President Barack Obama issued an executive order Friday on preventing and responding to violence against women and girls around the world. The order creates an interagency working group that, according to senior advisor to the president Valerie Jarrett, is “designed to leverage our country’s tremendous expertise and capacity to prevent and respond to gender-based violence […]
Thumbs Up for Kayla Harrison, who won the first women’s gold medal for the U.S. in judo on August 2 and who overcame great personal challenges to triumph at these London Games. Even though American Rusty Kanokogi, who fought for years to make women’s judo an Olympic sport, didn’t live to see Harrison make history […]
Women are making history at the London 2012 Olympic Games. For the first time in history, women athletes are representing every single competing country. Saudi Arabia was the last hold-out, but they finally entered two female athletes earlier this summer. Although women first competed in the modern Olympic Games in 1900, this is the first […]
Texas medical groups are pushing back against new restrictions proposed by the state Department of Health and Human Services that would prevent any doctor from discussing abortion with patients. The restrictions would apply to doctors participating in the Texas Women’s Health Program (WHP). The Texas Medical Association and four other groups, who represent 47,000 doctors […]
Christine Quinn is the first female and openly gay New York City Council Speaker. By speaking out and standing up for the rights of women and queer folks throughout the city, she has received a lot of support from the feminist community as Speaker and as potential NYC mayor. But on a new issue facing […]
After much public pressure, a Louisiana school’s policy that students be required to take pregnancy tests at the threat of expulsion will be changed, announced school officials yesterday. The policy, which requires students who are suspected of being pregnant to undergo a pregnancy test, states students who are either found to be pregnant or who […]
Yesterday Georgetown Law graduate and women’s rights activist Sandra Fluke hit the campaign trail with President Barack Obama. Fluke introduced Obama at a campaign event (video) in Denver, Colorado. She rose to national attention last winter after she spoke out publicly in favor of Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA)–specifically the birth control mandate–and was then […]
Update 9/12/2012:Colorado Personhood Will Not Appear on November 2012 Ballot Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler announced today that the Colorado Personhood Coalition has missed the Monday deadline for ballot certification for the “Personhood” Amendment to appear on the November 2012 ballot. On August 29, Gessler determined that the amendment did not have enough valid […]
US District Judge J. Thomas Marten ruled yesterday that Angel Dillard will face a jury trial in the case against her that alleges Dillard violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE), a law protecting abortion clinics. The Justice Department filed a civil complaint in 2011 against Dillard for sending a threatening letter […]
In the Dominican Republic doctors are not treating a 16-year-old girl with acute leukemia because of her pregnancy, CNN reports. Article 37 of the Dominican constitution, passed in 2009 states: “the right to the life is inviolable from conception until death.” Because of this bill, abortion is illegal in every case, including rape, incest, and […]
In response to letters from LGBT health and advocacy groups, the Department of Health and Human Services announced in letter made public yesterday that, under the Affordable Care Act, discrimination based on gender identity will not be tolerated. Leon Rodriguez, director of HHS’ Office for Civil Rights, stated in a written response to the groups […]
On Monday the Colorado Personhood Coalition submitted 112,121 signatures to the secretary of state, surpassing the 86,105 signatures required to get its anti-abortion initiative on the ballot in November. The signatures must be verified by state officials by September 5th. This will be the third consecutive time Colorado will have a personhood initiative on the […]
On Sunday, women competed in an Olympic boxing match for the first time in history. Russian boxer Elena Savelyeva and her North Korean opponent Hye Song Kim battled for the honor of the first Olympic victory in women’s boxing. Savelyeva won the bout 12-9. A total of 36 athletes in three weight classes will compete […]
The U.S. Catholic Church requested that Congress overturn the contraceptive coverage provision under the Affordable Care Act in a letter on Friday. Written to members of Congress, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Chair of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, asked that Congress overturn the federal contraceptive coverage requirement by the end of the year. The […]
On Thursday, Kansas District Judge Stephen Tatum dismissed 26 misdemeanor charges against the Kansas City-area Planned Parenthood Overland Park clinic. The clinic has been fighting a total of 107 criminal charges filed in 2007 by Phill Kline, former Kansas Attorney General and abortion opponent. Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe requested the misdemeanor charges against […]
With all of the TV coverage, print and digital news, Facebook updates, Twitter hashtags and blog posts about what’s happening in London, we’ve gathered our favorite (and not so favorite) feminist moments and commentaries from the 2012 Summer Games. Please to share your thoughts in the comments below! for British weightlifter Zoe Smith, who spoke out […]
Today, President Obama nominated Pamela Ki Mai Chen to serve on a New York district court — upon confirmation, Chen would be the first Asian-American lesbian federal judge in US history. Chen’s nomination will expire unless the Senate confirms her before the end of this year. “I am proud to nominate this outstanding candidate to […]
On Tuesday, first-time political candidate Ted Cruz defeated Lt. Governor David Dewhurst in the Senate Republican runoff by more than 150,000 votes. Although he started his campaign relatively unknown nationally, his campaign eventually received endorsements from Tea Party favorites like Sarah Palin, Rick Santorum, and Rand Paul. Cruz is expected to win in November. This […]
A Republican Senator from Utah, Mike Lee, is attempting to attach a DC abortion ban to a cybersecurity bill. Lee filed the “DC Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” as an amendment to the cybersecurity bill after the House defeated the original DC abortion ban bill on Tuesday night on a vote of 220-154 in favor […]
A bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks in the District of Columbia failed to get enough votes in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday. The vote was 220-154 in favor of the bill, falling short of a two-thirds majority required under suspension of the rules, and therefore will not proceed to the Senate. […]
