Attorneys for Scott Roeder, who was convicted last month in the murder of abortion provider George Tiler, MD, asked for a new trial yesterday. According to the Associated Press, the lawyers cited a number of reasons for a new trial, including a decision by Judge Warren Wilbert during the trial that prevented jurors from considering […]
A panel of 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judges reinstated a Title IX lawsuit yesterday against the University of California, Davis. The suit was originally filed in 2003 by three female wrestlers after they were forced to compete against men in the same weight class starting after the 2000-2001 academic year. The case was originally […]
The Utah state House voted overwhelmingly in a 53 to 15 vote Friday in favor of a bill that would impose requirements on women having an ultrasound prior to undergoing an abortion procedure. The bill requires that “if an ultrasound is performed on a woman before an abortion is performed, the ultrasound images will be […]
In a landmark victory on Sunday, Laura Chinchilla was elected as the first woman president of Costa Rica. She obtained 46.8 percent of the vote, far exceeding the 40 percent needed to win the election outright without runoff elections. Chinchilla ran on the National Liberation Party ticket. According to English News, Chinchilla’s campaign platform on […]
The group currently leading a “personhood” ballot measure petition drive in Mississippi filed a lawsuit in federal court this week seeking clarification of a law that could derail their efforts to fulfill the state petition requirements. Under current Mississippi state law, petition signatures must be both submitted and certified by circuit court clerks before the […]
The Pentagon will begin providing emergency contraception (EC) at US military base health facilities worldwide, the Department of Defense announced yesterday. The change is a result of a recommendation from the Pentagon’s Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, which voted in November 2009 that both Plan B and generic Next Choice should be included on the basic […]
The Mississippi state House passed a bill Tuesday on an 84-35 vote that will allow “abstinence-plus” sex education to be offered in the state. The bill (see PDF) will “require each local school board to adopt a sex-related education policy to implement abstinence-only or abstinence-plus education into its local school district’s curriculum.” The state House […]
The bipartisan International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) was reintroduced today in both the US House and Senate. IVAWA would be the first of its kind to comprehensively incorporate US foreign assistance programs to help stop gender-based violence and poverty, promote economic opportunities for women, halt violence against girls in schools, and ultimately empower women. […]
Top US military leaders announced a year-long review of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” during a Senate armed services committee hearing yesterday. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has also ordered a 45 day review period. During this period, the issue of discharges resulting from third parties outing military personnel will be considered, reported the Christian Science Monitor. […]
A new report released this week indicates that abstinence-only classes “might” be effective, increasing the debate regarding abstinence-only funding. The federally funded study was published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine. Researcher John Jemmott III, told the Washington Post that “Our study shows this [abstinence-only programs] could be one approach that could be […]
The proposed budget issued by President Barack Obama yesterday for fiscal year 2011 largely exempts programs of importance to women and girls from the wide funding freeze announced by the administration. According to McClatchy, a White House spokeswoman said, “We’re looking at a lot of significant funding increases for women’s programs in a year when […]
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) argued today in federal court that human gene patents are unconstitutional and therefore invalid. This is the first hearing for the BRCA1and BRCA2 human genes patent lawsuit, genes associated with breast and ovarian cancer. The ACLU and PUBPAT initially filed the lawsuit last […]
CNN announced yesterday the Candy Crowley will replace John King as the anchor of their Sunday morning political talk show State of the Union. According to the New York Times, Crowley will be the first woman to anchor one of the Sunday political shows since Cokie Roberts left ABC’s This Week in 2002. Crowley has […]
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced her support of Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s re-election bid late last week. Sirleaf had previously announced that she will run for re-election in 2011, despite previously stating that she would only serve one term. Clinton mentioned her support of Sirleaf during a meeting at the US State Department […]
Scott Roeder was found guilty of first degree murder in the May 2009 death of George Tiller, MD, today by a unanimous jury after 40 minutes of deliberation. The jury also found Roeder guilty of two counts of aggravated assault. In reaction to the verdict, Feminist Majority Foundation president Eleanor Smeal said, “Defense efforts to […]
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke briefly yesterday about the need for Afghan women and girls to be involved in the transition of security to the Afghan military. Clinton made these remarks at an international conference yesterday in London on the subject of Afghan security. During her remarks, Clinton announced a Women’s Action Plan that […]
President Barack Obama mentioned several feminist issues in his second State of the Union address last night. The speech focused largely on the economy, creating jobs, and financial reform. Obama also addressed the stalled healthcare reform bill and said, “Now let’s be clear – I did not choose to tackle this issue to get some […]
The Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) was introduced in the US House yesterday by Representative Jared Polis (D-CO). If enacted, the act would provide federal discrimination protection for students in public schools on the basis of perceived or actual sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The act would also protect students who are targeted because of their […]
Lifelong abortion and contraceptive rights advocate and NARAL founding member Ruth Proskauer Smith died late last week at age 102 in New York City. According to the New York Times, Smith’s politics were influenced by her mother, Alice Naumberg, who co-founded the right-to-die group Euthanasia Society of America. After earning both a bachelor’s and a […]
Even as the trial continues for the murder of Dr. George Tiller, CBS is planning to air an anti-abortion ad during the Super Bowl game. Tell CBS that this is no time to feed the anger and hatred of anti-abortion extremists. CBS has a stated policy to reject all ads it deems controversial, including ads […]
