A Nigerian Islamic Court has overturned the ruling of a lower court that sentenced a pregnant woman to death by stoning for committing adultery. According to Reuters, the judge of the Bauchi Upper Sharia (Islamic) Court stated that the prior conviction of Hajara Ibrahim was wrong on several grounds including that the investigation was not […]
The Catholic diocese in Spokane, Washington will become the third in the nation to file for bankruptcy in the face of lawsuits brought by people who were sexually abused by priests. Spokane Bishop William Skylstad plans to file for bankruptcy protection by November 29, which will stall 19 lawsuits brought by 58 plaintiffs, according to […]
A new report urges for the integration of reproductive health services with HIV prevention strategies to better address the global threat of HIV to women. The report, published by the Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) and the Joint United Nations Program of AIDS (UNAIDS) in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International […]
A New York State judge ruled on Monday that New York City must require companies with contracts valued over $100,000 to offer the same benefits to the domestic partners of employees as they do to their spouses. Judge Faviola Soto ruled that the Equal Benefits Law must be enforced in spite of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s […]
European Parliament members refused to approve Rocco Buttiglione’s candidacy for the European Union as Commissioner for Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs because of his statements against homosexuals and single mothers, according to the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute. His testimony during European Parliament assessment hearings included reference to homosexual activity as a “sin” […]
At a National Press Club conference today, feminist leaders Eleanor Smeal, Kim Gandy, and Martha Burk, together with pollster Celinda Lake, released an independent national election poll which showed the importance of the gender gap. The poll showed that “the gender gap is alive and well.” [For complete poll analysis by Lake, Snell Perry & […]
Two leading female journalists were arrested this past week as part of the Iranian government’s crackdown on pro-democracy journalists and websites. According to the New York Times, Mahboubeh Abbas-Gholizadeh, the editor of the Farzaneh magazine and an outspoken women’s rights activist, was arrested on November 1. Fereshteh Ghazi, who writes about women’s rights issues in […]
According to Karl Rove, President Bush’s top strategist, Bush intends to continue his pursuit of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Raising the specter of so-called “activist judges,” Rove said that the President “absolutely” intends to push the Federal Marriage Amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, according to FOX […]
Nepal’s King Gyanendra granted amnesty to 12 female prisoners who were jailed for having abortions. Women’s groups have been urging for the release of the women prisoners since abortion was made legal in Nepal in 2002. Pinky Shah, program officer for the Rural Women’s Development and Unity Center in Nepal, estimates that there are as […]
Anti-abortion advocates responding to the results of the presidential election announced that with President Bush’s win and the Republican Party’s increased control of the US Congress, they have hopes that the administration will successfully pursue an anti-choice agenda. Citing a net gain of three anti-choice senators, the National Right to Life Committee is planning to […]
John Nyamu, a Kenyan obstetrician and gynecologist, will stand trial next week after being charged with performing 15 abortions. Dr. Steven Ochiel, the head of Kenya’s Medical Association, is urging doctors to protest the murder trial, stating that “the case against Dr. Nyamu is not against him. It is against the medical profession,” reports The […]
Expected incoming chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee Arlen Specter (R-PA) cautioned President Bush not to make any far-right nominations to the US Supreme Court, especially those who would overturn Roe v Wade. “The President is well aware of what happened, when a bunch of his nominees were sent up, with the filibuster,” Specter told […]
Voters in California passed Proposition 71 on Tuesday with 59 percent of the vote, allowing the state to provide $295 million a year for stem cell research over the next ten years. The initiative will create the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the largest single provider of funds for stem cell research. The San Francisco […]
Health statistics reveal that over 1,000 Portuguese women were hospitalized last year as a result of complications from back-alley abortions. According to Agence France-Presse, between 20,000 to 40,000 clandestine abortions are performed annually in Portugal. Abortion is strictly prohibited in Portugal except in cases where the mother’s life is in danger, in situations of sexual […]
A record number of women will serve in the US House of Representatives next year, while the number of women in the Senate will remain steady at 14. Eight women picked up open seats or unseated incumbents, and 57 female incumbents retained their seats, in addition to three non-voting delegates (representing Washington, DC, Guam, and […]
More than 20 million young people ages 18-29 voted on November 2, which represents some 4.6 million more voters than in the 2000 election. Similarly, voter turnout among the young increased by almost 10 percent, from 42.3 percent in 2000 to 51.6 percent in 2004. Though there are no numbers as of yet for voters […]
In an attempt to increase the number of women in parliament, Ethiopia’s ruling party, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) will guarantee 30 percent of seats for women in Parliament. According to the Associated Press, women currently only hold 7.6 percent of seats in the 548-seat lower house of Parliament. “For the country to […]
A record 142 women (15 more than the previous record in 2002) are running in Congressional elections today for the US House of Representatives, according to the Center for American Women in Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University. With 57 of the 60 women currently serving in the House running for reelection, and women are running […]
According to a study by the University of Washington, a new vaccine can prevent cervical cancer for at least four years. The vaccine works by blocking the most common strain of the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is believed to cause half of all cases of cervical cancer. Some 15,000 women in the US contract […]
Dutch filmmaker, Theo van Gogh, who made films depicting the treatment of Muslim women, was shot dead today. According to Reuters, Van Gogh received several death threats after the release of his most recent film “Submission” that portrayed the life of a Muslim woman who was forced into an violent arranged marriage. Authorities have named […]
