Amanda Simpson, the first known openly transgender presidential appointee in the United States, started work today at the US Department of Commerce. She is a senior technical advisor in the Bureau of Industry and Security. Prior to her appointment, Simpson was employed as the Deputy Director in Advanced Technology Development at Raytheon Missile Systems in […]
As of January 1, the HIV travel bans instituted in the United States and South Korea were lifted. President Obama first announced the end of the twenty-two-year ban on visitors and immigrants entering the US in October. Michel Sidibe, UNAIDS Executive Director, called the development “a victory for human rights on two sides of the […]
The majority of Congressman Parker Griffith’s (R-TN) staff announced their resignations today after Griffith switched from the Democratic to the Republican party. According to MSNBC, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released a press release that stated, “Nearly every staff member of Representative Parker Griffith’s office tendered their resignation this morning in response to his recent […]
The parent company of Outback Steakhouse agreed last week to pay $19 million and meet several conditions to settle a class action sex discrimination lawsuit. The settlement funds will be distributed to women who have worked at the restaurant for at least three years since 2002, according to the Associated Press. Under the settlement, Outback […]
The United States military announced late last month that it was reversing its new policy that allowed female soldiers and their sexual partners in Iraq to be court-martialed in the event of a pregnancy. The revised policy went into effect January 1st and according to a spokesman for the United States military in Iraq “does […]
Scott Roeder, the defendant on trial for the murder of doctor George Tiller, cannot use a necessity defense in his January 11 trial, reports the Kansas City Star. Sedgwick County District Judge Warren Wilber’s ruling on Tuesday was a setback for Scott Roeder, who confessed to the May 31 shooting of Tiller and attempted to […]
An American Army General issued a policy last month that would allow female soldiers and their sexual partners to be court-martialed in the event of a pregnancy. Major General Anthony Cucolo, a commander in Iraq, told the BBC that the policy was intended to protect the safety of his troops. “I’ve got a mission to […]
Activists on both sides of the abortion debate have expressed their displeasure with the Senate version of the healthcare bill, which will be up for a final vote on Christmas Eve. If the bill passes, it will then go into conference to be reconciled with the House bill, from which it has substantial differences. The […]
The Mexico City assembly approved a bill Monday permitting same-sex couples to marry, reports The Guardian. It is the first major Latin American city to do so. Mayor Marcelo Ebrard is expected to sign the bill, which alters the city code to define marriage as “the free uniting of two people,” instead of its current […]
Voting during an unusual 1 am session on Monday morning, the Senate ended debate on the healthcare bill, clearing the way for expected final passage of the bill on Christmas Eve. The 60-40 vote fell along party lines and came after a tense weekend of negotiations with Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE). As a result of […]
A judge on Friday extended a temporary restraining order for an Oklahoma law requiring online publication of personal information for women obtaining abortions in the state. The law, which prohibits sex-selective abortions, requires doctors to submit detailed patient information to the state health department for publication online. The temporary restraining order halts the application of […]
Senate Democratic leadership has delegated to Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) the task of winning over Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), in an attempt to secure the sixty votes necessary to prevent the fillibuster of the healthcare reform bill. Nelson, a longtime reproductive rights opponent, has threatened to join the Republicans in blocking the healthcare reform vote […]
An Oklahoma judge will rule today on a state law requiring online publication of detailed records for women undergoing abortions performed in the state. The law would require doctors to fill out a 10-page questionnaire about the circumstances of the abortion, and the survey would be posted online with the woman’s name omitted. The Center […]
President Barack Obama signed the FY 2010 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which includes several major gains for women’s health and civil liberties, yesterday. The legislation eliminates traditional sources of funding for abstinence-only programs and instead provides funding for “a new evidence-based teenage pregnancy prevention initiative.” The bill calls for $114.5 million to be appropriated for the […]
A Pakistani primary school for girls was destroyed Monday in the country’s Khyber district, near Peshawar, which is in the western region bordering Afghanistan. No one was injured in the bombing, but reports indicate that explosives planted and detonated around the building destroyed all five school rooms. According to the Daily Mail, at least 4 […]
The Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing yesterday on the national rape kit backlog, the reauthorization of the Debbie Smith Act, and current legislation introduced in the Senate that is intended to incentivize the processing of rape kits. hearing. Committee Chair Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said in his statement, “No matter how much […]
Activists from 17 Arab countries met in Cairo for a groundbreaking conference to address the pervasive sexual harassment of women in the region this week. According to the Associated Press, sexual harassment including verbal harassment and physical threats like groping or pinching, are going unchecked in the region because incidents are frequently not reported, law […]
The Washington, DC, city council voted for the second time today to legalize same-sex marriage. The bill passed in an 11 to 2 vote. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty has already agreed to sign the measure. If the bill is not overturned during a mandatory 30 day congressional review, then Washington D.C. will join Connecticut, Iowa, […]
Spain’s ruling Socialist Party agreed last week to remove a provision to their abortion reform bill that would have allowed girls between age 16 and 18 to obtain abortions without their parents’ knowledge. The revised version of the bill also includes a provision that allows doctors who register as “conscientious objectors” to refuse to perform […]
The Ugandan parliament unanimously passed a bill late last week that bans female genital mutilation (FGM) in the country. According to United Press International, those who are convicted of performing FGM will face up to 10 years in prison and can face life sentences in instances where the girl dies from the procedure. Parliament is […]
