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.” […]
Women from the Philippines, Korea, Japan, and the U.S. will share their stories about the rape, murder, and sexual exploitation of women by U.S. military servicemen stationed in Asia at a press conference scheduled for 10am on Friday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The press conference, which is part of a larger […]
A national poll on diversity in higher education conducted by DYG Inc. for the Ford Foundation’s Campus Diversity Initiative found that 2 of 3 U.S. citizens feel that it is “very important” for colleges to prepare students for a diverse society. The poll was conducted by telephone this summer on a sample group of 2,011 […]
Women who are either physically and emotionally abused are much more likely than others to develop physical and mental problems, even when the abuse is of “low severity.” These findings and others were published in today’s Journal of General Internal Medicine. All reiterate a fact that long been known — that the physical and emotional […]
A recent survey of small business owners conducted by the Los Angeles Times and the USC Marshall School of Business found that nearly 1 in 3 women entrepreneurs conducts her business out of her home. The survey, which was confined to southern California, included businesses with under 500 employees. Other findings from the survey reveal […]
Researcher Joseph C. Hall of Norfolk State University believes he has developed a suitable birth control pill for men. The pill could be on the market within five years. Hall’s attempts to develop a male pill are unlike any other biochemist’s work. While others have tried to reduce sperm production, Hall has used a compound […]
Close to 1000 civil rights activists rallied yesterday to draw attention to the meager number of minority law clerks hired each year by US Supreme Court justices. Nineteen people, including NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, were arrested after crossing police barricades on the steps of the Supreme Court to deliver petitions and minority clerk resumes to […]
Support for the Taliban is becoming more and more scarce in the Islamic world. Saudi Arabia and Iran, the world’s two most influential Islamic states, deem the Taliban’s brutal, fundamentalist interpretation of Islam as “an embarrassment.” Saudi Arabia was once a strong financial and political supporter of the Taliban and is one of only three […]
The Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund have created a new Web site called Gay Vote ’98 in an effort to get out the lesbian and gay vote this November. The Web site lists the names of gay candidates and incumbents’ voting records to help users determine which candidates best support […]
During October, “Breast Cancer Awareness Month”, health professionals are continuing to stress well-known facts about the disease. Breast cancer is most treatable when caught as its early stages, thus the American Cancer society recommends that women over the age of 20 conduct regular monthly self-exams to check their breast for lumps or irregularities and recommends […]
A new drug for the treatment of advanced breast cancer was approved by the Food and Drug Administration last Friday. FDA officials describe the drug, Herceptin, as “a new biologic approach for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, or cancer that has spread beyond the breast and lymph nodes under the arm.” Herceptin is the […]
