HR 3, the “No Tax Payer Funding for Abortion Act,” will go to the House floor for a vote this afternoon. The bill, which purports to prohibit taxpayer funding of abortions and ensure that healthcare reform law does not cover the cost of abortions, is misleading and dangerous. HR 3 goes way beyond the Hyde […]
On Friday night, Ms. magazine was awarded the Maggie Award for Best Feature Article/Consumer from the Western Publishing Association, which represents the publishing industry west of the Mississippi River. The feature was chosen from among 10 finalists in the category. The award was given for the article in the Spring 2010 issue of the magazine, […]
Yesterday, the Texas state Senate passed a bill (SB 16) that would require women to have a sonogram within 24 hours prior to having an abortion. The woman would then be required to listen to her doctor’s description of the fetus, which would include information about which organs have developed; however, she could choose not […]
In honor of International Day of the Midwife on May 5, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) released a statement highlighting the important role of midwives during childbirth and noting the shortage of approximately 350,000 professional midwives worldwide. According to the UNFPA, more than one in every three women in developing nations gives birth either […]
The U.S. Department of Labor announced late last week that a revision of the Equal Opportunity policy now ensures protections of federal government employees based on gender identity and pregnancy. Both protections have been added under sex discrimination, and will apply to hiring, disciplinary action, and promotion for agency employees. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis […]
A New York Times report released earlier this week uncovered the deception of many athletic programs in schools regarding gender equity in sports, distorting the numbers in order to comply with the requirements of Title IX. Title IX, which bans sex discrimination in any federally-financed education program, has largely drawn attention to and been labeled […]
Today the White House is hosting the first-ever meeting to focus specifically on transgender issues. The Office of Public Engagement (OPE) will meet with transgender activists and leaders to discuss federal policy on trans issues. Topics to be discussed include employment policy, access to health care, military policy, and immigration detention standards. Some activists have […]
Indiana may become the first state in the nation to defund Planned Parenthood. Following a state Senate vote earlier this month, the House voted Wednesday to cut off about $2 million in federal money that goes to Planned Parenthood, much of which is for Medicaid services. The bill also calls for a ban on all […]
The Florida Legislature passed six abortion-restricting bills on Wednesday after facing 18 bills, many of which are the most extreme anti-abortion legislation in the nation. One bill passed will require women to both undergo and pay for an ultrasound before having an abortion. They may decline to view the image, but they are still required […]
A New York Times report released earlier this week uncovered the deception of many athletic programs in schools regarding gender equity in sports, distorting the numbers in order to comply with the requirements of Title IX. Title IX, which bans sex discrimination in any federally financed education program, has largely drawn attention to and been […]
A group of nuns based in Boston are suing their archbishop after years of trying to withdraw from the Archdiocese pension plan to start their own, which they claim would provide a better standard of living in retirement. The nuns say they have also not been given their own portion of the fund, despite several […]
U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.) introduced legislation last week that would address the rising incidences of sexual assault and violence on college campuses. The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act, or SaVE Act, would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 and expand the 1990 Jeanne Clery Act to “improve education and prevention related to campus […]
Congressman Allen West (R-FL) addressed a conservative women’s group, Women Impacting Nation, last week and accused Planned Parenthood, Code Pink, and other liberal women’s groups of “neutering American men,” causing “weakness,” implicating them in the growth of the United States debt. Specifically, West said, “We need you to come in and lock shields, and strengthen […]
The so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill that would forbid educators in Tennessee from mentioning homosexuality to students, advanced out of the state Senate’s Education Committee on a 6 to 3 party line vote last Wednesday and will move to the Senate floor. The bill (see PDF) states that “no public elementary or middle school shall […]
Representative John LaBruzzo of Louisiana (R-Metairie) has filed legislation that would ban all abortions in the state. The bill would subject both a woman who has an abortion and her doctor to charges of feticide. Penalties range from 5 to 15 years in prison. LaBruzzo claims the bill is designed to take on Roe v […]
A transgender woman was beaten by two women in a Maryland McDonalds after using the restaurant’s women’s bathroom. Chrissy Polis said that no employees intervened when the women began pulling her by the hair, throwing her to the floor, and kicking her repeatedly. The incident was recorded on tape, and police have arrested the young […]
On Earth Day, it’s not uncommon to see “Go Green” posters and signs around town, but it feels like more and more we are seeing this slogan in stores, with “green” products or all kinds being sold everywhere you look. Consumerism-masked-as-environmentalism seems to be at an all-time high, where the word green is no longer […]
Iowa Republican Governor Terry Branstad declared the month of April “Abortion Recovery Month” yesterday to “promote abortion recovery programs and awareness of post-abortion stress syndrome.” Minnesota and Texas governors have made similar proclamations in their states in the last year. Branstad was joined at the signing ceremony by representatives from anti-choice organizations and crisis pregnancy […]
Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) has introduced the Violence Against Women Health Initiative Act as part of her effort to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which she co-authored in 1994. The bill is designed to strengthen the ability of health care providers to recognize victims of domestic violence and prevent them from being victimized […]
U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten refused to grant an order sought by the Department of Justice against an anti-abortion activist for sending a threatening letter to Dr. Mila Means, the Kansas doctor who plans to offer abortion services in Wichita. Dr. Means has been the target of anti-abortion protests and harassment since she began […]
