Yesterday morning, Walmart employees in in 12 states walked off the job in protest. The protestors are seeking better working conditions and wages. This is the second time in Walmart’s history that employees in multiple stores are striking at the same time. The first time Walmart experienced simultaneous strikes at multiple stores was last Thursday, […]
The US Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments today in affirmative action case Fisher v. University of Texas. This is the third time the Court has considered affirmative action in higher education in 35 years. In its two previous rulings the court has decided that race may be one of many factors considered in the […]
Earlier today, Pakistani Taliban members claimed responsibility for wounding 14-year old teenage activist, Malala Yousafzai, known for her outspoken criticism of Taliban atrocities. On her way home from school Tuesday, Yousafzai was shot in the head after two men approached her school van. In early 2009, under a pen name, Yousafzai published a diary for […]
The Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) has launched a new campaign called “Draw the Line,” asking Americans to sign a “Bill of Reproductive Rights.” The CRR aims to “deliver a thundering statement” to the U.S. Congress and the President that it is their responsibility to secure reproductive rights as fundamental human rights. The Bill of […]
Each year, 47,000 women die in developing nations due to unsafe abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute. In addition, the Institute projects that “an estimated 40 million abortions will take place in the developing world this year”. In an effort to raise public awareness about the preventable deaths and need for safe procedures, the Institute […]
This morning, Jerry Sandusky was sentenced by a Pennsylvania court to “no less than 30 years and no more than 60 years with credit for time served”. This news follows Sandusky’s June trial where he was convicted of 45 counts of child sex abuse. A jury found Sandusky guilty of abusing 10 boys over a […]
This week, Duke University eliminated the school’s statute of limitations (SOL) on student sexual misconduct reporting. Strong protests from students initiated the removal of the previous one-year SOL restriction. Under the new policy, a student now can file a sexual misconduct report up until they graduate. Outcry from the student body came after negotiations between […]
The Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) has launched a new campaign called “Draw the Line,” asking Americans to sign a “Bill of Reproductive Rights.” The CRR aims to “deliver a thundering statement” to the U.S. Congress and the President that it is their responsibility to secure reproductive rights as fundamental human rights. The Bill of […]
A recent study released by researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis revealed that low-income women have lower rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion when given easy no-cost access to birth control. Researchers who launched the Contraceptive CHOICE project tracked 9,256 low-income girls and women over four years and found that […]
Federal Court Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong upheld most of a 2011 San Francisco law that prohibits the false advertising of anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers. First Resort, a CPC based in San Francisco, sued the state of California in response to the truth in advertising law, alleged that the law is vague, is preempted by state […]
When I was growing up in Bangladesh, Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi never ceased to amaze me. Burma is right next door to us geographically, but as a little girl all I understood about the military junta in Burma was primarily through pictures. I just could not wrap my head around what kind of threat […]
Bayer Pharmaceuticals recently announced their partnership with the Clinton Foundation to provide half priced implantable contraceptives for 27 million women living in developing countries worldwide. The contraceptive, known as Jadelle (or Norplant), is a progestogen-only plastic rod which is implanted under the skin and last up to five years, or until a woman decides to […]
Ohio’s early voting option for all Ohio residents was reinstated by a federal appeals court Friday. The court upheld a lower court’s ruling striking down the law limiting early voting to military personnel. The law in question had allowed military personnel to participate in a three day early voting period, while barring civilians from the […]
At a book signing in Washington, DC, last week Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia called overruling Roe v. Wade, criminalizing homosexual sex, and ruling the death penalty constitutional all “absolutely easy” cases. While speaking at the signing at the American Enterprise Institute, Scalia said: “The death penalty? Give me a break. It’s easy. Abortion? Absolutely […]
The Oklahoma State Department of Health has cut off its three affiliated Planned Parenthood clinics from receiving funding from the state’s Women Infant and Children (WIC) Program, effective December 31st. WIC has provided funding to these clinics for the past 18 years — allowing them to provide food vouchers, baby formula, nutrition counseling, and health […]
Moroccan authorities escorted a sailboat from Women on Waves out of the port of Smir on Thursday. The boat is part of the Dutch women’s rights group’s campaign to spread information about abortion to countries where the medical procedure is banned. Moroccan authorities shut down the port of Smir when they received word that a […]
Yesterday, the National Center for Transgender Equality launched a series of public service announcements targeting what transgender individuals need to know in order to vote in the upcoming election. As part of the NCTE’s awareness campaign “Voting While Trans,” the PSAs discuss how many transgender individuals could have their right to vote challenged under new […]
For the first time, two female soldiers have been admitted into the Marine Corps’ Infantry Officer Course. Their admittance is experimental and the results will be considered by the Pentagon when deliberating the inclusion of women in combat units from which they are currently excluded. The Infantry Officer Course is an intensive 86 day challenge […]
Today Walmart employees at a number of Southern California stores walked out, striking in opposition to the retailer’s attempts to suppress unionization. This is the first time in Walmart’s history that employees at multiple stores are striking at the same time. Protesters are citing Walmart, the world’s largest private employer, for mistreatment, including OUR Walmart, […]
In the weeks leading up to Election Day, Ms. will be outlining state ballot initiatives and referenda of major significance to women. I know what you’re (wishfully) thinking: By 2012, American women should already have easy access to, and public funding for, abortions—with the most minimal-to-nonexistent restrictions. Unfortunately, the opposite is true: In state legislatures […]
