Author: Feminist Newswire

The Feminist Newswire has provided a daily feminist perspective on national, global, and campus news stories since 1995. You can receive a weekly feminist news digest when you subscribe here.

Maria Ressa, CEO of Philippine News Site Critical of President Rodrigo Duterte, Arrested

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Maria Ressa, an outspoken critic of Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte, who has previously threatened reporters, was arrested Wednesday with “cyber libel” charges against her news site, Rappler. The charges were in relation to a Rappler report that connected a former judge in the Philippines’ top court to a businessman involved in human trafficking and illegal drugs.

Several agents from the National Bureau of Investigations (NBI) arrested Ressa late afternoon and threatened other reporters for recording the scene. Following her arrest, a night court judge rejected her request to post bail, resulting in Ressa spending the night in custody. Ressa was also charged with tax fraud charges, which she posted bail for, and she denies the charges a politically motivated stunt.

The Cybercrime Prevention Act, which Ressa was charged under, was approved and put into effect in 2014, two years after the article in question was published in 2012. Ressa and her lawyers have denounced the charges as politically motivated and retroactive, because they are charging her for a crime that was not illegal at the time of the article’s published date.

Ressa, who was a 2018 Time Person of the Year, had been outspoken about Duterte’s war on drugs, reporting the brutal deaths of thousands of people and drawing international attention to Duterte’s antidrug war. Rappler had also published a report of Duterte’s public admission that he had sexually assaulted a maid. Rappler and Ressa have faced several attacks from the government, including being banned from covering presidential appearances as well as stripped of press passes. Duterte has also attacked other reporters from different publications, threatening ABS-CBN, Philippines’ largest broadcast news network, that he would deny their license renewal.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines have condemned Duterte’s actions against Rappler and Ressa, stating that the government’s arrest of Ressa was “clearly manipulated” and demonstrated the “ridiculous lengths to forcibly silence critical media.” Press freedom in the Philippines has declined since Duterte’s presidency. 176 journalists have been killed in the Philippines since 1986, making the country one of the most dangerous for journalists. In 2016, the president stated that many of those reporters have “done something wrong” and deserved to die.

 

Media Resources: CNN 2/13/19; BBC 6/1/26; BBC 2/13/19; New York Times 2/13/19

Dr. Mags Portman, Leading Pioneer of PrEP, Dies at 44

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Dr. Mags Portman, a leading pioneer of PrEP in the United Kingdom and Europe, passed away this week at 44 years old after a battle with cancer. Dr. Portman was a leading advocate for PrEP before the NHS made the life-saving medication readily available and worked to increase access for PrEP, preventing thousands from becoming HIV positive.

Dr. Portman dedicated her life’s work to expanding access to PrEP, training doctors about the lifesaving medication and connecting PrEP activists with doctors. At the Royal London Hospital, Dr. Portman was part of the team that released the PROUD study that outline PrEP’s efficacy, enabling doctors to recommend the medication for patients before the NHS made the medication available.

Dr. Portman stated that before PrEP was widely available, “it was very, very difficult and frustrating as a clinician to know that this HIV prevention tool was out there but we couldn’t access it, we couldn’t prescribe it. We were seeing people who we knew were at risk and them coming back with HIV.”

In 2015, Dr. Portman approached the General Medical Council to inquire if doctors can suggest treatments for patients that are not available through the NHS, such as PrEP. The council responded that doctors “must” recommend these treatments. This revelation allowed Dr. Portman to give permission to other doctors and specialists to share medically accurate, but not NHS approved, advice to patients requesting more information on PrEP. Doctors began sharing with their patients that PrEP does prevent HIV, it is almost 100% effective, it is safe, and it is tested; information not previously available or widely shared.

Because of Dr. Portman, access to PrEP and traffic to IWantPrEPNow, the website to buy PrEP, drastically increased. By 2017, the number of HIV infections had decreased by 30%. Dr. Portman was awarded the Outstanding Contribution award from the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV in 2018. The NHS finally approved PrEP in 2017, after a lengthy legal battle.

