European police met in The Hague earlier this week to discuss ways to eradicate honor killings. According to UN Wire, honor killings are on the rise in Europe within Turkish, Asian, Arabic, and Eastern European communities. More than 100 murders suspected of being honor killings are being investigated by police in England and Wales, reports […]
In cities throughout Iran, governmental authorities have ordered a crackdown on women in lighter dress this summer. The conservative government, which came to power in February, has ordered that any woman seen defying the Iranian female dress code will be subject to fines, prison and even flogging. The BBC NEWS quoted one police chief as […]
A federal judge in San Francisco yesterday granted class-action status to a lawsuit against Wal-Mart filed by six current and former Wal-Mart employees who accuse the retail giant of systemic sex discrimination. The lawsuit now potentially covers some 1.6 million current and former female Wal-Mart employees, going as far back as late 1998. “This is […]
Approximately 10 million American women who have had hysterectomies are unnecessarily receiving Pap smears, a new study has revealed. The Pap test, which screens for precancerous cells on a woman’s cervix, is needlessly administered to some 69 percent of women who have had their cervixes removed during the hysterectomy operation. Without a cervix, a woman […]
The Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that legislation requiring Arizona abortion clinics to release uncensored patient files and to submit to searches without a warrant is an unconstitutional violation of privacy. The court also ruled unconstitutional legislation requiring that ultrasounds taken at abortion clinics must be submitted to a third party […]
Four Democratic members of Congress sent a letter on Friday to US Secretary of State Colin Powell demanding an explanation of the Administration’s denial of funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Earlier this month, eight Senators wrote a letter to President Bush urging him to carefully consider “new facts and developments that reinforce […]
At a Congressional hearing on Tuesday, members of the Subcommittee on Education Reform considered key provisions on gender equity in the reauthorization of the Perkins Vocational and Technical Act urged by advocates for gender equity in education. The act contributes almost $1.4 billion annually to vocational education and related activities. The Bush Administration’s plan, released […]
Catholic priests accused of sexually abusing children are hiding from authorities abroad, often with the assistance of church officials, according to an extensive newspaper investigation. The Dallas Morning News has conducted a yearlong investigation of priests who are accused of sexually abusing minors, finding that they avoid law enforcement, often with the help of church […]
A United Nations Election Office located near Kabul, Afghanistan was attacked by rocket-propelled grenades early this morning. Another UN Election Office in Kandahar was attacked a few hours later, killing a policeman and injuring an election worker. According to Reuters, the UN Special Representative to Afghanistan, Jean Arnault, said, “We are facing attacks– direct attacks […]
Top Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists wrote an internal memo criticizing FDA leadership for rejecting Barr Laboratories’ application for over-the-counter status for its emergency contraceptive Plan B. The internal FDA memo reveals that all staff reviewers agreed that the application met with the agency’s usual standards for over-the-counter status, according to the Washington Post. […]
Two recent surveys found that the vast majority of Catholics believe that bishops should not use the sacraments as a political tool. The Quinnipiac University Polling Institute found that 80 percent of Catholics disapprove of some bishops’ intentions to deny communion to pro-choice Catholic politicians. Additionally, the poll found that 87 percent of Catholics say […]
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan is urging the Security Council to oppose the United States’ attempt to obtain another exemption for US troops from prosecution under the International Criminal Court (ICC). According to the Washington Post, Annan said, “It would be unwise to press for an exemption, and it would be even more unwise […]
Four Afghan civilians, including two children, were killed by a roadside bomb aimed at the international peacekeeping force (ISAF) in Afghanistan this week. According to IRIN News, the security situation is not improving as Afghanistan moves closer to the elections that are scheduled to occur in September. According to the acting chief of public information […]
The US Supreme Court on Monday ruled 8-1 that workers are allowed to sue their former employers after leaving their jobs due to intolerable sexual harassment. The case before the Supreme Court involved a woman named Nancy Drew Suders, according to the Los Angeles Times, who had experienced a barrage of “sexually charged posturing, leering […]
A new study released by the Alan Guttmacher Institute found that 89 percent of typical insurance plans now cover the five leading methods of prescription contraceptives. These numbers are a substantial increase in contraceptive coverage since 1993, when a parallel study by the Alan Guttmacher Institute found that only 28 percent of typical plans covered […]
The Center for Reproductive Rights filed a lawsuit on Monday accusing a Louisiana man named William Graham of falsely advertising his business as a referral service for women seeking abortions. Graham purported to provide legitimate appointments with private physicians who perform abortions, CRR maintains, then would postpone and “reschedule” their appointments past the 24th week […]
Sixty Saudi Arabian academics met this past weekend at the first government-sponsored conference on women’s issues to discuss women’s rights, roles, and education. According to Women’s eNews, topics discussed ranged from women pushing for the right to drive to women serving on the king’s governing bodies. According to the Christian Science Monitor, women’s issues (such […]
The US Supreme Court agreed today to hear a case involving a former girls’ basketball coach who was allegedly fired after he complained that his team received less money and were forced to use worse facilities than comparable boys’ teams. The issue before the Court is whether individuals who are penalized for attempting to ensure […]
In a blow to affirmative action supporters, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that petitions for a ballot initiative to end affirmative action in the state are valid. This decision overturns a lower court ruling that the petitions did not comply with election laws, and that the language used on the so-called Civil […]
The General Accounting Office (GAO) recently issued a report stating that while US humanitarian and short-term assistance benefited Afghanistan in fiscal years 2002 and 2003, longer-term reconstruction projects achieved limited results due to late funding and lack of a comprehensive reconstruction strategy. The report, entitled “Afghanistan Reconstruction: Deteriorating Security and Limited Resources Have Impeded Progress; […]
