An 18 year old high school senior in Florida was charged with a felony and expelled from her school for a consensual same-sex relationship with a 15 year old classmate. Kaitlin Hunt was arrested in February and charged with “lewd and lascivious battery on a child 12 to 16” after the parents of her partner […]
A federal judge has issued a temporary injunction against a twelve week abortion ban in Arkansas while the constitutionality of the bill is in question. U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright of Little Rock granted the request of two doctors involved in the case to block the enforcement of the bill. In her decision she said, […]
On Friday, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced legislation that would allow the government to investigate crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) that falsely advertise abortion services. The “Stop Deceptive Advertising For Women’s Services Act,” introduced in both the House and the Senate, would allow the Federal Trade Commission to investigate reports of […]
Representative Trent Franks (R-AZ) has introduced a bill that will ban abortion after the 20th week of a pregnancy in the United States. The bill, also called the D.C. Pain Capable Unborn Protection Act, originally would have banned abortion at 20 weeks gestation only in the District of Columbia. However, Franks decided to expand the bill nationwide […]
Walmart, along with 13 other major North American companies, refused to sign a legally binding agreement to improve working conditions for overseas factory workers that manufacture their clothes after a garment factory collapsed in Bangladesh killing an estimated 1300 workers, the New York Times reports. The agreement requires retailers pay $500,000 to improve worker safety […]
On Saturday, the Speaker of the Lower House of Afghan Parliament delayed a vote on the Elimination of Violence against Women law after two hours of vociferous debate between conservative religious and more liberal members of Parliament. The Speaker did not specify when the measure would be placed on the floor for a vote again. […]
Two doctors have requested that a federal judge temporarily block enforcement of Arkansas’ 12 week abortion ban while the ban is facing legal challenges. The “Human Heartbeat Protection Act,” or Act 301, bans abortion once a human heartbeat is detected using a standard abdominal ultrasound, usually at 12 weeks gestation. The bill was passed into […]
Although both vary in the severity of cuts taking place, each will take considerable funds away from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps.
On Wednesday night the manager of the Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention program for Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was arrested for stalking. Army Lieutenant Colonel Darin Haas was arrested around 6:30 pm Wednesday night when his ex-wife called the authorities after receiving threatening text messages that violated her order of protection against Haas. Later […]
The North Carolina state House passed an anti-abortion measure seeking to restrict state insurance coverage for abortion last night amid protests from pro-choice activists. The bill, HB 730 [PDF], allows any health care provider to refuse to participate in an abortion because of moral objections and allows hospitals to refuse to perform abortion services, even if […]
Today, lawmakers in Congress introduced the Military Justice Improvement Act in the US House of Representatives and Senate. The Military Justice Improvement Act seeks to reform the current system of prosecution in the United States military. 17 members of Congress joined together in a press conference today to reveal the bipartisan legislation to reform the […]
Yesterday the Supreme Court of El Salvador heard open arguments in a case where they will determine if doctors can administer a medically necessary abortion for a woman who could die as a result of her pregnancy. “Beatriz”, who is currently 22 and is already the mother of a young infant, was diagnosed with multiple […]
A U.S. Army Sergeant tasked with preventing sexual assault in the military is being investigated for charges of “abusive sexual contact.” The Sergeant 1st Class, whose name has not been released, served as the Sexual Harassment/Assault Result Prevention (SHARP) Coordinator and Equal Opportunity Advisor at Fort Hood in Texas. U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command is handling the […]
Yesterday, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act was introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate aimed at strengthening workplace protections for pregnant workers. The bill is aimed at strengthening the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, which prohibits workplace discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. Despite being illegal to fire someone […]
This week, major Western clothing retailers announced their support of new safety regulations in Bangladesh garment factories following the eight story building collapse that kill over 1,100 people. The Swedish retailer H&M, Spanish Inditex (Zara), British Primark and Tesco, Dutch C&A, and others all announced their commitment to pay for fire safety and building improvements […]
On Monday, the federal government appealed to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to block the unregulated sale of emergency contraception, commonly called Plan B, after a federal judge refused to delay the enforcement of his decision to make Plan B available over the counter for women and girls of all ages. On Friday, […]
Yesterday the Minnesota state Senate approved a bill that will allow same-sex couples to marry in the state beginning August 1, 2013. The Minnesota Senate voted in favor of marriage equality 37 to 30, after the state House approved the bill on Thursday in a vote of 75 to 59. Governor Mark Dayton (D) is […]
Today, Angelina Jolie published an op-ed in the New York Times detailing her decision to undergo a preventive double mastectomy. Jolie explains that her risk of developing breast cancer before the surgery was 87% due to a “faulty” gene BRCA1, and describes the procedure that she went through to remove her breasts. In the op-ed, […]
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) vetoed a bill on Thursday that would have created 14 days of in-person early voting in New Jersey. Governor Christie argued that the bill was too expensive and that the current early voting system in New Jersey is satisfactory. Currently residents may request, complete, and return a “vote-by-mail” ballot […]
On Friday, hundreds of fast food workers in Detroit walked off the job in a one day strike to raise the minimum wage. The Detroit protest comes after similar protests in St. Louis, Chicago, and New York. An estimated 400 workers at 60 different restaurants in Detroit walked off their jobs to join protests calling […]
