A new method of obtaining Pap smears has been approved by the FDA in the hopes that it will produce less smudged slides and enable technicians to see cells more clearly to check for cancer. Using the ThinPrep 2000 Pap test by Cytyc Corp., doctors will place cervical cells in a vial and the cells […]
Two women were ordained as priests in the Old Catholic Church in Konstanz, Germany. Angela Berlis, 33, is a theologian and Regina Pickel-Bossau, 48, is a teacher. The ordination ceremony highlighted the divisions in the Catholic church, coming less than three weeks before a scheduled visit by Pope John Paul II who has opposed the […]
The House voted 281-144 Thursday (5-23) to approve a 90-cent raise in the minimum wage, rejecting a Republican proposal to exempt small businesses from paying the minimum wage and overtime. Fifty cents of the increase would go into effect July 1, with the remaining 40 cents to follow a year later, eventually bringing the minimum […]
President Clinton and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. Robert Dole debated Thursday (5-23) about late-term abortions. After Dole criticized Clinton’s veto of a late-term abortion ban, Clinton accused Dole of succumbing to political pressure on the issue and of disregarding the threats to women’s lives and health posed by the ban of the rare abortion […]
Lt. Commander Donald Clause faces a court martial at the Washington Navy Yard next week on rape charges. Clause allegedly raped a civilian co-worker last June 29 and is also charged with adultery, sexual harassment and conduct unbecoming an officer. Clause allegedly sexually harassed the woman repeatedly between June 19 and the end of July, […]
Sheriff Sherman Block has announced that he will increase by nearly three times the amount of time spouse abusers spend in jail. Despite concerns of jail overcrowding, batterers will now have to spend almost 70 percent of their sentences in jail as opposed to less than 25 percent of the sentence time like everyone else […]
A study done by the National Cancer Institute has found that doctors routinely fail to check for the spread of cancer in 90 percent of the cases of women having surgery for early-stage ovarian cancer. In 1994, a panel drew up guidelines for the treatment of ovarian cancer, including recommendations that surgeons should take samples […]
Supporters of abortion rights have create a support fund to help with legal costs incurred in the case to protect All Women’s Health Services executive director, Jude Hanzo. On Thursday (5-16), Oregon Judge __ granted a permanent stalking order against militant anti-abortion extremist Paul deParrie. DeParrie targeted Hanzo with a “S.H.A.M.E.” campaign to “Stigmatize, Harangue, […]
Laurie Koehn, 14, won first place in the Don Nelson/Tara VanDerveer International Shootout National Championship basketball competition held in Chicago, Ill. on Saturday (5-18). Kansas native Koehn made 48 of 50 free throws and 42 of 50 three-point shots at the competition to top all other competing state champions, male and female, including Ed Palubinskas, […]
The Supreme Court’s Monday 6-3 decision to strike down a Colorado anti-lesbian and gay rights constitutional amendment will have far-reaching effects on the future of the lesbian and gay rights movement. The court ruled that lesbians and gay men cannot be denied government benefits and protections because of their sexual orientation. All concurring judges signed […]
On Monday, South Carolina joined the ranks of Idaho, South Dakota, and Utah as the fifth state to ban same-sex marriages. Gov. David Beasley signed the bill which he hoped would “send a very clear message” about the state’s position on the issue.
In what is considered one of the biggest victories for supporters of lesbian and gay rights, the Supreme Court Monday (5-20) struck down a Colorado constitutional amendment banning laws that protect gays and lesbians from discrimination. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for the court majority in the 6-3 decision, declaring that the 1992 measure would […]
In a ruling Thursday (5-16), Oregon Judge Thomas L. Moultrie barred anti-abortion activist Paul deParrie from having any contact with Jude Hanzo, executive director of All Women’s Health Services. DeParrie’s concealed weapon permit was also revoked. Hanzo has said deParrie, a prominent advocate of anti-abortion violence, harassed her for over a year, calling her at […]
A coalition of women’s groups and cancer advocacy groups are opposing a move by Myriad Genetics to patent the breast cancer gene known as BRCA1. The coalition argues that creating a patent would mean Myriad would control and possibly impede research on the gene. Other cancer advocacy groups have supported the patent application, citing Myriad’s […]
San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano has proposed legislation to force contractors doing business with the city to provide the same benefits to domestic partners of employees as it does to married spouses. Ammiano planned to introduce the ordinance on Monday (5-20) at the City’s board meeting; after that, the ordinance will go through public hearings […]
On Saturday (5-18), President Clinton endorsed a Wisconsin plan to end welfare. Criticized by child-welfare and women’s rights advocates, the plan would eliminate Aid to Families with Dependent Children and would replace the Federal guarantee of cash assistance for poor children with wage subsidies for single mothers who work. Every adult recipient would be required […]
A study financed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has found that a virus-stopping gel applied to the vaginas of monkeys appears to stop transmission of SIV, the monkey version of the AIDS virus. Researchers hope the gel will be effective in humans, suggesting that women could apply the gel before intercourse […]
On Friday (5-17), President Clinton signed Megan’s Law, legislation that will require police to inform communities when convicted sex offenders move into the neighborhood. The law is named for a 7-year-old girl from New Jersey who was raped and murdered by a male neighbor who had a history of convictions for child molestation of which […]
Changes in pension laws are being proposed in the Senate to make the laws more equitable and less harsh on working women and elderly women. Introducing a proposal at a news conference Tuesday (5-14), Sen. Carol Mosley-Braun (D-Ill.) stated that current laws are out-of-date and do not protect the pension rights of divorced women and […]
University of California Provost C. Judson King has admitted that in the last five years, prominent individuals made over 1,000 special requests on behalf of undergraduate applicants’ admission. King maintains that about 60 of those applications received some positive consideration. King also acknowledged that although the UC system discourages letters of recommendation, letters that are […]
