulated state sale of the substance. Initiative 502 does limit the use of the drug by prohibiting public consumption, driving under the influence of marijuana, underage usage, or unsanctioned sale of the drug.

Despite the prohibition of public use of marijuana, over one hundred people gathered around the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington, to ring in the new law with celebratory smoking. Police did not interfere in the demonstrations, but rather will be advising individuals that using marijuana in public places can be punishable by a citation, similar to those issued for public consumption of alcohol. An online post from Seattle Police Department reads “In the meantime, in keeping with the spirit of I-502, the department’s going to give you a generous grace period to help you adjust to this brave, new, and maybe kinda stoned world we live in.”

Under federal law, marijuana is still classified as an illegal narcotic. U.S. Attorney General Jenny Durkan issued a statement on Wednesday warning that despite changes to state laws, the possession, sale, or cultivation of marijuana is still a federal crime.

Media Resources: Businessweek 12/6/12, Huffington Post 12/6/12, Reuters 12/6/12, SPD Blotter 12/5/12

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Last night the Senate voted to approve the National Defense Authorization Act, which details the military’s budget and spending for 2013 and expands servicewomen’s right to abortion access.

The NDAA would extend insurance coverage for abortion to military women who were raped. Currently, federal law prohibits servicewomen from using their insurance to cover an abortion for a pregnancy resulting from rape, forcing them to pay for the procedure out of pocket. The NDAA was approved with 98 votes in favor of its passage and zero against. Two senators, Kirk (R-IL) and Rockefeller (D-WV), did not participate in the vote.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the sponsor of the bill, told the Huffington Post, “It’s simply unfair that we’ve singled out the women who are putting their lives on the line in the military. We have young women who are starting out making $18,000 a year, and they just are not able to deal with this situation on the private side when it happens to them.” She hopes to convince House Republicans that the provision isn’t about abortion, but fair treatment of servicewomen.

In addition, the version passed in the Senate did not include a discriminatory provision that would have allowed discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender, and race if the medical provider had a moral or religious justification. This provision, added by Representative Todd Akin (known for his infamous “legitimate rape” comments), was part of the version of the bill approved by the House in May.

Media Resources: Huffington Post 12/5/12; Queerty 12/5/12; U.S. Senate 12/4/12; Feminist Newswire 8/20/12

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The Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected two anti-abortions laws in near unanimous decisions yesterday.

In separate cases, the state Supreme Court determined that both HB 2780 and HB 1970 are unconstitutional because they violate the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. HB 2780 required that women had an ultrasound performed and described to her within an hour before having an abortion. HB 1970 prohibited off-label use of medications, including RU-486, to induce abortions. HB 1970 was defeated by a unanimous opinion from all eight judges and HB 2780 was defeated by seven of the judges. One judge recused herself from the case of HB 2780 because she had issued an injunction against the law in 2010.

The State Attorney General Scott Pruitt, who defended the laws, is considering appealing to the United States Supreme Court.

Nancy Northup, President of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represented the plaintiffs in the cases,told the media that Oklahoma has long been a battleground against anti-women legislation, “but despite their best efforts to chip away at women’s fundamental rights, the courts have consistently rejected these extreme assaults on reproductive freedom.”

Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a case brought by the anti-abortion group Personhood Oklahoma, rejecting its attempt to challenge the Oklahoma court’s ruling against a proposed Personhood ballot measure in the state. The ballot measure, if it were passed, would grant fertilized eggs the same constitutional rights as a person, would serve to ban abortion, and could also outlaw emergency contraception, IUDS, in vitro fertilization, and stem cell research.

Media Resources: Businessweek 12/5/12; Tulsa World 12/5/12; Huffington Post 12/4/12; Feminist Newswire 10/31/12

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Today the Senate rejected the ratification of the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by a vote of 61 for and 38 against. Because the treaty did not gain two thirds of the Senate or 66 of the 99 Senators voting for approval of the action, the treaty automatically fails. Senator Kirk (R) of Illinois was absent due to illness. The treaty would recognize fundamental human rights for persons living with disabilities on an international level. Currently 124 countries have ratified the treaty, and 154 have signed it including the United States.