Debroah Gold, CEO of the National Aids Trust, stated that “during a time when PrEP was unavailable via the NHS, Mags stepped forward and took a lead in ensuring that those buying PrEP online had access to the advice, medical testing and support they needed from their clinicians. She worked to ensure that those at risk could be confident in the safety of their supply of PrEP. Through her actions, countless people who otherwise would have, do not have HIV.”

 

Media Resources: Buzzfeed News 2/12/19

Violence Against Native American Women

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Savanna’s Act, a bill that calls for the standardization of protocols for law enforcement agencies and for updating data for federal databases relevant to missing or murdered Native American women, was re-introduced to the floor on Monday by Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski.

Savanna’s Act is named in honor of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a pregnant Spirit Lake tribe member, who was murdered in South Dakota in 2017. Originally, Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota introduced the bill in October 2017 to address the violence that afflicts Native American women. Last year, the act passed in the Senate but was killed by Republican Bob Goodlatte in the House Judiciary Committee in 2018.

In the US, there is an epidemic of violence against Native American women that Congress has not addressed. Over half of Native American women are victims of sexual assault and a third of Native women are raped. These rates are double that of white women. Homicide is the third leading cause of death for Native women ages 15 to 24 in and outside of tribal land.

The authority and power of tribal law enforcement has been challenged and limited by the US government. Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe, a 1978 Supreme Court case, provides immunity to non-Native Americans offenders through limiting the authority of tribal law enforcement. This thereby weakens tribal authority and compromises the safety of tribe members. The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 tried to remedy the issue of jurisdiction, but it did not completely reestablish complete jurisdiction to tribal authority.

Savanna’s Act is a starting point to help protect one of the most marginalized groups in our country. As the number of missing and murdered women continues to grow, more attention needs to be given to this epidemic and Savanna’s Act is just the start of the solution.

 

Media Resources: Bloomberg,2/12/19; Splinter News, 12/27/19; MS. Blog,1/10/19; Ms. Blog,2/26/18

Denver Teachers Strike Heads into its Second Day

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Today is the second day of the Denver public teacher strike for higher wages, instead of the “unpredictable bonuses” they receive each year, and more than half of all Denver public school teachers are participating in what is the first Denver teacher strike in 25 years.

Hundreds of central office staff members and substitute teachers have gone into schools to replace teachers, leading to many high school students walking out because the students feel that the lesson plans they were given were “very elementary” and that everything is “pretty disorganized.”

Each day of the strike costs the district more than $400,000. During the strike, the district must pay substitute teachers and provide strike curriculum materials, while losing tuition from the district’s preschools, which are closed during the strike.

Denver Public Schools has issued an offer to the teachers union that includes an increased base pay for teachers, $55 million dollars for investment, and another $2 million in investment for increasing the base pay for teachers. However, this $2 million investment would come from laying off central office staff members. The teachers union has rejected this offer and would like “a fair, competitive and transparent salary schedule that prioritizes base salary over complicated, unreliable bonuses.” There currently is no end in sight for the strike.

 

Media Resources: CNN 2/12/19; Denver Post 2/11/19

Congressional Negotiators Prepare Offer to Prevent Government Shutdown

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On Monday, Congressional negotiators came to an “agreement in principle” on a spending bill to prevent another government shutdown from occurring Friday that includes an offer of $1.375 billion for 55 miles of new border fencing to satisfy President Trump’s demand for a border wall.

Once the text of the actual spending bill is complete, the House and the Senate will have to approve the bill and give it to the president by February 15th; otherwise, another government shutdown will take place. If another government shutdown takes place, thousands of federal workers will be at risk once again, and lawmakers will have to rely on another stopgap funding bill. However, it remains unclear whether President Trump will sign the legislation.

On January 25th, President Trump agreed to reopen the federal government for three weeks, ending the last government shutdown. During the three weeks, negotiations were to be made over the billions of dollars Trump demanded from the Democrats for his southwestern border wall. 800,000 federal workers suffered during the month long government shutdown, many being furloughed or forced to work without pay.

In the earlier stages of the government shutdown, President Trump continued to rebuff any spending bill that did not allocate $5.7 billion to fund a wall on the border of Mexico and the United States. Democrats were eager to end the shutdown, but were firm in their refusal to sacrifice billions of dollars for Trump’s wall.

