A suspect was charged yesterday in the April 1 bombing of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Grand Chute, Wisconsin. The Associated Press reports that Francis Grady, 50, was charged with “arson of a building used in interstate commerce and intentionally damaging a facility that provides reproductive health services.” In a statement released yesterday, Planned Parenthood […]
Arguments continue in 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. Jurors heard testimony from a detective who read internal memos from the church, detailing the sexual abuse. The documents contained […]
A federal appeals court upheld California’s statewide ban on using affirmative action in admissions decisions at public universities yesterday. Proposition 209, approved by California voters in 1996, bans public colleges and universities from considering gender, ethnicity, or race in the admissions process. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the ban once before. […]
A new USA TODAY/Gallup poll released yesterday shows that there is currently a wide gender gap in the presidential race. President Barack Obama currently has an eighteen point advantage with women voters over Romney. Overall, the poll shows that President Obama currently has a nine point lead over Republican candidate Mitt Romney. According to the […]
Police are investigating a homemade bomb that exploded last night outside of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Grand Chute, Wisconsin. No injuries were reported, and the clinic experienced only minimal damage from a fire caused by the bomb. Teri Huyuck, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, stated, “Our primary concern today – as […]
Aung San Suu Kyi, of the National League for Democracy party, won a seat in Myanmar’s (previously Burma) parliamentary election last weekend. Her victory opens the possibility that the National League for Democracy party, which won 40 of the 45 contested seats, could take control of Myanmar’s government in the next election in 2015. Nevertheless, […]
“Multiple Deprivations and Maternal Care in India,” a study conducted by Sanjay Mohanty and published in the March issue of International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, found that in India, impoverished women who lack education face significant barriers in their access to maternal healthcare, including antenatal and post natal care, as well as medical […]
Renowned feminist poet Adrienne Rich died on Tuesday at the age of 82. Rich, who wrote two dozen volumes of poetry and sold approximately 800,000 copies of her work, was widely acclaimed for her writings advocating for the rights of women and lesbians. According to the New York Times, Rich “accomplished in verse what Betty […]
The first-ever nationwide study of abortion in Rwanda, conducted by the National University of Rwanda’s School of Public Health and the Guttmacher Institute, indicated that 60,000 women obtain abortions annually in the country, amounting to 25 abortions for every 1,000 women who are of reproductive age. Moreover, in 2009, one in 40 women of reproductive […]
The Georgia Senate voted 36 to 19 to pass a bill that would prohibit 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 bill passed with an amendment allowing for an exception for “medically futile” pregnancies, which would […]
According to a study, conducted by conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the D.C. Department of Health and published in AIDS and Behavior, a program in Washington DC, which gives female condoms to residents at no cost, saved $6 million in medical costs its initial year. During the program’s first […]
Yesterday Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who formerly served as the chief of the International Monetary Fund, was charged by French officials with “aggravated pimping” for his alleged involvement with prostitution rings in Paris and Washington DC in 2010 and 2011. Strauss-Kahn could face up to 20 years in jail. A civil suit filed by a New York […]
A study conducted by the University of Michigan found that access to birth control earlier in life enabled women to earn higher wages later in their careers. According to the study, approximately 33 percent of the increase in women’s wages during the 1990s can be attributed to the changes in laws during the 1960s and […]
Last Friday, a three-judge panel of the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments to determine the constitutionality of ordinances in Baltimore and Montgomery County, Maryland requiring crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) to post signs indicating what types of services they provide. The signs must state whether the CPCs provide abortion and contraceptive services, as […]
In Philadelphia, opening statements are scheduled to be delivered today in the case of Monsignor William Lynn, who has been charged with two counts of “endangering the welfare of a child.” This is the first time a high-ranking official in the Roman Catholic Church is facing sexual abuse charges in the US for the failure […]
Today marks the first of three days that the Supreme Court will hear arguments concerning whether the mandated minimum coverage provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), which requires that a person purchase minimum health coverage or face a modest monetary penalty beginning in 2014, is constitutional under the Commerce clause of […]
Today marks the second anniversary of the enactment of the Affordable Care Act. According to government data released in September, since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act allowed those under age 26 to remain on their parents’ health insurance plans, almost 1 million people ages 19-25 have gained access to health insurance. Since the […]
Following much controversy regarding the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s partnership with Planned Parenthood, five executives from the Komen Foundation have resigned. Dara Richardson-Heron, CEO of the Greater New York City Komen affiliate, Katrina McGhee, Komen’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Nancy Macgregor, Vice President of Global Networks, Joanna Newcomb, Director of Affiliate Strategy […]
On Tuesday, Utah Governor Gary Herbert (R) signed a bill requiring that women undergo a 72 hour waiting period before having an abortion. Once the law goes into effect on May 7, Utah will have the longest waiting period in the country. Currently, Utah law requires a 24 hour waiting period. Marina Lowe, an attorney […]
On Monday, Arizona state Senate President Steve Pierce (R) announced that he is removing a bill from the Senate committee agenda that would give employers the right to refuse coverage for contraception under their insurance. Senator Pierce indicated that he removed the bill from the agenda due to public opposition and statements from Governor Jan […]
