On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of Mexico determined that state law could not be used to prohibit same-sex marriage in the southern state of Oaxaca. The Court found that the law, which included the statement “one of the purposes of marriage is the perpetuation of the species,” could not be used to prohibit same-sex marriage […]
Maryland and Washington state began implementing parts of new legislation legalizing same-sex marriage today. Same-sex marriage was approved in both states, as well as in Maine, in the November election. In Maryland, same-sex couples can now begin the process for obtaining a marriage license from the state. Licenses for same-sex couples won’t be valid in January 1st, […]
As of 12:01am Thursday morning, the recreational use of marijuana became legal in the state of Washington. Initiative 502 takes effect today, a month after it was approved by Washington voters. The new law permits the recreational use of marijuana and the regulated state sale of the substance. Initiative 502 does limit the use of the […]
For the first time in the history of public education in Saudi Arabia, new textbooks will feature photographs of women. The textbooks, designed for third year high school English students, feature a woman as a nurse about to give someone an injection. In the photograph, she is wearing a headscarf and a surgical mask. The […]
Last night the Senate voted to approve the National Defense Authorization Act, which details the military’s budget and spending for 2013 and expands servicewomen’s right to abortion access. The NDAA would extend insurance coverage for abortion to military women who were raped. Currently, federal law prohibits servicewomen from using their insurance to cover an abortion […]
The Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected two anti-abortions laws in near unanimous decisions yesterday. In separate cases, the state Supreme Court determined that both HB 2780 and HB 1970 are unconstitutional because they violate the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. HB 2780 required that women had an ultrasound performed and described to her within […]
On Sunday, the self-appointed village council of Sunderbari within the state of Bihar in India prohibited the use of mobile phones by unmarried women and girls. The use of mobile phones by married women has also been restricted to when they are indoors and in the company of a relative. The ban resulted from fear […]
Today the Senate rejected the ratification of the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by a vote of 61 for and 38 against. Because the treaty did not gain two thirds of the Senate or 66 of the 99 Senators voting for approval of the action, the treaty automatically fails. Senator Kirk […]
The Bureau of Justice Statistics released a report last week showing that the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is effectively working to reduce intimate partner violence. The report titled “Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2010,” looks at crime and victimization studies from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and shows that there has been a 64% decline in […]
On Friday, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals denied an appeal by Planned Parenthood to reconsider Ohio restrictions of RU-486 that had been decided by a partial court in October. In October, the Court upheld a 2004 Ohio law that restricts the use of the drug RU-486, also known as mifepristone or the “abortion pill,” […]
A controversial website featuring nude photographs from failed past relationships is relaunching within the month and will include the home addresses of the people pictured on the site. The original site IsAnyoneUp? was a pornographic website that featured nude photographs posted by ex-partners that included the subject’s name and social media profiles. The site was […]
The Supreme Court has delayed its decision on whether or not it will hear a case on same sex marriage. None of the possible seven cases appeared in the orders list [PDF] released this morning that details which cases the Court will take and the ones they have rejected. Cases being considered range from the inclusion of […]
The American Psychological Association approved changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, or DSM, that would remove transgender from being listed as a mental disorder on Saturday. The DSM-V, the latest edition of the diagnostic guidelines used by the mental health community, will no longer have “gender identity disorder” as a classification. Instead, […]
The Obama Administration released an official statement yesterday that includes support for abortion access for military survivors of rape. The statement [PDF] calls for changes to the National Defense Authorization Act for 2013, which details the military’s budget, but supports an amendment that would allow military personnel to use their insurance to cover an abortion in cases […]
Students in the Chinese city of Wuhan protested outside the Human Resources and Social Security Department on Monday against the requirement that women who apply for civil service positions in China have a gynecological exam as part of the screening process. Ten university students carrying signs denouncing the exams and wearing large underwear that had […]
On Thursday, Praveen Halappanavar announced that he will take the Irish government to the European Court of Human Relations over his wife’s death after she was denied an abortion last month. According to Gerard O’Donnell, Halappanavar’s lawyer, Halappanavar believes the government did not investigate Savita Halappanavar’s death in October sufficiently. As a result, he plans […]
The Jackson Women’s Health Organization (JWHO) and the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a motion for a preliminary injunction Wednesday against a state law which could close its doors early next year. Under House Bill 1390, passed in April 2012, doctors who perform abortions must have admitting privileges at a local hospital and they must […]
On Tuesday, President Barack Obama nominated Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. If selected, Quiñones Alejandro would be the first openly lesbian Latina judge on the federal bench. Quiñones Alejandro currently serves on the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas and became the first Hispanic women to serve […]
We’re excited because Working Assets/CREDO has selected the Feminist Majority Foundation as one of the 40 organizations to receive donations in 2013 from the funds it raised this year. BUT we need your help because the amount each of the 40 groups receives depends on the number of votes we get. Please vote for us […]
On Thursday, a court in Moscow ruled that videos of Pussy Riot’s performance at Christ the Savior Cathedral must be removed from websites. The court ruling stated that the group’s performance that made international headlines was “extremist” and ruled that access to four videos of the feminist punk band’s performances be immediately blocked from the […]
