The National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education (NCWGE) released a report on Monday, Title IX at 40: Working to Ensure Gender Equity in Education. The report notes progress for girls and women in athletics and college attainment, but it also identifies continued major inequities for males and females in career and technical education, […]
A global poll released yesterday found that of the G20 countries, India is the most dangerous country for girls and women’s rights and Canada offers the most protections. Experts, including aid workers, academics, health professionals, journalists, and development experts, were asked to rank the countries on six categories – quality of health, freedom from violence, […]
A group of US Catholic nuns will embark on a multi-state bus tour starting next Monday, following a week in which the Catholic Church hierarchy received public attention for reprimanding nuns for focusing on issues of poverty, was forced to defend its fight against birth control, and has been embattled with state legislatures over sex […]
We did it! With your help, feminists made a big difference in North Dakota and pro-choice forces won BIG. Thank you for your support! And thank you North Dakota voters! North Dakotans voted overwhelmingly – 64% to 36% – against Measure 3 the so-called “religious liberties” state Constitutional amendment that could have been a huge […]
Hundreds of pro-choice advocates protested Michigan’s proposed package of anti-abortion legislation in the state’s Capitol yesterday. Women and men, many of whom wore pink Planned Parenthood t-shirts, chanted on the lawn and occupied the balconies of the House as legislators discussed the bills. According to the Associated Press, Planned Parenthood’s presence stemmed from their exclusion […]
A US Senate hearing held yesterday on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) marked the first time a transgender person testified before the Senate. Kylar Broadus, founder of the Trans People of Color Coalition, spoke in favor of ENDA, which has been introduced in Congress in every session since 1994. The bill would prohibit employers from […]
North Dakota voters soundly rejected a proposed state constitutional amendment yesterday that would have granted “the right to act or refuse to act in a manner motivated by a sincerely held religious belief” even if such actions are otherwise illegal. Sixty-four percent of voters rejected the measure and only thirty-six percent voted in favor of […]
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged female activists across the world to pursue leadership roles and create change in their countries yesterday during the opening ceremonies of the first Women in Public Service Institute. The institute, held at Secretary Clinton’s alma mater Wellesley College, is a collaboration between the US Department of State, Wellesley, […]
The Associated Press reported on Monday that the Kansas attorney general’s office spent over $644,000 last year on private legal counsel to defend three major anti-choice and anti-abortion laws enacted by the state. Approximately $200,000 was used to pay the firm Thompson, Ramsdell & Qualseth of Lawrence to defend two restrictive state laws attacking abortion […]
The state of Connecticut declared abortion an “essential health benefit” last week and, as a result, the procedure must be covered by the state’s health exchange under the Affordable Care Act. A state health panel voted unanimously to consider all abortions – not just abortions in cases of rape, incest, or to save the woman’s […]
A high school in Los Angeles with high rates of teenage pregnancy has partnered with Planned Parenthood to offer free birth control and emergency contraception in a clinic on the school’s campus. The clinic at Roosevelt High School, a school in a low income neighborhood of Los Angeles, serves as a primary care clinic, though […]
A nun censured by the Vatican last week for writing a book on sexuality has gained national attention and her book has shot up the bestseller list, six years after it was first released. Sister Margaret A. Farley’s book, “Just Love: A Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics,” focuses on sexuality and veers from the Church’s […]
A new report found that the rate of violent crimes against women in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala has drastically increased, reaching crisis level. The report, researched by Nobel Peace Prize laureates Jody Williams and Rogoberta Menchu on a 10-day fact finding mission, shows that increased militarization in the countries has disproportionately affected women. According to […]
An aide to former Senator John Ensign (R-NV) pled guilty to a misdemeanor violation yesterday, four years after he resigned from his job over a scandal that later forced Ensign to resign from the Senate. Doug Hampton, Ensign’s former administrative assistant, faced charges of violating a law that prohibits congressional aides from lobbying within one […]
A package of anti-abortions bills in Michigan was approved by a State House Panel yesterday and the bills are expected to be brought to a floor vote next week. Under the proposed laws, abortion would be banned after 20 weeks; doctors would be required to screen women seeking abortions to make sure they are not […]
The US House of Representatives passed a Homeland Security spending bill yesterday that includes an anti-abortion rider. Under the provision of the bill, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would be prohibited from providing abortion services to illegal immigrant detainees. The bill was approved by the GOP controlled House on a straight party-line vote, 234-182. According […]
A spending bill released on Tuesday by US House of Representatives Republicans maintains provisions that restrict abortion in the District of Columbia and a planned bill seeks to further restrict abortion in DC. Under the introduced spending bill, DC would be prohibited from using its taxpayers’ money to subsidize the cost of abortions for low-income […]
Opponents of abortion are working to include a personhood initiative on the state’s ballot this November. The personhood initiative, known as amendment Cl-108, seeks to define life under state law as beginning at the moment of fertilization, granting fertilized eggs with the full rights and privileges of a person under the Montana state constitution. As […]
Nearly 2,000 current and former Walmart employees filed claims of discrimination on the basis of gender with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Complaints were filed in all but two states – Montana and Vermont – but at least one complaint was filed in every US Walmart retail region. The lawsuits were filed in response […]
A New York Times investigation released yesterday shows that the main argument used by critics of the morning-after pill does not reflect current scientific findings. Opponents of the morning-after pill argue that the pill prevents pregnancy by blocking fertilized eggs from implanting in the uterus. However, the New York Times investigation shows that studies do […]
