The Army has honorably discharged for hardship reasons Jessica Bleckley, the eighteen year-old who claimed that a drill sergeant at Aberdeen Proving Ground sexually harassed and threatened to kill her. Bleckley’s claims sparked an investigation into Aberdeen and has made the Army the focus of several investigations related to sexual harassment. Since her allegations, four […]
For years lesbian and gay rights advocates have fought for courts to award once married homosexuals legal recognition of parenting rights. Now, Gay rights advocates have a somewhat different problem – lesbians and gay men who break up with their same-sex partners and seek custody of children which the couple adopted or gave birth to […]
The Kentucky Legislature will consider a host of anti-abortion bills in the 1998 legislative session. The new Senate leader, Larry Saunders (D-Louisville), said recently that while he does not expect bills which restrict access to abortions all together to pass, he does expect two anti-abortion bills to pass. One would mandate a 24 hour waiting […]
In light of the January 16th bombing of an Atlanta abortion clinic, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has taken over the investigation of the January 18th bombing of a clinic in Tulsa, Oklahoma. On January 20, the FBI released a tape recording of a male caller who claimed responsonbility for two abortion clinic bombings last […]
A special panel convened by the National Institutes of Health concluded on January 23rd to leave the decision of whether or not women in their forties should receive mammograms to the women themselves. The panel decided that it could not recommend that women in their forties should definitely or should definitely not have mammograms. Some […]
On January 23rd, the Hawaii House of Representatives voted 44 – 7 to approve an amendment to the state constitution which would outlaw same-sex marriages. Lawmakers, in an effort to undo recent court rulings, are now sending the expedited measure to the Senate, where it is expected to pass easily. If approved by the Senate, […]
Col. David C. Raunhecker, one of the highest ranking officials at a Florida Air Force base, faces a court-martial on January 24th for allegedly fondling and kissing a female captain against her will. Raunhecker was removed from command last year after Lisa Saturno, one of his top aides, accused him of the harassment. Saturno resigned […]
Though the Vatican has tried for years to make the issue of ordaining women go away, the issue won’t die. On January 24th, the Vatican presented its case and announced the release of a book which gathers together church documents on the subject and “scholarly” essays on why women will not be ordained as priests. […]
CBS News, citing unidentified sources, reports that dynamite was used in both bombs which exploded at an Atlanta abortion clinic. The New York Times also reported that the bombers used ten to twenty sticks of dynamite in each attack. The dynamite used is rarely used by amateurs and requires a federal permit to carry across […]
Madeleine Albright became the first female Secretary of State on January 22 after the Senate voted 99 to 0 to confirm her to the cabinet. She immediately choose two highly experienced officials for the top jobs at the State Department. Thomas Pickering, a senior professional diplomat in the Foreign Service will serve as the secretary […]
On January 22, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point begun a court martial against a male cadet accused of raping a female cadet during a party. The female cadet alleges that James P. Engelbrecht forced himself on her even though she told him repeatedly to stop and to get off of her. This is […]
This week, the Supreme Court was expected to announce whether or not it would hear Board of Education of Piscatony v. Taxman, a case which could sharply restrict affirmative action programs. Instead, the Court asked the Justice Department whether it believes federal law allows an employer to prefer an African American worker over a white […]
On January 22, the Italian cabinet voted to allow women to serve as soldiers in the country’s armed forces. It also voted to allow men drafted for military service to perform community service instead. The draft law now goes to parliament for passage.
At 7:45 a.m. on January 22, the twenty-fourth anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, a device exploded one block from a Planned Parenthood clinic in Washington, D.C., one mile from the White House. Just days after two bombs exploded near a clinic in Atlanta, Georgia and another bomb exploded in a […]
The Army announced January 21 that it has charged a fourth instructor at Maryland’s Aberdeen Proving Ground with sexual misconduct. Maintenance Instructor U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Theron Brown has been charged with adultery and sodomy involving two female trainees and a female civilian and with violating rules against socializing with students. Brown will face […]
Phillips quit after the slapping incident at the bar, and her lawyers are seeking class-action status on behalf of some 1,000 “Hooters Girls.” The lawsuit states, “Hooters put its female employees at risk of sexual harassment through its uniforms it required them to wear and the marketing of its restaurants.” Phillips said she was aware […]
Yosemite Superintendent B.J. Griffin has been nominated to head the National Park Service by Congressman George Radanovich (R-CA) whose district includes Yosemite. Griffin is the first woman superintendent of the 104-year-old national park and has been described by Radanovich as “one of the most effective people ever to serve the public interest at Yosemite.” Radanovich […]
Alex Kelly, the alleged rapist of two high school girls in the late 80s, will face a $1 million bond instead of the $2 million sought by the prosecution. In 1987, Kelly fled to Switzerland just before going on trial for the rapes and remained a fugitive in Europe for eight years. Kelly is scheduled […]
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously voted to confirm Madeleine Albright as the first female Secretary of State of the United States on January 20th. The full Senate should vote on her confirmation by January 22nd. The committee’s ranking Democrat, Senator Joseph Biden (D-Del) said that he expected her confirmation to “sail through the senate.”
In response to Ward Connerly’s founding of a national group to wipe out equal opportunity programs for women and people of color, Martin Luther King’s eldest son has founded and will head Americans United for Affirmative Action. The new Atlanta-based group will work to preserve affirmative action. King commented on January 18th near the memorial […]
