The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (GenderPAC) has just released a new report tracking and evaluating the efforts of schools, from kindergarten to colleges and universities, to prohibit discrimination and promote awareness of gender identity and gender expressions in their official policies. The second of its kind, the 2007 GENIUS (Gender Equality National Index for Universities […]
Harvard researcher Nancy C Andrews, MD has been tapped to head Duke University’s School of Medicine, becoming the only woman to permanently head a top-ten medical school. Harvard Medical School — ranked number one by US News and World Report — has a woman interim dean, Dr. Barbara J. MacNeil. While medical schools have achieved […]
At least 10 Filipina women die everyday while giving birth, United Nations Population Fund Country Representative Suneeta Mukherjee told participations of the Second National Multi-Sectoral Policy Conference on Population and Human Development. Mukherjee stated that, of the approximately 3 million pregnancies each year, half are unintended or unplanned, and one out of three of these […]
After months of calls by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress for his resignation, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced this morning that he was stepping down, effective September 17. Gonzales’ term was marked by controversy, most recently concerning the firing of eight US Attorneys last fall. Congress is investigating whether these dismissals were politically motivated. […]
In honor of Women’s Equality Day (August 26), Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) has announced that when the House reconvenes this fall, she will introduce a bill to equip the US government to advocate for global women’s rights. The legislation would establish a Commission on International Women”s Rights and a special State Department office to advise […]
The acclaimed writer, poet, feminist, and peace activist Grace Paley died on Wednesday in her home in Vermont at the age of 84 after a long struggle with breast cancer. As a writer, Paley is best known for her short stories examining the ordinary lives of women. Her Collected Stories, published in 1994, was a […]
Cable television may promote gender equality and reduce domestic violence in rural India, according to a National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working paper. Women who were exposed to cable television over a 6- to 7-month period in India were less likely to report a preference for sons or complacency with domestic violence, and more […]
The Uganda Demographic and Health Survey for 2006, which was released last week, reveals shocking attitudes toward domestic violence, high rates of unprotected sex, and limited use of natal medical care. The survey — the fourth of its kind conducted by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics — relied on data collected between May and October […]
Catholic leaders have denounced Amnesty International following the organization’s adoption of a new policy in support of limited abortion rights. Founded in 1961 by Peter Benenson, a British Catholic convert, Amnesty had previously remained neutral on abortion. The new policy, which was a product of two years of deliberation and member input, supports abortion rights […]
State-mandated changes at three Albany, NY-area hospitals could limit women’s access to reproductive care. Schenectady County’s Ellis Hospital may not provide abortion services after it takes over Bellevue Women’s Hospital, a non-profit specialty hospital in Niskayuna, and merges with St. Clare’s, a Catholic hospital that does not provide abortions or distribute contraceptives, the Times Union, […]
District Judge Clark V Owens was appointed yesterday to preside over a case involving later term abortion provider George Tiller after the previous judge drew attention for his anti-abortion views. Dr. Tiller, one of the few providers of later term abortions in the US, is facing 19 misdemeanor charges for allegedly seeking approvals on later […]
A new study published in The British Medical Journal shows that abstinence-only programs are ineffective in preventing HIV and pregnancy. The research involved 13 trials with the participation of 15,940 American youths. The trials were conducted in American schools and focused on students in grades five through eight who were enrolled in abstinence-only sexual education […]
Iranian-American scholar Haleh Esfandiari was released from prison in Iran on bail today, the ISNA news agency reports. Dr. Esfandiari had been detained for over 100 days on charges that she was an alleged threat to Iranian national security. Her bail was set for 3 billion rials (approximately $333,000). She still may be required to […]
Two 13-year old Oregon boys face criminal sexual harassment charges for allegedly spanking girls and touching their breasts. A teacher’s aid spotted Ryan Cornelison and Cory Mashburn running down a hallway and slapping the bottoms of several girls, according to The Oregonian. The two boys and five girls involved were then interrogated by a police […]
Minnesota enacted a new law this month that will make birth control more affordable and accessible. The law gives family-planning clinics the right to buy birth control at bulk rates through cooperative purchasing agreements. Peg LaBore, executive director of a Minnesota family-planning clinic, estimated that the legislation will reduce the price of contraception “by at […]
Recent findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggest that medical abortions, like surgical abortions, do not increase risks in future pregnancies. “The short-term safety of medical abortion has been well established,” Dr. Jun Zhang of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, who worked on the study, told Reuters. Unlike […]
Latin America’s labor force is becoming increasingly feminized as 33 million women joined the labor market between 1990 and 2004, according to a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report. However, these women are typically confined to traditionally gendered roles that pay less money, earning 20 to 30 percent less than their male counterparts. Up to […]
Kenya’s parliament rejected on Wednesday a bill to amend the constitution to guarantee women 50 seats in the parliament. Currently, only 18 of the parliament’s 222 seats are filled by women, one of the lowest rates in Africa, reports Reuters. “The status of women in Kenya is not acceptable,” said Elizabeth Lwanga, the UN coordinator […]
South Dakota Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Caldwell ruled earlier this week that an anonymous donor who contributed $750,000 to a corporation that in turn made donations to Vote Yes For Life, an anti-abortion group trying to ban abortion in the state, does not have to disclose her or his identity. South Dakota State Representative Roger […]
A US-sponsored birth control program that provides free birth control pills, condoms, and injectibles to the Philippines will end in 2008, causing concern among family planning advocates. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is slowly phasing out the donation program, which has provided the bulk of free contraceptives in the Philippines over the last […]
