In London and several surrounding districts, police arrested 29 men after breaking up a child pornography ring in which children were raped and sexually assaulted. According to the Independent, police seized “65 properties in 23 police force areas in Britain…7,500 videotapes, photographs, magazines, computers, and floppy discs.” Bob McLachlan, the head of the Pedophilia Unit, […]
Taliban head Mullah Mohammed Omar has dismissed U.S.-imposed financial and commercial sanctions on Afghanistan. On Tuesday, Clinton instituted the trade and economic sanctions because of the Taliban’s support of international terrorist Osama bin Laden, who was charged with the bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Omar told reporters that “We don’t care about […]
On Tuesday, the Dutch health minister presented legislation that would lift the ban on research using aborted fetuses. Els Borst argued that medical research on aborted fetuses should be permitted as long as the mother approved it and had the opportunity to change her mind. The bill would allow for fetuses aborted within 24 weeks […]
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have instituted a universal HIV testing policy for pregnant mothers that would not require their informed consent. The director of AIDS Policy Center, David Harvey, commented that “We are disappointed by this policy…pregnant women would be the only group that […]
EXELGYN Laboratories announced that the drug mifepristone (formerly known as RU 486) has been approved for distribution in eight European countries: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Greece, and the Netherlands. Mifepristone has been approved in these countries for early medical abortion (up to 49 days). German Catholic Church officials attempted to block Germany’s acceptance […]
On Monday, President Clinton signed an executive order imposing sanctions against the Taliban in Afghanistan for its support of Osama bin Laden, the international terrorist accused of bombing U.S. embassies in both Kenya and Tanzania. The sanctions “freeze any property of the Taliban within U.S. jurisdiction…and prohibit transactions and trade with the Taliban or in […]
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) is creating a method to help women “prepare for the unexpected.” The service will enable women to keep the morning-after pill at home in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Currently, the pill is only available by prescription at clinics or gynecological services. Women must receive the pill within three […]
On Saturday, a liberal parliament was elected in Kuwait that ensures the passage of a measure to allow women to vote and participate in politics. This election, although they could not vote, many women attended discussions and political forums, especially those which advertised separate seating for women. Winning the vote means that women also will […]
Women will soon have several new birth control options. The Today Sponge, developed by Allendale Pharmaceuticals, will be returning to the market. Lunelle, a monthly injection of the hormones found in the oral pills, could possibly be on the market by the end of 1999. Another form of contraception being tested is a contraceptive ring […]
Early Thursday morning, the Choice Medical Group, a California abortion clinic, was firebombed. The fire, a suspected arson, was contained about 20 minutes after the attack and no one was injured. The division chief of the American River Fire Department, Jim Hartley, said, “We are in the middle of a preliminary investigation. Despite a lot […]
On Thursday, 126 women’s groups presented a letter to the Vatican questioning its attitude towards a population control plan agreed upon in Cairo five years ago. This plan focuses on sex education, safe abortions, and contraceptive advice. Essentially, the goal is to better educate women on reproductive issues and choices that will better enable them […]
The Senate voted 51-47 on Thursday to continue to forbid insurance coverage of federal workers’ abortions. This decision was included in the bill financing the Treasury Department’s $27.7 billion budget. This ban would not apply to women who are raped, sexually abused, or in danger of losing their lives due to a pregnancy. The author […]
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed a bill that prohibits non-parental adults from helping minors obtain an abortion out of state, bypassing parental consent laws in the minor’s home state. This law would not punish the girls seeking an abortion, but punishes adults with up to one year in jail. Comparable legislation was passes […]
Researchers from Leeds University in the UK have discovered a new technique of storing sections of ovaries that will enable young female cancer patients to have children later in life. This method, which will not be perfected for another five to ten years, entails preserving “ovarian tissue banks” that doctors can mature in a laboratory […]
On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled 4-2 that lesbians and gay men are de facto parents of children they raise, regardless of whether or not they are blood-related. In the specific case, judges decided that a lesbian had the right to visit the child she helped raised now that she and her partner are […]
In a study conducted by doctors at the University of Uppsala in Sweden, evidence was found that linked cervical cancer with genetic factors. This is contrary to the belief that a particular strand of the sexually transmitted disease, the human papilloma virus, causes cervical cancer. The study examined the 127,000 relatives of 71,533 women with […]
Wednesday, a Canadian court ruled 2-1 to acquit a man who was arrested in 1995 for possession of pornographic material involving young boys, arguing that Canada’s restriction on the possession of child pornography is unconstitutional. Justice Mary Southin stated that “In my opinion, the detrimental effects substantially outweigh the salutary effects; the intrusion into freedom […]
On Tuesday, United Nations officials representing 180 countries remained divided on how contraception and sex education might be used to control world population growth. Representatives of the Catholic Church and several third world Muslim countries indicated that they were strongly opposed to instituting policies promoting family planning and sex-ed in schools and other public environments. […]
Ever since insurance companies began offering coverage for the anti-impotency drug Viagra, women’s groups have worked harder than ever to win insurance coverage for contraceptive devices and are winning considerable support from many state and federal lawmakers. The sponsor of contraceptive coverage legislation in California, Sen. Jackie Speier, commented that “the little blue pill (Viagra) […]
This past Saturday, 14-year old Valencia Farmer was found gang raped, stabbed 42 times, and with her throat slashed on the doorstep where she had been left to die. Enraged by this horrendous crime, South Africans destroyed the house and protested at the courthouse where the suspects were held. Two men have been arrested and […]