 

Media Resources: Vox 2/12/19; Politico 2/11/19; New York Times 1/25/19; Feminist News 1/25/19; Feminist News 1/22/19

California Governor Rescinds National Guard Troops from Southern Border

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California Governor Gavin Newsom announced his decision to withdraw National Guard troops from the southern border with Mexico, against Trump’s request for troops from border states, stating that “the border ‘emergency’ is a manufactured crisis and California will not be part of this political theater.”

Currently, California has 360 troops at the southern border at the direction of past governor Jerry Brown. Newsom said he would leave 100 troops at the border that will focus only on fighting transnational crime, such as drugs.  The other National Guard troops will be used to support CalFire’s wildfire prevention and protection efforts and the statewide Counterdrug Task Force.

Jerry Brown approved 360 troops to the southern border, at President Trump’s request, under the condition that these troops will not be used for immigration-related purposes. Brown wrote to the Trump administration saying that the troops “will not be a mission to build a new wall. It will not be a mission to round up women and children or detain people escaping violence and seeking a better life. And the California National Guard will not be enforcing federal immigration laws.”

Governor Newsom’s decision comes after New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered most of the New Mexico National Guard to withdraw from the border. Texas and Arizona still have National Guard troops at the border and have not announced plans to rescind their troops.

 

Media Resources: NPR 2/11/19; USA Today 2/11/19

Trump Administration Proposes New Rule to Restrict Abortion Coverage

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The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), proposed a new abortion restriction under the Affordable Care Act in their “2020 Payment Notice” that is meant to deter insurers from covering abortion services, requiring insurance companies that have plans covering non-Hyde abortions to also have at least one matching plan that does not cover these abortions. Non-Hyde abortions are abortions for pregnancies that are not a result of rape or incest and do not threaten the mother’s life.

The new abortion coverage requirement in the 300-paged proposal would disincentivize insurance companies from covering abortion, resulting in an increase of out-of-pocket costs for women who seek to have an abortion. The increase in out-of-pocket costs could create a significant obstacle for women who cannot afford to obtain an abortion, limiting women’s access to their necessary healthcare.

The new abortion coverage proposal comes after several proposed anti-choice rules in November from the Trump Administration. One of these rules allowed religious and moral exemption for nonprofits and some businesses from ACA’s birth control benefit. In addition, the Trump Administration also proposed a requirement for insurance companies to separately bill customers and collect payments for abortion services. This rule would mean that healthcare providers would need to send completely separate bills, one bill for abortion services only and another bill for all other healthcare services. Experts believe that this rule could burden consumers and create confusion.

Several state legislatures already have similar bans on insurance coverage of abortion services. 11 states have laws that restrict abortion coverage in all private insurance plans in the state, with eight of those states only allowing exception for life endangerment of the mother. Abortion coverage is already highly restrictive as states that do allow abortion coverage may not even have plans that include abortion coverage.

 

Media Resources: Rewire.News 1/18/19; Mic 11/9/18; Guttmacher Institute 6/6/18

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam Refusing to Resign Despite Backlash

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On Monday, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, in a TV interview, stated that he will not be resigning after a picture of him in black face surfaced, despite the backlash he has received, and promised to use his platform as governor to help Virginia “heal.”

Angered Americans have made numerous calls for Northam’s resignation, but Northam insists on finishing his term. He declared, “Virginia needs someone that can heal. There’s no better person to do that than a doctor. Virginia also needs someone who is strong, who has empathy, who has courage and who has a moral compass. And that’s why I’m not going anywhere.” He explained the controversy surrounding the photo from decades ago no longer represents who he is now and blames his white privilege and ignorance for the actions he committed as a medical student at Eastern Virginia Medical School.

Feminist Majority released a statement revoking their support for Northam due to his harmful actions. They called for his resignation, stating that, “The violent symbolism of the Klan hood and the degrading history of blackface have no place in a United States that seeks to create a future of equality and justice for all.”

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) President Derrick Johnson also called for Northam’s resignation on Twitter stating, “Black face in any manner is always racist and never okay,” he continues, “No matter the party affiliation, we cannot stand for such behavior, which is why the @NAACP is calling for the resignation of Virginia Governor @RalphNortham.”

