Reverend Joel Hunter, who was set to take over as president of the Christian Coalition in 2007, announced yesterday that he is stepping down because of differences in opinion as to the direction of the group. Hunter, who is the pastor of a nondenominational Florida “megachurch,” wanted to broaden the Coalition’s agenda beyond abortion and […]
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is defending the appointment of Eric Keroack to the post of Deputy Assistant Secretary even though 21 members of Congress and many women’s rights groups have written to HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt opposing the decision. Last week, President Bush announced that Dr. Keroack, who was the medical […]
The World Economic Forum (WEF) recently released the 2006 Global Gender Gap report, which examined 115 countries based on four criteria to determine equality between women and men. In its report, the WEF looked at the female-to-male ratio of economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. Nordic countries such as […]
The Supreme Court heard a case on Monday that calls into question the constitutionality of the six month statute of limitations on wage discrimination cases imposed by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The plaintiff in the case is Lilly Ledbetter, who worked for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for 19 years before realizing that […]
The American Association of University Women (AAUW), one of the oldest national women’s rights organizations, celebrates its 125th anniversary today. On November 28, 1881, Marion Talbot, Ellen Richards, and 15 other women college graduates founded the organization to fight for gender equity and to promote policies that would advance women and girls’ educational opportunities. By […]
Johns Hopkins University has endorsed recommendations outlined in the 2006 Report of the University Committee on the Status of Women at the Johns Hopkins University that include the prioritization of gender parity, women’s concerns, and work-life balance for faculty. The announcement was made after the three-year study found that Johns Hopkins has a much poorer […]
The United Nations (UN) kicked of a 16-day campaign to raise awareness about violence against women with the observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25. At a press conference held Friday, Noleen Heyzer, Executive Director of the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), reported that domestic violence […]
Mothers, fathers, and children gathered at 30 airports around the country yesterday to protest Delta Airlines’ removal of a mother from a flight last month for breast-feeding prior to take-off. Emily Gillette was flying from Burlington, Vermont to New York when a flight attendant asked her and her family to disembark from the plane after […]
The World Health Organization (WHO) sponsored a news conference last week at the National Press Club to bring attention to the declining status of sexual and reproductive health in the global development agenda. A panel of health policy experts discussed the release of a series published by Lancet, a UK medical journal, that provides data […]
The Florida Elections Canvassing Commission named Vern Buchanan (R) the winner in a close race against Christine Jennings (D) for the Congressional seat left open by Katherine Harris (R) in Florida’s 13th district. Jennings, a pro-choice woman, immediately filed a suit challenging the results due to irregularities with the new electronic voting machines that were […]
Washington, DC Mayor-Elect Adrian Fenty has asked Cathy Lanier to head the DC Metropolitan Police Department (DCMPD) police force, making her the first permanent female chief. Lanier has been on the force for 16 years and is currently head of the DCMPD homeland security office. She will replace current police chief, Charles H. Ramsey, who […]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ended a 14-year ban of silicone gel-filled breast implants on Friday, even as it acknowledged side effects including “the hardening of the area around the implant, breast pain, change in nipple sensation, implant rupture, and the need for additional surgery”. Many groups, including the National Organization for Women (NOW) […]
Dutch Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk proposed legislation on Friday that would ban the burqa, a head-to-toe garment for women to wear in public, and other full face coverings, such as ski masks and full-face helmets. The Dutch legislature asked Verdonk to draft the legislation late last year, though it is not clear when the legislature […]
Anti-choice, anti-birth control advocate Eric Keroack was appointed chief of family-planning programs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by President Bush yesterday. Dr. Keroack will be in charge of overseeing the distribution of Title X funding, which amounts to $283 million in grants per year, that is “designed to provide access to […]
Women’s media leaders came together this afternoon in a joint press conference to announce their in-depth analysis of the critical role women voters and leaders played in the 2006 midterm elections. Feminist Majority Foundation President and Ms. magazine Publisher Eleanor Smeal joined Redbook Editor-In-Chief Stacy Morrison, Lifetime Television Vice President of Public Affairs Toby Graff, […]
Segolene Royal, 53, won Frances Socialist Party nomination last night by an overwhelming majority of 61 percent. Royal, the current president of the region Poitou-Charentes, will most likely be running against Nicolas Sarkozy, the current interior minister and head of the Union for a Popular Movement party, in next Aprils election, Herald Sun reports. According […]
A panel discussion in Washington, DC yesterday highlighted the peace-building efforts of four women from various developing countries. The women panelists are in the United States to participate in a program with the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), which teaches women leadership and coalition-building skills, and works to inspire women to run for […]
A conference to find solutions to a growing problem of self-immolation in Afghanistan and other countries began on Tuesday in Kabul, Afghanistan. The conference, hosted by the German womens rights group Medica Mondiale, includes 400 delegates from nations such as Sri Lanka, Iran, Iraq, India, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The delegates will hear recent research from […]
Pakistan’s lower house of parliament approved changes to the country’s punitive rape laws yesterday. Currently, rape in Pakistan is tried under Islamic law outlined in the Hudood Ordinances. A rape victim must produce four male witnesses to the crime, and if she is unable to prove her case, she is charged with adultery, which is […]
On Friday, three major advocacy groups released their joint project to educate people about the status of sexual and reproductive rights throughout the US following last week’s midterm elections. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collectivem, and Ipas have created an interactive map entitled “Mapping Our Rights: Navigating […]
