Jeans for Justice”: Women Protest Italian Rape Ruling Yesterday, Italian women protested an appeal court’s ruling that stated raping a woman wearing jeans is impossible. The court’s ruling in the case of a 45-year-old driving instructor accused of raping his 18-year-old student during a lesson provoked outrage among Italian feminists. The man was convicted of […]
The Advocate Health Care Network in Chicago announced a new policy limiting abortions to cases of rape or incest, to save the woman’s life or health, or when the fetus has a fatal birth defect. Anti-abortion proponents in the Chicago area argue that the policy is not enough(Chicago Tribune; Kaiser Daily Health Report). Chris Mahler, […]
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force released a statement on Monday announcing that, according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, at least 20 gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (GLBT) people have been murdered in the United States over the past year. NGTLF executive director Kerry Lobel called for renewed dedication to the pasage […]
Antiabortion lawmakers failed in their attempt to attach an amendment preventing the FDA from approving mifepristone (RU486) or other abortifacients. The Fiscal Year 2000 Agriculture Appropriations bill has passed both the House and the Senate, and is not expected to be vetoed by President Clinton.
Wednesday the French National Assembly passed a law allowing unmarried couples, including those of the same-sex, access to the same tax and legal benefits as married couples. Under the new law, couples can register with local courthouses after “three years of stated fidelity.” Couples registered under the new law can file joint tax forms, take […]
Justice Margaret Marshall was confirmed Wednesday as the new chief justice of Massachusetts’ highest court, the nation’s oldest appellate court. A native of South Africa, Marshall has a history of anti-apartheid and pro-choice activism. She is the former chief counsel at Harvard University. Marshall nearly lost the appointment because of her pro-choice position. The Roman […]
This week the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would tighten federal control over two “date-rape drugs.” According to the bill, GHB, gamma hydorxybutyric acid, and Ketamine, an animal tranquilizer (which have been widely available over the Internet) would be placed in the same regulatory class as other strictly controlled narcotics. Rep. Sheila […]
Senior US officials today expressed concern that Tuesday’s military coup may be the next step in the “Talibanization” of the Pakistani government. They linked the coup to growing fundamentalism within the army since US military aid was cut off in the early 1990s. Deepa Ollapally of the US Institute of Peace shared their concern that […]
CGU Insurance of South Africa this week launched its new Rape Survivor policy, an insurance plan aimed at survivors of sexual abuse. The plan will offer a toll-free hotline, counseling, support groups and assistance filing charges against the attacker. The policy also covers anti-retroviral treatment, prophylactic treatment and HIV testing. Reactions to the new policy […]
A study released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta showed that women who experience “frequent physical abuse” are 1.5 times more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy than women who are not abused. Women who experience psychological abuse are 1.4 times more likely to have an unplanned first pregnancy. The […]
As the world today celebrated the birth of the 6 billionth person, poor countries continue to suffer from population growth that outstrips their economic growth. Most of the 240,000 babies born each day are unplanned children born into families without the enough food or adequate healthcare access. According to a UN Press Release, “An estimated […]
As part of a so-called “Pro-Life” initiative set up by Scottish Cardinal Thomas Winning, a twelve-year-old girl in Britain was given money to keep her baby. The young girl is the most controversial so far of the 2,000 British women who have accepted money from the Catholic Church not to have an abortion. Social workers […]
State Secretary of Public Safety Gary Aronhalt said Monday that he plans to investigate allegations of widespread sexual abuse of prisoners at the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women in Virginia. In the past 9 months, inmates have registered 25 sexual misconduct complaints. Although prison officials usually investigate these complaints, public pressure in this case caused […]
Margaret “The Tiger” MacGregor readily defeated male opponent Loi “The Earthman” Chow at Mercer Arena Saturday night in boxing’s first sanctioned mixed-gender match. MacGregor, a landscaper from Bermerton, Washington, has a record of 4-0, with one knockout. She stands 5-5-, weighed in at 129, has a black belt in karate and is a former women’s […]
Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is launching the first national public service advertising campaign about emergency contraception. Emergency contraception, a higher dose of birth control pills taken within 72 hours of sex, can prevent pregnancy and could reduce the number of unintended pregnancies by half. The ads feature actors and musicians, including Christina Ricci […]
Friday, Advocates for Youth president James Wagoner urged domestic and international policy makers to adhere to the International Conference on Population and Development’s recommendations. Wagoner called on policy makers to extend sex education programs for all school levels, to provide confidential access to contraception for adolescents, and to more aggressively engage public health strategies to […]
After seven years of debate and revisions, the New York Senate yesterday passed clinic access legislation expected to be signed by Gov. George Pitaki (R). The Clinic Access and Anti-Stalking Act of 1999 was praised by Planned Parenthood of New York City as a positive measure for women in the state of New York. The […]
Public schools are in danger of losing racial and socioeconomic diversity. Busing policies intended to achieve racial diversity in Montgomery County (VA) and Charlotte-Mecklenburg district (NC) schools were struck down in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond just a few days ago, both the Nando Times and the Washington Post report. Quickly […]
Recently, the China Daily reported on the success of rural family planning programs that send doctors on rounds in various counties and provinces to examine the health of women. These programs provide education on contraception, and aim to arm women with the knowledge needed to make critical decisions about their own bodies. Datong county reported […]
Following the brutal murder of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming in 1998, both the University and area public schools have worked hard to counter homophobia will inclusive curricula. Public school conflict resolution classes now focus on preventing bullying and curbing homophobic harassment. At the University of Wyoming, education students are trained in teaching tolerance. […]