Last week, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam found himself in hot waters when a racist yearbook photo of him circulated around the internet. The photo featured an individual dressed in blackface and another individual dressed in the signature Klu Klux Klan, an American white supremacist hate group, white robes and pointed hood. Northam apologized for “the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now.”

 

Media Resources: CBS News 2/10/19; CNN 2/7/19; CNN 2/11/19; Feminist Majority Press Release 2/4/19; Twitter 2/1/19

Supreme Court puts Temporary hold on Louisiana Anti-abortion Law

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Yesterday the Supreme Court ruled in favor of placing a temporary hold on Louisiana’s abortion law which requires abortion providers to have hospital privileges at a local hospital. In a tight ruling, 5-4, the Supreme Court set the block in place for a week.

This is, however, only a small victory for abortion advocates as reproductive rights in Louisiana are still in jeopardy while the Supreme Court decides whether they will hear the case. If the court decides to not hear the case after Thursday, the law will go back in effect.

The four justices who voted to keep the law in effect were Alito, Kavanaugh, Thomas, and Gorsuch the conservative judges in the Supreme Court, with Chief Justice Roberts breaking from the other conservative justices. Kavanaugh wrote a dissenting opinion in which he saw no undue burden placed on doctors as long as they would be able to comply or try to comply with the law requirements. Notably no other judge joined him in his dissenting opinion.

Louisiana’s abortion law passed in 2014; however, the Center for Reproductive Right immediately challenged the law. June Medical Services v. Gee challenged the constitutionality of 2014 Louisiana abortion law. In September of 2018 the 5th circuit court of appeals allowed the law to remain in place which breaking with Supreme Court precedent.

The Louisiana abortion law mirrored the notable Texas anti-abortion law at the Center of the Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt decision. In 2016, the Supreme Court ruled in the Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt case that the Texas anti-abortion law unconstitutional as it placed an undue burden on receiving an abortion.

Recently, more states have been passing laws requiring admitting privileges for doctors who perform abortions. There is no evidence that demonstrate that admitting privileges protect women’s health; however, these laws have led to the closure of abortion clinics across the United States.

 

Media Resources: CNN, 2/8/19; Vox, 2/7/19

Introducing the Global HER Act to Repeal the Global Gag Rule

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Yesterday, members of Congress, led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), announced their plan to introduce the Global Health Empowerment and Rights (HER) Act soon. The bill reverses and permanently bans the anti-abortion Global Gag Rule reinstated under the Trump administration, and protects access to healthcare, especially for women and girls, across the globe.

Eleanor Smeal, the President of the Feminist Majority, stated that, “We are calling on Congress to stop this blatant disregard for women’s lives and pass the Global Health, Empowerment, and Rights (HER) Act, which would permanently revoke the Global Gag Rule.”

The Mexico City policy, commonly known as the Global Gag Rule, is a government rule that prohibits the federal funding of non-governmental organizations (NGO) that advocate for decriminalization of abortion, or provide abortion counselling and referrals, even if these activities are done with non-U.S. funds. In 2017, President Trump issued a presidential memorandum reinstating and expanding the Global Gag Rule. Unlike previous iterations of the Global Gag Rule, the most recent one was under President George W. Bush, Trump’s Global Gag Rule applies to all U.S. global health accounts, not just family planning programs. This expanded rule will impact upwards of $9.5 billion in U.S. global health assistance, and impacts programs providing a range of services, including HIV/AIDS programs and initiatives to combat Zika, malaria, and more. Marie Stopes estimates that the Trump Global Gag will lead to the deaths of more than 21,000 women over the next three years.

Since the Trump administration re-initiated the Global Gag, and created a larger threat, women’s rights activists have spoken out their disapproval.

“As one of his very first acts in office, President Trump, with a stroke of his pen, issued a presidential memorandum that will cost tens of thousands of women their lives around the world,” said Eleanor Smeal. “Trump’s Global Gag Rule goes far beyond the deadly Global Gag Rules of Reagan and both Bush I and II,” Smeal continued. “His expanded Global Gag Rule cheats women from receiving accurate and comprehensive medical information, not only at family planning clinics, but also at all clinics receiving U.S. global health funding, including those combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and/or Zika, among many other public health epidemics. Trump is shamelessly trading the lives of the poorest women of the Global South for political points at home.”

