Nadezhda Tolokonnikova of the Russian punk feminist band Pussy Riot was transferred to a hospital at the end of January for severe headaches. Tolokonnikova told her lawyer that she has been suffering headaches and fatigue since her prison sentence began in October 2012. Her lawyer, Irina Khrunova, issued an appeal to the prison’s director requesting […]
Over the weekend, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and the Union Cabinet approved new provisions to the Indian Penal Code that create harsher punishments for sexual assault and rape. The laws went into immediate effect when President Mukherjee’s signed them on Sunday, but must be ratified by Parliament. With the new provisions, the death penalty could […]
The Arkansas state Senate passed the Human Heartbeat Protection Act in a 28 to 6 decision Thursday. This act would require women who are seeking to terminate their pregnancies to undergo a vaginal ultrasound, reported Reuters. If the probe is able to detect a fetal heartbeat, the woman would not be allowed to undergo an […]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will not take action against a Pennsylvania college that has a vending machine in the student health center that dispense the morning-after pill. Shippensburg University began dispensing Plan-B, the brand name for an emergency contraceptive pill that can be taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex, in a […]
Retired Cardinal Roger M. Mahony was relieved from all of his public duties hours after the release of confidential Catholic Church documents on child sexual abuse scandals from the 1980’s. Thousands of files containing information regarding the cover up of years of sexual abuse scandals by priests within the church, many of which occurred during […]
Yesterday, President Obama released a memorandum calling for an increased push from executive departments towards achieving equality for women and girls worldwide. In his memorandum, President Obama wrote “Promoting gender equality and advancing the status of all women and girls around the world remains one of the greatest unmet challenges of our time, and one […]
A bill that would prohibit elementary and middle school teachers from discussing any form of sexuality that is not considered natural reproduction with students was reintroduced in the Tennessee state Senate. SB 234, titled the “Classroom Protection Act” [PDF] but nicknamed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, reads “The general assembly recognizes that certain subjects are […]
The first Senate Judiciary Committee hearing concerning gun control since President Obama announced his commitment to reducing gun violence begins today. Obama’s proposal for gun control includes the reinstatement of a ban on “assault” weapons, a limit on ammunition capacities, and more extensive background checks. Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and husband Mark Kelly, who recently […]
Malala Yousafzai, the girls’ rights activist who was shot in the head by the Taliban in October 2012, is preparing for her final surgeries. The BBC reports that in the next few days, a surgeon will implant a titanium plate in Yousafzai’s skull and a cochlear implant to restore hearing in her left ear, which […]
Conservative leaders in the New York state Senate are planning on fighting a women’s rights proposal from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo over provisions related to abortion. Governor Cuomo has been speaking in support of his “Women’s Equality Act,” though a bill has not yet been submitted to the state Senate. The “Women’s Equality Act” […]
On Monday, two Boy Scouts of America (BSA) board members, Randall Stephenson and James Turley, announced they will seek to end the organization’s ban on gay members. Stephenson, who will assume the position of national chairman in 2014, and Turley hope to implement a policy that would put the power to admit or not admit […]
Yesterday a Wyoming state House committee voted 5 to 3 to reject a bill that would have prohibited abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. House Bill 97 was introduced into the Wyoming House Labor Health and Social Services committee yesterday by Representative Kendell Kroeker (R-Evansville). The committee debated for over two hours before […]
A report released over the weekend reveals that Ethiopian women who migrated to Israel were given contraceptive injections without their consent. Haaretz, a leading Israeli newspaper, reported that the director general of the Health Ministry of Israel has indirectly acknowledged that Ethiopian immigrants were given Depo-Provera, a contraceptive injection that lasts three months, while in […]
The 60-day public comment period on Virginia’s strict TRAP laws begins today. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell certified the new heavily-debated TRAP laws on Friday, December 28, 2012. The harsh TRAP (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) law requires abortion clinics in the state of Virginia to meet the same building regulations as new hospitals. TRAP laws […]
On Monday, a bipartisan group of US Senators unveiled a comprehensive plan to reform the current United States immigration system. The immigration blueprint calls for a path to citizenship for those who are currently residing illegally in the U.S., but with the caveat that the U.S. borders be strengthened. The plan would also make it […]
A Juvenile Justice Board in New Delhi has ruled that a sixth attacker in the fatal rape of a medical student on a bus in December was 17 at the time of the attack. As a result he will be tried in juvenile court separately from the other five alleged attackers, all of whom are […]
Under a proposed law in the New Mexico state House of Representative, a woman who has an abortion after being raped could face felony criminal charges. New Mexico House Bill 206, proposed by state Representative Cathrynn Brown (R-Carlsbad), would classify terminating a pregnancy resulting from rape or incest as tampering with evidence. The text of […]
A Colorado Catholic hospital defended itself against a wrongful death suit by claiming that the hospital failed to perform an emergency c-section to save the lives of twin fetuses in court by arguing that fetuses are not people. In 2006, Lori Stodghill was seven months pregnant with twins when she arrived at St. Thomas More […]
A new bill that would ban “gay propaganda” from being directed towards minors passed its first reading in the Russian Lower House today. The bill states that children need to be protected from “homosexual propaganda” and that “this propaganda goes through the mass media and public events that propagate homosexuality as normal behavior.” This could […]
The Feminist Majority Foundation applauds the long awaited decision to remove the combat restriction on women in the military. This is a historic milestone in the fight for women’s equality. The combat restriction has been a sham. Women have been and are currently serving in combat positions, but have received neither the recognition nor the […]
