In a frontal assault to Brown v Board of Education — the landmark case that desegregated schools — the Supreme Court handed down this morning a 5-4 ruling that requires the elimination of integration plans at elementary and secondary public schools. “Chief Justice John Roberts’ decision on behalf of the majority shows a shocking disregard […]
The Louisiana legislature approved yesterday Senate Bill 161, which — if signed into law by Governor Kathleen Blanco (D) — would make it a felony for physicians to perform late term abortions. Under this new bill, physicians who perform the procedure could be imprisoned up to 10 years and be fined up to $100,000. The […]
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) released its annual report on the State of World Population at a briefing this week at the National Press Club. The report raised concerns about the impact of urbanization on the world’s youth (ages 18 and younger), who will comprise 60 percent of the world’s population in 2030. According […]
Under new segregation rules, female bankers in Saudi Arabia are being separated from their male counterparts and supervisors. Women are also barred from meetings important to their work. The sex segregation will be enforced by moving women to all-women suites, building partitions within the office space, or by moving all women to the first floor […]
The House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a resolution yesterday urging Japan to officially apologize to the thousands of women — known as “comfort women” — who were forced to work as sex slaves during World War II. The Foreign Affairs Committee approved the nonbinding resolution by a 39-2 vote, allowing the measure to continue on […]
Today marks the 15th annual National HIV Testing Day, organized by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA). HIV and AIDS prevention advocates encourage routine testing for HIV/AIDS and education programs that teach young people about risky behaviors and methods to prevent contracting the virus. Recent studies show that the rate of infection among […]
California State Assembly member Laura Richardson, a pro-choice Democrat, won her party’s primary yesterday for the special election to fill the seat of the late Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald, who died away suddenly in April. The district, which covers parts of Los Angeles and Long Beach, has historically elected African-American Democrats — like Richardson — to […]
Kansas State Representative Arlen Siegfried (R), the chairman of the Kansas House Federal and State Affairs Committee, announced that he will fight for a bill banning all abortions after the 21st week of pregnancy. While the bill would include an exception for cases in which a pregnant woman’s life is threatened, a fetus may only […]
Following two devastating Supreme Court decisions for women’s rights in Gonzales v Carhart and Ledbetter v Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, the Supreme Court has issued four more reactionary rulings. In every case, the Court has split 5-4, with Bush’s appointees Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito siding with Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony […]
In honor of the 35th anniversary of Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments on Saturday, June 23, the US House and Senate passed last week identical resolutions to celebrate the achievements of this landmark law. The resolution highlighted the success and role of Title IX in increasing opportunities for women and girls in all […]
Joy Simonson died on June 24, 2007 after many accomplishments on behalf of Title IX and the women’s rights movement. From 1975 to 1982, Joy was the executive director of the National Advisory Council on Women’s Educational Programs. Under Joy Simonson’s leadership the Council helped the Department of Education and the Women’s Educational Equity Act […]
The National Legislative Assembly of Thailand approved a new law last week that criminalizes marital rape. Previously, rape law could not be used to prosecute a husband who forced sex on his wife. This new law carries a monetary fine (40,000 baht, or $1,156) and up to 20 years in jail for offenders. In addition, […]
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved yesterday a $28 million cut for funding for community-based abstinence education (CBAE) programs. In 2007, $113 million was marked for sex education programs that promoted abstinence. In his budget for fiscal year 2008, President Bush asked to increase that amount to $141 million. The version of the bill moving through […]
The House voted yesterday to approve a measure that would reverse a ban on donating contraceptives to foreign organizations that perform or promote abortion. In a 223-201 vote, the House added the measure as an amendment to the fiscal year 2008 foreign aid spending bill, which also passed the House yesterday. New York Representative Nita […]
House Judiciary Chair John Conyers (D-MI) and other members of Congress held a briefing and press conference yesterday on Capitol Hill, highlighting the failures of the for-profit health care system and the difficulties faced by millions of uninsured and underinsured Americans. Among the participants was Michael Moore, whose new film, Sicko, focuses on the need […]
President Bush yesterday vetoed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 (HR 810/S 471), which would have expanded federally funded embryonic stem cell research by allowing the study of cells from donated, frozen embryos that would have been destroyed at fertility clinics. After vetoing the bill, Bush issued an executive order to encourage federal […]
The House of Representatives passed a resolution on Monday by a voice vote, celebrating the 35th anniversary and accomplishments of Title IX of the Higher Education Act, which codified educational equality for women and men. Title IX banned discrimination based on gender in federally funded educational programs, and ensured that women receive equal opportunities. Speaker […]
Anti-abortion extremist James Kopp was sentenced yesterday to a life term plus 10 years in prison by a federal judge. Kopp, who had already been convicted in a state court in 2003 of assassinating Dr. Barnett A. Slepian, an abortion provider, was found guilty of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act […]
Former President Bill Clinton addressed a packed audience at a luncheon for the National Partnership for Women and Families last week, highlighting how small policy changes in the US could radically affect women’s lives. “We live in a world that is unequal, insecure, and unsustainable,” Clinton told the crowd before offering ways to change US […]
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced yesterday that almost one quarter of Afghan children are forced to work. Girls are more likely to be working than boys, and the problem is worst in rural areas, UNICEF says, pointing to “poverty, lack of educational opportunities, and the demand for cheap labor” as the principal conditions […]
