After Columbia’s Constitutional Court rejected a lawsuit demanding access to abortion, Columbian lawyer Monica Roa yesterday filed a second suit that specifically addresses the questions raised by the Court in hope of overturning the ban. While Roa is filing the suit as a private citizen, she is supported by Women’s Link Worldwide, a women’s rights […]
Ali Mohaqiq Nasab, the editor of an Afghan women’s rights magazine who was convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to two years in prison, is facing increasing calls for harsher punishments, including a recent fatwa demanding that Nasab repent or be executed. Nasab was arrested and jailed after publishing articles questioning harsh punishments doled out under […]
Fifteen African countries have ratified the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, affirming that reproductive rights are human rights. The Protocol mandates that women have the right to an abortion when pregnancy results from assault, rape, or incest, as well as when the woman’s mental health, physical health, or life is jeopardized, reports […]
UPDATE: Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) challenged Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) on the floor of the Senate today, asking where in the Constitution was it written that a nominee has the right to an up or down vote. Senator Frist admitted, “It’s not in the Constitution that a United States Senator specifically has the […]
In a victory for women’s health, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R) reversed his position under pressure and will support a state law that makes emergency contraception available at all hospitals, regardless of religious affiliation. The Massachusetts legislature made emergency contraception available behind-the-counter at pharmacies in September, overriding Romney’s veto. The new law included the statement […]
Michelle Bachelet is leading her opponents after the first round of Chile’s presidential election and could become the country’s first female president after a January runoff. A member of the Socialist Party, Bachelet is a trained physician who practiced for many years before serving as both Minister of Health and Minister of Defense, becoming the […]
On Thursday, six current and former employees of electronics retailer Best Buy filed a complaint alleging that the chain discriminated against women and minorities in hiring, pay, and promotions in violation of state and federal laws. The suit, Holloway et. Al. v. Best Buy Co, Inc., was filed in the US District Court in San […]
The National Women’s Law Center and the Congressional Black Caucus today announced their opposition to Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito today based on his hostility toward civil rights and women’s rights. In a press conference announcing the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) opposition, co-president Marcia Greenberger was joined by Congresswomen including Hilda Solis (D-CA), Rosa […]
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a study on domestic violence on a global scale. Titled “The WHO Multi-country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence Against Women,” the report notes that women are much more likely to be subjected to violence at the hands of their partners than at the hands of strangers. […]
A former employee of Mentor Corporation, manufacturer of silicone breast implants, came forward this week alleging that the company corrected leakage defects in doctors’ samples, but not in implants intended for use in women’s bodies. The whistleblower sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which issued an approvable letter for the implants […]
Lama Al-Sulaiman and Nashwa Taher have become the first Saudi women to be elected, winning seats on the board of the Jiddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Arab News quotes Al-Sulaiman as declaring, “I’m excited and exhausted…I’m still in shock. I worked hard and went for a win…” This is the first time women have […]
Today, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that pits law schools’ anti-discrimination policies against the military’s anti-gay policies and on-campus recruitment efforts. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights (FAIR) v. Rumsfeld addresses the constitutionality of the Solomon Amendment, passed in 1994, which requires universities to give the military the same access to […]
A new report from the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) of South Africa reports that 16.9 percent of young women in 2005 were infected with HIV/AIDS, a jump from a rate of 12 percent in 2002. Women between the ages of 15 and 24 are four times more likely than men of the same age […]
The US Supreme Court today agreed to hear a sexual harassment case involving the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. The plaintiff, Sheila White, was hired as a forklift operator in Memphis, Tennessee for the railroad company in 1997. White was the only woman working at the railroad yard, and she alleged that she was being […]
Walgreen suspended four pharmacists without pay last week for their refusal to fill emergency contraception (EC) prescriptions, in violation of Illinois law. They are the first to be disciplined under the rule, which requires that any pharmacy selling FDA-approved contraceptives, including EC, must fill all contraceptive prescriptions. In the event that the pharmacy does not […]
Focus on the Family announced last week that it would be “end[ing] its banking relationship with Wells Fargo, motivated primarily by the bank’s ongoing efforts to advance the radical homosexual agenda,” according to a statement made by Focus on the Family president and CEO Jim Daly posted on the group’s website. At issue is a […]
Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager sent a letter to Governor Jim Doyle (D) yesterday, asking permission to sue the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the ongoing delay in approving over-the-counter sales of the emergency contraceptive Plan B. According to The Capitol Times,, Lautenschlager wrote, “If the FDA had not delayed its decision, it appears […]
Unquestionable evidence of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito’s efforts to undercut women’s reproductive rights surfaced yesterday in a memorandum he wrote while serving in the Reagan Justice Department. In his 1985 memorandum (PDF) to the solicitor general, Alito advised against “a frontal assault” on Roe v. Wade that could result in rulings affirming the decision. […]
Today, the highest court in South Africa ruled that the parliament must amend marriage laws to include same-sex couples within the next year. If parliament does not act, the laws will be automatically changed to give marriage rights to same-sex couples. In the ruling, Justice Albie Sachs wrote, “The exclusion of same-sex couples from the […]
The Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) has charged the Bush Administration with secretly undermining the effort to fight HIV/AIDS by subjecting US AIDS funding to the Global Gag Rule. Organizations applying for grant funding would be required to agree to the “Mexico City Policy,” as the Global Gag Rule is also known, according […]
