Presumptive Presidential nominees John McCain and Barack Obama outlined their positions on abortion Saturday night in nationally televised back-to-back appearances. Reverand Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California posed questions to each candidate about a range of issues, including abortion and gay rights. When asked at what point is a baby entitled to […]
More women in the US are using contraception than ever before, a new study from the Guttmacher Institute reports. The report, published in the wake of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt’s proposed regulations that would define contraception as abortion, indicates that the need for publicly funded health centers is also greater than ever […]
Women supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton have won their battle to put Clinton into nomination for President at the Democratic National Convention. Clinton is the first woman to compete in all primary contests and will likely garner a historic number of votes at the convention. In a press release, Kim Gandy of the National Organization […]
A new report analyzes the impact media has in framing the current affirmative action debates and generally concludes that media portrayals are often biased and misinformed. The report was released by The Opportunity Agenda and is entitled “Affirmative Action in the Public Discourse: Media Content and Opinion Analysis.” Among other findings, the report shows “that […]
A report by the American Psychological Association (APA) Task Force on Mental Health and Abortion has found no credible evidence that abortion causes mental health problems. The report was presented at the APA Annual Convention in Boston Wednesday. It reviewed all relevant, peer-reviewed, English-language empirical studies published since 1989. The APA did a similar review […]
The Archdiocese of Chicago announced a $12.6 million settlement for 16 survivors of sexual assault by priests. Along with the financial settlement, the Archdiocese of Chicago also awarded survivors private apologies and a public apology by Cardinal Francis George, USA Today reports. In the public apology, George said he hoped the settlements would help survivors […]
Taliban gunmen shot three International Rescue Committee (IRC) workers and their local driver near Kabul on Wednesday. The only survivor, an Afghan man who was critically wounded in the attack, said that five men ambushed the vehicle and opened fire. AFP reports that the Taliban claims the aid workers were members of the military. Shirley […]
Joan Fitz-Gerald lost her bid to Jared Polis for the 2nd district Congressional seat in the Colorado Democratic primary last night. This primary’s results are one of the first feminist defeats of this election cycle. With 99% of precincts reporting, Polis received 41.7% of the votes and Fitz-Gerald received 38.0%. A third candidate, Will Shafroth, […]
A coalition of groups including Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and NARAL held a press conference in Washington DC Tuesday. The press conference launched their campaign against the proposed abortion ban in South Dakota. The ballot initiative would amend the state constitution to prohibit “abortions except in cases where the mother’s life […]
In his second blog post discussing the draft regulation that would label contraception as abortion, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt argued for physician “conscience” over women’s health. The rule would expand the definition of abortion to falsely label several types of birth control including emergency contraception, the pill and IUDs as […]
After losing two legal battles to change the state’s title and summary of Proposition 8 in CA courts last week, backers of the initiative decided not to seek a further appeal on the title and summary drafted by Attorney General Jerry Brown. Proposition 8, which seeks to ban same-sex marriage through an amendment to the […]
The Columbian high court has ratified a government health agency’s authorization allowing importation and distribution of emergency contraception (EC) within the country. The authorization was legally challenged by a citizen who argued that EC is an abortifacient device and violates Columbians’ right to life. The court ruled against these arguments. EC is available in Columbia […]
The Democratic Platform Committee adopted a very strong platform for women this weekend in Pittsburgh. They recommitted that the Democratic Party support the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, enforcement of Title IX, ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), reinstatement of United Nations Population Fund funding, […]
A group of Congressman Mark Kirk’s (R-IL) constituents are protesting his July 31 vote against the Paycheck Fairness Act. They brought a letter signed by 120 constituents to Rep. Kirk’s office that decried his opposition to the bill, according to Progress Illinois. The letter concludes by asking, “So why, Representative Kirk, did you turn your […]
Women are more likely to be affected by the economy than men, according to a National Women’s Law Center poll released last week. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have adopted anti-poverty measures that work towards reducing poverty, but women continue to face severe economic challenges. Fifteen states and the District of Columbia have […]
Bruce Ivins, the biodefense researcher accused by the Department of Justice of being solely responsible for the 2001 anthrax attacks, may have been motivated by personal anti-abortion politics. Letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to former Senator Tom Daschle and Senator Patrick Leahy. It is now theorized that Ivins may have targeted these senators specifically […]
Women are feeling the impact of economic instability and rising costs more than men, according to a new poll released Wednesday. The poll was conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the National Women’s Law Center and surveyed 1,001 women and 307 men. Overall margin of error was plus or minus 2.8 percentage points. […]
Afghan girls continue to be sexually exploited, reported the Afghan Interior Ministry Thursday. The Ministry told Reuters that the number of sexual assaults on children has significantly increased. The Afghanistan Human Rights Organization (AHRO) has reported that in January a 10 year-old girl was raped in Jowzjan province and that groups of men raped a […]
Johnson County, Kansas District Attorney Phill Kline lost his seat in the Republican primary to Steve Howe, another anti-abortion candidate. Kline lost by a margin of 60% to 40%. His anti-abortion politics played a significant role in the outcome of the primary, the Kansas City Star reports. Kline filed a 107-count criminal complaint against Planned […]
President Bush is expected to sign a law that would prohibit six types of toxic chemicals, including lead, from being used in the manufacturing of toys for children under the age of 12. If signed, the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act would require testing of children’s toys before sale and would augment the budget […]
