On Thursday, Nigerian women announced plans to march in protest of rape and sexual violence. The proposed march, which has been tentatively scheduled for the International Day Against Violence Against Women on November 25, is in response to a recent online video in which a woman is gang-raped while pleading with her assailants to kill […]
The US Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced that Tyson Fresh Meats has agreed to pay $2.25 million, in a sex discrimination settlement, to approximately 1,650 qualified women applicants who were denied employment. OFCCP found that Tyson Fresh Meats violated Executive Order 11246 “by failing to meet its obligations as […]
According to government data released yesterday, 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 provision went into effect in 2010, the number of young adults who are uninsured […]
Supporters of abortion-rights and anti-abortion rights gathered at the Ohio Statehouse yesterday concerning a bill that, if passed, would ban abortions after the fetal heartbeat is detected. This could be as early as 6 weeks gestation when many women do not even know they are pregnant yet. The bill does not include exceptions for women […]
In the past year, Republican Governor Rick Perry and the Texas Legislature cut family planning funding by 66 percent, which amounts to $74 million. However, state lawmakers voted to increase funding by $300,000 for Alternatives to Abortion Services, a state program comprised of 26 crisis pregnancy centers, adoption agencies, and maternity homes. According to the […]
A recent report by the Human Rights Watch revealed a much higher maternal mortality rate in South Africa as compared to other African countries, including Swaziland, Uganda, and Ghana, despite South Africa’s status as one of Africa’s wealthiest nations. According to the National Partnership for Women & Families, the rate of maternal deaths has increased […]
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) will reintroduce the Global Democracy Promotion Act (GDPA) this evening. If passed, the bill would overturn the Global Gag Rule, which bans funding for family planning programs in developing countries that counsel or provide information to women or advocate on a full range of options, including abortion. The bill states that […]
The official repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) will go into effect today. For nearly two decades, the policy forced lesbian, gay, and bisexual service people to keep their sexual orientation a secret or face possible expulsion from the military. Pentagon press secretary George Little indicated that the military is prepared for the repeal […]
Fifteen years following her death, Barbara Jordan, the first African-American women from the South serve as a Congresswoman, will be featured on the US postage stamp. She is the first African American woman to have her picture appear on a stamp. Former Congresswoman Jordan of Texas will be the 34th person to be recognized in […]
On Friday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton cited women as an untapped resource for global economic recovery and growth in her speech before the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) during the inaugural High-Level Policy Dialogue on Women and the Economy in San Francisco, CA. Clinton encouraged members of APEC, including China, Russia, Vietnam, Korea, […]
The Virginia Board of Health voted Thursday 12-1 to adopt unnecessary and punitive regulations of first-trimester abortion clinics requiring architectural renovations to change clinics into hospitals and change government oversight. Under the regulations, state authorities can enter a clinic to inspect at any time without notice to examine patient medical records, gather a list of […]
On Thursday, Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) wrote an article for Impact Magazine detailing the importance of international family planning as a means of US foreign assistance. The article sheds light on the ways in which Lowey has used her time in office as a platform for reproductive health issues, despite continued opposition from the Republican […]
This post originally appeared on the Ms. Blog Our first #HERvotes blog carnival was so successful, we’re doing it again! On August 25-26, to mark the anniversaries of the passage of the 19th amendment and the March on Washington, Ms. joined with 21 women’s organizations to collectively publish 77 blog posts with a single harmonious […]
As the “Mancession” gives way to the “He-covery”, women are calling for their fair share. President Obama’s jobs bill offers a plan to get Americans back to work, allocating funds ranging from payroll tax cuts to those for school revitalization. The White House estimates that 280,000 teacher layoffs will be avoided. Women represent 78% of […]
By Ellie Smeal, Feminist Majority Foundation The president’s job plan would have a positive impact on women’s jobs, woman-owned small businesses and small- to medium-sized non-profits. It also includes payroll tax savings for some 78 million employed women and an extension of unemployment insurance for those out of work, who include some 2.6 million unemployed […]
By Linda Hallman, AAUW Getting America back to work is of paramount importance. As the president and Congress argue over the best way to jump start a slowing recovery and stagnant unemployment figures, they must hear this: Job creation and economic opportunity are critical issues for women. Many struggle with economic insecurity and wage […]
by Rachel Sandler, NOW/PAC Intern She sits staring at the wall in front of her, and all she feels is emptiness. Its white glow is ominous and blank, like her future. She has lost her job. She asks herself how she will pay the rent, how she’ll put dinner on the table, how she’ll pay […]
At Arlington Community High School in Indianapolis, public school officials are separating male and female students even in the hallways, cafeterias, and on buses, in what they claim to be an effort to boost academic performance. Students say that they to rarely see those of the opposite sex on school property. According to the Indiana […]
Speak Out for Women, sponsored by the Virginia Coalition for Women’s Health, attracted hundreds yesterday in Richmond with to protest draft regulations for the state’s abortion providers. The Virginia Board of Health will vote today on ideologically-driven unnecessary regulations requiring abortion clinics to meet hospital-like standards and building requirements. If passed in their present form, […]
By Campus Organizer Sarah Shanks. This post was originally posted on the Feminist Campus Blog. In Virginia, abortion clinics might begin closing at an alarming rate due to legislation requiring they be regulated like hospitals. In March, Governor McDonnell signed SB 924, a bill that classifies women’s health centers in the state as a category […]
