Dr. Leana Wen is the first Asian American as well as the first physician in 50 years to become the president of Planned Parenthood in 2018 after Cecile Richards announced her resignation. As an emergency room doctor and former health commissioner, Wen leads one of America’s most trusted reproductive health care providers. Born in Shanghai, […]
Today is International Women’s Day, but while we celebrate the achievement of women throughout the world, we must also be aware of the injustices that still exist in the United States that prevent gender equality. The U.S. is currently one of six U.N. member states, Pacific island nations of Tonga and Palua, Iran, Somalia, South […]
She’s donned a jabot and hurled “Ginsburns” and yelled at Matt Damon’s Brett Kavanaugh while wearing a prosthetic turkey neck as Lindsey Graham: Kate McKinnon, the longest-serving female cast member of Saturday Night Live, made history in 2012 when she signed onto the show as the first openly lesbian cast member. McKinnon is best known […]
An Alabama man, Ryan Magers, is suing a reproductive health center as well as the manufacturer of the pill his ex-girlfriend used to end her six-week pregnancy, after a probate court judge granted his petition and recognized the full legal rights of a fetus. Magers’ lawyer claims his lawsuit may be the first U.S. court […]
On Wednesday in a Senate Armed Services subcommittee, Senator Martha McSally, a veteran of the Air Force and the first woman to fly in combat after the ban on women was lifted, revealed that she is a rape survivor and that the rape occurred while actively serving in the military. In an emotional speech, she […]
This week, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed suit in U.S. District Court in San Francisco seeking an injunction to stop the abortion gag rule in Title X Family Planning Program funding from taking effect, which would affect more than 4 million low income women across the United States, and a coalition of at least […]
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’ll be highlighting the stories of women in the United States who paved the way and inspired girls everywhere to follow their dreams. As a Japanese-American from Hawaii, Patsy Mink became the first woman of color in Congress and the first Asian American woman to serve in Congress in […]
A federal judge ordered that the Trump administration must reinstate an Obama-era rule requiring companies report pay data by race and gender. U.S. district judge for the District of Columbia, Tanya S. Chutkan, said that by rolling back the Obama-era rule the Trump administration violated the law and that the Trump administration failed to demonstrate […]
Google and Apple are still offering an app on their platforms and in their stores that allows Saudi Arabian men to track and monitor women, despite previous backlash and investigations into violations of human rights and privacy. Absher, which translates to “yes sir,” is an app that lets Saudi Arabian men track and limit where […]
After two trials, Nasrin Sotoudeh, a human and women rights lawyer in Iran, faces 34 years in prison as well as 148 lashes after defending women who protested wearing hijabs in public. Multiple organizations, including Amnesty International, are now calling on the Head of the Judiciary, Ebrahim Raisi, and the Mission of Iran to the UN […]
The Trump administration is now receiving comments on a proposed rule that will eliminate Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for over 750,000 unemployed and underemployed individuals and cut $15 billion dollars from the program over 10 years. Trump originally wanted this to be included into a farm bill he signed into law; however since […]
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’ll be highlighting the stories of women in the United States who paved the way and inspired girls everywhere to follow their dreams. Dr. Patricia Bath, an ophthalmologist and laser scientist, was not only the first female African-American doctor to patent a medical device, but also the first person […]
Music and civil rights activism were big influences in Aretha Franklin’s life since a young age: her father, C.L. Franklin, a minister known as “the Man with the Million Dollar Voice,” toured the nation giving sermons and was a close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Aretha herself started singing in her Detroit church’s choir and recorded her first album when she was only 14 before signing to RCA Records and Columbia Records. When she was 16, Aretha was touring with Dr. King.
In Argentina, an 11-year old rape survivor was forced to give birth this week after fighting for the right to an abortion. At 23 weeks pregnant, she underwent a cesarean section however the baby is not expected to survive. The girl, who has been given the name Lucia to protect her identity, attempted suicide twice […]
Victoria Woodhull, a 19th century women’s right activist and business owner, was the first woman to run for president in 1872 under the Equal Rights Party, 50 years before women gained the right to vote.
On March 5, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a nomination hearing for Shannon Lee Goessling, Trump’s pick to head the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) at the Department of Justice. Women’s rights and anti-violence activists have raised serious concerns over the nominee’s anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ, anti-racial justice history, noting that combating intimate partner violence requires an intersectional perspective that understands the vulnerability of respective communities.
The Trump administration is implementing a policy that prevents clinics that provide abortion counseling and referrals from receiving Title X Family Planning Program funding, funding that provides birth control, STD tests, cervical and breast cancer screenings, and reproductive health care to low-income and uninsured individuals. Under Title X, federal dollars already cannot directly fund abortion […]
Over 700 Afghan women from all 34 provinces participated today in a National conference to demand their inclusion in any peace talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan while stressing the importance of preserving women’s rights and upholding Afghanistan’s democracy. This conference was in response to recent peace talks between U.S. officials and the Taliban, a […]
This past weekend, the accused illegitimate Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, sent military forces to the border to prevent civilians from receiving aid, a heightened response after his recent attempts to block aid at the border of Venezuela and Colombia; as a result 285 people were injured, 37 hospitalized, and 4 were killed. Maduro refuses to […]
On Tuesday, a Democratic representative from Florida, Ted Deutch, released a report outlining the sexual abuse of migrant youths in detention facilities that included 4,556 filed complaints of sexual abuse from other youths in detention, adult staff, and other adults who are not staff. The report detailed complaints over the last four years from October […]
