On the 29th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, women’s right leaders celebrated reproductive choice, but expressed grave concern over the fate of abortion access in the U.S. The Core Choice Coalition, including the Feminist Majority, Planned Parenthood, National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, National Women’s Law […]
One Million Voices, a week of reproductive rights activism to raise awareness of the threat to legal abortion in the United States, begins today in states across the nation. Community groups throughout the U.S. will be holding vigils, hosting lectures, organizing rallies, and showing the new Feminist Majority video Never Go Back, an overview of […]
At the encouragement of Afghan interim Prime Minister Hamid Karzai, Afghan women have returned to work in the ministries of the Afghan interim government Ð without wearing their burqas. Although not obligated to shed the head-to-toe shroud, no woman working in any of the government ministries has elected to put on the restrictive garment, required […]
House Democratic Whip Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) affirmed her commitment to abortion rights and contraception yesterday at the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) Roe v. Wade anniversary dinner. Pelosi focused her remarks on securing reproductive rights for women and urged pro-choice supporters to be as vigilant about protecting access to contraception as they […]
Gloria Steinem, feminist author and co-founder of Ms. magazine, will mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade with the Feminist Majority Foundation by making a special online guest appearance January 23, 8:00pm EST at www.feministcampus.org. Steinem will chat with student activists about the importance of reproductive rights and the impending threat to Roe v. Wade, […]
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell assured Afghan interim Prime Minister Hamid Karzai yesterday that the U.S. would continue to offer support for Afghan reconstruction efforts. “We will be with you in this current crisis,” said Powell, “and for the future.” Funds for reconstruction, however, have been moving slowly into the country, and Afghanistan is […]
Nurse Maria do Ceu Ribeiro was sentenced to eight years and six months in jail for providing abortions in Portugal where abortion is illegal except in cases of rape and in cases where pregnancy poses a serious risk to the woman. Seventeen women were also on trial for having abortions. While charges against one woman […]
The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston will begin clinical trials on mifepristone (formerly known as RU 486 or the abortion pill) as a treatment for endometrial cancer. These are the first clinical trials on mifepristone as a cancer treatment since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug for use […]
A coalition of male athletes has sued the Department of Education claiming that provisions made for women in accordance with Title IX have led to discrimination against men. In the suit, the coalition, led by several male wrestling teams, claims that schools are cutting back opportunities for men in sports in an effort to create […]
Afghan interim Prime Minister Hamid Karzai stated his support for Afghan women’s rights last week by signing the Declaration of the Essential Rights of Afghan Women. Drafted in 2000 by participants in the Conference for Women of Afghanistan in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the Declaration affirms women’s right to personal safety, the right to physical and mental […]
Kevin E. Iguabita, a Roman Catholic priest, was arrested on Monday for allegedly raping a 15-year old girl twice in the rectory of the All Saints Church in Haverhill, Massachusetts where he served as parochial vicar. According to the victim, Iguabita made several sexual advances on her before assaulting her in 2000 at the church. […]
In a 6-3 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has the right to sue employers under anti-discrimination laws even if the affected worker cannot because of an arbitration agreement. Though the ruling will affect only a few employment cases, it allows the EEOC to sue for monetary damages […]
According to administration officials, the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau regional offices may not be cut from the 2003 fiscal year budget, though they could not guarantee their safety until the Bush Administration releases the budget to the public. Officials give credit to Elaine Chao for working with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) […]
Cardinal Bernard F. Law apologized last week for knowingly allowing a parish priest accused of molesting children to continue his duties. Law and other Church officials in Boston knew that former priest John J. Geoghan has been accused of child abuse in at least three parishes, but instead of revoking his duties, Law merely reassigned […]
Betty Parsons Dooley, founder of the National Council of Research on Women (NCRW) and founder and president of Women’s Research and Education Institute (WREI) for 20 years, died of heart failure last week. A champion of women’s rights, Dooley, during her time at WREI, led the center for women in the military and spearheaded the […]
McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Burger King all promote sex discrimination in Saudi Arabia as these restaurants “all have two designated areas: one for families and the other for singles, all males,” said Ann Rozenich, an employee of McDonald’s in the communications office. “The restaurants also have two separate entrances.” In a letter written to […]
Marshall Gardiner of Kansas died of heart failure in August 1999 without a will, leaving the state to split his $2.5 million estate between his wife, J’Noel, and son, Joe. Joe Gardiner, however, has challenged his stepmother’s right to her portion of the estate claiming that J’Noel and his father did not have a legal […]
Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for an immediate infusion of funds into Afghanistan to facilitate the reconstruction process. Donor countries have already pledged $20 million in initial assistance for reconstruction efforts, but Afghan reconstruction minister Mohammed Amin Farhang has said that little aid has actually reached the country. […]
President Bush placed a temporary hold on $34 million intended for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as part of a foreign aid appropriations bill the President signed last Thursday. Anti-abortion forces led in Congress by Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ) have urged Bush to place a hold on the aid claiming UNFPA has condoned forced […]
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women began its twenty-sixth session today at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The committee monitors the realization of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). To date, 168 countries, not including the U.S., have ratified CEDAW and are legally […]
