The bill bans all private health insurance plans and plans sold through the Affordable Care Act marketplace from covering abortion care unless the life of the woman is directly at risk. Instead, women would be required to buy supplemental insurance should they ever think they may need or want an abortion, prompting some Democratic lawmakers to accuse Republicans of forcing women to buy “rape insurance.”
Free Feminine Hygiene Products for Federal Inmates Now Required
The August 1st memorandum states that the BOP “ensures that female inmates have access to a range of feminine hygiene products related to menstruation.” This mandate will not apply to state prisons and jails.
White Supremacists Hold Hate-Filled Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
White supremacists, emboldened by the election of Donald Trump, took to the streets in Charlottesville, Virginia and Seattle, Washington this weekend for one of the most visible displays of hatred from the new so-called “alt-right” movement.
Hearing Begins in Case of Anti-Abortion Group Versus Virginia
The Feminist Majority Foundation and other members of the reproductive healthcare community were in front of the Henrico County Circuit Court to show support for the Board of Health’s decision and solidarity with the women of Virginia.
Senate Democrats Skeptical of Health and Human Services Nominee
During Texas doctor Brett Giroir’s testimony before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, he failed to defend the right of all qualified reproductive health providers to receive federal funding.
Two Controversial Bills to Watch in Texas’s Special Legislative Session
There is less than nine days left in Texas’s special legislative session and two of the most controversial bills being considered have yet to make it to the Governor’s desk for signature.
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Government Scientists Fear Trump Administration Will Cover Up Climate Change Report
On Tuesday, the New York Times received a draft of a not-yet-public report on climate change written by scientists from thirteen different federal agencies. The report, which is currently awaiting approval by the Trump administration, paints a bleak picture of the effects of climate change and the role that humans have played in its escalation.
Chilean Congress Votes to Ease Strict Abortion Ban
The bill that passed through the lower congressional house last week will allow abortions in circumstances of deadly birth defects, risk of the mother’s life, and rape.
Court Rules 16 Year Old Recruit Not Protected Under Title IX
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a 16 year old girl who was sexually assaulted while on a college recruitment overnight does not have grounds to sue the university under Title IX because at the time of her assault she was not a student enrolled at the school.
Texas’s Dangerous Plan for Women Being Reviewed by Department of Health and Human Services
The Department of Health and Human Services is currently considering a waiver that would allow Texas to receive federal Medicaid family planning funds despite the state’s refusal to follow federal law by banning providers who offer abortion care, like Planned Parenthood, from receiving federal Medicaid family planning funds. Texas also wants HHS permission to impose […]
Rhode Island Bans LGBTQ Youth “Conversion Therapy”
Earlier this year, over 100 people testified in support of the law which prohibits conversion therapy providers from advertising to those under 18 or practicing conversion therapy on those under 18. However, adults can still undergo conversion therapy if they choose.
Trump Administration Pulls Funding for Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs
During the Obama presidency, the Department of Health’s Office of Adolescent Health issued five-year research grants as part of its Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPPP). But programs funded by the TPPP received word in mid-July that their grants would be terminated two years early. The loss of federal funds will prevent researchers from analyzing the data they have already gathered, rendering their findings scientifically invalid. Thus, the government money that these programs have already spent will be wasted.
Today is Black Women’s Equal Pay Day
On July 31st, Americans recognize Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, the date that marks how far into the year 2017 that black women have to work to earn the same amount of money that white men earned during 2016 alone. The date is a jarring reminder of the persistence of racial and gender pay inequity; black women today earn 63 cents for every dollar made by white men.
DOJ Says LGBT People Not Protected from Employment Discrimination Under Title VII
The friend-of-the-court brief will be considered when the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals hears the case of Zarda v. Altitude Express, in which the plaintiff alleges that he was fired from his job in 2010 because he is gay.
Senate Republicans Try and Fail to Repeal the Affordable Care Act
This week Senate Republican leadership tried and failed to pass every version of their healthcare plans, known as Trumpcare, granting a victory to progressive advocates and Democratic Senators who fought for the last six months, and the last seven years, to defend the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid funding.
Funding Allocated for Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues
This week Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) successfully amended the State Department funding bill for fiscal year 2018 to preserve funding for the position of Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues for which funding had been originally excluded. The amendment was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and now heads to the Senate floor for a vote.
Trump Plans to Reinstate Ban on Transgender Troops
President Trump announced via Twitter on Wednesday morning that he plans to reinstate a ban on transgender individuals serving military “in any capacity” in the United States military. There are currently 1,320 to 6,630 transgender people serving in the military.
Senate Healthcare Bill Hits Parliamentarian Road Blocks
Republicans will need 60 votes in the Senate to move forward with some of the worst provisions for women’s health included in their Trumpcare plan, including the defunding of Planned Parenthood, restrictions on abortion coverage, the continuous coverage penalty, and elimination of the guarantee of essential health benefits for Medicaid, among others.
Motion for Temporary Restraining Order Filed Against Anti-Abortion Extremists Heading to Kentucky
Just days before Operation Rescue/Operation Save America (OR/OSA) plans to bring hundreds of protestors to Louisville, Kentucky to blockade the state’s only remaining clinic providing abortions, the United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky has filed for a court order prohibiting OSA participants from physically blocking or interfering with EMW Women’s Surgical Center.
Afghan Girls’ Robotics Team Competes in International Competition
The Afghan girls’ robotics team that struggled to get U.S. approval to enter the country for an international competition were granted silver medals on Tuesday for their “courageous achievement”.