Bills regulating abortion reached their end stages in three states this past week. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D) vetoed on Monday a measure that would have required doctors to submit information about abortion patients to the state. Late-term abortions are only legal under Kansas law to save the life of a woman or when her […]
Representatives Joseph Crowley (D-NY) and Tim Ryan (D-OH) have joined with other lawmakers to ask House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to take legislative action to lower the cost of birth control at some family planning clinics and university health centers. After a recent change in Medicaid laws caused a dramatic spike in contraceptive prices, a […]
A comprehensive bill for assistance, stability, and security in Afghanistan was introduced in the House and voted out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee by a unanimous voice vote yesterday. Introduced by Representative Tom Lantos (D-CA), HR 2446 would reauthorize and expand upon the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002. The bill includes the major […]
A resolution to honor what would be the 100th birthday of groundbreaking environmentalist Rachel Carson has been hindered by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK). Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) planned to submit the resolution, co-sponsored by three other senators, but decided to delay its introduction after Coburn indicated he will block its passage. Coburn, a medical […]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced yesterday that Lybrel, the first low-dose oral contraceptive that eliminates monthly menstruation, is now approved for use in the US. Taken daily, Lybrel continuously delivers lower doses of the synthetic hormones found in traditional birth control pills, which are usually taken for 21 days followed by seven days […]
Women’s rights activist and lawmaker Malalai Joya, a 29-year-old from the Farah province, was suspended from the Afghan Parliament yesterday after she described the Parliament as a barn full of animals. Joya is known for infuriating former mujahedeen fighters that now hold seats in the legislative body” some elected and some appointed by US-supported President […]
Iranian-American academic Haleh Esfandiari was charged yesterday with conspiring to overthrow Iran’s government after being imprisoned two weeks ago when she tried to return to the US from Iran. In a statement released by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, officials accused Esfandiari of establishing a network that would work “against the sovereignty of the country,” […]
Missouri lawmakers on Friday passed House Bill 1055, limiting abortion access and weakening sex education programs in public schools. Governor Matt Blunt (R) told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he is eager to sign the bill, which would require abortion clinics to be certified as outpatient surgery clinics. Certification, which will require upgrades in equipment […]
Villagers in southwestern China have been protesting and rioting over the past four days in reaction to a recent crackdown on violators of China’s so-called one-child policy. Chinese law limits families to one child except in cases where the first child is a girl and a second child is allowed, the Associated Press reports. Local […]
The Massachusetts legislature is considering a bill that would prevent protestors from entering a 35-foot zone around abortion clinics. The bill would strengthen a 2000 law that created an 18-foot zone in which protestors had to remain at least six feet away from all staff and patients unless they obtained permission to move closer. The […]
Connecticut Governor M Jodi Rell (R) signed a bill yesterday ensuring that all licensed health care facilities make emergency contraception available to victims of sexual assault. The law, which will take effect on October 1, 2007, requires that victims of sexual assault receive medically accurate and objective information about emergency contraception (EC) and are provided […]
Paul Ross Evans, who was arrested last month on charges that he attempted to bomb a women’s health clinic in Austin, Texas, was indicted on Tuesday. A federal grand jury in Austin has charged Evans with five criminal counts, including an attempt to use a weapon of mass destruction, which is punishable by life in […]
XM Satellite Radio announced yesterday that Gregg “Opie” Hughes and Anthony Cumia, the hosts of “The Opie and Anthony Show,” will be suspended for 30 days after making vulgar and graphic rape jokes during their morning show last week. While the hosts offered an apology after the incident, comments were made during a Tuesday show […]
Gwen Elliott, a champion of women’s and children’s rights, died from brain cancer at her home on Monday. She was 62. In 1976, Elliott and 11 others became the first women officers in the Pittsburgh Police Department. Elliott advanced to the position of commander, a position she held for 16 years until her retirement in […]
Eric Robert Rudolph, sentenced to life in prison in 2005 for four bombings — including bombings of abortion clinics in Atlanta and Birmingham — has recently taunted his victims from jail using Internet postings. Anti-abortion activist Donald Spitz has posted Rudolph’s essays on the website of the Army of God, a group with which Rudolph […]
According to a new report released by Media Matters for America, the guests on Sunday morning talk television shows — which garner some 12 million viewers every week — are predominately white men. Media Matters, a media watchdog group, studied the 2005 and 2006 guest lists of NBC’s Meet the Press, ABC’s This Week, CBS’ […]
The Kansas Board of Education voted last week to abandon its one-year-old abstinence-only program in favor of comprehensive sex education. The decision, which was achieved by a 6-3 vote, will mean that sex educators must no longer stress abstinence until marriage and can offer lessons on contraceptives and safe sex. The decision also reversed the […]
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski (D) signed two bills into law last Wednesday establishing legal rights for same-sex couples akin to the benefits of marriage and banning discrimination based on sexual orientation. According to the Associated Press, House Bill 2007 legalizes domestic partnerships and proclaims that same-sex couples have the same “responsibilities, privileges, immunities, rights and […]
In its annual “Mother’s Day Report Card,” Save the Children this week released a ranking of the best and worst countries for mothers and children. The report is the eighth annual of its kind compiled by the global humanitarian organization. The report considers, among other factors, the risk of maternal mortality, use of modern contraceptives, […]
Amnesty International — a human rights group that had previously remained mostly neutral on abortion — has released a new policy on sexual and reproductive rights that increases the organization’s support for abortion rights. Amnesty recently announced that it will support abortions for victims of sexual violence and for women whose health is endangered by […]
