Fourteen Democrats and Republicans in the Senate struck a deal last night that averts the so-called “nuclear option” and preserves the right to filibuster judicial nominees for now. The deal allows a simple majority vote on three of the most anti-women’s and civil rights judicial nominees while giving Democrats the opportunity to filibuster two other […]
The United States Supreme Court announced Monday that it will consider the case of New Hampshire’s parental notification law during its fall session, which begins in October. The case, known as Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood 04-1144, will address a New Hampshire law that requires a parent or guardian to be notified in person or by […]
Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) may face opposition as she prepares to run for re-election in 2006. The New York Times reported today that Jeanine F. Pirro, the Republican district attorney of Westchester County, is considering challenging Clinton for her US Senate seat.
A study released yesterday by the Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ) found that American news journalists cite men as sources twice as often as women. The report states that “[d]espite rising numbers of women in the workforce and in journalism schools, the news of the day still largely comes from a male perspective.” This […]
The Senate is less than a day away from a vote that could change the rules of the Senate to ban all filibusters of judicial nominees, including Supreme Court nominees. In order to amend the Senate’s Rule 22, which lays out the requirements for ending debate, Senate Republicans plan to break the Senate’s rules. To […]
In an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean said that he favored state-by-state ethical rules governing late-term abortions. “I’d prefer to see medical practice boards around the country set ethical guidelines for abortion…There are ethical constraints around the issue of abortion. There is no question about […]
Eleven Afghans connected to a USAID-funded project have been killed this week in two separate attacks as violence against humanitarian aid workers is escalating daily. Five Afghans working for the US company Chemonics International were killed Wednesday in Helmud Province, according to the Associated Press. Within just 24 hours, six more Afghans with connections to […]
As part of a $100 million settlement with 90 alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests in Orange County, California, the Orange County diocese on Tuesday released confidential personnel files of 15 of the accused priests and teachers. The some 10,000 pages of letters, handwritten notes, and other documents revealed that in many instances Church […]
The House Armed Services Committee approved an amendment yesterday that would block women from serving in new positions related to direct ground combat, unless the Army first obtained Congressional approval to place women in those roles. This amendment replaces an amendment passed by the subcommittee on military personnel last week. In response to the nature […]
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) opened debate today on Priscilla Owen, an extreme right-wing, anti-women’s rights judicial nominee. This is the first step in a possible chain of events that could lead to a vote on the so-called “nuclear option.” To change the Senate rules requires a two-thirds vote. The nuclear option, however, would […]
Ovarian cancer could be detected earlier and treated more effectively with the introduction of a blood test currently being researched by scientists at the Yale School of Medicine. Ovarian cancer kills three-quarters of the women who suffer from it, and accounts for 5 to 6 percent of all cancer deaths in women, reports The Times. […]
Harvard President Lawrence Summers pledged to spend $50 million over the next ten years to implement recommendations made by two task forces on women at Harvard. The Task Forces on Women Faculty and Women in Science and Engineering were set up following an outcry by women faculty, scientists, and feminist organizations over remarks by Summers […]
In another in a series of attacks on aid workers in Afghanistan, an Italian woman working for CARE International was abducted Monday evening in Kabul. According to CARE International, Clementina Cantoni has been in Afghanistan for three years and has managed their “Humanitarian Assistance for Women” project since September 2003. According to the New York […]
On Monday, the Kuwaiti Parliament approved an amendment to its election laws giving women the right to vote and run for office. Islamist legislators included a requirement that “females abide by Islamic law,” which may mean separate polling locations for men and women, or have broader implications, reports the New York Times. The decision came […]
A federal judge in Nebraska on Thursday struck down an amendment to the state constitution banning same-sex marriage. “The evidence supports the plaintiffs’ contention that the adoption of [the amendment] was motivated, to some extent, by either irrational fear of or animus toward gays and lesbians,” wrote US District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon in his […]
In an effort to keep women from “direct ground combat,” the House Armed Services subcommittee on military personnel approved a measure to ban women from some combat support units. The legislation was proposed as an amendment to the 2006 defense authorization bill, according to the Washington Post, and would require that the Army bar women […]
A controversial evangelical doctor will leave an important Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel following allegations that he had inordinate influence over the FDA’s decision on nonprescription status for emergency contraception (EC). Dr. W. David Hager, appointed to the FDAs’s Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee after ardent opposition from women’s reproductive health and rights […]
Eight women in Queensland, Australia are suing Virgin Blue airlines for sex discrimination. According to The Courier-Mail, the women are between the ages of 36 and 56, and Virgin Blue had employed only one woman over 35 during the period in question, between 2000 and 2002. According to Agence France Presse, Theresa Stewart described her […]
A controversial Bush appointment to an important Food and Drug Administration advisory panel may have inordinately influenced the FDA’s decision on over-the-counter status for emergency contraception (EC). The Nation obtained a videotaped sermon given in October 2004 by Dr. W. David Hager, an evangelical Christian who was appointed by President Bush to serve on the […]
Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed into law a bill on Tuesday that imposes 24-hour waiting periods on women seeking abortions in the state, and tightens the application of its parental notification laws. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, doctors must discuss the estimated age of a fetus, fetal pain, the risks of abortion, and alternatives with […]
