Yesterday federal officials arrested Bobby Joe Rogers for allegedly starting a fire on Sunday the American Family Planning clinic in Pensacola, Florida. Rogers faces charges of one count of damaging a building by fire or explosive. He could spend up to 20 years in prison, if he is convicted. The clinic is owned by Dr. […]
Today the White House announced that FBI Director Robert Mueller has approved the change recommended by several committees of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Service. The new definition, as it appears on the FBI website, is: “Penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration […]
In a speech yesterday, Washington Governor Chris Gregoire indicated her support for gay marriage. Governor Gregoire stated, “it’s time, it’s the right thing to do, and I will introduce a bill to do it. I say that as a wife, a mother, a student of the law, and above all as a Washingtonian with a […]
Yesterday President Obama announced that he will make recess appointments to fill four vacant administration positions. President Obama appointed Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Cordray currently serves as Chief of Enforcement at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and previously was the Attorney General of Ohio and Ohio’s state Treasurer. Jay […]
India’s lower house of Parliament voted against the Women’s Reservation Bill, which would have allocated one-third of Parliamentary seats for women. The bill would thus require that male members cede approximately 180 seats to women. The bill passed the upper house of India’s Parliament in March 2010 with a nearly unanimous vote of 191 to […]
Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, defeated former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum by eight votes in the Iowa caucus, which had low voter turnout. Representative Ron Paul finished third. Feminist Majority President Eleanor Smeal stated, “This shows the extreme and unrepresentative nature of the Iowa Republican caucus. Santorum is opposed not only to abortion but […]
As of January 1 , 2012, same sex couples can legally enter into same-sex civil unions in Delaware and Hawaii and attain some of the same benefits enjoyed by married couples, such as the right to visit a partner in the hospital and make decisions about the partner’s medical care and the right to joint […]
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has signed new regulations on first-trimester abortion clinics requiring architectural renovations to change clinics into hospitals and change government oversight. Under the regulations, state authorities can enter a clinic to inspect at any time without notice to examine patient medical records, gather a list of current patients, and interview patients on […]
On Sunday, January 1st, the American Family Planning clinic in Pensacola, Florida burnt nearly to the ground. Although no one was injured, the fire destroyed the majority of the building. The clinic is owned by Dr. Steven Brigham, who also owns clinics in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, and Maryland. Brigham was arrested on Wednesday, […]
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett (R) is expected to sign a bill that will require clinics that perform abortions meet the same regulations of surgical centers, which are far more stringent than the regulations on physician’s offices. Required changes could include widening hallways and elevator shafts, creating more sinks and bigger surgical rooms, and making alterations […]
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is calling for state police departments to send all rape kits to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. He is also encouraging police to send thousands of unprocessed rape kits from previous kits to the crime lab and indicated that four workers will be hired to assist with processing the rape […]
Today President Obama issued an executive order to establish the United States’ first-ever National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security to formalize the nation’s commitment to promoting women’s role in conflict prevention and resolution. The executive order states, “The goal is as simple as it is profound: to empower half of the world’s population […]
Planned Parenthood of Arizona (PPAZ) announced that it will continue offering abortion services at two clinics near Phoenix. The clinics temporarily halted abortion services after the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled to uphold a law that only a physician can provide medical services, which took effect in August. Previously PPAZ permitted medicinal abortions to be […]
A survey released yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 1 in 4 women in the United States, or 24 per minute, experienced intimate partner violence by either a husband or boyfriend. Moreover, 1 in 5 women stated that they were victims of rape and 1 in 6 of stalking. […]
The White House and the Department of Labor are expected to propose new regulations this afternoon to protect home health-care workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act, guaranteeing that they will receive the minimum wage and overtime protections. This will affect approximately two million home-care workers, many of whom are minority and immigrant women, according […]
Yesterday Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and 14 other US Senators issued a letter calling on Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to indicate the medical and scientific basis that led her to overrule the FDA’s decision to lift the age limit for emergency contraception and her refusal to permit the over-the-counter sale of the […]
On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted 21 to 5 that the label on Yaz and its predecessor Yasemin birth control does not adequately warn users about the drug’s risk of causing blood clots, which is higher than other oral contraceptives. In addition, the FDA found that Yaz and Yasemin did not contain […]
A report by the United Kingdom’s National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, released by Britain’s Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the Royal college of Psychiatrists, indicates that abortions do not increase women’s tendency to develop mental health problems, including anxiety and depression. The report did, however, caution that mental health issues can increase for […]
A report published by Human Rights Watch, entitled “‘We’ll Show You You’re a Women’: Violence and Discrimination Against Black Lesbians and Transgender Men,” revealed a high rate of discrimination against black lesbians and transgender men in South Africa. The report includes data from over 120 interviews performed in six provinces of South Africa. Many of […]
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio has indicated that it will sue if two anti-abortion bills, both of which have passed the state House, become law: a fetal heart beat bill, which would ban abortions after the fetal heartbeat is detected, and another bill that would prohibit Ohio residents from purchasing health insurance […]