 

Media Resources: Guttmacher Institute 2/7/19; Feminist News 9/15/17; Feminist News 3/8/17

Four Humanitarian Aids Convicted for Leaving Water for Migrants

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After four humanitarian aid workers from No More Deaths were convicted and face six months in federal prison for leaving water and canned food in the desert to prevent migrants from dying, five more people are on trial this month and March facing similar charges

Recently in Arizona, U.S. Magistrate Judge Bernardo Velasco convicted four women of violating federal law for leaving water jugs and canned food in the Cabeza Prieta desert during the summer of 2017, when temperatures reached triple digits. The four women were charged with misdemeanor crimes that included entering a protected refuge without a permit, leaving personal property, and driving in a restricted area.

Catherine Gaffney, a volunteer for No More Deaths, responded to the verdict by asking, “If giving water to someone dying of thirst is illegal, what humanity is left in the law of this country?”

The verdict was handed down during the government shutdown, over the funding of a southern border wall, and at a time when tensions between humanitarian groups, ICE, and border security are high. Aid workers believe that their advocacy and humanitarian efforts are being criminalized under the Trump administration.

Humanitarian organizations, such as No More Deaths, are trying to prevent migrants from dying from over-exposure and dehydration in the desert on their trek north. The organization Humane Borders estimates that more than 3,000 migrants have died since 1999. Last year alone, 127 migrants died in the Arizona desert. One of the convicted humanitarian workers, Zaachila Orozco-McCormick, compared the Cabeza Prieta refuge to a graveyard because of the number of bodies found there.

The four women are facing up to six months in federal prison while five others will be tried this month and March.

 

Media Resources: Washington Post 1/20/19; 1/27/19

New UK Bill Seeks to Incorporate Economic Abuse into Domestic Violence Legislation

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A proposed domestic violence bill in the UK is the first legislation to include economic abuse and its clear legal definition, which will better serve victims as well as prosecute offenders. The Home Office and Ministry of Justice submitted the bill in late January that also includes a “domestic abuse commissioner” to oversee and develop public assistance for survivors.

Critics of the bill argue that it does not go far enough. Dr. Nicola Sharp-Jeffs, from Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA), explains “The bill doesn’t criminalize economic abuse in and of itself, which is what we wanted.” Advocates for the inclusion of economic abuse draw concerns that this legislation is not strong enough to help survivors who have debt as a result of economic abuse find relief.

Currently, only half of the countries with domestic violence protection legislation outline or include economic abuse. Economic Abuse is defined not only by the controlling of one’s money but also of any items worth monetary value, including but not limited to cars, phones, food, loans, debts in their name or work life. This is one of the most common forms of abuse and tends to be used by abusers early on in the relationship in order to create a cycle of power and control in the survivor’s everyday life. Experts say that because it is not physical, economic abuse is overlooked in many cases as a warning sign.

Much of the world lacks protections against economic abuse, despite its prevalence. Over 1.4 billion people live without legal protection for economic abuse cases. Many more live in countries without government resources for survivors and criminal punishments for abusers.

Despite the varying opinions on the contents of the bill, if passed, this will be a major stride in the acknowledgment of economic abuse. This bill is supported by the World Bank as well as multiple Domestic Abuse Non-profits in hopes of spreading awareness for Economic Abuse.

 

Media: The Guardian 2019; Home Office and Ministry of Justice 2019; World Bank 2018; NNEDV 2017

Pope Admits Reports of Clerics Sexually Abusing Nuns

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During a trip to the Middle East, Pope Francis admitted that some clerics were sexually abusing nuns, stating that the sexual abuse of nuns has been an ongoing problem that the church is working on and that many clerics have been suspended. In two weeks, Pope Francis will be hosting a gathering of bishops and cardinals to discuss the ongoing sexual misconduct allegations.

The Vatican’s women’s magazine, Women’s Church World, reported yesterday that some women, including nuns, were forced to abort fetuses that were conceived with priests. The editor of the magazine, Lucetta Scaraffia, is calling for an official commission to investigate these allegations, stating that the Vatican has never followed up on many of the complaints. She stated that nuns are not viewed as equals in the Church, hence why their complaints are never taken seriously.

