The Kansas state house passed a bill on Tuesday that would deny tax breaks to abortion providers, prohibit providers from participating in sex education programs, and require doctors providing abortions to inform patients they have an increased risk of breast cancer, an unproven correlation within the medical field. The language of the legislation states that […]
Today the North Dakota state legislature passed a measure that would amend the state Constitution to define life as starting as conception, granting full personhood to fertilized eggs. The state House approved the measure in vote of 57-35. The state Senate already approved the measure in February. The measure will go before North Dakota voters […]
Yesterday debate continued on the Ryan Budget in the U.S. House of Representatives. Five separate amendments to alter the Ryan Budget (House Concurrent Resolution 25 [PDF]) were overwhelmingly defeated. The most significant counter to the Ryan Budget was the official House Democratic budget, proposed by ranking member of the Budget Committee Congressman Chris Van Hollen […]
According to a new report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, all but two states in the U.S. are contributing less funds towards higher education than they did before the recession hit. Except for North Dakota and Wyoming, each state now contributes about 28% less funding per university student than they did before […]
A Texas senate committee has passed a TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) bill that would require abortion clinics in the state to meet strict operating standards that could potentially close many of Texas’s abortion providers. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee passed SB 537 on a vote of five to two. Similar TRAP […]
On Monday, a federal judge overturned a Missouri law that would allow employers to deny contraceptive coverage for their employees. U.S. District Judge Audrey Fleissig ruled that the law was unconstitutional because it violated the Affordable Care Act. Judge Fleissig determined that, according to the U.S. Constitution, federal law takes precedent over state laws when […]
On Monday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton officially announced her support for same-sex marriage rights. In the past, Clinton has supported civil unions and domestic partnerships, but did go so far as to say that she supported marriage equality. In a video by the Human Rights Campaign, Clinton spoke of her changed views: “America […]
The Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday temporarily blocked the implementation of the Responsible Parenthood Bill to allow for the opposition to present arguments against the law. The bill would provide access to state-funded contraception and would provide it free of charge to those who cannot afford to pay. Requirements for comprehensive sex and family planning […]
by Eleanor Smeal, Feminist Majority Foundation and KristinRowe-Finkbeiner, MomsRising.org Tomorrow the House of Representatives will vote on the Ryan Budget. It is devastating to women’s advancement and to programs that women want and need. It is the budget that women overwhelming voted against in the 2012 election with a decisive gender gap. HERvotes, with its […]
The Ryan Budget is scheduled to be voted on by the House tomorrow. The House Republican’s budget severely impacts domestic programs that women and people of color rely on while undoing major victories that occurred during the Obama Administration’s first term. The Ryan budget would repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which prohibits insurance companies […]
The two teenagers accused of raping a sixteen year old girl from West Virginia were found guilty in juvenile court this past Sunday. The two star football players were both sentenced to one year in the state juvenile system for the sexual assault. One of the players must also serve an additional year for the […]
On Monday, the Republican National Committee released the results of a new study intended to describe public opinion of the party. Commissioned by the party chairman, the study called the “Growth & Opportunity Project” [PDF] features suggestions on how to reform the party’s image before the 2014 midterm elections and the 2016 presidential elections. The […]
Today the North Dakota state Senate approved two bills that together would form the strictest abortion ban in the nation. Now they go to North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple (R) for his signature. The state Senate voted to approve a measure that would ban abortion when a heartbeat is detected. With a transvaginal ultrasound, a heartbeat can […]
During a hearing Wednesday before the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, Senators criticized the military’s handling of sexual assault cases, and called for serious reforms of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The Senators heard testimony from sexual assault survivors and advocates, and grilled military leadership on the fairness of the current system, which […]
Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) announced on Thursday that he has changed his position on same-sex marriage and will now support marriage equality. The former staunch supporter of the Defense of Marriage Act credits his change in opinion to his son, Will, who came out to Portman as gay two years ago. Although economic issues will […]
In response to a budget proposed by House Republicans, Senate Democrats announced their own budget proposal for 2014. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, released a proposal that combines spending cuts with increased tax revenue, an aspect missing from Representative Paul Ryan’s proposal. The Murray budget seeks to close tax loopholes […]
Yesterday, both sides made opening statements in the case of two high school football players accused of raping a 16 year old classmate in Steubenville, Ohio. The judge will continue to hear arguments and witness testimonies today in a non-jury trial. Prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter has argued that the victim was too intoxicated to consent, while […]
Yesterday Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was elected to replace Pope Benedict XVI. After two days of discussion, the conclave announced that they had selected Cardinal Bergoglio to lead the Catholic Church and assume the name Pope Francis. He is the first Latin American pope, as well as the first Pope […]
Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI), Chair of the House Budget Committee, released a 2013 budget yesterday that attacks multiple advances made since President Obama first took office in 2009. The Ryan budget would repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which prohibits insurance companies from classifying being a woman as a pre-existing medical condition and eliminated co-pays […]
Today Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, convened a hearing to investigate sexual assault in the military. The hearing includes testimony from individuals who have been victims of rape and sexual assault while serving, and is the first Senate hearing to examine sexual assault in the military in […]
