On Friday, US District Court Judge Susan Bolton dismissed Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s (R) lawsuit against the federal government charging it with inadequate enforcement of immigration laws. Governor Brewer’s case was a countersuit to the lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice challenging the constitutionality of Arizona immigration law (SB 1070). The state requested that […]
Yesterday the Senate, voting 50 to 50, fell short of the vote needed to break the Republican filibuster of the Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act. Following the Republican filibuster of the American Jobs Act last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced that he would introduce individual portions of the Act. […]
This week the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) held the first ever international conference on female genital mutilation (FGM), which discussed research, healthcare services, and preventive measures. Currently, the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme is working in 15 African nations to prevent FGM and is establishing partnerships with African Universities […]
On Tuesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 to approve a city ordinance that would prevent crisis pregnancy centers from spreading false or misleading advertisements about their facilities. The ordinance requires that crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) display signs indicating whether they offer comprehensive reproductive health services, including abortions and contraception, and whether a […]
Yesterday New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (D) and the New York City Department for the Aging awarded the Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) a contract to open the first full-time center for lesbians, gays, and bisexual seniors in the country. Mayor Bloomberg stated, “The needs of seniors have evolved since centers were created […]
On Wednesday, District Court Judge Daniel Owens ruled to temporarily block a new abortion law in Oklahoma that seeks to restrict the use of abortion-inducing drugs by doctors. The bill, which was passed earlier this year by Oklahoma’s Republican-controlled legislature and later signed by Governor Mary Fallin (R), requires doctors to follow the strict guidelines […]
Yesterday Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin nominated his general counsel Beth Robinson to the state Supreme Court. He stated, “Beth’s strong legal background, experience with crafting legislation at the Statehouse and commitment to the equal rights of all Vermonters will make her an exceptional justice on the Vermont Supreme Court.” Robinson’s confirmation is likely by Vermont’s […]
Yesterday US District Court Judge Thomas Marten ruled that the state of Kansas must continue to distribute federal family planning funds to the Dodge City Family Planning Clinic after a law went into effect on July 1 banning Title X family planning funding from going to the clinic. The law requires that the state allocate […]
In Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, the school board announced that it will end a middle school program that segregates classes by sex for at least the next five years. Galen Sherwin, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) Women’s Rights Project, stated, “The Vermilion program was one of many across the country that relied […]
Abortion rights supporters tell Governor McDonnell to reject politically motivated regulations on Virginia’s women’s health centers The Virginia Coalition to Protect Women’s Health rallied with hundreds of supporters in Richmond on Saturday, October 15 to demand that lawmakers stop the war on women’s reproductive health and rights. Protesters criticized Virginia’s politically-motivated regulations on abortion providers […]
Former legal director of Lambda Legal and executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission Paula Ettelbrick died at the age of 56 of peritoneal cancer earlier this month. In addition to these positions, Ettelbrick, a leader in the lesbian and gay rights movement, also served as legislative counsel at Empire State […]
On Friday, a Kansas City county grand jury indicted St. Joseph Catholic Diocese and its bishop, Robert Finn, for failing to report suspected child abuse by a priest in possession of child pornography. Bishop Finn is accused of covering up the abusive behavior of Reverend Shawn Ratigan, who was arrested in May on charges of […]
Yesterday the US Senate confirmed Alison Nathan to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in a 48 to 44 vote along party lines. Nathan is the third openly gay judge to be confirmed to serve as a federal judge. Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese stated, “We commend […]
Yesterday, the US House of Representatives passed the “Let Her Die” bill, sponsored by Representative Joe Pitts (R-PA) and supported by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA). The bill proposes to “prohibit federal funds from being used to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes coverage of abortion services.” The […]
Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor announced late yesterday that he will continue to prosecute misdemeanor domestic violence cases. His announcement came after the Topeka City Council voted 7 to 3 yesterday to repeal the city’s law prohibiting misdemeanor domestic violence. The City Council’s vote was an attempt to force Shawnee County District Attorney Chad […]
Continuing its preoccupation with voting to restrict family planning and abortion rights, the US House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on HR 358, the “Protect Life Act,” sponsored by Representative Joe Pitts (R-PA), today. The bill proposes to “prohibit federal funds from being used to cover any part of the costs of any health […]
On Tuesday, National Coming Out Day, one of the leading activists in the gay rights movement, Frank Kameny, died in his home at the age of 86. Kameny, who earned is PhD from Harvard in astronomy, was fired in the 1950s from a federal position for being openly gay. Kameny worked tirelessly to help homosexuals […]
California Governor Jerry Brown (D) signed a bill, sponsored by state Senators Fran Pavley (D-Santa Monica), and Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles), that will mandate that hospitals develop policies to promote breastfeeding among new mothers. The law will go into effect January 2014. Senator de León stated, “In my district with high rates of poverty, […]
Yesterday US District Court Judge Thomas Marten ruled that the Dodge City Family Planning Clinic was permitted to join a lawsuit, filed by Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri (PPKM), challenging a Kansas law that prevents both organizations from receiving Title X family planning. Judge Marten indicated that PPKM and the Dodge City Medical Clinic […]
On Thursday, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs voted to pass an amendment as part of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act that would “encourage companies with over $100 million in gross global receipts to post on their websites what policies they have in place to ensure their supply chains are free of slavery and […]