Reports of sexual abuse date back to 2005, when Pope Benedict dissolve a female congregation in France after it was discovered that clerics forced the nuns into sex slavery. However, the Vatican has released a statement clarifying Pope Francis’s statement about the sex slavery, saying that it was more of an “abuse of power” rather than actual sex slavery.

In India last year, a bishop was arrested for raping a nun 13 times from 2014-2016. The woman’s lawyer, Indulekha Joseph, told Washington Post that nuns rarely report their abuse because “once a nun speaks, she is thrown out of the convent and may find herself on the street, because often her family is not willing to accommodate her. A campaign of character assassination starts. The nun will be portrayed as a prostitute.” When women came forward in Chile recently about the sexual abuse they suffered from they were later let go from the order.

While sexual abuse against nuns is just now surfacing, the Catholic Church has been grappling with child sex abuse scandals for decades now. Reports of child molestation date back to the 1950s, but it was not until the 1980s and 1990s that these stories gained mass media attention. A Church-commissioned report from 2004 found that more than 4,000 Catholic priests faced sexual assault allegations in cases with more than 10,000 children, mainly boys. Recently, countless priests and bishops have been resigning due to child sexual assault allegations.

 

Media Resources: BBC 1/6/19; USA Today 1/6/19; BBC 9/21/18; Washington Post 2/6/19; Daily Mail 2/6/19; BBC 8/20/18

Democratic House Unveils Universal Background Check Bill

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Eight years after she almost lost her life in a shooting, former Arizona representative Gabrielle Giffords returned to the Capitol to introduce H.R. 8, a bill to require background checks for all private sales, effectively closing loopholes that allow firearms to be purchased at gun shows and online with minimal oversight. Under current federal law, only licensed gun dealers must submit background checks to the FBI.

The bill is limited to background checks and does not contain language regarding assault rifles or high-capacity magazines, a move designed to make the bill more palatable to Republicans, since they control the Senate and the presidency. However, the decision to omit an assault rifle ban limits the bill’s efficacy. Most high-profile shootings—Parkland, Pittsburgh, Thousand Oaks, Las Vegas—used an assault rifle and all the shooters passed their background checks. Regardless, this is an important step forward for gun safety.

The slew of mass shootings has changed Americans’ attitudes towards gun control. According to a February 2018 Quinnipiac poll, 97% of Americans support universal background checks. Candidates like Lucy McBath, Lizzie Fletcher, and Jason Crow boasted their F-ratings from the NRA and all won their respective House races.

 

Media Resources: Politico 1/4/19; Huffington Post 1/8/19; The New York Times 1/8/19; Feminist Newswire 3/26/18; The Hill 2/20/18; National Public Radio 11/13/18

Four Women Are Killed Everyday in Brazil

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Since the beginning of 2019, on average, four women per day have been killed in Brazil and 126 women have been killed so far this year, causing increased pressure on the government to crack down on femicide cases. There have been an additional 64 attempted murders recorded.

The high rate of women being killed is alarming, but not uncommon for Brazil. Last year, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), found that 40% of the women killed in Latin America are Brazilian women. These rates have gained national attention and concern from human rights groups as well.

Many of the cases found in Brazil are cases of femicide, the murder of a woman by a man based on gender issues. Femicide is specifically criminalized in Brazil, with a tougher jail sentence of up to 30 years than other similar crimes. Despite this, Brazil still records record high rates of femicide, which the IACHR believes is motivated by the harsh gender roles and the socialization of men. The IACHR pointed out that many of the Brazilian women killed had previously reported cases of domestic violence and many of the abusers were intimate partners with known histories of violence and abuse.

Currently, the IACHR warns that women experiencing domestic violence do not have options to escape these situations, as the country does not have many services available for survivors. Only 74 shelters exist for women experience violence in Brazil for the over 200 million people that live among 26 states. Many victims of femicide cases were killed by intimate partners in their own homes.

The international pressure to address femicide coincides with the recent relaxation of Brazilian gun laws, which was highly contested by women’s rights activist who warned it would endanger more women. With these changes, Brazil is now feeling international pressure to address the rising rates of femicide and gender-based violence.

