The Catholic church acknowledged Monday that they have no plans to revise their stance on birth control or same-sex marriage despite falling flat with voters this year. This comes alongside complaints filed last week with the Internal Revenue Service that allege that many bishops and religious organizations violated requirements that they be non-partisan during this […]
Exit poll data revealed a massive and decisive gender gap in voting on the marriage equality ballot measures that just might put to rest once and for all some old gender adages. Women have all too often been cast as the more conservative sex. Nothing could be further from the truth. Women, on the average, […]
The United Parcel Service (UPS), Inc. announced they will end donations to the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) due to the program’s policy barring openly gay individuals from participation. UPS released the following statement: “The UPS Foundation seeks to support organizations that are in alignment with our focus areas, guidelines, and non-discrimination policy. UPS and […]
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland has filed a lawsuit against the Oklahoma Department of Health because it has withdrawn funding from three Tulsa-area clinics that had previously received Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) program funding from the state. The WIC program is designed to provide nutritional food and guidance to low-income families at a reasonable […]
After making headlines for months because of court cases regarding early voting in Ohio, Secretary of State Jon Husted is once again battling with a judge over voting. This time, the case concerns Husted’s 11th hour directive that could cause legitimate provisional ballots to be thrown out in the state of Ohio. Provisional ballots were […]
Last Wednesday, Malawian Justice Minister Ralph Kasambara backtracked on his announcement that Malawi intends to suspend criminalization of homosexuality. His initial announcement was supported by the international community, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Kasambara’s reversal comes after his initial announcement sparked internal conflict in Malawi. In his most recent statement Kasambara said, “There […]
Former Libyan prime minister Al Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi appeared in court today to face charges including ordering a mass rape and corruption during the war that overthrew Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The court will reconvene on the case in December. Mahmoudi fled to Tunisia in 2011, but was extradited back to Libya in June 2012, creating […]
In Ohio, Secretary of State Jon Husted’s 11th hour directive that could cause legitimate provisional ballots to be thrown out is being challenged in a federal court by voting rights advocates. On Election Day, provisional ballots were cast by voters whose registration or identification was called into question for some reason when they went to […]
This week Kim Gandy left her position as Vice President and General Counsel of the Feminist Majority Foundation to take the helm as President and CEO of the National Network to End Domestic Violence. Gandy began her illustrious feminist career as an attorney defending victims of domestic violence and led a successful effort to modernize […]
For years, young voters have been discounted and labeled as apathetic no shows when it comes to voting. After 2012, the age gap will be ignored at a politician’s peril. In 2012, according to exit polls, nationwide voters 18-29 years old comprised 19% of the electorate while voters over 65 years comprised 16% of the […]
Jared Loughner, who attempted to assassinate then Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords, killed six, and wounded thirteen in Tucson, Arizona, in January 2011 was sentenced to seven consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole yesterday. According to CNN, U.S. District Judge Larry Burns believed that even though 24-year-old Loughner suffered from mental illness, […]
The Kenyan Government has proposed a law that would ban mandatory bride-price payments, recognize co-habiting couples, and legalize polygamy. The Marriage Bill 2012 was approved by the cabinet but must also pass parliament before becoming a national law. Marriage Bill 2012 will eliminate the current customary law that dictates a marriage is not legal until […]
A 15-year-old Pakistani girl named Anusha was the victim of an “honor killing” last week at the hands of her parents. The specifics of what happened are uncertain, however reports indicate that Anusha died after her parents poured acid on her for turning to look at a boy or boys. It was reported that she […]
Pro-choice forces, led by Planned Parenthood and a coalition of women’s groups including National Organization for Women and Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF), overwhelmingly defeated state constitutional Amendment 6 proposed by the Republican-controlled state legislature. FMF campus organizers, Sarah Shanks, Francesca Witcher, Kari Ross, and Jacky Oppler, led a statewide college campus drive to defeat the […]
On Tuesday, November 7th 2012 the United States of America reelected President Barack Obama, while the Democrats and Republics held on to their control of the Senate and the House, respectively. Historic victories and milestones in this year’s election results include: -President Barack Obama won re-election with 55% of women’s votes and 45% of men’s […]
President Barack Obama won re-election with 55% of women’s votes and 45% of men’s votes for a decisive and historic 10% gender gap, according to CNN exit polls. This is the second largest gender gap in Presidential voting recorded by exit polls, according to the Center for American Women and Politics. The largest was in […]
Yesterday, voters in Maine, Washington, and Maryland voted to legalize same-sex marriage, and voters in in Minnesota rejected a constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as between one man and one woman. Same sex marriage is already legal in six states and the District of Columbia via legislative action. However, the issue of marriage […]
The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in a case that challenges Arizona’s ban of abortion at 20 weeks today. The legal issue under consideration is “whether the ban effectively prohibits abortions before viability, which would be barred by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision, or is merely a […]
In Malawi, a law against homosexuality has been suspended and the police have been ordered to stop arresting gay people pending a decision by parliament as to whether to repeal the law. Repeal of the criminalization of homosexuality will face public debate and a parliamentary vote. In an explanation of the suspension of the law […]
After a federal appeals court rejected Planned Parenthood’s challenge to a ban on government funding for the state’s women’s health clinics on Friday, Planned Parenthood immediately filed another lawsuit contesting the ban. In the new lawsuit, Planned Parenthood argues that the “Affiliate Ban Rule” is illegal on the grounds that the appeals court ruling has […]
