The 105th Congress passed several restrictions on abortion this year. On June 5, the House adopted an amendment to the State Department Authorization bill which bans funding for overseas organizations that use their own money to promote or perform abortions. The U.S. is already prohibited from making direct contributions to overseas abortions. Rep. Christopher H. […]
A Richmond federal appeals court ruled on August 5 that seven white male police officers could sue their supervisor for making derogatory comments about women and blacks and for creating a hostile work environment. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision overruled an earlier court decision throwing out the lawsuit because the men were […]
Female employees’ allegations of “inappropriate office behavior” led to Rear Admiral Robert S. Cole’s removal from the command post at Norfolk-based Atlantic Fleet shore facilities. Women working in Cole’s office alleged that Cole kissed them on the cheek or held them, creating an uncomfortable office environment. There are also allegations that Cole had an “excessively […]
Girls in Fairfax County are protesting that the county provides more and better facilities for its baseball teams than for its softball teams. Softball coaches complained at a County Board of Supervisors meeting that the recreation department provides 109 baseball fields but only 10 softball fields. Boys comprise the majority of the county’s 31,000 youth […]
A bill legalizing divorce may soon be debated in the Chile legislature. Chilean feminists have long argued that the century-old ban on divorce prevents battered women from leaving violent spouses. The nation, under the influence of the Roman Catholic Church and extreme conservatism of the former military government, has outlawed divorce since the 1880’s. Physician […]
Lilith Fair Musicians Joan Osbourne and Sarah McLachlan were successful in their efforts to convince officials at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion to revoke their policy barring those advocating “controversial issues” from setting up booths at the venue. After Osbourne and McLachlan threatened a future boycott of the pavilion unless officials permitted Planned Parenthood set up […]
Lieutenant Crista Davis defended her right to a “private life” yesterday at a public hearing on the charges resulting from her affair with a married Air Force Academy instructor. She denied wrongdoing and asked that the military not judge her on the basis of her personal correspondence with the instructor. Davis, who is black, has […]
At the Ninth Assembly meeting from July 8 to 16 in Africa, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) denounced discrimination against women in nations and churches. General Secretary Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko pointed out that domestic violence and sexual harassment prove women still face disadvantages in society. In his own church, he said women’s representation was […]
A Japanese court decided on July 31 in favor of a woman who divorced her husband after he demanded she make him breakfast, iron his clothes and clean the house even though she works full time. The husband filed a lawsuit demanding $38,000 from his wife because he claimed she did not abide by their […]
On August 1, 1997, Janet Travell passed away at the age of 95. Dr. Travell was the first woman to hold the White House post of physician, caring for President John F. Kennedy and his family. Her appointment caused controversy among Washington elites since she was the first non-military personnel to hold the position since […]
A web site which rated the looks of girls about to enter a high school in the northern California community of Palo Alto “crossed the line of appropriateness, good taste and even sexual harassment as defined by the California Education Code,” according to Irv Rollins, the district’s assistant superintendent. A woman alerted the school about […]
Despite the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, military discharges for gay men and lesbians reached their highest point of 850 in 1996. Since May, the Pentagon has been reviewing the policy, which permits gay men and lesbians to serve in the armed forces as long as they do not reveal their sexual orientation or engage […]
Halfway through its inaugural season, the success of the Women’s National Basketball Association continues to exceed even the most optimistic of expectations. Attendance across the league has averaged close to 9,000 fans–twice what most experts predicted. The Phoenix Mercury and the New York Liberty draw an average of 13,300 and 11,400, respectively. A majority of […]
Ever since she vetoed her state’s ban on D&X abortions, New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman has been plagued by a small but vocal group of protesters. Whitman, a moderate Republican, vetoed the ban because it did not include provisions to protect the woman’s life. Although pollsters predict that her conservative views on other issues […]
Women’s rights and human rights activists, led by the Feminist Majority, protested the Taliban’s policies of gender apartheid in Afghanistan in noontime pickets on Wednesday, July 30 at the Pakistani and Afghan embassies. Approximately 80 people protested, representing groups such as the Feminist Majority, NOW, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task […]
The Army has delayed the release of two reports on sexual harassment which it had previously scheduled to make public on July 31. Secretary of the Army Togo West claims he wants to keep reports confidential until the service forms an “action plan” to present to Congress. A military and civilian panel conducted one study […]
Hours after a news conference publicizing Wendy Lawrence as the next astronaut to stay on the Mir space station, NASA announced on July 31 that it dropped her from the mission. Despite her year of training, Lawson cannot go through with the mission because of her height. At 5-foot-3, she does not meet Russia’s space […]
Alaska Superior Court Judge John Reese issued a temporary injunction blocking a ban on D&X abortions late Wednesday, July 30. The ban was scheduled to go into effect the following day, but a group of abortion rights supporters sued last week to overturn it, arguing that the statute violated women’s privacy rights. A law requiring […]
Millions of women have changed rural life in China by becoming the ones in charge on their family’s farms. According to a U.N. report, women produce 50 to 60% of China’s total agricultural output, while only 13% performed the work in the 1930’s. Factors contributing to the “feminization of agriculture” include stronger property rights for […]
UCLA researchers determined that American women who incorporate fish oil capsules in their diet may reduce their risk of breast cancer. The study was based on the evidence that Asian women, who have one-third less breast cancer than American women, have a large amount of omega-3 in their breast tissues. Researchers hypothesize omega-3, which is […]
