On January 21st, the Ohio Senate introduced a bill, State Senate Bill 260, which would ban telemedicine abortions, following the lead of 18 states that currently ban this abortion procedure. Telemedicine abortion occurs when there is not a clinician on staff when a patient visits a health center, and the patient would have a video […]
New Oxfam Study Shows Women’s Labor is Underpaid and Undervalued
A recent study by international nonprofit Oxfam shows that the state of global economic inequality is out of control. Oxfam highlights the severity of this inequality and the negative impacts it has on women by shining a light on the fact that: the world’s richest 22 men having a greater combined wealth than all of […]
Chloe McKenzie Wants to Close the Wealth Gap for Black Women
In 2015, Chloe McKenzie, a former JP Morgan investor, launched Black Fem – an organization “dedicated to breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty”. The racial wealth gap is still steadily widening, according to studies done by Prosperity Now and the Institute for Policy Studies. When asked about why she wanted to start Black Fem, Ms. […]
‘Women Win’: Warren Takes on Gender in Final Stretch Before Iowa Caucuses
Presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has dealt with issues regarding gender since the beginning of her campaign for the 2020 presidency. She is candid about this, often explaining the various times she has been told to “smile more,” has been called “angry” by an opponent, or been the subject of questions as to whether she […]
Actor David Schwimmer Says ‘There Was A Lot of Overreacting’ in #MeToo Movement
Actor David Schwimmer said in a recent interview that the #MeToo movement created an atmosphere of “terror” for all men. David Schwimmer credits his social activism with having grown up in a strong female household, citing both his mother-a feminist activist and lawyer-and sister as examples of women who have shaped his perspective. Schwimmer, in […]
Murder of Activist and Artist Sparks Protests Against Femicide in Ciudad Juárez
Isabel Cabanillas de la Torre, 26-year-old artist and active feminist, was slain on January 18 in the streets of Juárez, Mexico. A week later protesters gathered in the streets to demand justice for her death and bring new attention to Ciudad Juárez’s femicide epidemic that has been allowed to persist for nearly 30 years. Marching […]
New Abstinence Campaign from Bolsonaro Administration Promotes Teen Abstinence
Far-right Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro plans to roll out a new message: don’t have sex before marriage. Damares Alves, the minister of human rights, family, and women for President Bolsonaro said that young people in Brazil “by and large are having sex as a result of social pressure…You can go to a party and have […]
Trump Administration Reinstates Texas Medicaid Funding, Allows Planned Parenthood Exclusion
Texas will regain federal Medicaid funding for its state family planning program despite refusing to reinstate Planned Parenthood’s coverage, a move which threatens to embolden attacks on Planned Parenthood in other states. Texas lost its Title X federal funding under the Obama administration in 2012 after removing Planned Parenthood and other “affiliates of abortion providers” […]
Afghan President: No Gender Apartheid Under My Responsibility
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan reiterated his commitment to women’s rights and human rights. In response to a question on the ongoing talks between the Taliban and the US, he stated that there are some questions that need to be answered, and the top question is gender. […]
South Dakota Bill Restricting Medical Treatment for Transgender Youth Passes First Major Vote
In South Dakota, a bill which will ban doctors from providing puberty blockers and prevent them from performing other treatments related to gender expression in children under the age of 16, has passed in the House State Affairs Committee by an 8-5 vote. Three conservatives broke with their party to vote against this bill, which opposes […]
New State Department Regulations Could Restrict Pregnant Women’s Ability to Come to the U.S.
A department official from the State Department and a congressional aide reportedly said Wednesday that the U.S. State Department has a plan that could potentially make it more difficult for pregnant women to acquire visas to visit the United States. These impending regulations are presumably the most recent in a string of attempts by the […]
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Idaho Legislator to Introduce Bill Banning Transgender Women from Women’s Sports
Idaho legislator Rep. Barbara Ehardt (R-Idaho Falls) says that she is planning on introducing legislation that would ban transgender individuals from competing on high school sports teams that do not correspond with their birth sex. While claiming that the legislation has “nothing to do” with anti-LGBT legislation, Ehardt is calling on the Idaho legislature to […]
Idaho Legislator to Introduce Bill Banning Transgender Women from Women’s Sports
Idaho legislator Rep. Barbara Ehardt (R-Idaho Falls) says that she is planning on introducing legislation that would ban transgender individuals from competing on high school sports teams that do not correspond with their birth sex. While claiming that the legislation has “nothing to do” with anti-LGBT legislation, Ehardt is calling on the Idaho legislature to […]
New Gallup Poll: Three Out of Five Americans Dissatisfied with Restrictive Abortion Laws
A new Gallup poll found that nearly three out of five Americans are dissatisfied with U.S. abortion policies—a record number driven by Democratic and Independent dissatisfaction towards increasingly strict abortion laws. From 2001 until 2016, a roughly equal proportion of Americans were dissatisfied with abortion laws as Americans satisfied with with abortion laws. The latest […]
Elizabeth Warren Pledges Half Her Cabinet Will Be Women
Massachusetts Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren pledged that at least half of her top executive branch positions would go to women or non-binary people if she wins the presidency. Senator Warren continues in a recent push to convince voters that a woman can win the presidency. As the pivotal early primaries in Iowa and […]
New Maryland Bill Proposes Parental Consent Requirement for IUDs
On January 8th the Maryland House of Delegates introduced a bill, House Bill 53, that would require minors to have written parental consent to get insertive contraceptive devices, such as the intrauterine device (IUD) and implantable rod. This bill does not require parental consent for minors to receive other forms of birth control, such as […]
#MeToo Activist Released by Chinese Authorities
After being detained for nearly three months, a Chinese #MeToo activist and journalist, Sophia Huang Xueqin, has been released by authorities in China. Police detained Huang in mid-October of last year in Guangzhou on the vague charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” Huang has been a prominent figure in China’s emerging #MeToo movement, which […]
Representative Ayanna Pressley Releases Inspiring Video About Living With Alopecia
Representative Ayana Pressley, a Democrat from the 7th district of Massachusetts, released a video yesterday via The Root’s Twitter revealing that she has alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss. For Ms. Pressley, she felt as though her hair story was both personal and political. She described her decision to publicly address her condition […]
First Woman Appointed to Management Position in the Vatican
This Thursday, Pope Francis named Francesca Di Giovanni the Undersecretary of Multilateral Affairs for the Secretariat of State, an important Vatican office. Di Giovanni will be the first woman to hold a management position in the Roman Catholic Church. Leadership positions in the Vatican are largely male-dominated, in part because many are reserved for priests, […]
WNBA and Players’ Union Propose Historic Collective Bargaining Agreement
In a time where female athletes across sports are speaking out against gender discrimination and pay inequalities, the WNBA has positioned itself as a leader by coming to a potential collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the players’ union that features salary increases, maternal and family leave benefits, and improved travel accommodations. This agreement takes steps […]