Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed three bills on Tuesday instituting new restrictions on abortion rights in the state. The first law requires women seeking abortions in Louisiana to undergo an ultrasound prior to the procedure. There will be no exceptions for victims of rape or incest Opponents remain concerned that the ultrasound requirement, an expensive […]
Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle vetoed a bill yesterday that would have legalized civil unions in the state. The bill, which was approved by the state legislature in late April, would have made Hawaii the seventh state to permit civil unions. Lingle, a Republican, has voiced opposition to legalizing same-sex marriage in the past. She said […]
The UN voted unanimously Friday to create a new office on women to be called the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), which will begin operating officially in January 2011. UN Women consolidates four formerly separate entities within the UN that work for the advancement of women: the […]
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service in a letter late last week “to ensure that religiously-affiliated hospitals provide emergency reproductive care as required by federal law,” including emergency abortions. All hospitals receiving federal funds must provide all necessary emergency medical reproductive procedures despite religious affiliation under the […]
The United States Justice Department filed a suit against Arizona’s new immigration law today. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Justice Department will sue on the grounds that Arizona’s new immigration law illegally intrudes on federal prerogatives and violates the Constitution’s supremacy clause, which states that federal law trumps state statutes, legally referred to […]
Human rights activists are rallying the international community to stop an Iranian woman being stoned to death. In 2006, Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani was convicted of having extramarital relations with two men, who subsequently killed her husband according to Huliq. While she initially received 99 lashes for adultery, during an appeal of her case, the court […]
A law liberalizing Spain’s abortion restrictions took effect yesterday, but remains under review in the country’s Constitutional Court. According to the Associated Press, the conservative Popular Party is challenging the legislation as unconstitutional, and the Court has agreed to study the appeal. The Court must now decide if the law should be suspended while the […]
The Feminist Majority endorsed Elena Kagan today. In a press release, the Feminist Majority strongly encouraged the United States Senate to quickly confirm Elena Kagan. It further reads, “Solicitor General Kagan is superbly qualified for this position. She has distinguished herself throughout her academic and professional career and has the keen intellect, the compassion, and […]
Throughout the course of the Elena Kagan hearings, several feminist issues have been addressed. In an effort to determine Kagan’s stand on abortion, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) asked her, “Do you believe the Constitution requires that the health of the mother be protected in any statute restricting access to abortion?” Kagan replied, “I do think […]
The House State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee approved a markup of the FY 2011 appropriations bill yesterday afternoon that will allocate $735 million to family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) programs. The markup, which is $20 million above the President’s Budget request, appropriates $675 million to bilateral FP/RH programs of the US Agency for International Development […]
This week, Iceland’s Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardotti married her longtime partner Jonina Leosdottir, making her the first head of government in the world to marry a same-sex partner. The couple married last Sunday, which was both the international day for gay rights and the day that a new law legalizing same-sex marriage in Iceland went […]
The Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld the state constitution’s ban on same-sex marriages and civil unions yesterday. The court ruled unanimously that the 2006 amendment that banned both types of unions was properly put to voters in a state-wide ballot referendum, reports NPR. University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh professor William McConkey originally filed the lawsuit against the state […]
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced a bill yesterday that would regulate the misleading advertising practices of Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs). The Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women’s Services Act (see PDF) would require the Federal Trade Commission to create and enforce rules to prohibit CPCs’ deceptive advertising practices, such as advertising […]
A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project in association with the International Herald Tribune recently found that while global support for gender equality is high, gender inequalities still exist in many countries. The survey, which was conducted over the course of a month in 22 countries, examines in-depth attitudes towards gender […]
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland filed a lawsuit Monday challenging an anti-choice Nebraska law that is scheduled to go into effect on July 15. The law (see PDF). restricts women’s access to abortion by requiring a doctor or other health professional to screen women to determine whether or not they were pressured into having an […]
The French Parliament unanimously passed groundbreaking legislation yesterday making “psychological violence” punishable by law. The bill defines mental violence as “repeated acts which could be constituted by words or other machinations, to degrade one’s quality of life and cause a change to one’s mental or physical state,” according to the Reuters Paris. Nadine Morano, the […]
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The Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 yesterday that Hastings College of Law in San Francisco legally withdrew recognition from a campus group, the Christian Legal Society (CLS), which excluded gay members from voting or holding office. The case, Christian Legal Society v. Martinez (see PDF), originated in 2004, after the CLS lost recognition after […]
In Pakistan, a new hotline that educates women about abortion options was launched yesterday, but has already sparked controversy. The hotline plans to give women information about Misoprostol, a drug available by prescription to treat gastric ulcers, to safely and effectively induce abortion and also how “to prevent dangerous hemorrhaging after giving birth” according to […]
The Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan begin today. President Barack Obama announced his nomination of Kagan to the Supreme Court on May 10. If confirmed, Kagan would be the fourth woman Supreme Court Justice ever confirmed to the Court. She would be the third woman justice on the current Court and […]
