Both the House and the Senate are expected to reintroduce The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) this Thursday. In the House, ENDA will be introduced by Representative Jared Polis (D-CO), an openly gay member of the House. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) will be introducing the Senate version of ENDA. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act would ban discrimination […]
On Friday, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback (R) signed an anti-abortion bill into law that defines life as beginning at fertilization. The measure requires that abortion providers supply women with a list of organizations that provide abortion alternatives, prevents any abortion facility from receiving state funding or tax credits, and requires doctors to provide patients with […]
The Boy Scouts of America have proposed to partially lift the ban that excludes gay members from service. The proposal would admit gay youth, but would still continue to bar adult troop leaders. It is a revision to a BSA proposal made in January that would have allowed local troops to decide whether to accept […]
A group of women opposition activists from Cuba called the Ladies in White will be in Brussels to collect the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought today. The women were awarded the prize in 2005 for their efforts to raise awareness of the treatment of dissenters in Cuba, but were not permitted to leave the […]
Today French lawmakers voted to legalize same sex marriage and adoption in the country. In a vote of 331 to 225, the National Assembly approved the “Marriage for All” law after reviewing amendments made by the upper-house Senate. President Francois Hollande, who included same-sex marriage and adoption rights in his platform during the French presidential […]
An Afghan rapper. The founder of the first primary school for girls in a Kenyan village. A trailblazing member of Congress who fights to create an AIDS-free generation. An advocate for women’s and children’s rights and empowerment. Tonite in Los Angeles, the Feminist Majority Foundation (publisher of Ms.) will award these four women with its […]
The Florida House of Representatives passed an abortion measure last Thursday that would outlaw abortion based on the sex or race of the fetus. HB 845, “Termination of Pregnancy Based on Sex or Race of Unborn Child,” passed on what anti-choice activists have declared “Right to Life” day on a vote of 71 to 44. […]
Two men thought to have played a part in the abduction and rape of a five year old girl in New Delhi are now in custody. One suspect was taken in by police on Saturday, when he alleged the involvement of a second man. That second man was taken into custody today. As for the […]
A five year old girl is in critical condition after being allegedly kidnapped and raped in Delhi, India. The girl was allegedly kidnapped on Monday by a neighbor. She was discovered after a neighbor heard crying and called the authorities. She was admitted with injuries to her face and chest wall, and bruises on her […]
The Senate rejected a bill that would have expanded the scope of background checks for potential gun owners on Wednesday. In a speech following the defeat, President Obama cited conservative control of the Senate as the reason for the loss: “A few minutes ago, 90% of Democrats in the Senate just voted for [gun control]. […]
A North Dakota Judge has overturned a 2011 law that restricted drug-induced abortions yesterday, citing it as unconstitutional. East Central Judicial District Judge Wickham Corwin stated that, “I remain convinced that a woman’s reproductive rights must be protected under the state constitution and must be recognized as fundamental,” at the end of the three day […]
On Wednesday, an anti-choice collation of Washington state Senators blocked a motion to bring the Reproductive Parity Act to the floor for debate. The bill, which has already passed in the state House and has the Governor’s support, would require that any insurance plan that covers maternity care must also cover abortion care as part of it. […]
On Wednesday, the Louisiana state Senate Health and Welfare Committee approved a bill that would prohibit the use of telemedicine for abortion care. The bill now goes before the Senate. Senate Bill 90 would require a physician to be physically present in the room with a woman who is seeking a medical abortion when she […]
Yesterday, New Zealand became the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to legalize same-sex marriage. The bill passed in a vote of 77 to 44 during its third and final reading, despite mounting opposing from Christian lobby groups, and is expected to go into effect in four months. Lousia Wells, the bill’s sponsor, released a […]
At a press conference this morning, Congresswomen Jackie Speier (D-CA) announced that she is reintroducing the Sexual Assault Training Oversight and Prevention Act (STOP Act) to address sexual assault in the military. In an official statement, Speier said “The epidemic of military rape and sexual assault is a damning indictment of the military judicial system’s […]
The Texas Senate Health and Human Services Committee passed new legislation yesterday that would require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges to a local hospital within thirty miles. The bill was proposed by Senator Larry Taylor (R) of Galveston. “Requiring hospitals to credential and grant privileges to doctors who provide outpatient services is […]
New Hampshire State Rep. Peter Hansen (R) is being critized for an e-mail he sent to fellow representative Steve Vaillancourt (R) in which he used the word “vaginas” to refer to women. In an email conversation among the state legislators about a controversial “Stand Your Ground” law, Vaillancourt had been advocating retreating when a physical […]
The Senate is scheduled to debate the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 (S. 649) today, which would require background checks for all firearm purchases and strengthen existing regulations on gun sales. However, it is unsure whether the bill will get enough votes to pass. Sponsor and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) was struggling to get the […]
Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the last abortion clinic in Mississippi, won a temporary injunction yesterday against a 2012 law that threatened to shut its doors. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III extended a temporary injunction that prevents the state from closing the clinic as it tries to come into compliance with a […]
Prince AlWaleed bin Talal announced his support for allowing women in Saudi Arabia to drive on Sunday via Twitter. Bin Talal, nephew of King Abdullah, argued that allowing women drivers would benefit the Saudi economy and reduce the country’s dependence on foreign labor. He tweeted “(The question of) women driving will result in dispensing with […]
