US Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Hilda Solis announced the “We Can Help” campaign last week. Through the campaign, the DOL has committed to helping all US wage-earners learn about their workplace rights and stop wage theft. According to the DOL’s news release, the campaign will focus on reaching all employees, regardless of immigration status, […]
Numerous Vatican cardinals have spoken out in defense of Pope Benedict XVI, claiming he was wrongfully accused of the sex abuse allegations made against the Catholic Church in recent months and is the target of an anti-Catholic “hate” campaign due to his anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage positions. Angelo Sodano, the dean of the College of […]
The FBI arrested Plano, Texas, law school graduate Erlyndon Joseph Lo on Saturday, after he filed a lawsuit against the nine Supreme Court justices for $999 trillion and demanded a ban on abortion. According to the Raw Story, Lo also demanded a restraining order against the police while he “use[d] deadly force to defend the […]
Proceedings in a class-action lawsuit against Novartis Pharmaceuticals begin today in New York District Court. The suit alleges that Novartis violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and practiced sex discrimination against female employees, and pregnant women in particular. The complaint seeks more than $200 million in damages on behalf of more […]
A Washington state man was arrested yesterday for repeated violent voicemail threats to Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) because of the way the congresswoman voted on the the health care reform bill. The FBI charged Charles Alan Wilson of Selah, WA with threatening a federal official, which is punishable by 10 years in prison and a […]
Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry (R) signed three anti-choice bills into law yesterday. The first bill outlaws sex selective abortion, the second bill institutes a “conscience clause” allowing healthcare providers to refuse to participate in abortion procedures or refer patients to abortion providers, and the third bill puts restrictions on the administration of mifepristone (also known […]
A study published in the journal Pediatrics yesterday reveals breastfeeding can prevent more than 900 infant deaths each year and save an additional $13 billion in health care costs. According to US News & World Report, 95 percent of infant deaths cited in the study are a result of Sudden Infant Death (SIDS), respiratory infections […]
The Nevada state Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a case that seeks to overturn a lower court ruling and place a so-called “personhood” amendment on the fall ballot. The measure in question would extend due process rights to “everyone possessing a human genome.” According to the Associated Press, the court has fast tracked […]
The Mississippi Secretary of State announced late last week that a so-called “personhood” initiative will be on the state ballot in the fall elections. According to the Clarion Ledger, 106,325 signatures on the petition supporting the measure were verified by the Secretary of State’s office, well beyond the approximately 90,000 signatures required to place the […]
Austin, Texas, may soon become the second city in the nation to have a law mandating crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) post signs informing the public about their services. The “truth in advertising” law would require CPCs to post signs at the front door disclosing that they do not offer referrals for or information about abortion […]
The US Commission on Civil Rights released a report Thursday, encouraging colleges to use the Department of Education’s 2005 model survey. The survey is one of three ways colleges can meet athletics guidelines in accordance with Title IX, a law that prevents sex discrimination in schools receiving federal financial assistance, said USA Today. In a […]
Scott Roeder, who was convicted last month in the murder of George Tiller, MD, was sentenced yesterday to 50 years in prison without the possibility of parole. “Scott Roeder will spend the rest of his life in prison, but those who may have aided and abetted his murder of Dr. George Tiller are still walking […]
Nebraska’s Senate voted 38 to 5 on an abortion bill which will affect how long into a pregnancy abortion is legal, based on the fetus’s possible ability to feel pain. According to the Omaha World-Herald, Nebraska’s current abortion law was based on fetal viability, which begins around 24 weeks after fertilization. The current bill was […]
A Muslim Malaysian woman’s sentencing to a caning and a 5,000 ringgit ($1,400) fine for drinking beer in public was changed to a community service sentence today. According to CNN, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, who pleaded guilty, was originally sentenced in July to six strokes by a rattan cane after she was caught drinking beer […]
Three women filed a gender discrimination lawsuit yesterday in federal court against Bank of America and Merrill Lynch, which recently merged. According to lawyer Adam Klein, who represents the plaintiffs, “Bank of America and Merrill Lynch both have a long history of failing to provide equal employment opportunities to their female Financial Advisors, and since […]
The Oklahoma state House approved three anti-choice bills Monday. The first bill would outlaw sex selective abortion and passed on a 95 to 1 vote. The second bill would institute a “conscience clause” allowing healthcare providers to refuse to participate in abortion procedures or refer patients to abortion providers. The third bill puts restrictions on […]
The Archdiocese of Baltimore filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the city of Baltimore’s law mandating truth in advertising by crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) about their services. According to the Baltimore Sun, Archbishop Edwin O’Brien said the ordinance violates the CPCs’ First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and religion, and it “is hurting the […]
A New York District Court judge ruled yesterday that patents on the human BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which are associated with breast and ovarian cancer, are invalid because the patents were “directed to a law of nature and were therefore improperly granted.” The ruling (see PDF) did not consider claims that the patents are unconstitutional. […]
Colorado Governor Bill Ritter signed a law yesterday that will prohibit health insurance companies from charging men and women different rates on the same policies, a practice known as gender rating. With the signing of HB 1008, Colorado became the 13th state to ban gender rating, a practice that the historic federal health reform bill […]
A Georgia bill that seeks to criminalize abortions on the basis of race was approved by the state Senate late last week on a 33 to 14 vote. The bill will now be considered by the Georgia state House, whose Judiciary Non-Civil Committee voted 7 to 6 in favor of the bill earlier this month. […]
