When women in Kenya say ‘no’ to sex they really mean ‘yes’ – according to Paddy Ahenda, a male Kenyan member of parliament (MP), whose statements this week during a parliamentary debate prompted 12 of the 18 women MPs in the room to walk out in spontaneous protest. “This is a nation that should be […]
In a blow for freedom of information, the Commerce Committee of the House of Representatives voted down an amendment that would have protected ‘net neutrality,’ meaning that Internet service providers would have to provide their customers equal access to all websites. Major providers such as AT&T and Verizon have pushed to create a new economy […]
Pennsylvania State University has reprimanded women’s basketball coach Rene Portland for her discrimination against former player Jennifer Harris. Harris brought a federal lawsuit against Portland last December for repeatedly questioning Harris about her sexual orientation, encouraging the other players to ostracize her, and finally dismissing her at the end of the 2004-2005 season. In a […]
Lawmakers in Hawaii recently passed legislation expanding abortion protections, aiming to keep abortion legal in Hawaii no matter what happens nationally. Hawaii legalized abortion in 1970, before Roe v. Wade, and privacy regarding reproductive choice is protected under the Hawaii State Constitution. The current legislation updates the 1970 law in two ways: it removes the […]
April 25 was Equal Pay Day, when women’s wages finally equaled their male colleagues’ earnings of the previous year. American women continue to make 77 cents for every dollar their male counterparts earn. The WAGE (Women Are Getting Even) Project, which is dedicated to closing the pay gap, announced a new grassroots campaign that aims […]
Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s new cabinet currently includes no women. President Karzai did not reappoint the three women who had previously served in his 25-member cabinet. The one woman he did choose to be minister of women’s affairs was rejected by the Afghan parliament. Moreover, Karzai did not appoint any women to the Supreme Court. […]
Momentum is building for the massive anti-war march led by nine progressive organizations set for this Saturday, April 29 in New York City. The March for Peace, Justice and Democracy begins near Union Square at noon and ends at Foley Square, where the Peace and Justice Festival will be held until 6 p.m. The National […]
French feminists have petitioned the government to remove the title ‘mademoiselle’ from official documents, making ‘madame’ the appropriate title for all women. The largest feminist organization in France, Les Chiennes de Guarde (The Guard Dogs), supports the appeal, on the grounds that using both titles is discriminatory, as it unfairly requires women to disclose their […]
Scientists attending the Microbicides 2006 Conference have announced that a gel that would prevent the transmission of HIV could be ready for use by 2010. The availability of microbicides could be crucial in reducing the number of HIV infections by lessening women’s dependence upon their male partner’s willingness to use a condom, thereby giving them […]
Some 128 sex abuse charges filed against the Portland Archdiocese are heading to court after church officials and alleged victims failed to reach a settlement agreement by the April 17 deadline. Forty of the cases will be heard in state court, and the remaining 88 will be heard in federal court, according to the Associated […]
Alabama has convened a new state panel, The Commission on Girls and Women in the Criminal Justice System, to examine the rise in women prisoners and find new ways to address the needs of the female prisoner population. Since 2000, the number of women imprisoned in Alabama has risen by 53 percent, reports the Associated […]
Following the shake-up of White House personnel that took domestic policy out of Karl Rove’s hands, Truthout reports that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald introduced new evidence to the grand jury yesterday against Rove in the CIA leak investigation. According to Truthout.org, sources close to the case revealed that Fitzgerald was prepared to file criminal charges […]
Following in the steps of South Dakota, the Louisiana State Senate is considering a near-total ban on abortions in the state, which would allow abortions only to save the life of a pregnant woman. The bill does not include exceptions for a woman’s health, or cases of rape or incest. Senator Ben Nevers (D), sponsor […]
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear an appeal by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, meaning that the personnel files of two priests accused of child molestation must be turned over to prosecutors. Although this case affects only the files of Michael Baker and George Miller, it is expected to lead to […]
A federal court ruled yesterday that Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline could not use a Kansas statute requiring doctors and teachers to report potential child abuse to require health care providers to report consensual sexual activity among teenagers under the age of 16. Kline had issued a broad interpretation of the law in 2003 that […]
Early today, two sophomore members of the Duke University lacrosse team were arrested on charges of rape, sexual assault and kidnapping. A grand jury indicted Reade Segilmann and Collin Finnerty yesterday, but the indictments were sealed and their identities were not known until this morning, when they appeared before a magistrate. District Attorney Mike Nifong […]
In an effort organized by the DC gay-rights group Family Pride Coalition, over 100 lesbian and gay families attended the annual White House Egg Roll for the first time in its 130-year history yesterday, wearing rainbow-colored leis to show their solidarity. Children accompanied by their parents rolled Easter eggs through the grass with long-handled spoons, […]
Bill Owens, the Republican Governor of Colorado, has vetoed State House Bill 1212, which would have allowed pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception (EC) without a doctor’s prescription. State Senator Jennifer Veiga (D) said to the Denver Post that “this is the second year in a row that the governor has turned his back on women’s […]
A new report on the current status of Afghan women and girls issued by the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) demonstrates that Afghan women and girls continue to face extreme obstacles and discrimination as they seek to exercise their rights. The “Evaluation Report on General Situation of Women in Afghanistan” states that despite the […]
Ginger destroys ovarian cancer cells, says a new study by University of Michigan researchers. The preliminary study results, presented at the 97th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, indicate that ginger shows promise as a treatment for chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer. Components of ginger root kill ovarian cancer cells two ways: first, by […]
