Connecticut began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples Wednesday morning. The Connecticut State Supreme Court ruled in October that banning same-sex marriage violated the state constitution. Connecticut was the third state to legalize same-sex marriage, even though the status of same-sex marriage rights in California is now in flux. In response to the official judgment […]
A group of Afghan girls walking to school were sprayed with battery acid by two men on motorcycles Wednesday. The attack, which blinded at least two of the victims, took place outside of the Mirwais Nika Girls High School in the southern city of Kandahar. It is speculated that the Taliban is behind these attacks, […]
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday on a federal gun ban that affects individuals convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence charges. In 1996, lawmakers approved an amendment to a federal gun ban that restricted those convicted of violent felonies from owning guns to include those convicted of “misdemeanor crime[s] of domestic violence”, according to the […]
Operation Rescue announced Tuesday their plan to respond to a week-long hearing in the case against Dr. George Tiller, a late-term abortion provider, with anti-choice protests. According to a press release, Operation Rescue plans a “prayer response” and encourages protest at Dr. Tiller’s Wichita, Kansas clinic. Charges were filed against Tiller in 2007 that alleged […]
Esha Momeni, a feminist activist, was released from Evin prison in Iran Monday where she had been held since October 15. She was originally arrested on supposed traffic violation charges while working for the One Million Signatures Campaign, part of the Change for Equality project, which collects signatures in support of Iranian women’s rights. According […]
Dr Sima Samar’s selection as the winner of the 2008 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award (ADRHA) was announced Monday by Taiwan Foundation for Democracy Chairman Wang Jin-pyng. The award honors Dr. Samar’s significant contributions to advancing women’s rights and social welfare in Afghanistan. Dr. Samar chairs the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and is […]
Milwaukee voters approved a ballot referendum last week that will require paid sick leave for workers. The referendum, which passed with 68 percent voter approval, will require employers to provide workers with nine paid sick days. Businesses with less than 10 employees will be required to provide five paid sick days. According to the Chicago […]
A recent CEO Pay Survey finds that a wage gap exists between male and female CEOs. The latest findings from The Corporate Library’s CEO Pay Survey: CEO Pay 2008, found that not only are female CEO pay packages (including bonuses, stock options, etc.) only about 85% of male CEOs’ total pay packages, but female CEOs […]
Women’s votes delivered the electoral votes of New Hampshire, North Carolina, Colorado, and Indiana to Barack Obama and elected several Democratic U.S. Senators. Overall 56% of women and only 49% of men voted for Barack Obama—a solid 7% gender gap. But because of Obama’s widespread appeal a majority of men as well as women voted […]
Ward Connerly a California businessman whose efforts have led to affirmative action bans in California, Michigan, Washington, and Nebraska may cease his nationwide anti-affirmative action campaign. Connerly told the Colorado Independent in a phone interview that he will focus his time on other issues, particularly prison reform. Colorado rejected a proposed state constitutional ban (Amendment […]
The New Hampshire state senate is the first state-level legislature in the United States to have a female majority. Women will hold thirteen of the twenty-four (54%) state senate seats in the upcoming session. New Hampshire State Senate President Sylvia Larsen told NPR that “New Hampshire has a long tradition of participation by women in […]
Michigan voted ‘yes’ on Tuesday to an amendment that will expand research and loosen restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research. The amendment, Proposal 08-2, passed 52%-48%. It will allow researchers to use embryos left over from fertility treatments for scientific research. Remaining embryos would otherwise be classified as medical waste and thrown away, according […]
The United Nations reported Tuesday that a thirteen-year old Somali girl was stoned to death after her family tried to report her rape. According to the New York Times, the girl, identified by Amnesty International as Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow, was raped by three men while on her way to visit her grandmother in Mogadishu. Duholow […]
On an electoral night that was otherwise a positive one for civil rights and women’s rights activists, California’s Proposition 8, which amends the state’s constitution to remove the right of same-sex couples to marry, appears to have passed by 52 percent to 48 percent. Although the No on 8 campaign has yet to officially concede […]
Preliminary analyses indicate that young voters turned out in high numbers on Tuesday. Early estimates indicate that between 21.6 million and 23.9 million young people between 18 and 29 voted, according to CIRCLE. Since 2004, at least a 2.2 million more young people turned out to vote. According to Rock the Vote the 2008 youth […]
All three anti-choice state ballot measures were defeated on Tuesday. South Dakota’s draconian abortion ban lost for the second time, 55%-45%. Despite efforts by the anti forces to make the ban appear more moderate, the South Dakota Medical Association and pro=choice forces were able to successfully reveal that the ban was essentially complete, would endanger […]
There will be 92 women in the new 11th Congress when it convenes in January, 2009. The breakout is as follows: 72 women voting members of the House with 3 non-voting delegates and 17 women Senators. This represents only a small incremental (2%) gain over the current 2008 Congress. In total some 10 new women […]
As voters go to the polls today one thing is certain: The votes of women and young people will be key in choosing the next president. According to the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University, the gender gap–which measures the difference between women’s and men’s support for a candidate or views […]
Louisiana’s Republican Sen. David Vitter, implicated in the D.C. Madam prostitution scandal, has quickly opened and closed a legal defense fund, taking in more than $200,000 from powerful business and political figures in his home state. In August, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) had ruled that Vitter could use $31,000 in campaign funds for legal […]
With only a day to go until the election, feminist campus groups in California, Colorado and South Dakota are stepping up their campaigns to remind fellow students about several significant initiatives on the ballot in their respective states. Propositions 4 and 8 in California, Amendment 48 in Colorado and Initiated Measure 11 in South Dakota […]
