A leading human rights group has issued a global call to action to challenge violence against women and the failure of governments to prevent it. According to Amnesty International, women and girls bear the brunt of war while governments have failed to protect them. Amnesty International released a report today, “Lives Blown Apart,” which examines […]
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County, California, settled for a record $100 million a lawsuit brought by 87 people who alleged they were sexually abused by priests and lay employees. “I believe that the victims will be fairly compensated, and, at the same time, that our diocese will be able to continue its service,” […]
Several large state universities have recently reported the lowest number of incoming African American students in years, in spite of a Supreme Court ruling in 2003 that defended the constitutionality of using race as a factor in college admissions. While the phenomenon has not occurred across the board, the lower numbers are widespread and large […]
Over 200 activists from around the world are meeting today in Sweden for an international conference to combat honor killings. Honor killings made headlines in Sweden in 2002 after a 26-year old Kurdish women’s rights activist who was campaigning against honor killings was shot dead by her father for having a relationship with a man […]
With Christine Gregoire, the Democratic candidate for Governor in Washington, only 42 votes behind Republican candidate Dino Rossi, the state faces an unprecedented statewide hand recount of Washington’s 2.9 million ballots. Rossi was certified the winner last week, but the Democratic Party agreed to pay more than $700,000 for a hand recount of the ballots […]
Ms. magazine honored a group of outstanding women today as Ms. “Women of the Year.” “All of these women are heroes. As we recognize them, we find ourselves marveling at their courage and their commitment to excellence, to do and be the best for themselves and their communities and families,” said Ms. magazine Editor-in-Chief Elaine […]
Women on Death Row endure more hardships than their male counterparts, according to a report by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The report, titled The Forgotten Population: A Look at Death Row in the United States Through the Experiences of Women, studied 66 women, ten of whom have already been executed, and found that […]
Burma’s military junta extended the house arrest of pro-democracy leader Aung Sun Suu Kyi for one more year. According to CNN, the Bush Administration is calling on Burma’s ruling regime to release Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners immediately and unconditionally. Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since May 2003, when a convoy […]
The Assistant US Attorney General argued before the Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals to have the verdict of a lower court overruled in order to protect the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE). The FACE Act prohibits not only violence against abortion providers, clinic staff, patients, and volunteers, but also threats […]
Nancy Keenan, a former Montana state officeholder, has assumed her new role of President of NARAL Pro-Choice America. Keenan succeeds Kate Michelman, who stepped down after more than 18 years as President shortly after the March for Women’s Lives. “The stakes have never been higher,” said Keenan. “Years of progress on women’s health, reproductive freedom, […]
Islamic groups and conservative clerics are campaigning against women’s participation in sports in Bangladesh. Most recently, the government of Bangladesh cancelled a women’s swimming competition after an Islamic group staged a protest made up of approximately 2,000 demonstrators. The leader of the protest argued that “swimming costumes expose part of women’s body, and that’s why […]
On October 7, 2004, the Feminist News ran a story that included an unsubstantiated statement alleging that members of Operation Rescue West “have been found guilty of murdering abortion providers and clinic staff.” As soon as we became aware of this error, which we regret, we removed the story from the Feminist News Archives and […]
The First US Circuit Court of Appeals last week upheld the ruling of a lower court that found a New Hampshire law requiring parental notification before a minor could obtain an abortion unconstitutional because it failed to provide an exception for the health of the minor. The state law (HB 763) required doctors to notify […]
Many World AIDS Day observances around the world today have focused on the need to protect women and girls from HIV who are contracting the virus at an alarming rate. Peter Piot, the head of UNAIDS, said, “Today the face of AIDS is increasingly young and female. We will not be able to stop this […]
Police have confirmed the identity of the main suspect in the violent killing of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, and have released evidence that indicates the murderer was part of a larger network of Islamic extremists who committed the crime in retaliation for a film van Gogh created criticizing the treatment of Muslim women. Van […]
Clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch recently settled a class action discrimination lawsuit, agreeing to pay $40 million to current, former, and prospective minority and women employees, as well as consenting to implement a multifaceted strategy to diversify its workforce. In addition, the company must pay $10 million to cover attorney fees and to monitor compliance, […]
The US Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a landmark case under Title IX, the 1972 federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded education. The case in question involves Roderick Jackson, a basketball coach in Alabama who alleges that he was fired for complaining that the girls’ basketball team was forced to use […]
The US Supreme Court today let stand a Massachusetts Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage. The challenge to the Massachusetts court ruling came from a coalition of right-wing, anti-gay groups. Their lawsuit was thrown out by a federal trial judge, and that decision was upheld by the First Circuit Court of Appeals, according to Bloomberg. […]
The Texas State Board of Education recently voted to approve the use of health textbooks that do not discuss contraception, and only refer to marriage as a union between a woman and a man. The 15-member school board successfully ensured several changes in the textbooks, including removal of the word “partners” in exchange for “husbands […]
Investigators sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo reported more than 150 cases of pedophilia, rape and soliciting prostitutes by United Nations officials and peacekeepers. The Washington Post reports that a confidential UN report describes the sexual exploitation as “significant, widespread, and ongoing.” According to the LA Times, some of the cases involved the use […]
