The National First Ladies Library in Canton, Ohio launched its website earlier this week. The site, www.firstladies.org, is “devoted to the history and legacy of America’s first ladies,” and contains a virtual library of more than 40,000 books, manuscripts, journals, newspaper articles and other materials related to the first ladies. Hillary Rodham Clinton was the […]
The U.S. Supreme Court turned away an appeal from a Maine anti-abortion group that would allow corporations to disregard campaign spending rules except when they explicitly advocate the election or defeat of a candidate. The Main Right to Life Committee Inc. sued the Federal Election Commission over regulations that prohibited the publication of voter records […]
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear arguments against “Megan’s Law,” the New Jersey legislation that requires public notification of names and addresses of sex offenders. Petitioners argued that the law violates the double jeopardy and ex post facto clauses of the U.S. Constitution. The clauses provide protection from double punishment for the same crime […]
A judge will soon rule on damages up to $1 million in a case of “unintentional sex discrimination” by Joe’s Stone Crab restaurant. The Miami establishment, slated as one of the top 10 grossing restaurants in the U.S., was charged by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission of discriminatory hiring practices against women. The EEOC claimed […]
A survey published in the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that more than one-third of female doctors age 30-70 have been sexually harassed, while close to half have suffered from gender-based harassment. Out of 4,501 women surveyed, 36.9% reported sexual harassment while 47.7% reported gender-based harassment stemming from being a female in a traditionally male […]
Chairwoman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Brooksley Born, accused the futures industry of lacking sufficient minority and women members. “For too long many of these jobs have been filled based on friendships and family relationships, and an incidental characteristic of these relationships has been that they usually did not include persons of color,” said […]
The vaginal ring, a new form of contraception for women, is expected to be out on the market by 2000. The ring, developed by Organon Pharmaceuticals, releases hormones similar to those contained in birth control pills. The ring is inserted into the vaginal vault, is comfortable and can be easily removed. Studies have shown that […]
A Turkish commission is recommending that laws giving men a dominant role as pasha, or commander of the family, be thrown out. The commission, led by law professor Turgut Akinturk, wants to revise Turkey’s civil code, eliminating provisions that decree the husband as the head of the family, allow men to decide were the family […]
California Democratic US House candidate Lois Capps is appearing in an ad declaring her stance as a pro-choice candidate. In the ad, Capps claims, “outside interest groups are now attacking me … So let’s be clear: I am strongly pro-choice. My opponent opposes a woman’s right to choose.” The commercial, now airing, is a direct […]
The Promise Keepers, a male-only, right-wing Christian group, announced that it will fire its entire staff due to a financial crisis. “Promise Keepers today gave its staff six weeks notice that they will be paid until March 31 and no further. As stable and sufficient donations are received, re-staffing will occur,” said a statement from […]
British officials are putting pressure on the Caribbean colonies to eradicate laws criminalizing homosexuality. The request comes after Cayman Islands authorities refused to let a cruise ship carrying gay vacationers to land because they “could not be counted on to uphold the standards of appropriate behavior expected of visitors.” Anguilla’s chief minister Hubert Hughes said, […]
A study conducted by the Women’s Media Centre of Cambodia found that the Cambodian media consistently degrade women through stereotypes. Researchers found that women are the focus of only seven percent of the stories in newspapers, but are featured in 20 percent of the photographs and 92 percent of the cartoons and drawings. Eighty percent […]
The European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of allowing British campaign groups to spend unrestricted sums on leafleting and broadcasting before an election. Unlimited spending on propaganda will enable groups to support a specific candidate or deprecate a rival for their views on issues such as abortion and gay and lesbian rights. Previously, […]
More than sixty percent of parents in the UK want to see firmer childcare regulations, according to a survey conducted by the magazine Right Start. Colette Kelleher, director of the Daycare Trust, said, “British parents pay the highest childcare bills in Europe. Much more could be done by the Government and employers to help parents […]
Tipper Gore urged Americans to get screenings for eating disorders. Free anonymous screenings will be offered starting next Monday through the 28th of February. The National Eating Disorders Screening Program is sponsoring free screenings at hospitals, colleges, and treatment centers throughout the United States. More than 5 million Americans, mainly women, are affected by eating […]
Gays and lesbians in the military face increasing harassment, according to an annual report released by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. The report cited 563 “command violations,” during which commanders harassed, pursued and asked members about their sexual orientation in violation of a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy put in place by President Clinton. Harassment […]
A study issued by the National Institutes of Health reports significant barriers for women on Medicaid who desire tubal ligation. The study found that only 59 percent of the 1,200 pregnant women on Medicaid obtained the sterilization procedure after filling out the required forms. Medicaid recipients who want a tubal ligation must first attend two […]
Maryland state senators are gearing up to vote on a bill that would ban D&X abortions. The bill, which has been introduced three times by Sen. Larry E. Haines, is supported by seven of the eleven members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening (D) promised to veto the resolution if […]
A study by the United Nation’s International Labour Organization (ILO) reports that working mothers in the United States are given the least generous maternity and nursing benefits in the industrialized world. ILO researchers investigated maternity leave and health benefits required by law in 152 countries. Eighty percent of the countries offer paid maternity leave to […]
Riffat Affridi, a Pakistani woman, is in hiding after being sentenced to death for marrying a man who is part of a different ethnic group. A Pathan council of tribal elders ruled that Affridi must be shot or stoned to death for violating Pathan “honor.” Affridi’s husband, Kanwar Ahson, is a member of the Mohoajir […]
