A judge sentenced anti-abortion extremist Roy McMillan to stay at least 50 feet away from Mississippi’s only abortion clinic. Two weeks ago, McMillan admitted to breaking a federal consent decree he had signed in 1996 that required him to stay 25 feet away from the clinic. Dr. Joseph Booker, the abortion provider at the Jackson […]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Monday that sexual violence in Darfur continues to be a constant threat for women and girls. According to HRW, the Sudanese government repeatedly denies the fact that sexual violence occurs in Darfur. Most crimes against women are left unpunished. The report documents violence against girls as young as 11. […]
The Kansas Supreme Court will hear arguments today over the validity of a grand jury subpoena of private medical records of some 2,000 of Dr Tiller’s patients. Dr. Tiller has been fighting the subpoena out of concern for his patients’ privacy. Dr. Tiller is one of the few late-term abortion providers available for women with […]
Another woman has come forward with allegations of rape by both a fellow KBR employee and a US soldier while working for KBR in Iraq. According to The Nation, the 42-year-old paramedic reported the assault, but was told by KBR employees to keep quiet. Her computer was even confiscated as “evidence” when she emailed a […]
Dean of the John Hopkins University Public Health School, Dr. Michael J. Klag, ordered the school’s federally-funded online database of reproductive health literature reprogrammed to restore the word ‘abortion’ as a search term. Administrators had set POPLINE, the world’s largest database on reproductive health, with more than 360,000 records and articles on family planning, fertility […]
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has changed the admissions process for its Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, making membership in the elite team more accessible to women. LAPD removed some physical requirements, like an obstacle course, that were ruled unnecessary. Critics have claimed that SWAT has lowered the standards to include women. Captain […]
The Oklahoma House voted 80-12 last week in favor of an omnibus anti-abortion bill. The bill, SB 1878, combines several measures previously passed by the House. Also known as the Freedom of Conscious Act, the legislation allows health care workers to refuse to participate in actions that they feel are contrary to their religious beliefs […]
Frightening survey results from the University of Florida reveal the necessity of comprehensive sex education in schools. The Associated Press reports that the survey shows some Florida teens believe that drinking Mountain Dew or smoking marijuana will prevent pregnancy. Others believe that drinking bleach will prevent HIV infection. The Florida Senate Committee on Education approved […]
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle signed a law last week that allows victims of domestic violence to terminate rental agreements without penalty. The Safe Housing Act allows victims to break their leases if they are in imminent danger. If landlords punish the victims for terminating their leases, the lease can be voided. The law was passed […]
The US House of Representatives passed a 5-year, $50 million reauthorization of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) on Wednesday. President Bush originally asked for $30 million for the program in his proposed 2009 budget, but the House expanded the PEPFAR funding by $20 million. The money will be used to fund programs […]
Eleanor Janet “Jan” Welch, 69, a lifelong National Organization for Women (NOW) and Feminist Majority activist, died at her home in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 31 of complications related to pancreatic cancer. In the early 1970’s, Welch was chapter president of Philadelphia NOW and a member of the Executive Committee of Pennsylvania NOW. She was […]
An anti-abortion group filed enough signatures on Monday to include the anti-abortion ban on the November 2008 South Dakota state ballot. The ballot initiative would ban almost all abortions, but includes exceptions in the case of rape or incest or to protect the health of the woman, reports the Rapid City Journal. It should take […]
On Tuesday, United States Senator Dick Durbin chaired the first-ever Congressional hearing on the use of rape as a weapon of war. The Subcommittee on Human Rights and Law discussed the need to hold perpetrators accountable for sexual violence against women. The focus of the hearing was sexual violence as a weapon of war in […]
Senator Robert Menendez introduced a bill in the Senate yesterday that would regulate the misleading advertising practices of Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs). Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women’s Services Act (see PDF) would require the Federal Trade Commission to create and enforce rules to prohibit CPCs’ deceptive advertising practices, such as advertising under the term “abortion […]
Affirmative action advocates are urging voters in Colorado to speak out against the fraudulent practices of petitioners for an anti-affirmative action ballot initiative. Ward Connerly has organized ballot initiatives in five states this year to ban affirmative action for women and people of color in public education, public employment, and public contracting. His petitioners target […]
A group of 76 members of Congress recently sent a letter to House Appropriations Committee Chair David Obey (D-WI), urging Obey to eliminate funding for failed abstinence only sex education programs from the FY 2009 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill. The letter calls for a shift of funds to “other, more […]
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment refused to turn over abortion records subpoenaed by anti-abortion extremist Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline. According to Health and Environment Department Spokesperson Joe Blubaugh, the agency’s attorneys state that turning over the records would be against the law, reports the Kansas City Star. The Department has filed […]
Iraqi women’s rights are eroding instead of improving in post-invasion Iraq. Women’s rights have had a prominent place in the Bush administration’s democracy rhetoric, but in reality women and children have faced increased hardship since the invasion. The weekly news blog Alive in Baghdad stated on Monday, “As the ongoing insecurity and instability in Iraq […]
In a recent survey, over 90% of nurses questioned reported witnessing abusive behavior against other nurses, and over half reported experiencing abuse themselves. The study, conducted by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations found that the majority of abusive behavior comes from physicians, followed by fellow nurses, according to Physorg.com. Dianne Felblinger, an […]
The Mississippi House approved an anti-abortion bill last week that would further restrict abortions in the state, and possibly violate federal privacy laws. According to the Clarion Ledger, most members said they did not fully understand the measure when they voted to approve it. When state Rep. Bennett Malone (D) challenged members to raise their […]
