The United Nations Human Rights Council has recently approved the creation of an independent investigative mechanism to document, consolidate, and preserve evidence of international crimes and human rights violations committed in Afghanistan. The resolution, which was adopted by consensus on October 6, 2025, marks a turning point in the global response to Afghanistan’s deepening crisis […]
New South Carolina Bill Sparks Concern Over Criminalization of Abortion and Contraception
In South Carolina, the state legislature is currently considering a bill that poses an immediate threat to the reproductive rights of millions. The Unborn Child Protection Act is aimed at creating and regulating stricter access to abortions and contraceptives at large. The bill aims to define stricter limits on reproductive rights language, as well as […]
Deported with Nothing: The Human Toll of Forced Returns to Afghanistan
Since January 2025, Pakistan and Iran have been forcibly deporting Afghans back to Afghanistan. About 1.86 million Afghans have been forced to leave Iran, while 314,000 have returned from Pakistan. The large-scale repatriation of Afghans raises numerous health concerns, as many returnees face serious medical risks resulting from the difficult journey back to Afghanistan. With […]
Hegseth’s “Warrior Culture” Risks Excluding Women from Military Service
At a recent gathering of top military brass in Quantico, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called for the armed forces to abandon what he called “woke culture” and return to a rigid “warrior” ethos. He pledged sweeping changes to fitness, grooming, and disciplinary standards, changes that critics warn could push women out of roles they […]
Trump’s UN Speech Rejects Climate Science and Promotes Big Oil
On September 23rd, during the United Nations General Assembly, President Trump slammed global efforts to address environmental crises and championed the use of fossil fuels, continuing a long pattern of dismissing scientific consensus on climate change. In his speech, Trump attacked renewable energy sources, calling “windmills… pathetic” and labeling the concept of a carbon footprint […]
Afghan Women Face Internet Blackout as Taliban Tightens Control
Afghanistan has been plunged into a sweeping Internet blackout once again. The Taliban first restricted internet access in mid-September 2025, banning fiber-optic (WiFi/wired) connections in some provinces, citing the need to “prevent immorality.” Local Taliban officials said the order was decreed by the group’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, and enforced across government offices, businesses, institutions, […]
The Rise of the MAHA Movement and Implications for Women
The “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement has exploded in recent years, blending wellness culture, political populism, and deep distrust of mainstream medicine. Under current federal leadership, MAHA is reshaping health policy. But behind its promises of empowerment and clean living lies a troubling pattern: shifting responsibility onto women, amplifying shaky science, and ignoring systemic […]
Taliban’s 5-Year Strategic Plan Excludes Women. Afghan Women Push Back.
Taliban recently revealed a 5-year development plan for Afghanistan with three pillars, including economic and social development, governance and international relations, and security and public order. Fifteen key initiatives under these pillars include sectors such as agriculture, provision of energy, and development of education amongst many more areas targeting the country’s growth in the coming […]
The Afghan People Want Education for Their Girls. The Taliban Says No.
As children all over the world begin a new school year this September, there is a notable population that is missing from classrooms: girls above grade 6 in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban’s return to power over four years ago, their campaign to erase women from public life has deprived almost 2.2 million girls of education. […]
Texas A&M Professor’s Firing Sparks Debate Over Academic Freedom
On September 8th, 2025 Texas State Representative Brian Harrison went on social media to post a viral video of a Texas A&M University student challenging her professor, Melissa McCoul about the legality of her course’s content of her class when discussing gender identity. As a result, Melissa McCoul, a children’s literature teacher, was terminated from […]
Taliban Bans WiFi in Afghanistan, Cutting Off a Lifeline for Women and Students
The Taliban has banned fibre-optic (WiFi) internet in 15 provinces across Afghanistan, one of the most significant steps yet in their effort to control digital access and restrict the flow of information. In Balkh province, a local spokesperson confirmed the order as a “complete ban” issued directly by the group’s leader. Officials claim the move […]
SCOTUS Greenlights Racial Profiling in Immigration Enforcement
On Monday, September 8th, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo overturned a federal district court ruling that barred immigration officials in Los Angeles from conducting roving patrols that targeted Latino communities without “reasonable suspicion.” The concurring opinion from Justice Kavanaugh states that “apparent ethnicity” can be a “relevant factor” for ICE […]
Medication Abortion Under Siege: New Texas Law Empowers Private Citizens to Challenge Access
On Wednesday, September 3rd, Texas lawmakers approved a bill that would allow private citizens to sue abortion pill manufacturers, doctors, and suppliers. House Bill 7 is likely to be signed into law by anti-abortion Governor Greg Abbot, making Texas the first state in the nation to go after the most common and accessible abortion method. […]
Afghanistan’s Deadly Earthquake Hurt Women and Girls the Most
A powerful 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck Afghanistan’s mountainous northeast province of Kunar on August 31st, leaving devastation in its wake. The Taliban has confirmed a death toll of over 2,200 people, although this number is continuing to rise as rescue teams race against time to reach survivors still trapped under rubble. The earthquake has also […]
This Women’s Equality Day, the Fight Continues
105 years ago, on August 26th, 1920, the 19th Amendment was certified, granting women the right to vote – at least on paper. In reality, this victory just benefitted white women, while women of color continued to face systemic disenfranchisement. Since that historic day, women have made tremendous progress in political, economic, and social spheres […]
Mississippi Declares Public Health Emergency as Infant Mortality Soars
Mississippi has declared a public health emergency in response to an alarming surge in infant mortality, a crisis that now claims nearly 10 infants per 1,000 live births in the state, almost double the national average. The declaration marks the first time the state has used its emergency powers to address maternal and infant health, […]
New Study Shows Abortion Bans Are Driving Doctors Out
A new national JAMA study found a 4% drop in OB-GYN practitioners per 100,000 reproductive-age women in the states with the most restrictions on reproductive healthcare, compared to no decline in states without new restrictions. Since the Dobbs ruling in 2022, increasingly restrictive abortion laws have caused alarming rates of OB-GYNs from affected states to […]
Massachusetts Expands Protections for Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Care
Despite rapidly escalating cuts to reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has signed a groundbreaking new act that will expand and add protections to reproductive and transgender healthcare. The bill, S.2538, takes several actions to safeguard patients, providers, insurers, tech companies, and others from federal investigations related to reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare. S.2538, […]
Four Years After the Fall, Afghan Women Are Still Fighting for Their Future
August 15 marks four years since the world watched as the Taliban swept back into Kabul and reclaimed power in Afghanistan. The U.S. withdrawal marked the end of a twenty-year chapter, but for Afghan women and girls, it began an era of relentless rollbacks that has touched every part of their lives. What began as […]
Abortion Rights for Veterans Under Fire
In an abrupt reversal of recent policy, the current administration announced a proposed regulation on August 4, 2025, that would severely restrict veterans’ access to abortion. The bill, which was published in the Federal Register under the heading “Reproductive Health Services,” would forbid abortion coverage in almost all situations and only allow it in cases […]