The 38 no votes, cast entirely by Republicans, echoes a pledge earlier this year by many conservatives to block any international treaty brought before the Senate during the lame duck session. Only seven Republicans voted in favor of ratification.

Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority, stated “I’m shocked that all Republican Senators except for seven would vote no for rights for persons with disabilities even though the Chamber of Commerce was for the treaty.”

Media Resources: C-SPAN 2 12/4/12; United States Senate 12/4/12; Feminist Newswire 11/28/12

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The Bureau of Justice Statistics released a report last week showing that the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is effectively working to reduce intimate partner violence. The report titled “Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2010,” looks at crime and victimization studies from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and shows that there has been a 64% decline in intimate partner violence from 1993 to 2010. The report also found that from 1994 (when VAWA was passed) to 2010, rates of intimate partner violence for women and men decreased by more than 60%. However, women 18 – 24 and 25 – 34 continue to see the highest levels of intimate partner violence.

Many activists are citing the decline as evidence that VAWA significantly reduces intimate partner violence, especially against women. Kim Gandy, President of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, stated “The difference between today and 1993 is remarkable. …VAWA is truly the foundation of our nation’s response to domestic and sexual violence, stalking and dating violence. It is effective and cost efficient. It is saving people’s lives and reducing violence against women.”

VAWA was reauthorized with unanimous support in 2000 and 2005, but its 2011 reauthorization has been halted in Congress. VAWA has been reauthorized by the Senate, however the conservative controlled House has supported the Cantor/Adams VAWA, which would roll back domestic violence legislation. The Cantor/Adams version does not extend protections to Native American women when they are abused by non-native spouses on tribal lands nor does it give Native American authorities the power to prosecute these non-Native abusers. The Cantor/Adams version would not extend VAWA protenction to immigrants and also did not extend full protection to college students. Protections for LGBT victims that were included in the VAWA reauthorization passed by the Senate were also left out of the House Cantor/Adams VAWA reauthorization.

Media Resources: Huffington Post 12/4/12; Bureau of Justice Statistics “Intimate Partner Violence” 11/27/12; Feminist Newswire 5/17/12

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On Friday, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals denied an appeal by Planned Parenthood to reconsider Ohio restrictions of RU-486 that had been decided by a partial court in October.

In October, the Court upheld a 2004 Ohio law that restricts the use of the drug RU-486, also known as mifepristone or the “abortion pill,” beyond seven weeks, making a surgical procedure the only option for many women seeking to terminate a pregnancy. The law also requires clinics to administer the medications in exact accordance with FDA regulations even though many clinics administer the pill in safe off-label methods.

The decision on Friday means the restrictions on the abortion pill are likely to remain permanent. This could also set an example for other states with legal challenges to similar restrictions such as Kentucky, Michigan, and Tennessee.

Media Resources: RH Reality Check 12/3/12; Americans United for Life 11/30/12; Feminist Newswire 10/3/12

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A controversial website featuring nude photographs from failed past relationships is relaunching within the month and will include the home addresses of the people pictured on the site.

The original site IsAnyoneUp? was a pornographic website that featured nude photographs posted by ex-partners that included the subject’s name and social media profiles. The site was shut down in April due to legal problems and the domain was sold to an anti-bullying group. IsAnyoneUp? founder Hunter Moore has announced that he will launch a similar website within a month. The new site will allow users to post a person’s home address in addition to their full name and social media profiles.

In an interview with BetaBeat, Moore said “We’re gonna introduce the mapping stuff so you can stalk people. …I know-it’s scary as ****.” He added in regards to the closure of the original site, “All these people that thought they were safe: nah, it’s all gonna be back.”

According to the BBC, the original IsAnyoneUp? prompted many to consider Moore “the most hated man on the Internet.” Some content is already available on the new site, according to Salon.

Media Resources: Feministing 11/30/12; BetaBeat 11/29/12; Salon 11/28/12; BBC 4/20/12

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