 

Media Resources: OAS 2019; Independent 2019; the Guardian 2019

Thwaites Glacier Melting at an Alarming Rate, Sea Levels Rise

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This week, scientists released a report detailing their discovery that the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica has a 1,000 feet deep and six mile long cavity, roughly the size of two-thirds of Manhattan, due to higher levels of glacier melting than previously expected or calculated. The cavity held 14 billion tons of ice, which melted in the past three years, contributing to 4% of global sea level rise.

The rapid melting of the Thwaites Glacier is steadily raising global sea levels, which will directly impact US coastal cities. If the glacier eventually collapses, global sea levels will rise by two feet, impacting high risk flood areas, such as New York or New Orleans, the most. The collapse of the Thwaites Glacier may lead to other glaciers sliding into the ocean as well. Thwaites currently serves as a barrier, preventing other glaciers from entering the water. If these glaciers were to slide into the ocean, then the sea level will rise by an additional eight feet.

Eric Rignot, one of the authors of the study, stated that, “this is the ocean eating away at the ice; it’s a direct impact of climate change on the glacier.”

In response, American and British scientists have launched The International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration to study the “stretching, bending, and grinding of the glacier,” and accurately examine the glacier’s melting rate.

 

Media Resources: Bustle 2/4/19; NBC News 2/4/19

Indiana Looks to Supreme Court to Implement Anti-abortion Law

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The state of Indiana has requested the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court injunction that blocked a law requiring women receiving an abortion to also receive an ultrasound at least 18 hours prior to the procedure, which adds a waiting period and two different appointments to receive an abortion.

The Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky along with the ACLU of Indiana have both filed suit, saying that the law places “an undue burden on the patient.” Judge Tanya Walton Pratt had initially blocked the law in 2017 since there was no evidence that it would “improve either fetal life or women’s mental health.”

The ACLU of Indiana says that this law specifically targets low-income women who would not be able to afford to make the trips for both the ultrasound and the abortion due to transportation obstacles, childcare, or conflict with their work schedule. They shared the story of one woman who, while the law was in effect, could not go through with her abortion due to the added burdens.

Currently, a woman in Indiana seeking an abortion can receive an ultrasound at the same appointment.

In November, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill appealed to the Supreme Court to review a different lawsuit against an Indiana anti-abortion law that restricts abortion access as well as enforces regulations on how to dispose fetal tissue. This could be the first case on abortion restrictions that the Supreme Court rules on since Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation, and it potentially could allow states across the country to implement similar regulations.

Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky filed the initial suit, which led to an injunction and then a permanent block. The law gives anti-discrimination protections to fetuses, which would prevent a person from receiving an abortion based on the fetus’s sex, race, or disability, preventing an abortion in the case of fetal abnormality. The law also states that fetal remains must be cremated or buried, even though regulations such as this have been previously struck down in federal courts.

 

Media Resources: IndyStar 2/4/19; Feminsit Newswire 11/13/19

After Contentious Debate, Colorado House Advances Comprehensive Sex-Ed Bill

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After 10 hours of debate, the Colorado House Health and Insurance Committee voted to advance House Bill 19-1032, a comprehensive sex education bill. The bill allocates $1 million in existing money to fund comprehensive sex education with a special emphasis on rural and underfunded public schools. The bill also requires schools to teach students about consent, healthy relationships, birth control, and LGBTQ inclusion.

In an interview with the Denver Channel, Rep. Lontine said the bill is meant to promote youth wellness and encourage acceptance of all lifestyles in an effort to end bullying. For this reason, the bill requires teachers to educate students about healthy relationships and consent. Districts that teach sex-ed must include lessons on how consent is given and revoked. Lontine’s bill references a study that says 18.5% of LGBTQ children in Colorado reported being “physically forced to have sexual intercourse against their will.”

Despite what opponents have been saying, the bill does not require all schools to teach comprehensive sex ed. Rather; all schools that choose to teach sex-ed must teach comprehensive sex ed.

In 2017, the Colorado Department of Public Health reported the highest rates for syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. According to the 2017 Healthy Kids Survey, 50% of Colorado teens have engaged in some sort of sexual activity. Abstinence-only sex education doesn’t prevent teens from having sex; it prevents teens from having safe sex.

