Yesterday, President Barack Obama publicly announced a comprehensive plan for addressing gun violence in the United States. In a press conference, President Obama announced that he will use the full extent of his executive power to curb gun violence in the United States, and called on Congress to take legislative action increasing gun control. In […]
The case of five men accused of the brutal rape and murder of a 23 year old medical student in New Delhi has been moved to a special “fast-track” court, an Indian magistrate declared on Thursday. The first hearing will be held on Monday, January 21st. On Thursday Magistrate Namrita Aggarwal dealt with various procedural […]
Yesterday, the state of New York passed the first piece of gun control legislation since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Governor Andrew Cuomo quickly signed the bill into law. The New York legislation is considered one of the strictest gun control measures in the country. The new legislation expands the […]
In addition to restricting reproductive health care access, anti-choice legislation has been increasingly used to deny pregnant women of their rights including the right to physical liberty, according to a new study released in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law on Tuesday. The study “Arrests of and Forced Interventions on Pregnant Women in […]
On Monday, a candidate for the Indonesian Supreme Court joked before the parliamentary selection panel that women who were raped may have enjoyed it. Muhammad Daming Sanusi made the comment when he asked whether he considered the death penalty to be a reasonable punishment for rape. He responded “Consideration needs to be taken thoroughly for […]
Conservative Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI), along with 16 other representatives, have co-sponsored the “Sanctity of Human Life Act,” which would give full person rights to a human embryo. The “Sanctity of Human Life Act” was originally introduced in 2011 by Representative Paul Broun (R-GA). Broun reintroduced the bill early in the new congressional session. The […]
On Monday, President Barack Obama announced that he will be revealing a proposal of new gun control policies and is willing to take executive actions if necessary. Currently, the President is considering up to 19 different executive orders that he could take to effect stricter gun control without having to wait for approval from Congress. […]
A Texas judge denied Planned Parenthood’s request to be included in the state’s new women’s health program on Friday. The program, now known as the Texas Women’s Health Program, provides funding for preventive health care services for low-income women. Previously, the program was a Medicaid program in which the federal government had provided 90% of […]
A new gang rape case involving a private bus has been reported in India, where the brutal gang rape and death of a 23-year-old female medical student has prompted global outrage and demands for reform. A woman is estimated to be raped every twenty minutes in India. Some aspects of the new case are eerily […]
In an episode aired on Thursday night, NBC’s prime-time television show “Parenthood” highlighted the decision of two characters who decide to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. In the episode, a teenage couple is confronted with an unintended pregnancy and the woman decides to have an abortion. While her male partner is reluctant to terminate the pregnancy, […]
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court upheld a Massachusetts law establishing a protest-free “buffer zone” around abortion clinics. The 1st U.S. district Court of Appeals determined that a 2007 law establishing a 35-foot “buffer zone” around abortion clinic entrances, exits and driveways did not violate the First Amendment rights of anti-abortion protesters. Protesters claimed that […]
A Sri Lankan domestic worker who was convicted of killing an infant in her care was executed by the Saudi Arabian government on Wednesday. Rizana Nafeek was sentenced to death in 2007 for allegedly murdering a 4 month old infant in 2005 that had been in her care for two weeks. Nafeek initially confessed to […]
On Tuesday, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the Bronx Trespass Affidavit Program’s (TAP) “stop-and-frisk” practices when performed without reasonable suspicion. Judge Shira Scheindlin of the Federal Court District of Manhattan ruled that aspects of the stop-and-frisks used by the New York Police Department were unconstitutional because officers were stopping individuals outside of […]
Lawmakers in West Virginia are forming a subcommittee to look at possible new sex education policies the state can implement in order to address the high numbers of teenagers who do not use birth control in the state. The panel convened on Monday to review statistics about sexual activity among middle school and high school […]
A teacher who alleges that he* was fired from a school where he had worked for over 30 years has filed charges against the Catholic New York City school for damages. Mark Krolikowski was terminated from St. Francis Preparatory School in August of 2012 after a parent complained about his feminized appearance. Krolikowski confided to […]
In an op-ed in USA Today, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly announced that they have launched a Political Action Committee to challenge the dominance of gun-rights lobbyists in Washington, DC, on the two year anniversary of the shooting in Tuscon, Arizona, that left six dead and severely wounded the Congresswoman. Giffords […]
The United States Supreme Court announced the scheduled dates for two same sex marriage cases. On March 26th, the court will hear arguments relating to Proposition 8, the California ban on same sex marriage, in Hollingsworth v. Perry. The next day the court will hear arguments in United States v. Windsor, relating to the federal […]
Three of the five accused attackers in a violent gang rape of a medical student in India will enter pleas of not guilty, according to the BBC. Manohar Lal Sharma, who is representing three of the five men accused of
Last week, a record number of new congresswomen were officially sworn into their positions to begin the 113th Congressional session. One hundred women will be filling the seats of Congress in the new session. The total number of women holding seats in the House of Representatives is now 80, up from 77 in the last Congressional […]
The Department of Defense (DoD) has blocked access to LGBT advocacy websites on military computers, according to an expose in AMERICAblog last week. Websites such as GLAAD, AMERICAblog, Bilerico, Towleroad, and HRC Blog are categorized as “LGBT” and are not permitted by the filter service used by the Pentagon. Another website, Outserve.org, which is dedicated to creating a network of LGBT military members and […]
