A version of the Violence Against Women Act introduced by House Republicans excludes some protections found in the Senate bill, such as protections for LGBT, immigrant, and Native American victims of domestic violence. The House bill’s key sponsor, Rep. Sandy Adams (R-FL), defended the bill and his spokeswoman said that the protections were unnecessary because […]
co-written by Melody Moezzi & Tracy Hollister North Carolina has the dishonorable distinction of becoming the first state to put an anti-gay marriage amendment on a 2012 ballot. On May 8, voters in the state will weigh in on the North Carolina’s Amendment 1, which states that “marriage between one man and one woman is the only […]
A bill introduced by Congressman Todd Rokita (R-Ind) would force states to halt programs that provide funding for abortions for low-income women. The bill, HR 4160 (PDF) or the State Health Flexibility Act, was introduced in March and has been added to the Republican budget plan. The bill would move Medicaid to a block grant […]
The Justice Department filed court papers on Monday asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act’’s requirement that healthcare plans include contraception coverage. The lawsuit, brought by several states, challenges the Obama Administration’s rule that only “houses of worship” will not be required to cover birth control without co-pays or deductibles. […]
The Kansas State Senate voted 23-16 on Wednesday to pass a broad bill that gives pharmacists the right to deny women any drug that the pharmacist believes can cause an abortion. The bill extends “conscience” protections to non-hospital facilities, including clinics and doctors’ offices. Supporters of the bill claim it protects pharmacists from being sued […]
The Department of Justice announced yesterday that it is launching an investigation into the handling of sexual assault reports at the University of Montana in Missoula. The investigation was prompted by the large number of sexual assaults; there have been 80 reported cases of rape at the university in the past three years. There have […]
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal signed a bill yesterday that prohibits women in the state from having an abortion after 20 weeks gestation, on the unsupported premise that the fetus can experience pain at 20 weeks. The “fetal pain” bill was passed in the Senate 36 to 19 at the end of March. The bill passed […]
A US Appeals Court yesterday overturned Monday’s ruling granting a temporary injunction that prevented Texas from defunding Planned Parenthood. Judge Jerry Smith of the 5th Circuit Court of appeals issued an emergency stay, giving Texas the right to enforce its law that would cut off funding to Planned Parenthood in the state. Under a rule […]
An Indiana Catholic School teacher is suing the diocese because school officials allegedly fired her for undergoing in vitro fertilization in violation of the Church’s teachings. Emily Herx, a teacher in Fort Wayne, Indiana, received favorable evaluations during her eight years of teaching literature and language arts at the Catholic school. When she learned she […]
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton vetoed on Monday the second anti-abortion bill that was brought before him this month. The bill, passed in the legislature 76-47, would require a doctor to be present during a medication abortion. Under a current program in the state, patients are able to take the medication necessary to induce an abortion […]
A federal court ruled on Monday that Texas cannot exclude Planned Parenthood from the state’s women’s health program. A group of eight Planned Parenthood organizations filed the lawsuit against the state of Texas in mid-April to prevent the state from excluding them from the program. In March, Governor Rick Perry implemented a rule that excludes […]
Women across the country participated in marches and rallies on Saturday to protest recent attempts to roll back women’s rights. State legislators have passed or tried to pass laws to limit women’s reproductive rights throughout this year. Proposed legislation included personhood bills, fetal heartbeat laws, and ultrasound laws. The rallies were held in over 30 […]
The United States and Afghanistan announced last week that the two countries have agreed on a draft of a strategic partnership which establishes US support in Afghanistan for a decade after the removal of combat troops. Combat troops are due to withdraw from Afghanistan by 2014. Under the agreement, which must still be approved by […]
Aung San Suu Kyi, who won a seat in Myanmar’s (previously Burma) parliamentary election in the beginning of April as a member of the opposition National League for Democracy party, will take the country’s oath of office. The oath ends the opposition party’s boycott of the parliament. The decision is seen as a step towards […]
Muslim women in India are fighting to bring gender equality to marriages, reports the New York Times. The women are lobbying for equal gender rights in marriage, divorce, and property rights. They are demanding compulsory registration of marriages with the state, the establishment of a system of financial support for wives, and the prohibition of […]
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton vetoed a bill on Thursday that intended to put restrictive licensing requirements on abortion clinics. The bill would have required any clinic that performs at least ten abortions a month to pay for a license. The cost of the license would be $3,712 a year. Clinics would also be inspected semiannually […]
The White House hosted a panel on Tuesday highlighting women trailblazers in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. The panel was held to encourage young women to enter these fields. The panel included Jocelyn Goldfein, director of engineering at Facebook, Dr. Cady Coleman, a NASA astronaut and retired colonel in the US Air […]
The US Senate voted 68 to 31 to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) today. The bill is the first to include access to law enforcement and services for Native American women, better access for immigrant women who fear deportation if they report violence, and better access for LGBT victims. The bill now moves […]
A former altar boy testified on Wednesday that he was sexually abused by a Philadelphia priest. The testimony occurred during the landmark case against Monsignor William Lynn who has been charged with child endangerment and conspiracy for allegedly failing to act in response to cases of alleged priest sex abuse of children. The victim testified […]
US Attorney General Eric Holder announced on Tuesday that the Justice Department will establish a new coordinator within DOJ to specifically focus on human trafficking. In a speech in Little Rock, Holder reaffirmed the US’s commitment to combating trafficking all over the world, including domestically. In his speech, Holder said that the new coordinator will […]
