Shirin Ebadi, one of Iran’s leading human rights defenders, is in London on Amnesty International’s invitation. Her trip to the UK is part of international efforts to educate the world about the human rights abuses in Iran and support Amnesty’s defense of the Defenders of Human Rights Center. Ebadi opened the center in 2001 and […]
Originally Posted on RH Reality Check In her 28th week of a very wanted pregnancy in 2000, Miriam Kleiman, a government employee in Washington, D.C., and her husband, Jason, learned that their male fetus had a severe brain malformation. He would probably die shortly after birth. The couple immediately went for second, third and fourth […]
The Women and Work Commission published a report yesterday citing an increase in the wage gap in the UK. The commission found an increase in the wage gap from 21.9 to 22.6 percent since 2007. Although the gap has decreased overall in the last ten years, the gender disparity is even larger when accounting for […]
A Sudanese court began hearing Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein’s case on Wednesday after she was one of 13 women arrested on July 3 for wearing trousers in public. Al-Hussein was sentenced earlier this month to 40 lashings, but as a public information officer for the United Nations, she has immunity from the flogging. She announced yesterday, […]
Security forces in Nigeria freed approximately 180 women and children who were held by the radical Boko Haram sect yesterday. The sect is an extremist Islamic group believed to be responsible for attacks on police stations and government sites this week that have left 150 people dead, reports the BBC. Most of the freed women […]
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13-6 yesterday to approve Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the US Supreme Court. The committee’s decision means that a full Senate vote on Sotomayor’s confirmation is likely to occur next week, reports the New York Times. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was the only Republican on the Judiciary Committee to vote […]
A new bank created to empower women opened this week in Tanzania. The Tanzania Women’s Bank is based out of the Dar es Salaam, the nation’s capital. Though it was developed for women, men can also access the bank. While other banks in Tanzania require title deeds and proof of wealth to open an account, […]
Iranian women’s rights activist, lawyer, and journalist Shadi Sadr was released from prison yesterday, eleven days after she was beaten and arrested while walking to a prayer service in Tehran. Her lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaei, announced that Sadr was released on bail for approximately 50,000 US dollars, reports Iran Human Rights. Sadr was one of 140 […]
An amendment to the Labor, Health, and Human Services bill that sought to ban all federal funding for Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) was defeated last week in the House by a vote of 247 to 183. Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) introduced the amendment, which would have prevented funds from going to Planned Parenthood […]
The Dutch organization Women on Waves (WoW) cancelled all upcoming trips of its so-called floating abortion clinic. According to RH Reality Check, the “abortion boat” docked in international waters and provided abortion pills and information about reproductive health to women all over the world. WoW had special permission from the Dutch Health Minister to distribute […]
Senator Kirstin Gillibrand (D-NY) announced yesterday that a Senate hearing on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on homosexuals in the military will be held in the fall. The Senate Armed Services Committee, chaired by Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), will hold a hearing on the policy after Congress returns from its August recess, reports The […]
Gerald H F Gardner, a feminist, mathematician, geophysicist, and activist in the National Organization for Women for over 40 years died of leukemia Saturday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the age of 83. “The feminist movement lost a major force in the fight for equality, especially employment and wage equality,” said Eleanor Smeal, who worked closely […]
Preliminary hearings for Scott Roeder, the alleged murderer of Kansas abortion provider George Tiller, MD, are set to begin Tuesday. Roeder has been charged with first degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault. If convicted, he faces life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years, reports the Associated Press. Roeder has […]
Gaza Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdul-Raouf Halabi released an edict today mandating that female lawyers must wear long dark clothing under their robes and scarves to cover their hair when they appear in court. The Hamas-appointed judge issued the order to keep women compliant with Islamic law. Halabi told the Associated Press that “showing a […]
UK government officials are reconsidering a ban on paying egg and sperm donors. According to the BBC, between 2004 and 2006, the number of women who used donated eggs and sperm fell by 25% and 30%, respectively, and more couples are going abroad for fertility treatment. Professor Lisa Jardine, head of the Human Fertilsation and […]
The powerful House Appropriations Labor Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee conducted hearings on its FY 2010 spending bill. President Obama has made his intentions clear. The President’s FY 2010 budget calls for a return to science-based initiatives and an end to federal funding for abstinence-only education programs. The question is will Congress follow his […]
House Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Tim Ryan (D-OH) introduced a bill yesterday that would increase the accessibility of reproductive health care for women. The “Preventing Unintended Pregnancies, Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act” would provide funding to minimize unintended pregnancies and support parents. The legislation supports increased access to contraception and […]
The organization United for Iran, a coalition of individuals and human rights groups, has planned a Global Day of Action on July 25 to highlight international support for the people of Iran amid the nation’s continuing political unrest. Rallies featuring speakers, marches and performances will take place in over 80 cities around the world this […]
The Muslim conservative court of the Republic of Maldives sentenced nearly 150 women to public flogging for having extra-marital relationships. Earlier this month an eighteen-year-old Maldivian woman fainted after being publicly flogged 100 times after being convicted of having sex with two men, reported The Independent. Fifty men were also sentenced to flogging due to […]
The Federal District Court in Brooklyn ruled Wednesday that the New York City Fire Department uses discriminatory hiring practices against black and Hispanic applicants. According to the New York Times, Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis wrote in his decision that required examinations completed by applicants “unfairly excluded hundreds of qualified people of color from the opportunity […]
