Waiving rents, making masks, distributing food supplies, and raising awareness about the deadly virus are some of the things that ordinary Afghans have been contributing to flatten the curve of this virus in Afghanistan. Afghans have been fighting for their lives daily and this health crisis is yet another test of survival in Afghanistan. However, […]
Diabetes Patients Struggle To Find Essential Supplies During Pandemic
As many Americans have scoured the shelves at local stores for disinfectant supplies and toilet paper, people with diabetes have been desperately searching for rubbing alcohol or alcohol swaps which are commonly used to manage diabetes care. These necessary diabetic care supplies have been among cleaning supplies which have been mass-purchased by members of the public who […]
Wisconsin Republicans Push Health Officials to Close Abortion Clinics
Wisconsin Republicans argued in a letter that state health officials should temporarily close abortion clinics for safety, and to ensure that they are not utilizing medical resources that are needed elsewhere during the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Tony Evers’ “Safer at Home” order given last week did not specifically mention abortion clinics as essential business; however, […]
Senators, LGBTQ Advocates Demand Lift on Federal Blood Donation Ban to Address COVID-19 Shortages
Senators and LGBTQ rights groups are urging the federal Food and Drug Administration to allow gay and bisexual men to donate blood and plasma to address supply shortages during the coronavirus pandemic. Current FDA guidelines prohibit men who have had sex with men in the last 12 months from donating blood. Activists argue that this […]
France Unveils Plan to Combat Heightened Risk of Domestic Violence During COVID-19 Crisis
This week, France’s Secretary of State for Equality Between Women and Men, Marlène Schiappa, announced a plan to address the increased risk of domestic violence during the COVID-19 crisis. Schiappa pledged to provide 20,000 hotel bookings for victims of domestic violence, send 1 million euros to organizations specializing in domestic violence relief, and establish assistance […]
Democrats and Civil Rights Groups Demand Delay of New Title IX Rule
The Education Department’s new proposed Title IX rules have already been cleared by the White House and are scheduled to be implemented in the coming weeks. Three senators signed on to a letter—along with multiple civil rights’ and human rights’ organizations—calling for the delay of these rules until the COVID-19 crisis is under control. The […]
UN Report: Women Face Barriers When Consenting to Sex, Accessing Healthcare
According to the United Nations, only around half of the world’s women are able to make their own decisions regarding sexual consent and healthcare, limiting gender equality for millions. A study by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reported that women’s rights are actually on the decline in some countries, and one in four women […]
California Special Needs Students Left Behind Amidst COVID-19 Education Changes
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act guarantees disabled students access to equal, high-quality, and free public education. However, as California nears its third week of physical school closures amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, special needs students are being left behind in the struggle to navigate the uncharted territory of distance learning. Approximately 800,000 California students receive […]
Reproductive Rights Groups Sue to Stop Oklahoma’s COVID-19 Abortion Ban
The Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) have filed an emergency lawsuit to nullify Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s ban on abortion procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, Stitt issued an executive order temporarily halting elective surgeries, which he later specified includes all abortions not deemed “necessary to prevent serious […]
U.S. Appeals Court Rules in Favor of COVID-19 Texas Abortion Ban
On Tuesday, March 31, a United States appeals court ruled to allow Texas to continue enforcing limits on people’s ability to obtain safe and legal abortions due to the state’s policy to postpone “non-essential” procedures in lieu of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a New York Times release by Reuters, “Texas and other states that […]
Equal Pay Day: Healthcare Workers Deserve Equal Pay (And Then Some)
Women in healthcare are on the frontlines of the response to COVID-19 and are risking their safety every day to save the lives of those who are critically ill right now. Women make up 78% of the healthcare field overall, but consistently make less than their male counterparts across the board. This national Equal Pay Day we […]
Instacart, Amazon Workers Strike for Coronavirus Protections
Workers at Instacart and Amazon struck yesterday and today, critiquing the companies for not prioritizing their safety in response to coronavirus. Instacart, an app-based delivery service, employs gig workers to go into grocery stores, pick up orders and deliver orders to homes. The company wrote in an official statement, “As the crisis unfolds, our teams […]
MSU Makes Graduating Health Care Students Available to Aid in COVID-19 Response
In cooperation with the growing needs of Michigan’s health care workforce in its fight against the coronavirus and the high rate of transmission/number of cases in Michigan, Michigan State University (MSU) is now ending its programs early to make newly graduated students available to help the state’s health care field fight against the coronavirus. MSU’s […]
Attorneys General Urge the FDA to Allow Use of Mifepristone by Mail During COVID-19 Pandemic
In response to abortion-related concerns taking place during the COVID-19 outbreak, a group of 21 attorneys general are urging the federal government to allow pregnant individuals to use mifepristone if they would like to terminate their pregnancy without unnecessary travel. According to Huffington Post senior reporter Melissa Jeltsen, the current system in place requires that […]
Pay Gap Expected to Worsen Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
Activists’ work to close the gender pay gap may be undermined by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to experts, as women take time off or are laid off in order to care for others, any advances could be reversed. The International Labor Organization (ILO) reports that women earn approximately one-fifth less than their male counterparts across […]
Taliban Increases Attacks on Afghan Security
Amidst a rising number of COVID-19 cases as well as the ongoing so-called peace talks, the Taliban has further intensified their attacks across Afghanistan. Last week alone, the Taliban launched 300 attacks against the Afghan government and civilians, inflicting heavy casualties. The Afghan government has responded to the attacks, inflicting heavy casualties on the Taliban […]
UK Government Permits Medication Abortions at Home During Coronavirus Lockdown
The United Kingdom government announced that it will allow patients to perform medication abortions at home during the national coronavirus lockdown. The decision follows a week of confusion over abortion access in the UK after the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) issued and then hours later rescinded its initial order to allow home […]
Education Department Sanctions Penn State Again for Sexual Misconduct Procedures
On Thursday, the Department of Education announced that after a recent investigation, it is ordering Pennsylvania State University to implement significant changes to the way the school handles complaints of sexual misconduct. The released investigation finds that the university persistently mishandled cases after the Sandusky scandal. A federal investigation released Thursday identified “serious deficiencies” in […]
Report: Autocratization Surging Worldwide, Alongside Resistance
According to a new report by Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem), autocratization is on the rise worldwide, alongside anti-autocratic resistance. V-Dem’s Democracy Report 2020, which compiled 123,118 datasets with the help of three thousand country experts, notes an unprecedented global decline in democratic traits. For the first time since 2001, democracies no longer constitute the majority […]
Benny Gantz Elected Israeli Speaker, Handing Power Back to Netanyahu
After a year of political deadlock in Israel, Benny Gantz was elected Speaker of the Israeli Parliament and expressed his desire to form an emergency national government. Gantz is set to serve in a Netanyahu-led government, Gantz’s main political rival. Gantz’s backing will now almost certainly allow the indicted prime minister to continue in his […]