North Dakota governor Jack Dalrymple (R-ND) just signed a series of three restrictive anti-abortion rights measures into state law. All three measures were passed by the Republican-controlled North Dakota House and Senate. The North Dakota legislature also passed a Personhood state constitutional amendment, which would ban the termination of a pregnancy from the moment of […]
Today the Supreme Court heard oral arguments weighing the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the California ban on same sex marriage. The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case Hollingsworth, Dennis, et al. v. Perry, Kristin M., et al. Arguments lasted for approximately an hour and twenty minutes, at which point the Supreme Court Justicesappeared reluctant on making […]
The Washington state Senate is considering legislation that would mandate abortion insurance coverage. The recently proposed Reproductive Parity Act would require all insurance companies providing maternity care to also pay for abortions. Earlier this month, the bill passed the state House with a vote of 53-43. However, support in the Senate is less certain. Melanie […]
On Thursday, the Federal Council of Medicine in Brazil announced their support for legislative reform of the country’s current abortion laws. The proposed legislation being debated in the Brazilian Senate would legalize abortion within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. It would also expand a current exception that allows abortion in only in the case […]
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), announced Sunday that it is changing its name from Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to just GLAAD in an effort to expand its mission statement to include members of the transgender community. GLAAD is known for its efforts to curb anti-gay and lesbian media–an effort it […]
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 now goes before North Dakota voters. […]
Yesterday the devastating Ryan Budget for 2014 was passed on a party line vote of 221-207 in the House of Representatives. Later that day it was solidly defeated in the Senate in a vote of 40-59. The Ryan budget would repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which prohibits insurance companies from classifying being a woman […]
This morning, the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted to bar the state executive branch from privatizing the prison system. This decision contrasts with the state’s position on the issue last year, when it considered a bill that would send all male prisoners to private prisons. The House said that states are constitutionally required to […]
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 […]
