In what some deem progress and others deem a media gimmick, NASA is considering an all-women space shuttle crew. NASA is currently awaiting the results of a study on whether more gender-specific research on the effects of weightless on the human body is necessary. NASA’s Dr. Arnauld Nicogossian said that he and colleagues will review […]
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has confirmed lower court rulings that former Hooters waitress and bartender Annette R. Phillips has the right to reject company-mandated arbitration and instead bring her sexual harassment charges before a court. The three judges of the 4th Circuit unanimously agreed that the restaurant chain’s arbitration policies are biased […]
The French National Assembly passed a billed which would grant legal status to unmarried couples Wednesday. The bill would give recognized heterosexual and homosexual couples certain advantages including tax and inheritance benefits. The bill had been vehemently opposed by demonstrators who feared that lesbian and gay couples would use the law to demand adoption rights. […]
The Washington, DC-based People for the American Way (PFAW) issued a statement yesterday in which the group argued that members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have willfully obstructed the progress of President Clinton’s judicial appointees, many of whom are women or minorities. PFAW revealed that the Senate Judiciary Committee did not hold a single confirmation […]
Police believe they have found the man who raped and/or robbed as many as 51 women in the New York City metropolitan area since 1993. Officials first discovered a pattern to this series of attacks in 1997, and DNA evidence soon proved their theory. The attacks took place after midnight and were committed by a […]
Researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine argue that estrogen may someday be used to improve women’s memory. Their recent report, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that estrogen cause increased brain activity in 46 postmenopausal women. This increased brain activity took place in areas that have been associated with […]
Dr. Komal Hossain, U.N. Special Rapporteur to Afghanistan, presented a report on the status of human rights in Afghanistan to the 55th Session of the U.N. Human Rights Commission yesterday in Geneva. Hossain reported that Taliban officials have made no significant changes regarding women’s human rights. At a news conference, he characterized the situation for […]
Former Domino’s Pizza president and billionaire Tom Monaghan has announced that he will spend $50 million to build a Catholic law school in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Monaghan, who has actively participated in and sponsored anti-abortion causes, is hopeful that The Ave Maria School of Law, scheduled to open in the fall of 2000, will become […]
Women’s and human rights groups gathered yesterday in Islamabad, Pakistan to protest the killing of Samia Imran and to demand new laws to protect women against so-called “honor killings.” In countries throughout the Middle East, India, Pakistan, and Brazil, women and girls are routinely killed by family members who believe that they have violated their […]
Self-described male deputies expressed disdain for their female colleagues in an online forum hosted by Digital Cities. The forum invited reaction to Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca’s plans to promote female deputies into patrol positions. The Association for Los Angeles Sheriffs threatened to sue the Sheriff’s department and posted a linked to Digital City’s forum […]
President Clinton has taken several steps to reaffirm his commitment to equal pay for men and women this week. The President issued a proclamation proclaiming April 8, 1999 as National Equal Pay Day. The proclamation read, “I call upon government officials, law enforcement agencies, business leaders, educations, and the American people to recognize the full […]
The National Clergy Council issued a statement in which it denounced President Clinton’s efforts to protect lesbian and gay citizens, women, and the disabled under federal hates crimes legislation. “We reject President Clinton’s so-called ‘hate crimes’ legislation as a disingenuous attempt to bring social propaganda into our schools,” read the statement. “Crime legislation must be […]
Samia Imran was seeking a divorce and attempting to start a new life when a hit man shot and killed her inside the office of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan chairperson Asma Jehangir. Jehangir’s office is located in Lahore, the capital city of the Pakistani state of Punjab. Imran’s lawyer and sister of Jehangir, human […]
The Aware Woman Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida filed suit against CompuServe, TML Information Services, and several anti-abortion activists in January for violating the rights of clinic patients and staff. The clinic has now filed a second, federal class-action suit. CompuServe and TML Information Services are charged with offering anti-abortion activists a service […]
An ex-television news anchor who was fired while out on disability leave was awarded $7.3 million by a jury. Sara Lee Kessler alleged that WWOR-TV demoted her and forced her to take disability leave before firing her. She alleged discrimination based on sex, religion, and age. The jury rejected those claims but agreed that the […]
A research report issued by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs found that the number of anti-gay attacks is decreasing, but also found that the attacks that did occur were more violent than in the past. The number of anti-gay attacks was 2,552 in 1998, 113 less than the 2,665 reported in 1997. However the […]
New research published today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggests that individuals who smoke as children or young adults often suffer irreparable genetic damage in the lungs that causes increased risk for lung cancer throughout their lives. Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco’s School of Medicine compared the blood […]
Russell Henderson pleaded guilty to murdering and kidnapping University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard and was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison yesterday. Henderson’s attorney Wyatt Skaggs reported that he and Albany County Prosecutor Cal Rerucha negotiated a plea bargain late last week to avoid a possible death sentence. Henderson and an accomplice […]
President Clinton is urging support for legislation that would expand federal hate crimes laws to include offenses committed because of an individual’s sex, sexual orientation, or disability. Current hate crimes criteria include race, color, religion, or national origin. In addition to expanding the criteria upon which hate crimes charges can be filed, the bill would […]
An unidentified Lebanese doctor was sentenced to life in prison for performing abortions in Saudi Arabia, according to the al-Eqtissadiyah newspaper. The doctor had already been jailed 12 years and had faced repeated interrogations about his alleged performance of abortions on single women. Abortion is illegal in Saudi Arabia except for in a few circumstances, […]
