A genetically-engineered virus called ONYX-015 has been shown to identify and kill certain cancer cells in recent Phase II clinical trials. Study results found that the virus reduced the size of tumors by 50% or more in 12 of 26 patients, and completely destroyed the tumors of 4 other patients. In total, 60% of study […]
In response to the recent murder of Samia Imran, Pakistani former prime minister Benazir Bhutto has written a letter to the U.N. and human rights organizations decrying a widespread “conspiracy against women.” “There is an all-compassing conspiracy against women … in the name of Islam,” Bhutto’s letter read. “Our society today is in the hands […]
A Japanese man has been charged with smuggling dozens of women into Japan for use in prostitution rings. Toshiro Oyama allegedly led a gang of about 20 Japanese men who brought the Thai women to Japan on regular airplane flights and then hid the women in suitcases before passing through immigration. Oyama was seized by […]
Scientists at the Manchester Royal Infirmary conducted tests on a potential new contraceptive option for men. A group of 23 volunteers took a pill containing varying levels of the hormone progesterone and wore a testosterone patch on their skin that is similar to nicotine patches. The pills were designed to block sperm production, and the […]
The breast cancer drug Herceptin was shown to extend the lives of patients in advanced stages of the disease by an average of four months. Dr. Dennis J. Slamon of the University of California at Los Angeles was one of Herceptin’s key developers, and played a primary role in the years of research that prompted […]
Last fall, anti-abortion activists pledged that they would hold widespread anti-abortion protests at several upstate New York high schools and health clinics that offer abortion services. Last Call Ministries’ Robert Behn proclaimed, “I think God has chosen Buffalo as a battleground where He’s going to fight abortion with great strength.” The protests, known as “Operation […]
Senior Vatican official Monsignor Elio Sgreccia wrote in Italy’s Avvenire newspaper today that the Roman Catholic Church considers emergency contraceptive pills an “abortion technique” and opposes their distribution to ethnic Albanian women who have raped at a Serbian army camp. Sgreccia urged women to separate “the act of violence suffered and the reality of new […]
DC Web Women and San Francisco Women on the Web will sponsor “Take Our Daughters on the Web” events on April 21st. DC Web Women modeled its “Take Our Daughters on the Web” events after the Ms. Foundation’s annual “Take Your Daughter to Work Day.” President Jeanne Marshall explained, “Take Our Daughters on the Web […]
A recent study has confirmed past research showing that women can lower their risk for breast cancer by consuming soy products. Soy contains high levels of phytoestrogens, or plant estrogens. Soy products have been shown to lower levels of estrogen in the blood, thereby reducing an individual’s risk of estrogen-linked diseases such as breast cancer, […]
A study conducted by Dr. Kirkwood Adams Jr. and colleagues at the University of North Carolina reveals “fundamental gender- [sic] related differences in the nature and extent of heart failure.” Researchers studied data on patients with congestive heart failure, a common disease in which the heart looses its ability to pump enough blood to meet […]
Last month, Afghanistan’s Taliban regime and its northern opponents agreed to cease fighting and to create a common government. Under the agreement, the Taliban and the Islamic groups which make up the northern-based opposition would share power in national executive, legislative, and judiciary branches of government. Both sides also agreed to release 20 prisoners each […]
According to a report from Pentagon spokesperson Kenneth Bacon, Serb troops may be raping women on a massive scale in Kosovo. Bacon stated, “We’re getting some very disturbing reports out of Kosovo recently that young Kosovar women are being herded into a Serb army training camp near the town of Dakovica, which is in southwest […]
A U.S. Justice Department report issued yesterday revealed that a high percentage of prison inmates have suffered physical or sexual abuse prior to their incarceration. Most of the abuse took place during the inmates’ childhood and was carried out by spouses, boyfriends, parents, family friends, and other relatives. Among women in state and federal prisons […]
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 […]
