The American Bar Association is proposing its first-ever policy on the issue of frozen embryos. Concerns over who gets custody of previously frozen embryos after divorce has led to a discussion of policy that would automatically assert ownership to the spouse who favors gestation, and would be willing to assume parental rights and responsibilities. Pittsburgh […]
Twice-Acquitted Accused Rapist Again Arrested for Rape, Attempted Murder
Twice-Acquitted, Man Again Arrested for Rape, Attempted Murder Scott Christopher Malsky was arrested for aggravated sexual battery and attempted murder after raping and stabbing a 14-year-old girl in Florida. Malsky, who was twice acquitted of rape in Massachusetts, was a friend of the girl’s family. The girl was found walking down a Florida road after […]
Vitamins Reduce Smoking Damage to Placenta
A report published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests that antioxidant vitamins reduce damage to the placenta caused by smoking. A study of more than 1,500 women found that smoking causes growth retardation and fetal distress in labor prompting calcification of the placenta. Researchers at the University of Tennessee and other centers found that […]
Former D.C. Jailmate Gets $5.3 Million for Forced Strip-Tease
Jurors awarded Sunday Daskalea $5.3 million in damages after finding that a D.C. jail correctional officer forced her to participate in a striptease in July 1995. Daskalea claims that correctional officer Yvonne C. Walker, who has since been fired, was intoxicated when she arrived at work and sent three inmates to force Daskalea to the […]
Pro-Choice Leaders to Release New Anti-Choice Violence Reports on the Eve of the Roe v. Wade 25th Anniversary
Three Leading National Organizations Will Reveal New Trends in Anti-Choice Terrorism and Assess the Effectiveness of Current Strategies to Reduce Anti-Choice Violence Who: Gloria Feldt, President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America Vicki Saporta, Executive Director, National Abortion Federation Eleanor Smeal, Feminist Majority Foundation What: Representatives of the Feminist Majority Foundation, PPFA, and […]
Conservative Women’s Campus Group Creates Backlash Against Feminism
Members of the Women’s Guild, a conservative Georgetown University women’s group supported by the Independent Women’s Forum, have written a manifesto condemning modern feminism. A Washington Post article deems Georgetown University feminists’ response to this manifesto “unladylike.” Elizabeth Kastor, author of the Post article, reports that Women’s Guild members only “wanted to kindle a debate…hold […]
French Day Care Thrives Despite Social Service Cuts
Despite cuts in social services in France, high-quality subsidized day-care has grown. Unlike in the U.S. where parents are unsure whether day care is good for children, French parents believe day care helps children become more outgoing and better socialized. Recent studies have shown that children who attended day care and pre-school do better in […]
Taliban Leader Denounces Women’s Freedom as “Obscene”
In response to United Nations demands that the Taliban ruling militia improve women’s and girls’ access to education in Afghanistan, Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar said that education for women “is a big infidel policy which gives such obscene freedom to women.” Currently, the Taliban controls two-thirds of Afghanistan, and has banned women and girls […]
Maloney and Rohrabacher Plan Trip to Investigate Afghani Abuses
Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) are planning a trip to Afghanistan to investigate the situation of women’s human rights. Maloney and Rohrabacher made the announcement at a House Human Rights Caucus briefing on October 30. The Representatives, who sponsored a House resolution condemning the Taliban’s discrimination against women and girls in Afghanistan, […]
Clinic Bomber Gets Life Sentence
For his role in bombing a Planned Parenthood clinic bombing, a newspaper office and a bank, as well as a bank robbery, alleged white separatist Verne Jay Merrell was sentenced yesterday to two life terms in prison without parole. Merrell does not recognize federal authority and refused to stand for his sentencing. His defense lawyer […]
Affirmative Action Activists Support Justice Dept. Civil Rights Nominee
On Thursday, October 30, members of Congress and representatives of the Asian-Pacific, Hispanic, African-American, and women_s communities gathered on the Capitol lawn to voice their support for President Clinton_s nominee for the position of Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Bill Lann Lee. Leading the way, Rep. Patsy Mink (D-Hawaii), chair of the Asian Pacific […]
San Francisco Law Firms Pledge to End Hiring From UC
In response to the plummeting minority enrollments at University of California law schools, San Francisco’s top attorneys issued an ultimatum Wednesday. Representatives from 50 leading law firms and San Francisco’s Bar Association said they would no longer hire UC graduates unless the school admits more students of color. The group criticized UC because minority enrollment […]
Hearing Pushes for Contraceptive Research, Access, Education
On Thursday morning, Representatives Nancy Johnson (R-Calif.) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) in conjunction with the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, co-chaired a congressional hearing on women’s access to contraceptive technology. At the hearing, members of Congress urged support for legislation which would require insurance companies to include contraceptives among prescription drugs already covered. The […]
Light Punishment for Israeli Rapist
In Israel, a man who raped and sodomized a pregnant woman received a light sentence because the assault was “extremely brief,” said judges. Although the woman was late into her pregnancy, and the rape could have severely injured her and her baby, judges gave Reuven Vaknin a brief three-year jail sentence.
Indonesian Maid’s Life Spared in Saudi Arabia
A Saudi Arabian court has spared an Indonesian maid from having her head cut off as a punishment for murder. The woman, Nasiroh, was convicted of shooting her male employer to death in 1994. She reportedly confessed to a closed court, even though Saudi police say she did not even know how to fire a […]
Mary McAleese Leads Irish Election
With votes from most of the Irish constituencies in, Mary McAleese of the Fianna Fail party will be the next president of Ireland. McAleese was the first choice of 45% of the voters, while her closest competitor Mary Banotti trailed with about 30% of the vote. Banotti conceded defeat this afternoon. McAleese campaigned for reconciliation […]
Promise Keepers Founder Neglected Family, Says Wife
Lyndi McCartney, wife of Promise Keepers’ founder Bill McCartney, revealed in a New York Times interview that her husband was frequently absent from home even while preaching to men that they should treasure their wives and families. The Promise Keepers, a male-only evangelical Christian group, preaches that women should submit to their husbands, and that […]
Sydney Olympic Games to Include Women’s Water Polo
Women’s water polo will be played at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, thanks to the efforts of Australian women players, who led a successful campaign for the sport’s inclusion. The campaign included a picket at Sydney Airport in which the athletes, decked out in their swimming costumes, protested to visiting officials. “It’s just an […]
Women Avoiding Pap Smears, Study Says
Almost 40% of American women did not have a Pap smear in the past year, according to a study by the College of American Pathologists. The national survey showed that although nearly 90% of women over 18 knew they should be tested for cervical cancer each year, many did not find the time to do […]
Mathematician Mina Rees Dies
Mina Rees, a noted mathematician and the first woman to head the American Association for the Advancement of Science died at age 95 on Saturday. In addition to more than ten years of teaching at Hunter College, Rees served as a presidential appointee to the National Science Foundation board and was later elected president, was […]