Peace talks between the ruling fundamentalist Taliban militia and the northern opposition, which controls the remaining 15% of the country, have been suspended due to disagreement over road blockades and the establishment of a governing council composed of Islamic scholars. The Taliban has refused to remove the blockades, which block foreign aid to the country, […]
A study conducted by Yale University School of Medical researchers found that sexual harassment was four times more likely than active military duty to cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among female military veterans. PTSD symptoms include nightmare or flashbacks, avoidance of places where stress occurred or things that remind the individual about the stressful incidents, […]
A study published in Psychiatric Services concluded that women who had a history of physical and/or sexual abuse were less likely to receive preventive healthcare than other women. Preventative healthcare was defined as having a physical examination, a Pap smear and a breast examination within the past 5 years, and a mammogram for women over […]
Recent studies show that three new drugs — Xeloda, angiostatin and endostatin, show promise as cancer treatments. Xeloda (capecitabine), which received FDA approval last week, is taken orally and is used by breast cancer patients whose tumors have already shown resistance to another commonly-used drug called Taxol. When Xeloda is ingested, the body converts the […]
According to a National Gay and Lesbian Task Force press release, Irmo High School, located near Columbia, S.C., canceled a scheduled Indigo Girls concert when school Principal Gerald Witt learned that band members Amy Ray and Emily Saliers are gay. National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Kerry Lobel said “Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and […]
In central Afghanistan at least 100 people, mostly women and children, have died of starvation caused by a Taliban militia blockade barring transport of relief supplies into the region, according to unconfirmed U.N. World Food Program (WFP) reports. Reports said that 3,000 families are likely to run out of food in a few days and […]
Increased use of birth control and less sex have resulted in the lowest teen pregnancy rates since the United States government began keeping track in 1970, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. In 1996, 9.2 percent of African-American teenage girls gave birth, falling dramatically from a birth rate of 30.2% in 1991. U.S. […]
The United Methodist Church announced that its Judicial Council, the church’s highest judicial body, will decide in August whether its ministers should be allowed to perform same-sex marriages. The church’s International Council of Bishops already issued a statement condemning the practice. The statement said, “We are committed to uphold the theological, ethical and polity matters […]
Four lesbian Democrats are running for House seats this year, according to an article in the Congressional Quarterly. Retired Army Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer is running for Washington’s 2nd District; State Representative Tammy Baldwin is seeking election in Wisconsin’s 2nd District; San Diego City Councilwoman Christine Kehoe is running in California’s 49th District and former Massachusetts […]
Ronald Harnois, 48, is pleading innocent to charges that he murdered his second wife while serving a 20-year sentence for bigamy and attempted murder. Harnois had conspired to kill his wife by binding six pipe bombs to her car in 1990 for the insurance money. Harnois’ second wife, Tammy Petrin, agreed to testify that she […]
The Florida Senate voted 31-9 to pass a law that requires women under 18 to notify at least one parent before getting an abortion. The Florida House has already passed the bill and pro-choice Florida Governor Lawton Childs has not said whether he plans to veto the new law. Pro-choice lawmakers argued that girls who […]
Clinical trials confirmed the efficacy and safety of mifepristone (formerly known as RU486) in the U.S., according to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The drug allows women to obtain a medical abortion within seven weeks or less of a pregnancy. The study was conducted by the Population Council on 2,121 […]
About 1,000 women marched through the streets of Peshawar, Pakistan to protest the Taliban militia group, which rules of two-thirds of Afghanistan. Protesters, organized by the Revolutionary Afghan Women’s Association, cried out against Taliban decrees that strip women of their basic human rights. Dozens of young men, including members of the Taliban, approached the women […]
Women champions of the prestigious Wimbledon tennis tournament will receive less prize money than the men champions. Wimbledon chairman John Curry announced a 4.7 percent increase in the prize, up to 435,000 pounds ($728,643) for men and 391,500 ($655,779) for women. Curry said that women’s tennis has less depth and that fans prefer men’s tennis. […]
The Florida State House voted 77-41 in support of a law that will allow drivers to obtain a license plate with a picture of a child and the words “Choose Life.” The state Senate approved the bill by 28-12 earlier this week. Anti-choice legislators argued that the license plate was a “generic affirmation of life” […]
Amanda Lemon, an 18-year-old mother, filed a discrimination grievance with her high school principal for banning her admission into the National Honor Society because she is a mother. Lemon, who holds a 3.8 grade point average, claims that the decision violates federal law. The National Honor Society has more than 14,000 high school chapters nationwide […]
Peace talks between Afghanistan’s fundamentalist Taliban militia and northern opposition groups resumed today, with no mention of the Taliban’s violations of women’s human rights. Talks had stalled Monday when the Taliban and opposition groups disagreed on qualifications for Islamic scholars, or ulema, who will work on a peace commission that will govern Afghanistan. Taliban officials […]
U.S. President Clinton has vowed to veto a State Department bill passed by Congress Tuesday that repays $926 million in overdue U.N. funds, but stipulates the money can not be used towards international family-planning organizations that support reproductive rights. Conservative Republicans are threatening to add a similar provision to the Clinton Administration’s solicitation for $18 […]
Doctors offering fertility treatments should not discriminate against lesbians or unmarried couples, said a New York State Task Force on Life and the Law panel. The panel, composed of doctors, lawyers, clergy and ethicists, released a report recommending changes in fertility treatments. Although the panel’s suggestions are not required by law, many of the New […]
More women are moving into the U.S. House and Senate than ever before, according to a Washington Post article. In the past few months, Lois Capps (D), Mary Bono (R) and Barbara Lee (D) were all voted into the House of Representatives in California special elections, increasing the number of women in the House to […]
