Four U.S. Marines have been charged with attacking a woman. The Marines, stationed at the U.S. embassy in Bogota, Columbia, took the woman to a U.S. embassy garage, where one of the Marines demanded she have sex with him. When she refused, the Marines beat her. The woman attempted to gain compensation for the attack […]
In a suit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal jury awarded $786,000 to three waitresses for sex discrimination. The Rustic Inn Crabhouse in Florida required waitresses to transfer to lower-paying positions such as cashier and hostess after their fifth month of pregnancy. Lawyers for the Rustic Inn claim that the restaurant was […]
Congresswoman Jane Harman announced her decision to run for governor of California. Harman will run against businessman Al Checchi and Lt. Gov. Gray Davis for the Democratic nomination. Harman graduated from Harvard Law School and before being elected to Congress, served as an aide to U.S. Sen. John Tunney, D-Cal., in the 1970’s. She was […]
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is naming the investigation into the bombing of an abortion clinic after Robert Dewayne Sanderson, the Birmingham police officer who was killed. ATF special agent Joe Green said, “we decided to name it the Sandbomb Task Force …. That’s our way of honoring the officer.” Authorities, […]
Senegal President Abdou Diouf called for an end to female genital mutilation, requesting that the government formulate a law prohibiting the practice. Diouf said it was necessary to “inform the population and to raise awareness about risks which women and children are exposed to” as a result of the procedure. Diouf said that ending female […]
The Portugal Parliament passed a law legalizing abortions performed up to the 10th week of pregnancy. The vote, 116-107, came a year after a similar proposal was voted down. Socialist Party delegate Sousa Pinto said, “This finally allows us to develop more sensitive, more appropriate measures” for dealing with unwelcome pregnancies. The new bill will […]
The pharmaceutical company Astra USA, Inc. has agreed to pay $10 million to settle a sexual harassment suit brought by approximately 80 women. Victims claim that they were expected to socialize, dance and have sex with top company officials and clients. When employees attempted to come forward with complaints, they were often fired or denied […]
The Kellogg Co. announced that it will no longer use “super slim” models in Special K ads. The ads for the low-fat cereal depicted extremely thin women with tight-fitting clothes. “Women generally were not able to relate to our previous ads,” said Kenna Bridges, product publicity manager for Kellogg. “They felt the body weights and […]
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeal upheld Judge Yada Magee’s decision to dismiss 1,800 women from a lawsuit against Dow Chemical. Judge Magee ruled in December that the claims were too dissimilar to lump into one lawsuit. Each of the 1,800 women can instead file individual lawsuits, without having to prove the breast implant company’s […]
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenged a Maryland law that makes oral sex an illegal act between members of the same sex. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of five lesbians and gay men, who claim that their equal protection and privacy rights protected in the Constitution are violated. Couples caught engaging in or […]
The FBI has issued photographs and descriptions of Eric Robert Rudolph and searched his home. Rudolph1s whose truck was last scene leaving the scene of the Birmingham, Alabama clinic bombing. Rudolph is a white male with brown hair and blue eyes. He is 5-feet, 10-inches tall, weighs 150 pounds, and was born on September 19, […]
The U.S. State Department’s latest annual human rights study reported that women around the world are still being denied basic rights. The annual report on human rights covers 193 countries, and is used by the U.S. Congress to make decisions concerning foreign aid, military and trade preferences. During his first term, President Clinton required that […]
Sgt. Maj. Gene C. McKinney pled not guilty to 19 charges, including sexual misconduct. McKinney, the Army1s former top enlisted soldier, has been accused by six women of sexual harassment and misconduct. McKinney faces charges of indecent assault, maltreatment of a subordinate, adultery and obstruction of justice. Six officers, including four women and six command […]
The nomination of Dr. David Satcher reached the Senate floor, and was stalled by objections from conservatives. Sen. John D. Ashcroft (R-MO), who is leading the opposition, criticized Satcher1s opposition to legislation that would ban D&X abortions, and for supporting needle exchange programs for drug addicts to prevent the spread of AIDS. Sen. Bill Frist […]
A House of Maryland Delegates will vote on legislation that would allow married victims of domestic violence to obtain an immediate divorce. Currently, Maryland residents must endure a one-year waiting limit before filing for divorce. The law “traps women in dangerous relationships …. We must remove every obstacle that prevents women from making a safe […]
Karen women, known for their extended necks resulting from wearing heavy brass neck rings, were being exploited as tourist attractions and later rescued from four shops in northern Chiang Mai, Thailand. Thai social welfare officials liberated 39 women from the shops, after receiving complaints from tourists that the women were being “put on show like […]
As abortion rights advocates gather in Birmingham, Alabama to offer their support to clinic workers after a deadly bombing, activists are warning that clinic violence is increasing. Ann Glazier, a researcher for Planned Parenthood Federation said, “it’s this idea: If you want to do violence, claim to be the Army of God no matter who […]
The court-martial trial of Sgt. Maj. Gene McKinney, the Army’s former top soldier, has been suspended while McKinney’s lawyers investigate a plaintiff who had been under witness protection since her allegations were made. Sgt. Christine Feltrow claimed that after filing charges of sexual misconduct against McKinney she was threatened. The Army agreed to place Feltrow […]
Conservative Rep. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma has issued his support for surgeon general nominee, Dr. David Satcher. Coburn, also a medical doctor, sent a letter to Senator Ashcroft, R-MO, one of the strongest adversaries of Satcher’s appointment. Ashcroft protests the nomination because of Satcher’s opposition to a proposed ban on late-term abortions, and Satcher’s support […]
A high school senior was recast in Gilbert and Sullivan’s musical, “The Lass That Loved a Sailor.” Sara Zinzilieta, a strong tenor, originally won the lead as the sailor. After a flurry of controversy and a parent’s meeting during which some parents complained that keeping a girl in the part would send a “mixed message” […]
