An Evanston, Illinois school district will begin distributing free contraceptives in a new program designed to cut pregnancy and STD rates. The program is available only to those students whose parents have agreed to let them participate in the new program. Evanston District 202 schools will provide prescriptions for birth control pills, and both male […]
More than 100 countries and 1,000 organizations joined together this past January to raise awareness of child labor abuse in a “Global March Against Child Labor.” The march began in the Philippines and has since traveled across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the United States. The march will end in Washington, D.C. today. Representatives from the […]
More than 1,000 events will be held across the United States this weekend to bring attention to the need for quality childcare. First Lady Hillary Clinton, Children’s Defense Fund President Marian Wright Edelman and others will participate in one such event this Friday morning in D.C. Edelman, Clinton and others will build a new playground […]
In what may become a ground-breaking case, five women jail guards filed a sexual harassment suit against King County, WA, charging that prison officials there ignored inmates’ abusive behavior toward female corrections officials and contributed to a hostile work environment for women. The plaintiffs allege that prison inmates displayed pornographic pictures, made sexually-driven insults, and […]
Despite evidence that computer-assisted Pap smears are more accurate than traditional tests, many insurers do not cover them. In about 20% of traditional Pap smear tests, medical technicians fail to identify abnormal cervical cells due to poor cell samples and/or difficulties encountered in screening the cells. In tests where a computer screens the cell samples, […]
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused, without comment, a court challenge to the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE) brought by anti-abortion protestors in North Carolina. Under FACE, those who blockade or commit violence against women’s health care clinics and workers can be charged with a felony offense. The law was enacted in […]
In the third set of attacks on Florida abortion clinics within a week, two more abortion clinics were sprayed with a noxious acid. Officials have been unable to determine whether the attacks took place on Friday evening or Saturday morning. The Woman’s Health Center in St. Petersburg and National Women’s Health Services in Clearwater were […]
Army civilian lawyer Kelly Theriot claimed that Col. Darrel Porr sexually harassed her and then conspired with other top officers to retaliate against her when she complained. Her case was declared a mistrial Saturday. The judge in the case declared the mistrail after jurors said that they could not reach agreement after four days of […]
An unnamed thirty-five year old woman was refused an emergency abortion at Elliot Hospital in Manchester, N.H., after her water broke only 14 weeks into her pregnancy. Dr. Wayne Goldner of Elliot Hospital told the Boston Globe that he was forbidden from performing the abortion and had to arrange for the woman to be driven […]
A new device that measures the level of oxygen in malignant tumors could improve the effectiveness of cancer treatments by making it easier for doctors to determine which treatments are working. The “Oxylite” optic probe was developed by Britain’s Cancer Research Campaign (CRC). Based on the oxygen level in a given tumor, doctors can learn […]
FBI officials will investigate the 8 separate acid attacks waged on Central and South Florida abortion clinics this past week. Three of the attacks occurred last weekend at Central Florida clinics, and five other Miami-area clinics were targeted yesterday. “We consider this a hate crime,” said Anne Figueiras, a spokesperson for the FBI. If investigators […]
The National Center for Women & Policing, a division of the Feminist Majority Foundation, has released a study on the Status of Women in 100 of the largest law enforcement agencies in the country. The report, Equality Denied: The Status of Women in Policing, examines the gains and gaps in the numbers of women in […]
In a survey conducted by the Tokyo government, one third of Japanese women said that they have been beaten by their male partners or husbands. City official Yuko Omura said “I think the survey revealed the serious reality that women are facing … We really have to change the public’s view that has long allowed […]
Five women’s healthcare clinics, at least four of which provide abortion services, were the victims of acid attacks today. Four clinics reported that they had been attacked this morning, and news of a fifth incident at a Miami Clinic was recently released. Today’s attacks were very similar to attacks waged on clinics in Central Florida […]
Cable-television pioneer Ted Turner will give the United Nations $100 million dollars each year for the next ten years, for a total gift of $1 billion. U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) programs will receive almost $8 million of the $22 million allocated yesterday. Three million will go to a program that produces and distributes reproductive health […]
Florida Governor Lawton Chiles vetoed a request for a new anti-abortion license plate yesterday. The proposed plate was bright yellow in color, featured the faces of two children and read ”choose life.” An anti-abortion, pro-adoption group called Choose Life Inc. collected 10,000 signatures and paid $30,000 in an attempt to gain legislative approval of the […]
Compared to last year’s numbers, 12% fewer black and Hispanic students intend to enroll at the University of California (UC) this fall. UC’s ban on affirmative action programs has prompted even sharper declines at its highly-competitive Berkeley campus, which suffered a 52% drop in the number of Black and Hispanic students who expect to enroll […]
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to require the Army, Navy, and Air Force to provide separate training for its male and female recruits. The Marine Corps already trains men and women separately. Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said that separate housing, but not separate training, is necessary. Army, Air Force, and Navy officials also […]
The House Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on S.1645/H.R. 8682, the so-called “Child Custody Protection Act” today. The Senate Judiciary Committee heard this bill yesterday. S. 1645/H.R. 8682 would make it a federal crime to transport a minor across state lines for the purpose of obtaining an abortion unless the minor first complies with her […]
In last month’s U.N.-sponsored peace talks, Afghanistan’s fundmentalist Taliban militia agreed with the northern opposition alliance to establish a panel of 40 religious scholars who would rule the country. The Taliban has now rescinded this agreement. The Taliban and the northern opposition had disagreed on qualifications necessary for members of the religious panel. Taliban officials […]
