Terri Sewell earned the Democratic nomination last night in Alabama’s 7th District, securing 55% of the vote. If she wins the general election in November, she will become Alabama’s first female and first African American female to be elected to Congress. Sewell’s campaign fought for her victory, raising over a million dollars through fundraising, as […]
The White House will announce today which preventative services are free under the new health care law, according to the Wall Street Journal. Under these new regulations, certain preventive procedures, such as mammograms, colonoscopies, tobacco cessation services, and obesity prevention services, will not require a copayment or other direct costs starting in September. According to […]
Statistics released yesterday by the US Census Bureau reveal that the number of women and minority-owned businesses grew extensively in the years preceding the recession, reports the Washington Post. According to the new numbers, by 2007 women owned almost one third of American small businesses, and minorities owned one in five. Between 2002 and 2007 […]
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that Guatemalan women could possibly be eligible for political asylum in the United States due to the alarming murder rate of females in their home country. According to the Associated Press, more than 3,800 Guatemalan women have been murdered since 2000 and fewer than 2 percent of […]
A federal judge in Nebraska will hear arguments today regarding the merits of a new law requiring women to undergo a mental health examination prior to receiving an abortion, reports the Associated Press. The law was signed by Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman in the spring, and is scheduled to go into effect on Thursday. Last […]
France’s lower house of parliament approved a ban on Islamic-style burqa veils that cover the face today in a 335 to one vote. The ban, which still must be voted on by the Senate before it becomes law, is overwhelmingly popular in France and is reportedly backed by 82 percent of the population, according to […]
The Michigan Court of Appeals overturned a ruling from a lower court last week that would have given same-sex and unmarried partners the right to seek joint custody. Renee Harmon filed the original lawsuit in February, as she was seeking dual custody for the three children she raised with her former partner, Tammy Davis. The […]
The Church of England’s ruling body has announced that women bishops should be allowed, despite protests from traditionalists within the Church. After a marathon 12-hour debate, the Church’s national assembly, the General Synod, has agreed to send draft legislation to dioceses for approval, according to Agence France-Presse. Assuming a majority of dioceses agree, women will […]
The US Department of Labor released last week Highlights of Women’s Earnings in 2009, a report which confirmed that the wage gap between men and women still exists. The report details that women on average earn about 80 percent of that earned by male counterparts. The 2005-2006 report had the women-to-men earning ratio peaking at […]
The Saint Louis Board of Aldermen approved a bill last week that will add gender identity and expression to the city’s non-discrimination policy. The bill places gender identity and expression on a list of legally protected categories that already includes sexual orientation, according to Vital Voice Magazine. The measure, which was introduced by the city’s […]
The execution of Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani, a 43-year-old Iranian woman who was convicted of adultery and originally sentenced to stoning, has been temporarily halted, according to CNN . Malek Ajdar Sharifi, a judiciary official in East Azerbaijan province, said the verdict has been halted on “humanitarian grounds,” although it “still stands and is definite,” reported […]
United Kingdom Justice Minister, Crispin Blunt, has announced that the British government plans to bring forward legislation that would grant anonymity to those accused of rape until they are charged. The government intends on bringing the legislation forward “as soon as possible,” bypassing formal consultation, according to the Telegraph. The issue has the United Kingdom’s […]
Operation Rescue/Operation Save America has chosen Family Reproductive Health and other surrounding clinics in Charlotte, North Carolina as the focus of their 2010 clinic siege from July 17th to July 24th. Featuring the tagline “The King is Coming to the Queen City,” OR/OSA has put out the call that “God Himself is calling us to […]
Senator David Vitter (R-LA) offered his first remarks on Tuesday regarding the controversy surrounding his former aid, Brent Furer, who was convicted of attacking and threatening to kill his girlfriend with a knife in 2008. Furer resigned from his position last month after news sources broke the story of his arrest and conviction, reports ABC […]
Yesterday, Boston federal judge Joseph L Tauro ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional and that same-sex marriages must be subject to the same benefits as heterosexual marriages. Tauro ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in two separate court cases, but it is uncertain whether the ruling will be hold up during […]
Yesterday, the Iranian government released its first public statement on the Sakineh Mohammedi Ashtiani case, claiming that she will not be executed by stoning. Ashtiani was sentenced to death by stoning after an adultery conviction. The Iranian Embassy in London stated that, “according to information from the relevant judicial authorities in Iran, she will not […]
The Pentagon began sending 400,000 surveys to members of the armed forces yesterday to gauge their opinions on the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). The survey, which is being sent to 200,000 active duty troops and 200,000 reserve troops, is meant to examine the potential impact of the repeal. Results of the survey […]
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a sex discrimination lawsuit on Tuesday against the high-technology corporation ITT Corp. The commission is suing ITT Corp. on behalf of a woman employed as a firefighter at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai who claims to be the victim of repeated accounts of sexual harassment. […]
South African runner Caster Semenya,is allowed to return to professional competition after nearly a year of being subjected to gender testing by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF). Colorlines reports that the IAAF ruled that Semenya is “female-enough” and can retain her gold medals after months of dehumanizing gender tests and public scrutiny. According […]
Malaysia’s Islamic courts appointed their first two women judges today. Suraya Ramli has been appointed as a Sharia judge in the administrative capital city of Putrajaya and Rafidah Abdul Razak has been appointed in the city of Kuala Lumpur. Ramli and Razak were officials in the nation’s Islamic Judicial Department prior to their appointments today. […]
