The U.S. Supreme Court allowed Cincinnati to ban anti-discrimination ordinances protecting the rights of lesbian and gay people yesterday by refusing to hear a challenge to the anti-gay measure. Rather than rule on the case of Equality Foundation of Greater Cincinnati v. Cincinnati, the Court simply decided not to take the case, thus letting stand […]
Representative Carolyn Maloney, (D-NY) spoke out on the lack of childcare options in our country at a news conference last week. Maloney argued that Congress is to blame for not passing quality legislation on childcare issues. “Nearly five million children aged five to 12 are left home alone after school. Fifty-two percent of moms whose […]
The life of a female Afghan journalist was threatened Monday, October 5, at night in Peshawar, Pakistan when two unidentified assailants fired shots at her. The woman, Najeeba Sara Bibi, is associated with both the BBC Pashto Service and the Pashto daily Hewad. Over the past few months she has received repeated threats in the […]
1992, the year of the woman, saw democrats Barbara Boxer, Carol Moseley-Braun, and Patty Murray elected to the Senate. Six years later, all three women are up for re-election and running in very tight races. The press has been flooded with stories on the Clinton scandal, leaving little room to cover candidates and their issues […]
A young woman who counseled ethnic Chinese rape victims was found dead in her Indonesian home from multiple stab wounds and a cut through her throat. New York-based Human Rights Watch demanded an investigation into the murder and requested that the government provide “better protection” for counselors helping victims raped and tortured during the May […]
Social gender biases in Asia have caused working Asian women to suffer greatly during the country’s financial crisis. At a meeting of Pacific Rim leaders, delegates to a conference on women vowed to bring an end to discrimination against women workers and to provide women better job opportunities. “Where poverty reigns, women are poorer than […]
Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Bulgarian business women today as part of a four-day trip to promote women’s rights in Eastern Europe. The first lady acknowledged the women’s efforts at reform, and showed support for those women who are recreating the country’s business culture. “We’re very impressed by the reform effort and the difficult decisions […]
Past studies have suggested that more than 85 percent of women experience symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and 2 to 10 percent suffer severe symptoms. A new survey has found that many women with PMS were diagnosed incorrectly or ineffectively prescribed before medical protocols were established for diagnosing and treating PMS in 1994. The study […]
“Find the Facts, Know the Truth” will be this year’s theme for the fourth annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered History Month. Executive Director of The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), Joan M. Garry stated, “This year’s theme speaks to the historical exclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from the record […]
Researchers are making progress in their attempts to freeze and thaw women’s eggs. They are hopeful that one day soon women will have the same convenience of freezing their eggs as men have of freezing their sperm. “This problem has befuddled scientists for many years,” said John Buster, a fertility specialist at the Baylor College […]
Action on Jane Henney’s nomination as head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been delayed by Senate majority Whip Don Nickles, R-Okla. Nickles cited concern over Henney’s stance on abortion and tobacco issues as reasons for his action. Nickles is opposed to FDA approval of mifepristone (formerly known as RU 486) which is […]
About half of all traditional health care insurers and HMOs do not cover birth control. Of those that do, many fail to explain their coverage to women, according to a new study conducted by the Alan Guttmacher Institute. “Fifteen percent of health maintenance organizations and point-of-service plans did not cover all five of the most […]
Managers and business owners are speaking out about the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), signed by President Clinton in 1993. Many employers believe that FMLA policies encourage long-term employee loyalty and longevity, according to a report by the congressionally-appointed Commission on Leave. Also, 86 percent of work sites surveyed believe that FMLA has no […]
Moita Ole Risa, a Kenyan man accused by his wife of physical abuse, was found guilty Thursday. Agnes Siyiankoi’s husband beat her with a club for five hours. She was the first in her Maasai tribe to bring her spouse to trial for abuse. Although Magistrate Charles Gitonga found Ole Risa guilty, his punishment was […]
A provision to cover contraception in federal employees’ health insurance plans, originally passed by both the House and the Senate, was overturned when Congressional leaders voted to approve the Treasury-Postal bill without including the provision. Gloria Feldt, President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, called the decision a “travesty,” explainind that “Americans want preventive […]
Physicians for Human Rights published a recent study on the conditions Afghanistan women have suffered under Taliban rule. Its findings show that women in Afghanistan continually face heinous abuse and are suffering from lack of health care and education. “We are not aware of any place in the world in recent history where women have […]
New evidence suggests that even moderate use of alcohol can reduce a woman’s fertility by up to 50 percent. In an effort find a scientific explanation for the effects of alcohol on fertility, Dr. Rosemarie B. Hakim and colleagues in Baltimore analyzed the menstrual cycles of 124 healthy women, and measured how their conception rates […]
City of Hope’s Women’s Council of Orange County will honor actress Florence Henderson as “Woman of the Year” at its second annual “The Spirit of Life” dinner on November 21. Henderson, a long-time supporter and spokesperson for City of Hope, was chosen for many reasons. Her dedication to helping a friend through her struggles with […]
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) have launched a campaign to educate the public about anti-choice candidates this election season. Many of the anti-choice candidates PPFA and NARAL are highlighting are downplaying their anti-choice stances while seeking election. They are what NARAL refers to as […]
Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has agreed to eliminate opium production in Afghanistan in exchange for U.N. recognition. Taliban’s Shariat radio reported that Omar told United Nations envoy Lakhdar Brami, “If the Islamic Emirate (Taliban) is accorded recognition without condition by the U.N., the Emirate will seriously ban unconditionally cultivation of poppy throughout the country.” […]
