A bill passed by the Indiana Senate Health Committee could allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense emergency birth control (Plan B) and other contractive pills. Although Senator Jeff Drozda (R-Sheridan) told the committee that the bill would give pharmacists the right to refuse to assist with an abortion and was not intended to affect the […]
The Department of Homeland Security is reviewing a 1994 policy that has allowed over 30,000 battered women immigrants to stay in the United States and become citizens. While the department refuses to divulge specific details, it is reviewing whether to refuse green card requests for battered women if they entered the country illegally, according to […]
State and federal cutbacks in funding for family planning services, increases in abstinence only funding and lack of access to abortion is fostering a baby boomlet in the U.S. The 4.3 million births reported in the U.S. in 2006 is the largest number since 1961. A report released last month by the CDC’s National Center […]
The Jordanian Parliament last week endorsed a family protection bill aimed at curbing the growing domestic violence problem there. This is a victory for Queen Noor and feminists in Jordan, who have long been fighting against domestic violence. Under this law, abusers could face penalties ranging from hefty fines to prison term of up to […]
A group of 30 female nurse practitioners and physician assistants in the University of Michigan Health System are suing the university for wage discrimination. The women work in the cardiology, oncology and radiology departments, and state that the university has paid male workers in comparable jobs more over the past three years, according to the […]
Department of Defense Inspector General Claude Kicklighter has refused to investigate the allegations of gang-rape made by former Halliburton/KBR employee Jamie Leigh Jones. He stated that since the Justice Department has claimed that its investigation is still open, “no further investigation by this agency into the allegations’is warranted,” reports ABC News. Jones filed a federal […]
The United Arab Emirates is amending a law which will allow women to become federal prosecutors and judges. Women are in the process of being trained across the UAE. Two women in the capital Abu Dhabi have already been selected as prosecutors, reports Reuters. “At present the law states that only a Muslim man is […]
As the 2008 elections approach, anti-abortion activists have turned their attention to states. 11 abortion bans were introduced in states legislatures last year, according to US News and World Report. Voters in several states will also face anti-abortion ballot initiatives. Anti-abortion activists are promoting a variety of anti-abortion initiatives, from fetus “personhood” to so-called coerced […]
A bill recently introduced in the Kentucky state legislature would require women seeking abortions to first undergo an ultrasound. The bill would also require doctors to then review the results of the ultrasound with the woman, according to Associated Press. Doctors who fail to review the ultrasound results with their patients would face a fine […]
Norwegian law now requires publicly listed corporations to have at least 40 percent women on their boards of directors. The legislation was actually introduced in 2003, but gave companies five years to bring more women onto their boards with a January 1, 2008 deadline, according to the BBC. Norway was the second country in the […]
Backers of an anti-affirmative action ballot initiative in Missouri praised a decision Monday to rewrite the summary language that will appear on the ballot if the measure qualifies for the November election. Secretary of State Robin Carnahan drafted the original summary language to specify the initiative’s intent to ban affirmative action programs for women and […]
As Congress returns, much feminist legislation is still pending. Among the bills that remain is the Fair Pay Restoration Act, a measure to correct the Supreme Court’s ruling in Ledbetter v Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. which gutted Title VII pay discrimination protections for women workers. The companion bill has already passed the House and […]
A draft bill introduced in the Egyptian Parliament that would allow rape victims to have abortions has met with controversy. The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR) states that every hour, two women are raped in Egypt, according to the AFP. Critics of the legislation say it fails to address the real issue, the Gulf […]
The NOW Foundation, the National Council of Negro Women and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) will convene the 2008 Economic Justice Summit. In Atlanta, Georgia April 10-12. The Summit will bring together academics, researchers, and grassroots advocates to discuss current findings on the economic status of women and to develop strategies to advance […]
The Food and Drug Administration warned seven pharmacies to stop selling so-called “custom-mixed hormones” as remedies for symptoms of menopause. The FDA warned that these products, also called “bio-identical hormone replacement therapy” or BHRT, are not supported by medical evidence and are the marketing of them has been considered false and misleading in some cases, […]
About 10 women defied a strict ban from the all-male Mount Athos monastic sanctuary on the Athos peninsula of Greece. The women were only a few of the approximately 1,000 protestors at a rally on Tuesday in opposition to claims by five of the community’s monasteries on some 20,000 acres of land on the nearby […]
A Kansas Grand Jury convened on Tuesday to begin an investigation into Dr George Tiller, one of the few late-term abortion providers for women with troubled pregnancies and complicated health problems. The investigation is the result of a citizen petition circulated by anti-abortion extremist groups. Kansas is one of six states that allow citizens to […]
Private clinics, which perform most of the abortions in Spain, began a five day strike on Tuesday in response to alleged harassment and persecution by government investigators and anti-abortion extremists. Only emergency operations will be performed. The strike was organized by the Association of Accredited Abortion Clinics, who estimate that it will effect approximately 2,000 […]
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a challenge to a lower court ruling that struck down a Michigan law banning dilation and extraction abortion procedures. In March 2005 the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Reproductive Rights and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America filed suit in federal court to prevent enforcement […]
Last month Turkey”s first feminist bookstore opened in Istanbul. The store was founded by Amargi Woman Academy, a women’s organization working since 2001 to develop feminist theory and practice, according to the Turkish Daily News. Amargi Woman Academy is also known for publishing a quarterly journal. Several events are planned for the bookstore this month, […]
