Lieutenant General Ann E Dunwoody made history on Tuesday as the first woman to be nominated to the rank of four star general. According to the Chicago Tribune, Lt. Gen. Dunwoody is nominated to head the Army Material Command, which is responsible for delivering all equipment and arms to soldiers. Her nomination must be confirmed […]
An Iranian women’s rights activist was sentenced to a five year prison term last week, the maximum penalty for her so-called crime. Hana Abdi was convicted of “gathering and colluding to commit a crime against national security,” according to Payvand Iran News. Ronak Safarzadeh, another young activist who was working with Abdi, has been charged […]
Former Filipino President Joseph Estrada is now touring the country promoting contraceptives and family planning, despite longstanding opposition from the influential Catholic Church. According to the Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, local advocates are openly promoting family planning on radio talk shows, and increasing efforts to distribute condoms. According to Wall Street Journal, family-planning advocates […]
Some local officials have cited the lack of comprehensive sex education in Gloucester as partially responsible for the increased pregnancy rate at Gloucester High School. The high school gained national attention when Time reported on June 18 that 17 girls formed a pact to get pregnant together. Today the Boston Herald reports that the “pact” […]
June 23rd, marks the 36th anniversary of Title IX, the revolutionary federal law that outlaws sex-discrimination in education. Title IX, which was originally passed in 1972, reads: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under […]
On Thursday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon announced his support of stricter policies to prevent and punish sexual violence by UN peacekeepers. This announcement was part of a historic UN Security Council discussion on sexual violence as a tactic of war. Ban Ki-Moon told Reuters that he supports a policy which would hold individual peacekeepers […]
Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake said on Friday that the agency is working to improve the health care offered to women vets. The announcement follows an internal VA study that found that female veterans have more difficulty obtaining quality outpatient healthcare than their male counterparts. “We are making a full-court press to ensure that women […]
A major Iranian state-owned company gave its employees an ultimatum: either get married by September, or lose their jobs. According to AFP, the reformist Iranian newspaper Etemad named Pars Special Economic Energy Zone, a petrochemical and gas firm, as the company. BBC reports that the marriage directive is in response to the increasing number of […]
Today, Condoleezza Rice leads the United Nations Security Council in a discussion of sexual violence as a tactic of war. While the United Nations has previously recognized that sexual violence against women occurs in war, it has not created concrete steps for alleviating this atrocity or mechanisms for oversight and information gathering, according to Relief […]
On Wednesday, the Virgin de Panecillo statue in Ecuador flew a banner with the text “safe abortion” and the phone number for a hotline that provides women with information regarding safe medical and surgical abortions. The banner was prepared by a coordinator of Women on Waves, the group that runs the safe abortion hotline. Women […]
Tuesday morning the Democratic Women for Change launched the “Checklist for Change,” campaign, highlighting sets of issues for Congress and candidates to tackle in the next administration. All ten Democratic women in the senate signed on to the checklist, and all but Senator Clinton were in attendance at this event. There are a total of […]
Same-sex couples were legally married in California on Monday, as the state’s Supreme Court ruling overturning California’s ban on gay marriage took effect. Longtime partners and original plaintiffs in the 2004 lawsuit challenging the ban, Diane Olson and Robin Tyler, were among the first couples to obtain a marriage license, reports the Los Angeles Times. […]
A small but growing number of so-called “pro-life” pharmacies are refusing to stock birth control products, condoms, and emergency contraception. The Washington Post reports that these pharmacy owners refuse to stock such items due to so-called “moral objections,” and even refuse to provide referrals to obtain safe and legal birth control elsewhere. California, New Jersey, […]
Nine Iranian women activists were arrested last week on Iran’s national day of solidarity with women. The activists were attempting to take part in a peaceful demonstration the Rahe Abrisham Gallery last week, the Womens Learning Partnership (WLP) reports. According to Amnesty International, the activists were part of a group called the Campaign for Equality, […]
The Department of Justice (DOJ) gave a $1.1 million grant to an abstinence-only organization, Best Friends, despite internal recommendations against the group. ABC News reports that personal ties between the Department of Justice official who authorized the grant and Best Friends President may have played a role in this decision. The grant awarded $1.1 million […]
An internal VA study found that female veterans have more difficulty obtaining quality outpatient healthcare than their male counterparts. According to the Associated Press, everything from physicians trained in women’s health, to mammography services, and to mental health counseling for women, are inadequate. The Star-Telegram reports there may be a double-standard in diagnosing women with […]
A meeting of international donors in Paris last week revealed many disconcerting facts related to the redevelopment in Afghanistan, after the Bush Administration promised a Marshall Plan for the country. The country continues to face corruption and violence disrupting the rebuilding process, and creating a hostile environment for women and children. Washington Post reports that […]
Sexist coverage of the election did not end when Senate Hillary Clinton (D-NY) suspended her campaign. Earlier this week, Fox News ran a blatantly sexist and racist graphic referring to Michelle Obama as Senator Obama’s “Baby Mama.” “A producer on the program exercised poor judgment in using this chyron during the segment,” Fox’s Senior Vice […]
Judy Feder won the Democratic primary for Virginia’s 10th district Tuesday night. Feder received 62% of the vote, according to Northern Virginia Daily, giving her a decisive victory over challenger Mike Turner. She will face Republican incumbent Frank Wolf for in the general election. In a district and state that appear to be continuously moving […]
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is expected to veto a ban on certain late-term abortion procedures known as “partial-birth abortion,” which the Michigan state Senate passed this week. The bill, Senate bill 0776, does not include an exception for the health of the mother, reports the Associated Press. The bill only allow exceptions in cases of […]
