The US House of Representatives is set to begin debate today on a bill that seeks to ban abortions that are based on the sex of the fetus. The Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA) has been extremely controversial and many groups are calling it an attempt to limit abortions. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks […]
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for legislation on Tuesday that would put severe limitations on abortion in the country. Under current law in Turkey, abortion is legal with “spousal authorization” up to ten weeks after conception or at any point without authorization if it is for medical reasons. Under Erdogan’s proposed plan, abortions […]
Katherine Legge became the first driver to bring an all-woman team to the Indy 500 on Sunday. Legge, a rookie from England, is the ninth female racer to qualify for the Indy 500. Her all-woman crew made headlines for being the first in the history of the Indy 500. Before the race, Legge told CNN […]
The chief medical officer for the New Mexico Department of Health resigned late last week, claiming she was asked to resign by the Governor’s office because she gave a television interview in which she advocated that teenagers use condoms to “slow the growth of sexually transmitted diseases.” The chief medical officer, Erin Bouquin, told the […]
Another group of Afghan girls was poisoned today, making this the second attack on schoolgirls in the past week. 160 girls in Talokhan, the capital of the Northern Afghan province of Takhar, were taken to the hospital after the attack, complaining of headaches, dizziness, and nausea. CNN reports that the girls were poisoned with some […]
The FBI announced yesterday that it is investigating fires that they believe are acts of arson at two women’s health clinics in Georgia. No injuries were reported in either fire. Law enforcement has not yet named a suspect. “We’re quite alarmed about the fires, as we have already seen an escalation in violence directed against […]
The New Hampshire State Senate voted on Wednesday, without debate, to kill a bill passed by the New Hampshire State House that sought to establish a mandatory 24 hour waiting period before a woman could get an abortion. The House voted 198-100 on May 15 to include the provision in a business tax-credit bill even […]
An amendment offered by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) that extends reproductive health services to servicewomen was approved yesterday by the Senate Armed Services Committee and will be included in the National Defense Authorization Act. Under the amendment, armed servicewomen will be granted the same rights as civilian women under federal policies that provide affordable abortion […]
Monsignor William Lynn took the stand yesterday in his own defense in the landmark case against him in Philadelphia, in which he has been charged with child endangerment and conspiracy for allegedly failing to act in response to cases of alleged priest sex abuse of children. Lynn admitted that he knew there were “pretty sick […]
In the second attack since April, over 120 Afghan schoolgirls and three teachers were poisoned yesterday in the northern Takhar province of Afghanistan. Both attacks were blamed on conservative radicals who are against the education of girls. In yesterday’s attack, an unidentified toxic substance was used to contaminate the air in the classrooms of the […]
Two female soldiers filed a lawsuit yesterday charging that the military’s ban on women in combat is unconstitutional and violates their equal protection rights under the Fifth Amendment. Command Sergeant Major Jane Baldwin and Colonel Ellen Haring filed the suit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, naming Defense Secretary Leon Panetta […]
An article in the New York Times today investigated the high rate of sexual violence against Native American Women, an issue that is receiving more attention in light of the debate over the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA). On May 16 in a 222-205 vote, the US House of Representatives […]
A bill is due to be introduced in the Pennsylvania legislature today that will defund Planned Parenthood in the state. The bill, “Whole Woman’s Health Funding Priority Act,” will be introduced by State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R). Under the bill, healthcare providers that offer abortions will be given the lowest priority for receiving state funding. […]
A clinic in Wisconsin has ended medication abortions as a result of a law signed by Governor Scott Walker in April, “The Coercive and Web Cam Abortion Prevention Act,” which puts harsh and ambiguous restrictions on the procedure. The law, also called Act 217, requires women seeking non-surgical abortions to visit the same doctor three […]
The Missouri legislature passed a bill on its last day in session, last Friday, which prohibits employers or health insurance providers from being required to include contraception coverage in their health insurance plans. The bill is a direct response to the Obama Administration’s regulation that requires employers to include contraception coverage in their healthcare plans […]
Forty-three Catholic Organizations filed lawsuits yesterday in 12 federal courts arguing that the Obama Administration’s regulation that requires employers to include contraception coverage in their healthcare plans violates the employers’ religious freedom. The Obama Administration, in an accommodation, made clear that if a religiously-affiliated institute objects, the insurance company will provide the coverage for contraception […]
Women for Afghan Women and the Feminist Majority Foundation released a letter at the Amnesty International “Shadow Summit” on Sunday that warns that negotiating with the Taliban will not work and will produce disastrous results for Women and Afghanistan. In part, the letter states, “the subjugation of women is not a sidebar, something that can be avoided […]
A woman boxer has become the first from the United States to qualify to compete in this summer’s London Olympics. Marlen Esparza will compete in the summer games during the first ever women’s boxing event. There are 10 weight divisions in the Olympics for men, but only three for women. She is the only eligible […]
Amnesty International issued an open letter to President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai at their “Shadow Summit” Saturday urging both leaders to safeguard women’s rights. Forty-six people signed the open letter, including Feminist Majority Foundation President Eleanor Smeal and Ms. magazine founder Gloria Steinem. Other signatories include former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; […]
A UN report (PDF) released last week shows that worldwide maternal deaths declined by 47 percent from 1990 to 2010. In 1990, there were 543,000 maternal deaths and that number dropped to 287,000 in 2010. The report found that 99 percent of maternal deaths occurred in developing countries and one-third of all maternal deaths occurred […]
