Chief Gary Eisenhower of the Cosmopolis Police Department in Washington State has resigned, citing his declining health. Community leaders, however, speculate that the actual cause behind Eisenhower’s resignation are the sexual harassment allegations made against him in April of this year, and which prompted the former Chief to take a leave of absence in early […]
Two brutal police family violence cases, one in Ohio and another in Pennsylvania, have been making headlines this month. Luther McCormick, a former Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper, was sentenced earlier this week to 10 years in prison for shooting his wife in the face and critically wounding her. The case has drawn much controversy […]
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff today severely criticized President George Bush for policies his administration has pushed that are having a negative impact on the lives and health of women worldwide. Most notably, Kristoff critiqued Bush’s refusal to release a promised $34 million to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) because Bush objects to […]
The Fifth Circuit US Court of Appeals last week rejected a request to reconsider its decision in March dismissing a challenge to Louisiana’s anti-choice license plates. The National Organization for Women (NOW) filed a lawsuit against the “Choose Life” plates in 2000, arguing that the Constitution prohibits public money from being spent on religious viewpoints. […]
The California Assembly is currently considering a bill that will protect reproductive choice in California should the US Supreme Court ever decide to overturn its landmark 1973 decision in Roe versus Wade. The bill, called the Reproductive Privacy Act, passed in the state Senate in May. The Assembly is expected to vote on the bill […]
In India and China, where cultural beliefs remain steadfast, recent reports show that the preference for sons has dramatically widened female-male birth ratios and boosted incidents of infanticide. Despite government efforts in both countries to outlaw prenatal sex determination, ultrasound testsÑtypically done between the fourth and sixth months of pregnancyÑare increasingly popular. At about $4 […]
On July 26 and 27, over 40 interns from progressive organizations throughout DC gathered for a Pro-Choice Briefing and Legislative Action Day organized by FMF interns. Participants learned about Pro-Choice issues from key experts in the field, and took action by meeting with House Representatives and their staff to discuss how reproductive rights play into […]
A University of Wisconsin study appearing in today’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that over half of teenage girls would significantly alter their use of sexual health-care services, if parental notification were mandatory for prescription contraceptives. Researchers collected 950 confidential surveys from girls ages 12 to 17, who visited […]
In seven hours of videotaped testimony released today in a Boston court, Cardinal Bernard Law admitted to allowing priests accused of sexual abuse, as well as those who had admitted to abuse, to remain in the ministry without informing parishioners. “I did not, as a matter of policy, in 1984, ’85, ’86, ’87, ’88, ’89, […]
A clinic dedicated to providing reproductive health services to Afghan women opened its doors in Kabul this past weekend – one of the first to provide comprehensive services since the repressive Taliban regime took over in 1996. Marie Stopes International (MSI), a British-based global reproductive and women’s health partnership, opened the clinic that will provide […]
The California Senate passed a bill yesterday requiring medical schools to provide abortion training to obstetrics-gynecology residents. Once Governor Gray Davis signs the bill, which has also passed in the Assembly, California will become the first state in the country to mandate training in abortion procedures. The new law will follow enforcement measures set up […]
With an estimated 900,000 people in the US infected with HIV, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is renewing its efforts in the fight against AIDS by allocating $3.8 million per year for “prevention for positives” programs in California, Maryland, and Wisconsin. Unlike conventional programs focused on protecting and preventing infection, programs such […]
Girls in southern Afghanistan, a former stronghold of the extremist Taliban, are facing stiff opposition to returning to school, according to the Boston Globe. Afghan officials and educators say that the enrollment of girls has generally been poor despite an aggressive door-to-door campaign to convince parents to enroll their children in school, according to the […]
After years of sexually abusing young boys while leaders of the Catholic church looked the other way, a prominent Irish priest was arraigned on 29 charges of sodomy, indecent assault and gross indecency Ð showing that the scandal that has rocked the church in the US extends even as far as the devoutly Catholic stronghold […]
A woman police officer in Chicago who won $300,000 in a sex discrimination and harassment lawsuit may never see her award because of income taxes required by federal tax laws. Last December, Officer Cynthia Spina was awarded $3 million by a federal jury in her lawsuit against the Forest Preserve District of Cook County – […]
In yet another attempt to undermine the power of the first international court created solely to protect victims of genocide and other crimes, the Bush administration has threatened to withdraw military aid to countries that will not guarantee US immunity in the International Criminal Court (ICC). A provision of the new antiterrorism law – passed […]
Leaders of Roman Catholic religious orders in the US adopted a policy this weekend that allows priests guilty of child sexual abuse to remain in the priesthood. The leaders, who met in Philadelphia at the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, approved six proposals regarding sexual abuse by the clergy. The proposals will be forwarded […]
Less than one month after an agreement was reached between ChevronTexaco and Nigerian women protesting at the Escravos oil terminal in Nigeria’s Delta state, the multinational oil companies of ChevronTexaco and Shell continue to face opposition from native communities, who charge that they exploit environmental resources and neglect the region’s widespread poverty. Late last week, […]
Testimony continued this week regarding the legitimacy of a $30 million settlement between the Boston archdiocese and 86 sexual abuse victims of defrocked priest John Geoghan. The archdiocese’s newspaper The Pilot, of which Cardinal Bernard Law is publisher, stated in March, “This settlement is an important step in reaching closure.” In addition, a March 15 […]
Demands from the Bush administration have reportedly held up disbursement of $2.1 billion raised by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, according to the Wall Street Journal earlier this week (UN Wire). The Fund announced $1.6 billion in grants to 40 developing nations in April, but these countries have yet to see […]
