The Army announced on January 28 that a fifth soldier, Sgt. 1st Class William Jones, has been accused of sexual misconduct at Maryland’s Aberdeen Proving Ground. If convicted, Jones faces up to six months in a military prison for indecent assault, being intoxicated on duty and failing to obey orders regarding student-instructor interaction involving six […]
Ukraine Women form Women’s Party
According to Allan Komrova, director of the Institute of Human Problems, a new group called the Women of Ukraine will soon enter into the politics of the country. Waiting to be registered, the new party plans to take part in the next presidential election. While women comprise 54 percent of the Ukrainian population, they make […]
FBI Reportedly to Interview Witness Linking Abortion Bombers to Olympic Bombing
The FBI has reportedly decided to interview an Atlanta architect who claims he recognizes a man connected with the Olympic bombing as one of three currently charged with bombing an abortion clinic in Spokane, Washington. The architect had earlier called the FBI twice to tell them of a man he saw wearing a backpack before […]
Sick, Pregnant Woman in London In Danger of Losing Baby is Jailed Without Bail or Proper Medical Attention
Roisin McAliskey has been imprisoned in an English Prison in relation to a 1996 mortar bomb attack on a British Army barracks in Germany. McAliskey has not been formally charged with anything, she is facing extradition hearings to Germany which will occur sometime in April. Until then, she is being held in solitary confinement and […]
Study Reveals Amount of Money Women Need to Get Off Welfare
A coalition of women’s groups have presented legislators with a study conducted by the Wider Opportunities for Women group which analyzes the amount of money women need in order to successfully escape from welfare. The study was conducted using U.S. Department of Housing and Urban development data and child-care cost surveys. In urban California, women […]
Lesbian and Gay Rights Groups Prepare for Kentucky’s 1998 Legislative Session
Lesbian and gay rights groups are preparing for a series of laws which, if introduced and passed, would outlaw sodomy and ban same-sex marriage in Kentucky. A new coalition in the Senate composed of five Democrats and eighteen Republicans now wields the largest voting block; members of the group have been the chief proponents of […]
FBI Lead in Olympic Bombing Related to Abortion Clinic Bombing
A Washington state based newspaper has reported that three men, currently charged with bombing an office of The Spokesman and a Spokane Planned Parenthood clinic, are the FBI’s strongest lead in the Atlanta Centennial Olympic Park bombing. Though the men are not yet considered suspects, the paper cites circumstantial evidence linking the three Idaho men […]
Grocery Chain Pays $81.5 Million to Settle Class-Action Sex-Bias Suit
The Florida based Publix Super Markets Inc. has agreed to pay $81.5 million to settle a class-action sex discrimination suit. Female employees brought the suit claiming that the chain, which operates 534 stores in the Southeast, placed them in dead-end jobs and denied them promotions. The women also claimed that they were given poor reviews […]
Woman Who Brought Aberdeen Sex Scandal Receives Honorable Discharge
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 […]
Laws Covering Parental Custody Often Shut Out Lesbian Mothers
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 […]
Kentucky Legislature to Consider Series of Anti-Abortion Bills
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 […]
FBI Investigates Oklahoma Abortion Clinic Bombing
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 […]
Mammogram Panel Produces Hung Jury
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 […]
Hawaii House Bans Same-Sex Marriages
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, […]
Air Force Colonel Faces Court-Martial for Sexual Harassment
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 […]
Vatican Presents Its Case Against Female Priests
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. […]
Dynamite Found in Atlanta Clinic Bombs
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 […]
Albright Unanimously Confirmed by Senate
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 […]
West Point Cadet on Trial for Raping Female Cadet
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 […]
Supreme Court Puts Off Deciding Whether or Not to Hear Affirmative Action Case
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 […]