On Wednesday, Dr. Rachel Levine made history as the first openly transgender person to receive a confirmation from the Senate. She was confirmed as the assistant health secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by a vote of 52 to 48. “As Vice President Harris has said, I recognize that I may […]
Gunman Kills Ten People in Boulder, Biden Urges Congress to Pass Gun Regulations
Boulder, Colorado’s city government banned assault weapons in 2018 in an attempt at preventing mass shootings. Ten days after that ban was blocked in court, on Tuesday, a gunman opened fire in a supermarket and killed ten people in Boulder. Investigators reported that the suspect had purchased an AR-556 pistol on March 16, mere days […]
Nearly 200 Businesses Urge Congress To Enact Federal Paid Leave Program
In a letter sent to congressional leaders on Tuesday, nearly 200 businesses are calling for a permanent federal paid family and medical leave program to become part of any future economic recovery legislation passed by Congress. “We cannot emerge from this pandemic and remain one of only two countries in the world with no form […]
NCAA Facing Criticism for Unequal Treatment of Men’s and Women’s Basketball Players
This week, the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) has faced criticism after basketball player Sedona Prince posted a video on social media showing the significant disparities between the men’s and women’s weight rooms at their Division I basketball tournaments. Prince said, “so for the NCAA March Madness, the biggest tournament for college basketball for women, […]
Biden Administration to Amend Trump Federal Family Planning Program Rules
The Biden administration has announced that it will rewrite the rules for the Title X federal family planning program put in place by Donald Trump, which forced Planned Parenthood and other independent clinics who provide abortion and reproductive health care to withdraw from the program in 2019. Trump’s changes to the program, which provides reproductive […]
Kansas Senate Passes Bill Targeting Trans Student-Athletes
On Wednesday, the Kansas Senate passed a bill banning transgender students from girls’ and women’s school sports. The measure passed 24-10, sending it to Kansas’ conservative House. Governor Laura Kelly referred to the bill as “regressive,” and said that the controversial policy could repel businesses from the state, which supporters dismissed. One legislator, Representative Stephanie […]
House Votes to Remove Arbitrary Timeline on the ERA and Reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act
Today, the House of Representatives voted 222-204 to remove the arbitrary timeline on the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. “Today the United States House of Representatives voted that there is no time limit on equality,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation. “Now it’s up to the Senate to agree and clear […]
Deb Haaland Confirmed Becoming First Indigenous Secretary of the Interior
This week, in a 51-40 vote, the Senate confirmed Rep. Deb Haaland as the first Native American secretary of the interior, putting her at the helm of a federal agency that oversees natural resources, public land, and tribal affairs. “It is long past time that an American Indian serve as the secretary of the Interior,” […]
Afghan Women Reject US Peace Proposal: “Is This What American Democracy Looks Like?”
In response to the new US-proposed agreement for peace in Afghanistan, Afghan women’s groups and their leaders shared their dismay and stated that the agreement is proposed “without consulting Afghans and particularly Afghan women, who have made the greatest sacrifices over these four decades of war.” Their statement comes days after mounting frustrations among the […]
Anti-Abortion Extremist Sentenced to Prison for Health Insurance Fraud
On February 23, Jeffrey White and his son Nicholas White were sentenced to prison and subsequent supervised release. The two men conspired to defraud health care plans under the Affordable Care Act, enrolling individuals in ACA plans in states where they did not live. They created fake leases and cell phone numbers for these individuals. […]
Women Won Big at Last Night’s Grammys
The 63rd annual Grammy Awards celebrated the music of the year, especially highlighting women in pop music and themes of justice. Rapper Megan Thee Stallion won best new artist, and her song “Savage” won best rap performance and for best rap song. She is the first woman rap artist to win best new artist. Winning […]
Afghanistan: Afghan Women Journalists Facing Rising Violence
A new report by the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee reveals that in the past 6 months, there has been an 18% reduction in the number of women working for the media in Afghanistan. This decline comes amidst the ongoing violence and increased level of threats targeted at journalists and those working with the media. Women receive […]
Arkansas Governor Signs Near-Total Abortion Ban into Law
This week Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson signed into law a near-total ban on all abortions in Arkansas, with the only exception being if the life of the pregnant person is in danger. “This is politics at its very worst,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, in a statement. “At a time […]
The Feminist Majority Foundation Celebrates the Passage of the American Rescue Plan
Today, the U.S. House passed the Senate version of the American Rescue Plan Act, which will provide economic relief to millions of Americans suffering from the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Below is a statement of Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation: “The passage of the American Rescue Plan today is a victory […]
Chelsea Becker, Woman Incarcerated for Pregnancy Loss, Released on Bail
On Tuesday, a California Judge granted Chelsea Becker’s request to be released on her own recognizance, and she will enter a residential treatment facility upon release. Becker had a stillbirth in 2019, and at the time Kings County District Attorney Keith L. Fagundes claimed that the stillbirth was caused by methamphetamine use, on no scientific […]
Georgia Senate Passes Bill to Restrict Voting Access
The Republican-controlled Georgia state Senate voted Monday to pass sweeping legislation that would restrict access to voting for thousands of Georgia residents. The bill, which passed 29-20, will end no-excuse absentee voting and will enact stricter voter identification laws for absentee ballots. Only residents who are disabled, over 65, are in the military, have a […]
Two Incidents of Anti-Abortion Clinic Harassment Occur This Week
On Saturday, an anti-abortion protester accidentally shot himself outside of A Woman’s Choice clinic in Raleigh, North Carolina. According to Kelsea McLain, a lead volunteer coordinator with the clinic, the facility has lockdown protocols to follow when a gun is seen on site, but no staff members realized that the protester was armed until after […]
This International Women’s Day Stand with the Women and Girls of Afghanistan
On this International Women’s Day, The Feminist Majority Foundation honors Afghan women and girls in their struggle for human rights and equality. Despite the unprecedented threats and increasing assassinations of Afghan women leaders of all ages, Afghan women with much strength and courage, have continued to fight for their human rights and a future in […]
Women Targeted in the Escalating Violence in Afghanistan
In a wave of assassinations in Afghanistan, this week four women media professionals and a gynecologist alongside her daughter were attacked in Jalalabad, an eastern city in Afghanistan. Mursal Wahidi, 25, Sadia Sadat, 20, and Shahnaz Raofi, 20, were shot dead on their way home from work. Their fourth colleague, also a woman, was wounded. […]
The US House Passes Landmark Voting Rights Bill
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a sweeping voting rights act designed to combat nationwide state level voting restrictions proposed by Republican lawmakers in the wake of the 2020 election. The For the People Act, more commonly known as H.R. 1, would expand voting rights, overhaul campaign finance rules, and reform redistricting laws. […]