The Department of Labor will accept public comments on the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) until February 2, amid legal challenges from business groups that the Act is too permissive and allows for abuse. The FMLA was passed in 1993 to ensure that employers grant eligible employees up to 12 workweeks of unpaid family […]
Anti-abortion extremist James Kopp was convicted yesterday on federal charges for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act when he shot and murdered an abortion doctor in 1998. Kopp is currently serving a 25-year-to-life sentence on New York state charges for murdering Dr. Barnett Slepian. During his closing statements, Kopp, who is […]
United for Peace and Justice, CodePink, and other anti-war organizers are mobilizing activists for actions across the country this weekend. In Washington, DC, a massive march is being organized on Saturday, January 27 to show the newly elected Congress that there is a strong anti-war presence that wants to see an end to the war […]
A bill to raise the US minimum wage, which passed the House of Representatives earlier this month without amendments, is in its fifth day of debate in the Senate. Republicans are stalling the bill’s passage by proposing a number of amendments. Yesterday, a cloture motion requiring 60 votes to end the floor debate failed, gaining […]
On Monday, the sixth anniversary of President Bush’s 2001 reinstatement of the “global gag rule,” a bipartisan coalition in the House led by Representatives Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) reintroduced a bill to overturn the policy. The global gag rule prohibits family planning programs in developing nations that accept US aid from even […]
Former University of California-Davis wrestling coach Michael Burch will receive a $725,000 settlement from UC-Davis after alleging that the university failed to renew his contract in retaliation for speaking out after the women’s wrestling team was cut. Burch sued the university for violating Title IX, the landmark federal legislation prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded […]
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (D) has asked the federal courts to allow enforcement of a parental notification bill that was enjoined shortly after it was signed into law in 1995. The Parental Notice of Abortion Act requires physicians to notify a patient’s adult family member 48 hours before performing an abortion on an unmarried […]
Israeli President Moshe Katsav announced to parliament this morning that he will take a leave of absence following the attorney general’s decision to charge Katsav with rape, harassment, sexual relations involving the abuse of power, obstruction of justice, and illegally accepting gifts. Katsav‘s decision to take a leave of absence falls short of demands from […]
Supporters and opponents of reproductive freedom participated in events across the country yesterday, marking the 34th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v Wade that legalized abortion for women in the US. Across the country – from Washington, DC to Wichita, KS and San Francisco, CA – events marked the political climate around […]
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will both receive today the first batch of signed petitions from women who have had abortions, a project initiated by Ms. magazine. The “We Had Abortions” petition, featured in the Fall 2006 issue of Ms., serves as an opportunity for women to publicly […]
Israeli Attorney General Meni Mazuz announced this morning that he intends to charge Israeli President Moshe Katsav for rape, sexual harassment, and the abuse of power. Attorney General Mazuz will decide whether to indict the president after Katsav presents his case. Katsav is denying any wrong-doing, but his lawyers have indicated that he will resign […]
Goodyear Tire Company agreed to a $925,000 settlement to be disbursed among some 800 women who were not hired for entry-level, tire-building jobs at the company’s plant in Danville, Virginia. The lawsuit, which was filed by the US Department of Labor on behalf of the complainants, alleged that the company practiced gender-discriminatory hiring from January […]
On this day in 1973, the US Supreme Court handed down the decision that gave women the right to a legal abortion. In a 7-2 decision written by Justice Harry Blackmun, the court found that laws restricting abortion violate a woman’s constitutional right to privacy under the 14th amendment. Today, however, women’s rights leaders are […]
NARAL Pro-Choice America released today its 16th annual report tracking reproductive choice-related legislation at the state and national levels. The report, Who Decides? The Status of Women’s Reproductive Rights in the United States, was released just days before Americans commemorate the 34th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion. […]
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) gathered yesterday with Democratic leaders and supporters to celebrate the successful completion of her agenda for the first 100 hours of the 110th Congress. Feminists joined Speaker Pelosi, rejoicing in the fact that five out of the six bills passed in the House in the past week directly impact women. On […]
Women from mainland China who are seven months pregnant or more and wish to enter Hong Kong could be turned away at the border after a new measure is implemented in February. Pregnant women will need to provide proof that a local hospital has made arrangements for their birth, or they will be “denied entry […]
The Montgomery County Board of Education in Maryland unanimously approved new sex education curriculum for 8th and 10th graders that defies abstinence-only rules and includes discussion of homosexuality. Previously, teachers were only allowed to discuss homosexuality in response to students’ specific questions. The curriculum was originally proposed in 2004 but was delayed when conservative groups […]
The US House of Representatives voted yesterday to reduce interest rates for student borrowers. The College Student Relief Act of 2007 passed yesterday in a vote of 356 to 71. All of the Democrats and 124 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, which will apply to the 5.5 million Stafford loans given to students […]
Representative Joe Baca (D-CA) introduced an amendment last week to posthumously award Alice Paul, a feminist pioneer, the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor that can be bestowed by Congress. Paul was a leader of the movement to win women’s suffrage and the author of the Equal Rights Amendment, which she worked tirelessly to pass […]
Chile’s highest court terminated a 4-month-old program that provided free birth control, including emergency contraception, to women over the age of 14. According to the Associated Press, the court ruled last Friday in a vote of 6-4 that the program was unconstitutional because it was initiated by administrative decree, not by presidential decree or legislation. […]