The bill now moves to the Democratic-controlled House Appropriations Committee, where it will most likely pass.

 

Media Resources: The Denver Channel 2/8/18, 1/30/19, 1/31/19; Denver Post 1/30/19, 2/1/19; Greeley Tribune 1/31/19; Colorado Public Radio 1/31/19

VA House of Delegates Table Abortion Bill That Loosens Restrictions on Late-Term Abortions

Posted on by Feminist Newswire

A proposed Virginia bill meant to loosen several restrictions on abortions, such as eliminating any procedures and processes required that affect a woman’s informed consent, and easing late-term abortion requirements, was tabled by a subcommittee after videos of Del. Kathy Tran defending the bill went viral.

Del. Kathy Tran’s remarks went viral after she said that the bill would technically allow abortions until the point of birth in a committee hearing last week. This sparked a national debate about late-term abortions, despite the current law already allowing them under specific circumstances.

“We need to trust women to make their own healthcare decisions,” said Tran. “I regret that these partisan games have taken the focus away from where it should be: on the Virginian women who have asked for this bill to get politicians out of their private medical decisions.”

Virginia House Bill 2491 proposed the removal of several abortion restrictions. The bill would remove the requirement that second and third trimester abortions be performed in a hospital as well as the language classifying hospitals as facilities that perform five or more first-trimester abortions per month. The bill also proposes to eliminate any procedure or process that affects a woman’s informed written consent, such as the performance of an ultrasound or a 24-hour waiting period. In addition, the bill reduced the number of doctor’s required to certify a third trimester abortion that prevents a woman’s death or impairment of her mental or physical health, amending the language to also discard the requirement that the impairment must be substantial and irremediable.

A few weeks ago, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York signed a similar bill, the Reproductive Health Act, that expands the criteria for receiving an abortion to allow abortions when the fetus is not viable, when birth or pregnancy endangers the life of the mother, and abortions past 23 weeks.

The overwhelming majority of abortions take place prior to the 20 week mark, and those who seek out abortion later in pregnancy often do so for very complicated and personal reasons, including severe fetal anomalies, most of which can’t be detected prior to the 20 week mark. In 2015, the CDC reported that only 1.3 percent of abortions were performed at or after 21 weeks’ gestation.

 

Media Resources: Vox 2/1/19; Virginia’s WSET 1/30/19; Feminist Newswire 1/29/18; Feminist Newswire 1/24/19; CDC 11/23/18

United States Withdrawing from Nuclear Arms Treaty with Russia

Posted on by Feminist Newswire

The United States is withdrawing from a 1987 Cold War era nuclear arms treaty with Russia that bans ground-launched cruise missiles with a range from 500km-5,000km. These missiles take minutes to launch and leave little time for leaders to plan a defense strategy.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has stated that the U.S. is withdrawing from the treaty because Russia has continuously violated the treaty “without remorse” while the U.S. does not violate the agreed upon treaty terms. U.S. officials also have expressed concerns over China’s nuclear arsenal, which includes weapons that do not fall within the limits of the treaty. However, since they are not a member of the treaty, they do not have to abide by it.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed that Russia is saddened by the decision but that Russia has not violated the treaty. Peskov claims that the U.S. is unwilling to negotiate to keep the treaty before withdrawal in six months.

Executive Director at the Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, Laura Rockwood, believes the U.S. should not pull out of the treaty, and argues that the treaty has been extremely successful. She states that rather than completely eliminate the treaty, the treaty should be extended to include China.

Women have been at the forefront of the anti-nuclear weapon movement for decades; women’s organizations such as Code Pink and Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) fight to eradicate nuclear weapons from the world and advocate for more diplomatic solutions that include women. WILPF’s subsection, PeaceWomen, which exclusively advocates for the eradication of nuclear weapons, believes war is a feminist issue as it disproportionately impacts women. WILPF states that militarism “relies on gendered and racial understandings to value things associated with the military and devalue things associated with non-violence.”

 

Media Resources: Washington Post 2/1/19; Al Jazeera 2/1/19; Code Pink; Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom; PeaceWomen

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