We are writing to update you on the day to day struggle to keep the only abortion clinic in Mississippi, open and its doctors and workers safe. We are making progress, but we still need your help. Last week, we told you of the imperative need to improve the clinic’s security system to help prevent […]
Help free Iranian feminists
Iran steps up arrests of women’s rights and human rights activists. This past weekend, on the one year anniversary of the disputed June 2009 elections, Narges Mohammadi, a feminist and vice-president for Nobel Peace Prize Laureate’s human rights organization, was arrested. No information is known about where she is being held or the charges against […]
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FDA to Consider Female Viagra Pill
The Food and Drug Administration will be considering the approval of Flibanserin tomorrow, a pill which is designed to increase female sex drive. Although Flibanserin was originally meant to be an antidepressant, it is now intended to treat hypoactive sexual desire disorder, and has been dubbed the “female version of Viagra.” According to CBS News, […]
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Louisiana Approves Wave of Anti-Abortion Legislation
The Louisiana legislature passed a bill yesterday which requires women seeking abortions in the state to undergo an ultrasound prior to the procedure. There will be no exceptions for victims of rape or incest. The bill passed the state House with a 79-0 vote, and will now go to Governor Bobby Jindal for final approval. […]
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Canadian Women Protest Lack of Funding for Family Planning and Abortion in Global Health Initiative
Demonstrators gathered in downtown Montreal on Sunday to protest Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s decision not to fund family planning and abortion services in Canada’s G8 Health Initiative for women and children in the developing world. In March, the Canadian government officials stated that their initiative to save the lives of women and children in […]
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Closing Arguments for Historic Proposition 8 Trial Begin Today
Closing remarks in the historic federal trial to determine the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8, the November 2008 ballot initiative that overturned the right of same-sex marriage in the state, are scheduled to begin today. According to All Headlines News, U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker has given both the plaintiffs and defendants in the case […]
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FDA Reviews EllaOne, Emergency Contraceptive Effective Up to Five Days
A new emergency contraceptive, to be sold under the brand name ellaOne, is up for review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this Thursday. According to USA Today, the pill, designed to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex, has been proven in studies to be more effective than the current leading emergency contraceptive, levonrgestrel. A […]
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Iranian Woman Activist, Narges Mohammadi, Arrested On Thursday
Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian journalist and prominent human rights activist, was arrested on June 10th by Intelligence Ministry Officials at her home in Tehran. Mohammadi, a member of the Million Signatures Campaign and a vice president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, the organization founded by Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi, has been interrogated […]
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Alaskan Governor Vetoes Child’s Healthcare Funding Due to Abortion Concerns
Alaskan Governor Sean Parnell vetoed a bill earlier this month that would have expanded funding for the Alaskan version of the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program, Denali Kidcare. According to the Associated Press, Parnell vetoed the bill because the program provides funding for medically necessary abortions. In explaining his decision to deny Denali KidCare funding […]
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Boy Scouts and the City of Philadelphia in Court Over Anti-Gay Policy
A trial to settle a tense dispute between the City of Philadelphia and the local Boy Scouts council began on Tuesday. The city has threatened to evict the Cradle of Liberty Council, the local Boy Scouts chapter, from a building it has occupied rent-free for over 80 years because the Council refused to drnounce the […]
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U.S. State Department Revises Policy on Gender Change in US Passports
The U.S. State Department announced on June 9 that it is revising the policy guidelines for stated gender change on U.S. passports and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad. The new policy makes it so that transgender people will no longer need to have undergone sexual reassignment surgery in order to change the stated gender on […]
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Advisory Committee Upholds Ban on Blood Donation by Gay and Bisexual Men
The federal Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability ruled on Friday to uphold the long – standing ban preventing gay and bisexual men from donating blood. CNN reported that the policy faced review thanks to pressure from a group of 17 senators, led by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA). Despite the senators’ efforts, the ban […]
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Catholic Women Protest Vatican for Ordination
A group of women gathered in St. Peter’s Square last Tuesday to protest the exclusion of women from the Roman Catholic priesthood, reports the American Free Press. According to the National Catholic Reporter, the eight protesters demanded “full and equal participation” in the church, as they marched on the Vatican holding signs reading “Ordain Catholic […]
Afghan War Crimes Victims Lobby Against the Afghanistan Peace Jirga
A coalition of Afghan war crimes victims is lobbying against the Afghanistan Peace Jirga and the Afghanistan government’s effort to begin a reconciliation process with the Taliban and other insurgents. The Afghanistan Peace Jirga, which took place early last week, brought together approximately 1,600 delegates from around Afghanistan to discuss building peace and the motives […]
URGENT: Mississippi Clinic Threatened
Two weeks ago, an anti-abortion extremist invaded the waiting room of the Jackson Women’s Health Organization in Jackson, Mississippi. Law enforcement authorities were not only slow to respond when called, but once on site, chose only to talk with the aggressor instead of filing a police report. This is the only abortion provider in the […]
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Equal Pay Act Celebrates 47 Years; Wage Gap Still Persists
June 10th marked the 47th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, the landmark legislation signed by President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Women in the United States still only earn 77 cents to every dollar earned by men. The gap is even wider for African American and Latina women. There is also a significant wage […]
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Iowa Planned Parenthood Makes Mifepristone More Accessible
Planned Parenthood clinics in Iowa have introduced a program that enables mifepristone, also known as RU-486 or the “abortion pill,” to be administered to patients while videoconferencing with their doctors, reports the New York Times. Mifepristone is a drug intended to terminate a pregnancy in its early stages. Planned Parenthood’s use of videoconferencing to provide […]
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Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Still Affects Service Members
The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), a non-profit organization dedicated to ending Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), issued a statement on Wednesday warning gays and lesbians in the military to continue to respect DADT as the law, despite the fact that Congress is reportedly working on legislation that would repeal the policy. DADT was instituted […]
Day Three: Live-Blogging Women Deliver!
It’s Day 3 of the three-day international conference Women Deliver 2010 in Washington, D.C., and Ms. Bloggers are still on the scene. The conference intends to hammer home the point that maternal and reproductive health is a global priority. Want to do something to help? You can click here to urge President Obama to keep the U.S.’s […]
Day Two of Women Deliver: Ellie Smeal, Rachel Leigh Cook, Ali Larter
At Day 2 of the three-day international conference Women Deliver 2010 in Washington, D.C., Ms. Bloggers are there on the scene. The conference intends to hammer home the point that maternal and reproductive health is a global priority. Want to do something to help? You can click here to urge President Obama to keep the […]