A new holocaust museum in Manhattan may not open its doors on September 15, as was expected. Sixteen Orthodox Jewish rabbis have sued the museum, claiming that an exhibit honoring gay and lesbian Holocaust victims is offensive to them and should not be supported with public funds. Rabbi Yehuda Levin, lead plaintiff and vocal opponent […]
U.S. Vice President Al Gore promised working women “labor rights, civil rights and human rights” in a speech delivered to an AFL-CIO conference this Saturday. “We can’t be satisfied until the notion of equal pay for equal work is not just a theory but a reality in the lives of working women,” Gore said. The […]
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said that September 4, 1997 was “a sad day for women.” On that day, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $12.3 million foreign aid bill including the Smith amendment, a measure that eliminates U.S. financial aid to international family planning organizations that practice or advocate abortion. Pelosi, who sponsored a […]
Civil and women’s rights activists requesting an emergency stay on the enforcement of Proposition 209 were refused Thursday, when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the request without comment. The Court has yet to decide whether it will hear an appeal of Proposition 209’s constitutionality, and opponents of the law are confident that the decision, expected […]
The Arab News daily reported Thursday that a man threw his newborn child to the ground, killing her, when he realized the baby was female. The man, who had six daughters and no sons, claimed he did not intend to kill the baby, but was simply venting his frustration. The newspaper did not state whether […]
U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf has dismissed Operation Rescue’s lawsuit against democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts. Lawyers for the anti-choice organization alleged that Kennedy made false and defamatory statements about Operation Rescue in a 1993 television interview. In the interview, Kennedy was explaining why women need guaranteed access to abortion clinics. “When we have […]
A new study in Pediatrics reports that women who have had a cesarean section can go on to give birth vaginally without increasing their own or their infant’s risk of complications. Vaginal births are less debilitating to mothers, both physically and economically, and do not encourage the respiratory problems that have been linked to elective […]
The Senate voted Wednesday to eliminate Medicaid funding for abortions performed by managed care organizations. Exceptions would be granted in instances where the unwanted pregnancy was caused by rape or incest or endangers the mother’s life. The House will consider this provision, sponsored by Sen. John Ashcroft, R-Missouri, later this week. According to Kate Michelman, […]
Nutri/System Weight Loss Centers has discontinued the use of fen-phen in response to reports that the drug causes damage to heart valves and increases blood pressure. Nutri/System has replaced fen-phen with an alternative drug combination called phen-pro, a mixture of phentermine and Prozac, an anti-depressant. Nutri/System claims that the new drug is effective and safer […]
A new study found that calcium and vitamin D supplements reduce the risk of broken bones in elderly persons. Previous studies have established that calcium supplements can slow bone loss and increase bone density, and that vitamin D encourages the body’s absorption of calcium. The new study by Dr. Beth Dawson-Hughes et al and published […]
An anticipated abortion dispute in Congress, led by Republican Rep. Chris Smith of N.J., may jeopardize the Clinton administration’s plan to repay United Nations debt and restructure U.S. foreign policy organization through the State Department authorization bill. The authorization bill, which was discussed and partially agreed-upon in a House-Senate conference last month and may come […]
The U.S. Department of Labor has projected that women will own approximately one-half of U.S. businesses by the year 2000. There are approximately eight million women business owners today, and these businesses generate $2.3 trillion in sales. Lucile Reid, who directs a $10 billion loan program for women business owners for Wells Fargo Bank, says […]
Chicago’s North Halsted Street, home to one of the city’s most visible and prosperous gay communities, will receive city funds for renovations and improvements that have a gay-pride theme. Mark Johnson, spokesperson for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said, “Such a institutional recognition of a largely homosexual community is a national first.” The […]
Army officials at Fort Bragg, N.C., have disciplined seven of thirteen soldiers accused of sexual misconduct and may punish an eighth. Army investigators determined that the remaining five soldiers will not be punished. The accused harassers worked in the 1st Corps Support Command Consolidated Dining Facility and were charged with making inappropriate sexual comments and […]
Roman Catholic officials in Dallas asked the Vatican to nullify the ordination of Father Rudolph Kos on grounds that Kos lied to them about his background and sexual orientation. Kos, who is an accused pedophile, cost the church $119.6 million in a July 24th civil lawsuit award to 11 plaintiffs. The jury found that the […]
Women Organizing for Change (WOC) is honoring Diana, the Princess of Wales, by lending its efforts to one of her many worthy causes. “There will be many memorials to the Princess of Wales. But perhaps the best tribute to her life would be to make her fight against land mines a success.” According to the […]
The Yamhill County, Oregon board of commissioners passed a new anti-abortion law last Thursday. Under this law, Joni Ledbetter, a prisoner jailed on robbery charges, will be denied an abortion and forced to carry her unwanted pregnancy to term because Yamhill county agents will not release her for the procedure. The law prohibits county agents […]
The Women’s National Basketball Association wrapped up a wildly successful inaugural season with a championship game this Saturday. The WNBA drew more spectators than Major League Soccer in August and matched the television audience of men’s professional golf. New York’s Liberty team drew more fans to Madison Square Gardens than the New York Knicks have […]
Janet Jagan, widow of Guyanese President Cheddi Jagan, accepted the People’s Progressive Party’s presidential nomination on Sunday, August 31st. If elected, Jagan will be the first female head of state in Guyana. A Chicagoan and Jewish-American nurse, Jagan would also be Guyana’s first foreign-born elected leader. Jagan has served in Guyana’s highest post of prime […]
Hong Kong’s Apple Daily printed an advertisement for “several pretty female reporters,” in an apparent violation of the country’s new anti-discrimination employment laws. The new anti-discrimination laws prohibit employers from citing sex, marital status, or lack of disability as a condition of employment, but allow employers to request workers of a specific age or race. […]
