Fox-11 News in Tucson, Arizona released a statement on Friday in response to demands from the Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) and University of Arizona Network of Feminist Student Activists (NFSA) that the channel issue a correction after reporting erroneous information about student voting eligibility. On August 31, Fox-11 News at Nine reporter Natalie Tejeda suggested […]
Though charged by a grand jury with raping and sexually abusing two boys, former Catholic Bishop Thomas Dupre will not be prosecuted due to the statute of limitations. The New York Times reported that both boys abused by Dupre were under the age of 16Ñthe first was 12 in 1976, and the second was 15 […]
In recent years, scientists have discovered that some diseases affect women and men differently, and that treatments for the same disease should perhaps vary by sex. The Associated Press reports that the medical community is beginning to realize that women’s health involves more than just the body parts that make them female. In the past […]
Sharia (Islamic) courts in northern Nigeria impose discriminatory and harsh sentences and have failed to respect due process rights, according to a report just released by Human Rights Watch (HRW). The report documents that at least ten people have been sentenced to death and dozens sentenced to amputation and floggings since Sharia (Islamic) law was […]
Members of the House International Relations Committee examined the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan during a hearing on US security policy in Afghanistan last Thursday. According to Chairman Henry Hyde’s (R-IL) opening statement, “While this is a commendable achievement and an important milestone in Afghanistan’s political reconstruction effort, it will only be a marred snapshot […]
A bill signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) last Friday will allow imprisoned women a chance for a new trial or reduced sentence if they can prove that their crime was committed under coercion of an abusive partner. The law is an expansion of a law that enabled women convicted of killing their abusers before […]
A 16-year old Iranian girl was recently executed for violating Iran’s chastity laws. According to Amnesty International, Ateqeh Rajabi was publicly hung in August on a street in Neka, Iran for “acts incompatible with chastity.” Rejabi was sentenced to death three months ago by a lower court in a northern province of Iran. Her death […]
More than 200 people, including representatives from Feminist Majority, gathered in front of the Capitol building yesterday as House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other Democratic members of the House unveiled their vision for what they would do if they take control of the House. Reducing job outsourcing, improving education, and national security were […]
US service members convicted of soliciting a prostitute could face dishonorable discharge and up to one year in prison if a proposed change to the Uniform Code of Military Justice is made law. The Pentagon announced the new regulation earlier this week as part of an effort to tackle the international problem of human trafficking. […]
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson filed for bankruptcy on Monday in anticipation of having to settle 22 lawsuits involving sexual abuse allegations. The diocese previously settled 11 lawsuits filed by 16 plaintiffs in 2002, all concerning allegations of sexual abuse, for an undisclosed amount, according to the Washington Post. This is the second diocese […]
Iran’s new parliament, elected last February, is working to place more restrictions on women rather than expand reforms carried out under President Mohammad Khatami. According to the New York Times, the 290-member Parliament, that includes only twelve women, rejected calls made by previous reformers in the Parliament to expand inheritance rights for women and for […]
Earlier this month, the US House of Representatives voted to approve the Federal Refusal Clause, which will allow any doctor, hospital, or health care provider to refuse to perform an abortion, and refuse to refer a patient seeking an abortion to another doctor, even in the case of rape or medical emergency. The clause was […]
The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a bid last week to reopen the landmark case that legalized abortion in 1973. Allen Parker represented Norma McCorvey, the woman formerly known as “Jane Roe,” in a challenge to the US Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v Wade, citing new evidence that abortions cause emotional and […]
An international conference met to review progress made in the fight to eradicate female genital mutilation (FGM) since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo. The conference, organized by the Kenyan government and a group of non-governmental organizations, also called for efforts to ban the practice. Over 400 people, from doctors to […]
A study released by the Department of Labor on Tuesday has found that the average working woman spends roughly twice as much time caring for children and on household chores than the average working man, confirming that divisions of labor based on gender still exist. The study also found that almost as many women as […]
Gwen Moore, a candidate for the US Congress from Wisconsin, and Christine Gregoire, running for Governor of Washington, secured significant victories in recent primary elections. Moore, a Democrat, was the first African American woman elected to the Wisconsin state senate. If elected, she would also be the first African American woman ever sent to Congress […]
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) released a report yesterday stating that the poorest countries’ populations will triple by 2050 and that there will be a population explosion unless donor countries provide more funds to family planning and reproductive health programs. The State of World Population Report 2004 examines how much progress has been made […]
Though Sudan’s refugees were previously known as only “The Lost Boys,” women refugees are completing the picture by adding their stories. Women refugees held a mini- conference in Arizona recently, just prior to the Arizona Lost Boys first annual conference, bringing together both male and female refugees in the US. Because of disproportionately smaller numbers […]
Despite earlier statements that it was abandoning its plan to criminalize adultery, Turkey’s Islamic dominated ruling party is now planning to move forward with its plan to criminalize adultery. Just this past week, the plan to amend the Penal Code to make adultery a crime was dropped following a global outcry from women’s groups and […]
A study conducted by three political scientists has shown that federal judges appointed by President Bush are the most conservative on civil rights and civil liberties. The study, which analyzed over 70,000 court cases found in the Federal Supplement’s database, warned that Bush’s re-election would give US courts a strong conservative tilt that could last […]
