The Reverend Jerry Falwell, founder of the Moral Majority, has launched a letter writing campaign to General Motors, Chrysler and Johnson & Johnson asking them to pull their adds for the Ellen “coming out” episode. During an hour long special in May, the lead character Ellen will reveal that she is a lesbian, drawing protest […]
Pro-Choice Advocates Sue to End Michigan Abortion Ban
Abortion clinics and doctors have filed a lawsuit which claims that a Michigan ban on “partial birth” abortions is unconstitutional. The suit alleges that the vaguely drafted legislation would allow officials to prosecute doctors for any abortion conducted after the first trimester. The ACLU has also joined in the fight by asking the U.S. District […]
NIH Seeks Older Women for Health Study
The National Institute for Health is seeking for nearly 100,000 additional women to participate in a ten year study of women’s health. The agency is looking primarily for women over the age of sixty, having already recruited the requisite number of women between the ages of 50 to 59. The agency is studying whether post-menopausal […]
Maine Senate Approves Same-Sex Marriage Ban
Avoiding a fall referendum campaign, Maine legislators approved a ban on same-sex marriages by a 24 to 10 vote. On March 25th the Maine House had voted 106 to 39 to approve the ban. Governor Angus King is expected to sign the measure. If signed, Maine becomes the 18th state within the past year to […]
Clinton Nominates First Female Three-Star Army General
The Pentagon announced on March 24th that President Clinton has nominated Major General Claudia J. Kennedy to become the army’s first female three-star general. Clinton has also nominated Kennedy to serve as the deputy chief of staff for intelligence; she has served as the assistant deputy chief of staff for intelligence since 1995. The Senate […]
Clinton Administration Tells Texas Schools to Aggressively Enforce Affirmative Action Programs
Officials from the United States Department of Education have warned Texas officials that the state’s school system will lose federal funding if it does not use affirmative action programs in admissions. Texas Attorney General Dan Morales earlier directed the schools not to consider race at all when make admissions decisions because of a recent 5th […]
Cancer Gene Carriers Should Receive Early Mammograms
Women who carry the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene should start receiving early mammograms as early as age 25, according to a researchers at the Women’s Health Care Center at the University of Washington. The March 25th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association contains the results of a study which reiterates that the […]
911 Delay Allows Rapists to Attack Woman
A woman, walking along a highway late at night, noticed a van slowly following her. Frightened, she picked up a nearby phone and dialed 911. The operator instructed her to remain by the phone and that a deputy was on the way. Thirty-five minutes later, deputies arrived at the scene. Within that time, two men […]
Millions of Women Have Low Iron Levels
A new study published in the March 25th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association has found that approximately 7.8 million women and girls lack sufficient iron in their diets. An additional 3.3. million more women and girls have the severe iron deficiency called anemia. The study, conducted by Anne Looker and colleagues […]
Albright Makes Women’s Rights Foreign Policy Priority
The State Department is on alert: women’s furtherance world-wide is a central priority of America’s foreign policy. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has told all U.S. diplomats that she and President Clinton are committed to improving the status of women throughout the world. At an International Women’s Day ceremony, Albright outlined the policy and said, […]
Hillary Rodham Clinton Stresses Women’s Status During Africa Visit
During her trip to Africa with daughter Chelsea, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton has continuously stressed that the plight of women, their pains and triumphs, worldwide are a natural point for forging a new relationship between the United States and Africa. During her trip to Tanzania, where an international tribunal is investigating crimes against women […]
Home Depot Targeted for Class-Action Sex Discrimination Suit
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is attempting to intervene in a sex discrimination lawsuit against Home Depot, Inc. The EEOC asked a federal court to allow it to join an attempt by 22,000 women employees of the store to form a class action. The women, from 312 stores east of the Mississippi, claim that the […]
Common Gene Doubles Risk of Breast Cancer
Forty percent of women carry a gene which can double the risk of breast cancer and is responsible for nearly thirty percent of all breast cancer cases. The gene, CYP17, controls estrogen production and influences girls as they go through puberty. Researchers at the University of Southern California presented this information to the American Cancer […]
Georgia Passes D & X Ban
Georgia lawmakers have passed a bill which bans the D & X abortion procedure. Governor Zell Miller has said he will sign the bill which outlaws the procedure unless the woman’s life is in danger.
American Cancer Society Urges Yearly Mammograms for Women in Forties
Revising earlier guidelines, the American Cancer Society announced on March 23rd that women in their forties should receive annual mammograms. The National Cancer Institute is expected to make similar recommendations this week. In January, a federal advisory panel concluded that women in their forties should consult their doctors and make their own decisions regarding the […]
Ellen “Coming Out” Episode to Air April 30; ABC Refuses to Air Lesbian and Gay Rights Commercial
On April 30th, Ellen Degeneres’s television character Ellen will reveal that she is a lesbian. The hour-long episode, which will air in one or two segments, includes guest appearances by Oprah Winfrey, k.d. lang, Melissa Etheridge and Billy Bob Thornton. Immediately following the episode, Degeneres will make her own sexuality clear during an interview with […]
Female Genital Mutilation Outlawed in U.S. as of March 29th
A law passed by Congress last September which outlaws female genital mutilation in women under 18 takes effects on March 29th. The law, shepherded through Congress by ex-Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder (D-CO), makes the procedure a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison. An estimated 100 million women worldwide have undergone the procedure […]
Former Miss USA Sues Sultan who Allegedly Kept her in Captivity
Former Miss USA Shannon Marketic has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and his brother, Prince Jaji Jefri Bolkiah held her against her will and tried to turn her into their “sexual toy.” Marketic is also suing Kaliber Talent Consultants who sent her to the Sultan’s palace promising […]
Petition Claims Phillip-Morris Women’s Music Label is a Trick to Hook Women to Smoking
A circulating petition claims that The Phillip-Morris Tobacco Company has released a new music recording label entitled, “Woman Thing Music” in order to attract more women to smoking. The company will give away free CD’s of its female recording artists to persons who buy two or more packs of Virginia Slims Cigarettes. Martha Byrne a […]
House Votes to Ban D&X Abortion
The House of Representatives voted 295-136 on March 20 to ban the use of the D&X abortion method except in cases where it would save the life of the woman. The ban makes no exception for using the procedure when the woman’s health is at stake. Doctors performing the procedure could face up to two […]