According to defense witnesses, John Salvi was distant and robot-like in the days before he shot and killed two and wounded five others at two Brookline, Massachusetts abortion clinics. When an aunt said Salvi had acted withdrawn and listless, prosecutor Marianne Hinkle implied that Salvi may have been preoccupied with the attacks he was planning […]
Clinical trials have just begun in the U.S. to test the effectiveness of a simple doctor’s office procedure to stop excessive menstrual bleeding. This condition now accounts for up to 20 percent of all hysterectomies, a procedure women have been warned against having unnecessarily. Studies have shown that many hysterectomies have been performed for no […]
Administration officials announced Thursday that President Clinton has decided to impose a three-year moratorium on any new federal programs that reserve contracts for companies owned by women or minorities. The conditions for reintroducing the set-aside programs falling under the moratorium would be so strict it is unlikely they would ever return. The administration did, however, […]
On Friday, the Parliament of India passed a resolution that supported setting aside one-third of all state and national legislature seats for women. Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, who backed the measure, told the lower house (Lok Sabha), “I assure the house we are entirely in agreement with the spirit of the resolution. Every year […]
At a press conference on Wednesday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers announced their plan to introduce a bill that would repeal a provision of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which makes it a crime to provide information about abortion on the Internet. The provision, which was not in either the Senate or House version and […]
Three U.S. servicemen were convicted of raping a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by a panel of three judges at the Naha District Court Wednesday. In sentences considered tough by Japanese standards, Navy Seaman Marcus Gill and Marine Pfc. Rodrico Harp each received sentences of 7 years in prison, while Marine Pfc. Kendrick Ledet was sentenced to […]
On Tuesday night, the Hawaii House approved a bill to put a constitutional amendment on the November ballot defining marriage as existing between a man and a woman, following a debate in which half of its 51 members rose to speak. Earlier in the day, the Senate had narrowly approved a bill creating “domestic partnerships” […]
In several states, lawmakers interested in restricting no-fault divorce have suggested “cooling off” periods and mandatory counseling for couples wishing to divorce without establishing who is at fault. Some of the momentum to change the laws comes from religious conservatives and father’s rights groups. A sociology professor at the University of Southern California, Constance Ahrons […]
The White House has sent a memo to general counsels throughout the government proposing new rules for all federal departments that would require proof of discrimination before awarding race-based government contracts and would limit such contracting. The rules would disallow strict set-aside rules that designate specific numbers of minority contracts, and such “race-conscious” procurement would […]
On Wednesday, Virginia became one of the last states to comply with the National Voter Registration Act, which facilitates voter registration by enlisting motor vehicle offices and posting mail-in voter applications at numerous public places. Gov. George Allen had failed in his attempt to show that Congress was unconstitutionally dictating election laws to the states […]
Last Thursday, a northern California group called the Freedom To Marry Task Force presented 1,600 letters opposing an anti-gay bill to California Assemblywoman Sheila James Keuhl of Santa Monica, who opposes the bill. The bill was introduced by Assemblyman William J. Knight and passed by the Assembly 41-33 on January 31, 1996; it would invalidate […]
The Washington Post reports that the Pentagon has not yet decided whether or not to aid production of “G.I. Jane,” a new Demi Moore movie about the Navy. According to the Post, Moore has appealed directly to President Clinton to urge Pentagon approval of the project. The Pentagon often helps military-related movie productions with equipment […]
On Tuesday, Gov. George Pataki of New York signed legislation prohibiting law-enforcement officials from subjecting rape victims to polygraph tests. A previous law merely barred authorities from requiring the use of such tests. “Survivors of sexual assault should not be victimized a second time with frequent and grossly insensitive requests to take a polygraph test,” […]
Officials announced Tuesday that an American woman soldier was raped early Saturday morning in the area of a Czech battalion in northern Bosnia. The investigation was focusing on Czech soldiers with the NATO-led peace mission. The soldier was evacuated Sunday to the Taszar Air Base in Hungary for treatment. U.S. Army Europe spokeswoman Capt. Leela […]
California Gov. Pete Wilson is urging Presidential candidate Bob Dole to speak up on the issue of affirmative action before it gets claimed by Pat Buchanan. At a debate two weeks ago, the Rev. Jesse Jackson predicted that Wilson would end up supporting Buchanan for president because of Buchanan’s strong stand against affirmative action programs […]
In a setback for antiabortion forces in Richmond, the Virginia House of Delegates defeated a measure Monday to make the killing of a fetus a criminal act of murder. “Feticide” would have become a crime punishable by 20 years to life in prison. Pro-choice voices said the measure would begin to erode the legal right […]
In the abortion clinic murder trial of John Salvi, defense witness Dr. Phillip Resnick was cross-examined Monday. The psychiatrist acknowledged that Salvi only revealed some of his paranoid delusions after learning that his lawyers planned an insanity defense. Salvi did not bring up certain topics during two interviews with Resnick following the December 1994 attacks. […]
In an appeal Monday, the Supreme Court said that a 90-minute sex education and AIDS education program held at a school assembly did not violate religious freedom or parents’ right to raise their children as they saw fit. Two former Massachusetts high school students and their parents had objected to the program; their lawsuit had […]
President Clinton announced a proposal Monday to reduce the fiscal 1997 military budget by $9.2 billion to $242.6 billion. His plan includes reductions in spending on both new weapons and operations and maintenance. Clinton also said Monday he will veto a spending bill needed to keep the government open past March 15 if Congress does […]
Across the nation, women’s rights groups and civil rights groups are galvanizing support to defeat an initiative on the November ballot in California which would end state and locally sponsored affirmative action programs. At a press conference last week after the initiative supporters filed more than their required signatures, the Campaign to Save Women’s Rights […]
