US District Judge Daniel P. Jordan issued a temporary injunction yesterday preventing implementation of a new Mississippi state law that could force closure of The Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Mississippi’s only abortion clinic. Judge Jordan scheduled a hearing for July 11 when he will determine if the order should be extended. The Targeted Regulation of […]
Once again, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has vetoed a bill that would have restored family planning funds in the state. Last week the State Senate approved a bill, S-788, that would have restored nearly $7.5 million in family planning funding. Christie said he defunded family planning services two years ago for budget reasons, but […]
A woman is suing a priest who allegedly sexually abused her during exorcisms he performed on her over a two year period. The woman, identified as Jane Doe, filed a suit against the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, its Bishop Paul S. Loverde, and Human Life International, an anti-abortion ministry that the alleged abuser, Rev. […]
A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that starting July 1, South Dakota can enforce part of a stringent anti-abortion law which will require a doctor, before performing an abortion, to determine if a woman has been coerced into the abortion or if she is at risk of psychological disorders. The ruling was the result of […]
A Federal court ruled on Monday that Baltimore and Montgomery County, Maryland, cannot require crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) to post signs indicating what types of services they provide. In a 2-1 vote, the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s decision that the requirement was unconstitutional. Baltimore and Montgomery County had required […]
The Feminist Majority Foundation and Ms. magazine are elated that the Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act–the most important advance for women in nearly 40 years. Feminists are determined to protect the gains of the Affordable Care Act, which will protect the lives and health of millions of women and […]
A federal court ruled this week that a Florida woman could sue her local Sheriff’s department because, after being raped, the woman was denied the second dosage of the morning after pill by a prison guard who objected to it. The woman, identified only as R.W., sought help at a clinic after being raped and […]
The New Hampshire State House and Senate voted yesterday to overturn Governor John Lynch’s veto of a bill that would prohibit late abortions. Governor Lynch vetoed the bill earlier this month, saying it went too far. Federal law already bans late abortions, with an exception if the woman’s life is at risk. The New Hampshire […]
The Supreme Court this morning upheld President Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) in a 5-4 decision. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the opinion for the majority. In the opinion (PDF), Roberts wrote, “We do not consider whether the Act embodies sound policies. That judgment is entrusted to the Nation’s elected leaders. We ask only whether […]
Two young women, who have been dating for five months, were found shot in a park in a small town near Corpus Christi, Texas, on Saturday in an attack that does not appear to be random, according to the police chief. One of the young women, Mollie Judith Olgin, 19, died from her injuries, while […]
Nora Ephron, the author, filmmaker, essayist, and feminist, died yesterday at age 71 from complications from a blood disorder. Known for movies such as When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle, as well as her books and essays, Ephron was celebrated for bringing a woman’s voice to a male dominated industry. An article in […]
A fetal personhood amendment introduced by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has stalled a Flood Insurance Bill intended to increase funding for the National Flood Insurance Program just as the hurricane season begins. The Flood Insurance bill, which had bipartisan support, was considered noncontroversial and would have saved the government $4.7 billion over eight years. Paul’s […]
For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, women from all competing countries will be offered an opportunity to take part in the international event. That’s because the Saudi Arabia government announced yesterday, through its London embassy, that it will permit female athletes to join its team at the 2012 London Games, which begin July 27.
After a three-month trial, Monsignor William Lynn of Philadelphia has been found guilty of one count of endangering children in the archdiocese for which he served as secretary of clergy from 1992 to 2004. Lynn is now the first senior church official to be convicted of a cover-up in the priest sexual abuse scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church over the last 10 years. He faces 3 1/2 to 7 years in prison.
The Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) announced the release of a multi-year study (2007-10) of single-sex education in U.S. K-12 public schools today. This study reveals that after the Bush Department of Education weakened previous Title IX restrictions on sex segregated education in K-12 public schools in 2006, over 1,000 public schools sex segregated at least […]
A Kansas doctor’s medical license was revoked on Friday over allegations that she did not provide adequate mental health exams on patients she referred to the late Dr. George Tiller for late abortions. A judge ordered the license of the doctor, Ann Kristin Neuhaus, be revoked in February, and the decision was sent to the […]
The New Jersey State Senate voted yesterday to restore the state’s family planning funds, two years after Governor Chris Christie defunded the state’s women’s health programs. In a 27-10 vote, the State Senate approved a bill that restores nearly $7.5 million in family planning funding. Christie said he defunded family planning services for budget reasons, […]
I could go on. But if you’ve seen any of the news on the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, you know it did not live up to the hype. Ask anyone from any sector–oceans, food security, education, energy–and they will all express disappointment. But for those of us advancing the sexual and reproductive rights of women, Rio+20 has been particularly disappointing.
Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday that it will reverse its ban and allow women to compete in the Olympic Games. Saudi Arabia’s decision means that this summer’s Olympics in London will be the first in which every participating country permits women to compete. Saudi Arabia was under international pressure to reverse its ban on women […]
The US Supreme Court issued three opinions this morning, including a ruling on the controversial immigration law in Arizona. In a 5-3 split decision (Justice Kagan did not participate, presumably because she worked on the case as President Obama’s solicitor general), the court struck down the provisions of the law that prohibited undocumented immigrants from […]
