Labor leaders, gathered for the annual mid-winter meeting of the AFL-CIO, are demanding that the millions of welfare recipients headed into the workforce receive at least minimum wage. They also demand labor law protections cover the so-called “workfare” recipients. Officials fear that if labor laws do not protect these new workers, state and local governments […]
On February 19, the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Schenk v. Pro-choice Network of Western New York which upholds fixed buffer zones at abortion clinics. The Court upheld two of the three forms of injunctive relief by allowing not only the fixed buffer zones but also by recognizing the right of clinic personnel and […]
The Supreme Court upheld a federal law that makes it illegal for employers to retaliate against workers or former workers who filed anti-discrimination complaints against the employer in Robinson v. Shell Oil. The Court unanimously ruled that this law can apply to former, as well as to current, employees. The ruling allows a Maryland businessman, […]
Emily Hahn, an early feminist and prolific writer, died on February 18th at age 92. In 1974 she wrote the influential, Once Upon a Pedestal: An Informal History of Women’s Lib and throughout her career also wrote articles for The New Yorker on subjects such as apes, D.H. Lawrence and her trips to the Far […]
Jeanie Mentavlos, one of the two female cadets who left the Citadel in January after a semester, has detailed the series of mental and physical abuse which she endured. Speaking during an interview at her home, Mentavlos related that early in her days at the South Carolina military college, a male upperclassmen ordered her into […]
A traveling exhibit currently in Los Angeles offers fifty-eight books for young women which star a variety of heroines. Started in Washington, D.C. by the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the “Brave Little Girls” exhibit was so successful that sponsors took it to Los Angeles and will soon take it to San Francisco […]
The American Embassy in London has claimed state immunity in an effort to block a sexual harassment judgment. Mary Fogarty claims she was sexually harassed at the embassy when her boss repeatedly made obscene comments at her and began licking her ear. She subsequently lost her job, and the embassy repeatedly turned her down for […]
Organizers behind the new National Soccer Alliance announced on February 15th that an eight-team women’s soccer pro-league will hold its first matches on April 17, 1998. Julie Foundy, the gold medal winning U.S. Olympic soccer athlete, commented that the organization has full support of the players. “[W]e are not only excited about this, we are […]
In the third federal appeals court ruling to uphold the government’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 on February 14 to uphold the military’s policy banning homosexual conduct on or off duty. A discharged sailor had argued that the military ban was unconstitutional because it treated lesbians […]
In a widely anticipated vote, the 105th’s Congress first vote related to the abortion debate, the House voted (220-209) to release international family planning funds in March as opposed to July. The vote also increases the funds to $385 million. The measure does not impose limitations on funding, so groups who perform abortions can receive […]
Geraldine Ferraro, former Democratic Congresswoman and the first female Vice-Presidential nominee, has mailed a letter to potential supporters asking them to wait until 1998 to back a Senate candidate. Ferraro will decide in 1998 whether or not to run for New York’s Senate seat; if nominated, she would run against current Senator Alfonso D’Amato. In […]
The Mississippi House passed a bill on February 13th which would ban the D&X abortion procedure unless the woman’s life is danger. The ban would also make doctors who perform the procedure liable to criminal damages and a fine of $25,000. The doctor could also be liable for civil damages if sued by the father […]
A Federal Court sentenced Jennifer Sperle to 30 months in prison and will report to an unnamed federal facility on March 12th. Sperle was convicted of arson in relation to a Norfolk abortion clinic.
The Population Council has announced it has settled litigation regarding control of the abortion pill mifepristone (formerly known as RU 486). A new privately-held company called Advances for Choice has been established to sell the drug and will be publicly identified as the U.S. distributor of mifepristone. Jack Van Hulst, president and chief executive of […]
A report from the Alan Guttmacher Institute has found that the U.S. has the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the industrialized world though rates are down worldwide. In the U.S,. 14% of girls aged 15-19 gave birth in 1996, twice the rate in Britain, the first-runner up. Of the teen pregnancies in the U.S. […]
Three male U.S. Army instructors at the Darmstadt, Germany training center have been relieved of their duties because of allegations made by 11 female soldiers that the instructors sexually assaulted and harassed them. Allegations also include forcible sodomy, indecent assault, and cruelty and maltreatment of a subordinate. Two of the instructors were placed into custody […]
Mississippi Gov. Kirk Fordice signed a law banning same-sex marriages in the state, calling the relationships “perverse.” The law will also deny recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other states and would ensure that same-sex couples be excluded from the benefits of marriage such as health insurance which Fordice said were intended for “traditional families.” […]
A study, published in the journal of the American Psychological Association, of nearly 5,300 women shows that having an abortion does not cause emotional trauma for young women. Researchers Dr. Nancy Felipe Russo and Dr. Amy Dabul Marin interviewed 773 women who had had abortions and compared them to women who had not had abortions. […]
A senior Army official has confirmed that two more women have made allegations that Sergeant Major Gene McKinney sexually harassed them. The official also said there might also be a third woman. The Army’s Criminal Investigation Command is currently looking into the allegations and McKinney has been suspended from duties until the matter is resolved. […]
Prosecutors in Mexico have dropped murder charges against a woman who shot a man who was attempting to rape her. The state claims that Claudia Rodriguez used excessive force in her defense, but Prosecutor Victor Hugo, without comment, dropped charges against her in a paper filed on February 7th. The overturned ruling, which denied a […]
