A Pew Research Center survey published May 22 found that a majority of U.S. adults (68 percent) believe the federal government has a responsibility to provide medical care to undocumented immigrants who are sick with coronavirus. Only 32 percent believe that the government should provide economic relief, such as stimulus checks, to undocumented immigrants who […]
Rwanda Announces Release of 50 Women Jailed for Abortion
On May 20, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda announced the release of 50 women imprisoned for undergoing, seeking, or helping others locate an abortion. Their pardoning was part of Rwanda’s plan to reduce the number of people in prison to slow the spread of coronavirus. A total of 3,596 convicts were granted conditional release by […]
Anti-Mask Protests Are Using Disability Rights Laws to Avoid Following State Orders
As of Wednesday, May 20, 13 states currently have orders mandating that Americans wear masks in public, according to U.S.-based science collective #Masks4All. These orders differ in scope, but most establish the need to wear a mask in high-density public spaces, including businesses, public transportation, and public parks. Anti-mask protestors are using U.S. laws protecting […]
Trump Administration Demands UN Remove “Reproductive Health” From Pandemic Response
The Trump administration sent a letter to the United Nations on Monday urging the UN to remove references to reproductive health and abortion in its COVID-19 humanitarian response plan. The letter was sent from John Barsa, acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The letter urges the UN to eliminate all mentions […]
Former Roe V. Wade Plaintiff Admits Pro-Life Stance Was An Act
Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff from the Roe v. Wade (1973) case, has once again publicly changed her stance in support of abortion, and also admitted that she only came out against abortion after being paid by anti-abortion groups. These statements come to light in the documentary “AKA Jane Roe”—directed by Nick Sweeney and filmed just before her death in […]
Alabama Nonprofit Yellowhammer Fund Buys Abortion Clinic
Yellowhammer Fund, an Alabama reproductive justice organization, purchased last week the West Alabama Women’s Center abortion clinic. The clinic is one of three abortion clinics left in the state. In their May 15th announcement, the group stated, ”West Alabama Women’s Center has been a hub for abortion access for nearly three decades, and we want […]
U.S. Navy Grants Waiver to Transgender Service Member Despite Trump Ban
The U.S. Navy granted a waiver for a transgender service member to serve according to her gender identity last Friday, the first of its kind since the military enacted a ban on transgender troops. The waiver comes after the officer, publicly known only as Jane Doe, sued President Donald Trump over his ban on transgender […]
Women Make Up the Majority of COVID-19 Job Losses in the U.S.
Though they make up only half the U.S. workforce, women make up 55 percent of those currently unemployed due to COVID-19, effectively erasing the gains made in workplace equality since the recession of 2008. The current unemployment crisis has been deemed a “she-cession” by C. Nicole Mason, president and chief executive of the Institute for […]
Afghan Women: “We Shouldn’t Have To Ask That Babies And Mothers Not Be Killed”
In an Op-ed published on NPR, three Afghan women’s rights leaders once again raised their voices against the ongoing atrocities committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. In the Op-ed, Mary Akrami, Mahbooba Seraj, and Wazhma Frogh share their concerns and frustrations especially on the crimes committed against the Afghan women at a maternity hospital last […]
Global Feminist Organizations Release Policy Priorities for COVID-19 Response
More than 400 feminist organizations and 700 individuals across the globe released a joint statement today outlining how governments can bolster equality in their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement calls on governments to uphold human rights standards in its pandemic response and center marginalized communities that have been disproportionally affected by the disease. […]
Women in Kashmir Avoid Community Bunkers Fearing Sexual Assault
Even as cross-border shelling intensifies in Kashmir, women and girls stay away from bunkers where sexual assault is prevalent. While the Kashmir region between India and Pakistan has long been disputed, conflict along the de facto border has escalated in recent months. When alarms sound, many people rush to privately owned community bunkers. However, some […]
Family of Breonna Taylor Sues Police Department for Wrongful Death
On March 13 in Louisville, Kentucky, police entered the home of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, after midnight and opened fire, killing her. Taylor’s family is now filing a lawsuit against the officers for wrongful death, excessive force, and gross negligence. The police had a warrant to search Taylor’s apartment but were searching for […]
U.S. is the Largest Exporter of Coronavirus Due to Continuing Deportations
ICE is actively deporting both untested and positive-testing immigrants to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, which are not equipped to deal with major outbreaks of the virus. ICE is continuing deportations to Haiti and recently knowingly put five deportees who had tested positive for Covid-19 on a packed flight, endangering fellow passengers, the […]
ACLU and Other Groups File Lawsuit to Block New Title IX Rules
Survivor advocacy groups filed a suit yesterday to block Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’s new Title IX rules that weaken protections for survivors. The plaintiffs, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and another law firm, argue that the new rules make it harder for survivors to report sexual assault and harassment. The plaintiffs […]
South Korean LGBTQ Community Faces Increased Homophobia After COVID-19 Outbreak
The LGBTQ community in South Korea is facing increased homophobia after a recent outbreak of COVID-19 was linked to gay nightclubs in Seoul. In early May, the government announced that a man who had visited multiple night clubs on May 2 tested positive for the coronavirus. More than 100 cases of the virus has since […]
Record Number of Female House Candidates File to Run in 2020
490 women are running for seats in the House of Representatives in 2020, the highest number in US history, found the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. The previous record was 476 in 2018. In ten congressional districts, both candidates in the general election will be women. “In 2018, amidst the excitement […]
New Report Shows Gaps in Coverage for Abortions in Employer Insurance Plans
Ten percent of people on employer-sponsored health insurance work at firms that have opted to exclude abortion coverage from its health plans, a Kaiser Family Foundation reported revealed on Tuesday. As the most popular source of health insurance, employer-sponsored plans cover 153 million Americans. For more than 15 million people whose plans do not cover […]
Historic Transgender Rights Supreme Court Case Plaintiff Aimee Stephens Has Died
Aimee Stephens died yesterday at age 59. She was unsure whether the Supreme Court will decide her case as planned on Thursday and if she would live to hear the decision. In 2013, Stephens told her employer that she was going to transition to female and was subsequently fired two weeks later from her job […]
COVID-19 Cases Increase at Women’s Prison in Florida
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 at a Florida women’s prison totaled 73 on Monday, a jump from the previous day’s total of two. Seventy percent of tests administered at Homestead Correctional Institution so far have come back positive and 616 tests are pending results. The spike in confirmed cases comes after weeks of the facility’s shuffling […]
House Democrats Propose $3 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Package
House Democrats and Speaker Nancy Pelosi have released their newest bill to address the coronavirus pandemic, proposing ambitious measures to boost the economy, increase COVID-19 testing, and ensure safe elections this fall. Party leaders expect to vote on the bill, dubbed the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, on Friday. The 1,815-page […]