A new report released this week on sexual assault on college campuses found that many US colleges and universities routinely fail to uphold established legal obligations to survivors of sexual assault. The report examined archival evidence from the past 10 years and found that the omissions of higher educational institutions ultimately are barriers that insulate […]
The New York state Senate voted 38 to 24 Wednesday to kill a bill that would have legalized same-sex marriage in the state. Despite the fact that the New York state Senate is currently ruled by a slim 32 to 30 Democratic majority, 8 Senate Democrats voted against the bill, causing its failure. Several hundred […]
The State Department announced a new five-year strategy for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) this week on World AIDS Day. The plan (see PDF) indicates a shift away from the Bush administration’s ABC (abstinence, be faithful, and as a last resort use condoms) prevention program and toward expanding family planning as […]
Hundreds of feminist activists from around the country gathered today on Capitol Hill to rally against the anti-abortion Stupak/Pitts amendment to the health insurance reform bill. The lobby day was presented by the Stop Stupak Coalition, which is also sponsoring a week of action that started Monday. The coalition includes 53 partners that form “a […]
Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) introduced a pair of bills yesterday that would fund research on the connection between reproductive health and the potentially disruptive impact of environmental chemicals. The first bill (see PDF) would authorize the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to conduct and coordinate a research program on hormone disruption and other […]
The Washington, DC city council voted today to legalize same-sex marriage. The bill passed in an 11 to 2 vote and must undergo a second vote before it reaches Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. Mayor Fenty has agreed to sign the measure, according to the Washington Post. Council member Phil Mendelson, a supporter of the bill […]
Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority Foundation joined Women for Afghan Women in a press conference, on the same day President Obama is announcing the new US policies for Afghanistan and Pakistan, to keep in focus the plight of Afghan women and girls. In a statement, Smeal said, “We must not forget the horrific […]
World AIDS Day was globally commemorated today with more than awareness events and free HIV testing sites. Those honoring World AIDS Day were asked to a push for universal access to treatment and prevention. HIV/AIDS rates have globally increased this year and an estimated 33.4 million are currently living with AIDS. Of that figure, 15.7 […]
A lawsuit was filed last week that challenges a so-called “personhood initiative” petition in Alaska. The suit charges that the measure’s language is too broad and could have significant unintended legal consequences if enacted. It argues that the ballot measure should not have been certified by state Lieutenant Governor Craig Campbell and seeks to halt […]
The UN announced a 16 day campaign to eliminate violence against women in Afghanistan in a press conference today. During the campaign, which ends on Human Rights Day, the UN is “supporting a diverse range of activities across Afghanistan to enhance awareness and, by extension, to mobilize or increase attention” to the problem of violence […]
The United Nations announced Tuesday $10.5 million in new grants to bolster international efforts to end violence against women. The funds, which were announced in honor of the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women today, will assist 13 initiatives in 18 countries and territories. The UN Trust Fund in Support of […]
Feminist campus activists have played a key role in student protests across the University of California system, which have been ongoing since a decision Friday to raise student tuition and fees by 32 percent. According to the New York Times, the increase is approximately $2,500 per student, per year. The University of California currently faces […]
On Monday, Baltimore became the first city in the country to require crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) to post signs disclosing that they do not offer referrals for or information about abortion and contraception. The Limited Service Pregnancy Center Disclaimers Bill passed by a 12-3 vote of the Baltimore City Council and will now move to […]
The British Columbia Appeal Court provided written rationale for it’s ruling that will allow Olympic organizers to hold a men’s ski jumping event, but not a women’s event in the upcoming Vancouver Olympic games. According to the Associated Press, the Court wrote in its decision that “It is a case in which a non-governmental body […]
Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), was reportedly barred from receiving communion by Rhode Island Bishop Thomas Tobin in 2007 due to Kennedy’s pro-choice position on abortion. Kennedy told the Providence Journal Friday that the “bishop instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion.” Bishop […]
Four anti-choice groups released a statement last week opposing a personhood initiative petition that is currently gathering signatures in Nevada. The measure in question would extend due process rights to “everyone possessing a human genome.” The statement says that the proposed “amendment will harm the Pro-Life movement by giving pro-abortion courts more power to decide […]
Sure, the famously wooden Al Gore had some good lines last night on 30 Rock (“You know, there’s an old African proverb that I made up”), but our favorite guest star was truly inanimate: a “This is What a Feminist Looks Like” T-shirt by Tina Fey’s eponymous character’s upstairs neighbor Brian. The shirt is used […]
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists released new cervical cancer screening guidelines today. The new guidelines indicate that women should delay their first Pap test until they are 21 and should have subsequent screenings every two years until the age of 30 and every three years after the age of 30. These new guidelines […]
Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Dean Heller (R-NV) introduced a bill today in the House to address the national crisis of untested rape kit backlogs. The Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault Act of 2009 is the House version of a Senate bill introduced earlier this month. According to Human Rights Watch, there are approximately […]
Bishop Harry Jackson filed a lawsuit against the Washington, DC Board of Elections and Ethics Wednesday, in an attempt to force a ballot initiative on same-sex marriage in the District. The Board rejected the initiative proposal Tuesday citing that it is discriminatory and would therefore violate the city’s Human Right’s Act, according to the Washington […]
