Photo by Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash In the U.S., one in four women will have an abortion by age 45. Yet one in three live in states that ban or severely restrict access. Last year’s Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade upended reproductive health care infrastructure. Questions about who can provide care, which […]
The Taliban “Suggests” the UN replace its national Afghan women staff with men. The UN says it is “steadfast” not to replace Afghan women with men.
In a recent meeting, the UN Envoy for Afghanistan told the UN Security Council that the Taliban, “act against the key values expressed in the United Nations Charter.” Roza Otunbayeva stated that while the Taliban wants to be recognized by the UN and its 192 member nations, the group continues to imposes restrictions against the […]
President Biden issues new Executive Order on access to contraceptives
Photo by Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition on Unsplash On Friday, President Biden issued an Executive Order demanding strengthened access to affordable contraceptives and family planning services. This is the President’s first executive order which centers on contraceptives and his third on reproductive health care. His two previous Executive Orders focused on securing access to reproductive […]
Biden’s student debt relief plan hangs in the balance
Photo by Unseen Studio on Unsplash The Supreme Court is expected to announce a decision on the constitutionality of President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan in the next few weeks. Biden’s original debt relief plan would have canceled up to $20,000 for the millions of borrowers struggling with student loans across the country. The program […]
Afghan lawyers and judges are being persecuted by the Taliban. It threatens Afghan women, the justice system, and the rule of law.
The dangers facing Afghanistan’s judicial system began immediately after the Taliban takeover of the government in Afghanistan and has only been intensifying in the past nearly two years. In recent days, the threats and the persecution of the former judicial system employees have intensified even further, raising alarm among human rights organizations. The Taliban’s blatant […]
Public Executions and Floggings Resume and on the Rise Under Taliban Regime
The Taliban has now carried out its second public execution since their takeover of the government nearly two years ago. In December, the Taliban executed a man from the Herat province named Tajmir, convicted of murdering a man named Mustafa – without any due process. The second execution occurred this week, according to the Taliban […]
Justice for Planned Parenthood clinic in Costa Mesa as two men charged for firebombing
Photo from Flickr.com On Wednesday, two men were charged with firebombing a Planned Parenthood clinic in Costa Mesa, California last March 2022. The individuals are Chance Brannon, 23, and Tibet Ergul, 21. Brannon and Ergul threw a Molotov cocktail at the entrance of the Planned Parenthood clinic prior to its opening on March 13, 2022, […]
Google Made Millions from Advertising Fake Abortion Clinics
Photo from JASIATIC CLC As a growing number of U.S. states enact bans on abortion, pregnant individuals are overwhelmingly turning to online resources for medical care. From telehealth providers to abortion travel services, virtual healthcare is now vital for abortion-seekers across the country. But despite the increased use of online services, the internet can also […]
Afghan Refugee: “Our lives in Pakistan are no lives at all” On World Refugee Day, Recognize the Struggles of Afghan Refugees.
Earlier today, Amnesty International released a statement for World Refugee Day imploring the Pakistani government to “stop harassing and arbitrarily arresting Afghans seeking refuge.” Since the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in August 2021, many Afghans have fled to the bordering countries of Pakistan and Iran, becoming refugees. While Amnesty International’s statement focuses on […]
CDC releases new report on national maternal mortality rates
Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images The United States continues to have the highest maternal mortality rate of any developed country, according to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. A new report presenting the most recent data on maternal mortality found that in 2021, there were on average 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births across […]
UN Report Highlights Gender Apartheid against Afghan Women
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recently released a report describing the challenges facing women and girls in Afghanistan as “gender apartheid” and that it should be called a “crime.” Co-authored by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and the Working Group on discrimination against […]
What Does the Future Hold for Education in Afghanistan? The Taliban Takes Control of All Education Programs.
In a new development, international education programs in Afghanistan will hand control over to local groups, under the control of the Taliban and its de facto Ministry of Education. NGOs have been crucial in providing support to Afghan children, especially girls by means of food, education and healthcare services after the takeover of the government […]
Silenced Resilience: Afghan Women Entrepreneurs Navigating Taliban Restrictions
Afghan women business owners and entrepreneurs have faced significant challenges in sustaining their businesses under the Taliban regime since August 2021. New edicts and decrees have severely restricted Afghan women’s access to public spaces and foreign markets, making it increasingly difficult for women to showcase and sell their crafts. In December 2022, the Taliban issued […]
Taliban’s Rule in Afghanistan Sets Dangerous Precedent for Global Peace
In a recent statement, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken reiterated the U.S. position on the Taliban, emphasizing the focus on US “national security interests in preventing a resurgence of terrorism emanating from Afghanistan, and if necessary, taking action to deal with it.” According to a recent report of the United Nations Security Council, however, the […]
Norway Invites Taliban Officials to the Oslo Forum – A Growing Normalization of the Taliban Means Growing Danger for Afghan Women
At the invitation of the Norwegian government, a delegation of three officials from the civil service of the Taliban government are currently in Norway, attending the Oslo Forum. The goal of the meeting, set to take place over three days, is to discuss the major challenges facing Afghanistan with “representatives from other countries and Afghan […]
Female pastors ousted from the Southern Baptist Convention
RNS photo by Emily Kask A controversial movement within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) to remove women from leadership positions has resulted in the expulsion of five female-led churches from the denomination. Among them is the Saddleback Church of California — one of the largest megachurches in the country, with about 30,000 people attending church […]
The Taliban Enforces Strict Ban on Music in Afghanistan
The Taliban’s religious police have issued an order to wedding hall owners in Kabul to refrain from playing music or engaging in activities that contradict their interpretation of Islamic teachings. Although this rule was announced verbally last year, it was not enforced strictly across the country. During their first regime from 1996-2001, the Taliban imposed […]
Supreme Court rules to protect the Voting Rights Act
Photo from Aurora Samperio/NurPhoto via ZUMA Press In a surprising win for voting rights and racial justice, the Supreme Court voted last week to reaffirm a decades old precedent prohibiting racial gerrymandering. The decision centered around Alabama’s legislative districts, where a Republican led redistricting plan would result in White voters becoming the majority in six […]
UN Report: Acute Starvation Grips Afghanistan, Affecting Women and Children
Food insecurity, acute starvation, and hunger continue to plague numerous regions worldwide, with Afghanistan ranking among the most affected countries. U.N. agencies have sounded the alarm about the risk of starvation in eight nations, including Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Yemen, Haiti, Burkina Faso, and Mali. The World Food Program (WFP) and the Food and […]
UN Report Highlights Taliban’s “Exclusionary” Regime and Failure to Fulfill Counter-Terrorism Commitments
A recent UN report sheds light on the Taliban regime, labeling it as “exclusionary” and highlighting its failure to deliver on counter-terrorism promises. The report emphasizes the restrictive nature of the Taliban’s governance, which marginalizes many of the ethnic and religious groups in Afghanistan. The UN Security Council report states that the Taliban regime’s return […]
