Responding to Sen. Orrin Hatch’s (R-Utah) demand that a federal judge retire before her son can be appointed to the same judicial circuit, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) complained to Hatch last week that his new policy on nepotism was unfair because many men have been allowed to serve with close male relatives. “To devise a […]
Same-Sex Marriage Outlawed in Alaska; Republicans Draft Bill in Congress
Alaskan Gov. Tony Knowles Monday (5-6) refused to veto a bill outlawing same-sex marriage in the state, adding Alaska to the list of states banning gay and lesbian marriages. Like lawmakers in Utah and South Dakota where same-sex marriages are also banned, Alaska lawmakers fear having to provide spousal benefits for residents who might go […]
Female Virginia Student Loses Sex Discrimination Case
On Tuesday (5-7), a federal judge dismissed a sex discrimination lawsuit brought by a woman charging that the two male Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University students who raped her received preferential disciplinary treatment in order to benefit the school’s all-male football team. The judge said that the complaint, even if true, does not mean […]
New Findings in Breast Cancer Research
According to statistics released Tuesday (5-7) by the National Cancer Institute, U.S. breast cancer death rates dropped again in 1993 to 25.9 percent from 27.5 percent in 1989. In the prevention of breast cancer, early findings from a British study indicate that women with an increased risk of breast cancer might benefit from the anti-estrogen […]
House Passes Bill to Notify Public About Sex Offenders
The House passed a bill Tuesday night (5-6) that would require states to inform the public when dangerous sex offenders are released from prison and move to their neighborhoods. The federal version of New Jersey’s “Megan’s Law” would let states decide how much danger the offenders pose and how much public warning is appropriate. The […]
War Crimes Trial Begins in The Hague
The first war crimes trial since Nuremberg began Tuesday in The Hague, Netherlands. The prosecution accused Bosnia Serb bar owner Dusan Tadic of murdering more than 30 Muslims and Croats, torturing more than a dozen women, participating in gang rapes, and torturing and assaulting other Muslims and Croats. In addition to crimes against humanity, Tadic […]
Fraternity Sexual Assault Levels High
In the last few years, fraternities, which have a national membership of 400,000 male students on 800 U.S. college campuses, have had to use one third of their budgets to pay liability costs for claims involving rape, robbery, and serious injury. An informal campus survey conducted by a graduate student at the University of Georgia, […]
Judge Blocks Wisconsin Abortion Waiting Period
U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb blocked a new Wisconsin state law Monday (5-6) that would require women seeking abortions to consult with a doctor and wait 24 hours before undergoing the procedure. The law also details the specific information doctors would be required to provide. Issuing a restraining order, Crabb said the law would have […]
Battered Women Criticize California Governor
This week, advocates working against domestic violence in California are meeting to urge Republican Gov. Pete Wilson to act on the clemency positions of several battered women currently in jail for killing their abusers. In 1992, the California Coalition for Battered Women in Prison helped 34 women draft petitions to Wilson asking for clemency. Since […]
Mitsubishi May Talk With EEOC
Mitsubishi Motor, the company charged with pervasive sexual harassment at its Normal, Ill. plant, has approached the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission to discuss the agency’s lawsuit. In the first official contact made with the EEOC by a Mitsubishi representative, a lawyer for Mitsubishi and a former head of the EEOC attempted to discuss the case […]
More Women Online in San Francisco
According to a telephone survey conducted by San Francisco State University for ValueStar of Alameda, almost one half of the Bay area residents using online service are women. Women make up 47 percent of online users in the Bay area compared to 30-35 percent nationally. ValueStar explained that more women working at home in the […]
Pro-Choice Republicans Urge Change in Party Platform
Members of the Republican Party are engaged in a debate over the plank in the GOP platform calling for a constitutional amendment to ban abortion. Rep. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and seven other pro-choice Republicans met last week to discuss strategies for challenging the plank three months in advance of the party’s national convention in San […]
Physician Shot at Women’s Health Clinic
Friday evening (5-3), a phsycian who performs abortions at the Family Planning Institute in Las Vegas, Nevada was shot. Dr. Paul Debello remains in serious condition. Investigations are underway to ascertain whether the shooting is related to anti-abortion violence.
Clinton Imposes New Restrictions on Teen Mothers
In his Saturday (5-4) radio address, President Clinton announced four executive orders aimed at teen mothers on welfare. Plans include requiring teen mothers on welfare to live at home with adults and stay in or return to school. Clinton would also give states the authorization to reduce welfare benefits for mothers who do not complete […]
American Men Accused of Harassing Hungarian Women
A number of Hungarian women working in the kitchens that serve U.S. peace troops in Bosnia have complained of sexual harassment and exploitation by American men. Most of the perpetrators are civilians employed by a subsidiary of Brown and Root, the Houston-based company which employs 200 Hungarians as kitchen staff, construction workers and drivers. The […]
Chinese Newspaper Attacks Sexism in Advertising
The Monday issue of the Shanghai paper, Liberation Daily, criticized Chinese advertising. Among other complaints of materialism and worship of foreign things, the paper said ads use sex too much to sell products, employing provocative words and images while exploiting women’s bodies. The paper also said ads promote male chauvinism, quoting one cosmetics ad promising […]
Estrogen Patch Eases Postpartum Depression
Close to 10 percent of all new mothers experience a form of clinical depression that can last for several months after giving birth. A new study published by the British medical journal The Lancet finds that wearing an estrogen patch can lead to faster and more extensive recovery of postpartum depression. Authority on the subject […]
House Committee Makes Conservative Votes
On Wednesday (5-1), the House National Security Committee voted to support a ban on abortions at overseas military hospitals. The Committee also voted for a ban on gays and lesbians in the military and the involuntary discharge of service members with AIDS.
Shelter Opens for Battered Women in Shanghai
A battered women’s shelter called the Nangang Family Violence Protection Center has opened in Shanghai, China. Funded by a private entrepreneur, the shelter offers 20 beds and an untrained staff. Hundreds of women have called the shelter since early this year, and dozens have stayed over. Although no statistics are kept on wife abuse complaints […]
Immigration Board Hears Togo Woman’s Asylum Plea
On May 2, all 12 members of the Board of Immigration Appeals heard the case of Fauziya Kasinga, the 19-year-old woman from Togo seeking asylum in the U.S. to escape Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in her native country. In the 90-minute hearing, immigration service general counsel David A. Martin — who suggested he did not […]