In the murder trial of abortion clinic gunman John Salvi, the defense called its last witness Monday (3-11) and was expected to finish presenting evidence Tuesday. Before the case ends, prosecutors will likely call mental health experts to rebut the defense’s claim that Salvi was insane at the time of the killings. Dr. David Bear […]
Although hate crimes nationwide against gays and lesbians decreased nearly 8 percent last year nationwide, the number of hate crimes involving assaults dramatically increased in San Francisco where the overall crime number remained the same. The survey noted increases in hate crimes in five of the eleven cities surveyed, including Minneapolis, Phoenix, El Paso and […]
On Monday, the Senate discussed a spending bill designed to avoid a federal shutdown when dozens of Cabinet departments run out of money on March 15. According to USA Today, the bill contains Republican budget priorities that will likely not become law. President Clinton has criticized the measure and has called for increased funding for […]
In the last eight months, authorities in two Texas counties charged 32 people with illegal possession of Rohypnol, a powerful sedative that has been linked to several cases of rape. According to District Attorney Lynn Ellison, I plan to get our office to rethink the type of punishment we are seeking in these cases, now […]
As Californias become increasingly aware of the anti-affirmative action initiative on the November ballot and learn about its ramifications, support for the measure declines, according to a Field Poll released Monday (3-11). Knowledge of the existence of the self-titled “California Civil Rights Initiative” rose from 57 percent in December to 67 percent. Of those, support […]
On International Women’s Day (3-8), a traditionally important national holiday in Russia, Russian politicians wooed women’s votes for the upcoming presidential election. President Boris Yeltsin attended a gala concert honoring women and recorded a speech praising women as the keeper of home and family traditions. Communist rival Gennady Ayuganov invited only women reporters to a […]
A New York Times article Sunday (3-10) explored the discrepancy between the Republican party’s position against abortion and the positions of individual Republicans. While the platform has called for a constitutional amendment to outlaw abortion since 1976, polls in several states this year showed majority opposition to such a ban in the partly platform. The […]
On Thursday, the House approved a bill to temporarily avoid federal default. Without extension, the government would have reached its debt ceiling on March 15. The House bill contains two abortion restrictions which would let states decide whether to provide Medicaid funds for low-income women seeking abortions and would force states to accredit hospitals that […]
According to defense witnesses, John Salvi was distant and robot-like in the days before he shot and killed two and wounded five others at two Brookline, Massachusetts abortion clinics. When an aunt said Salvi had acted withdrawn and listless, prosecutor Marianne Hinkle implied that Salvi may have been preoccupied with the attacks he was planning […]
Clinical trials have just begun in the U.S. to test the effectiveness of a simple doctor’s office procedure to stop excessive menstrual bleeding. This condition now accounts for up to 20 percent of all hysterectomies, a procedure women have been warned against having unnecessarily. Studies have shown that many hysterectomies have been performed for no […]
Administration officials announced Thursday that President Clinton has decided to impose a three-year moratorium on any new federal programs that reserve contracts for companies owned by women or minorities. The conditions for reintroducing the set-aside programs falling under the moratorium would be so strict it is unlikely they would ever return. The administration did, however, […]
On Friday, the Parliament of India passed a resolution that supported setting aside one-third of all state and national legislature seats for women. Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao, who backed the measure, told the lower house (Lok Sabha), “I assure the house we are entirely in agreement with the spirit of the resolution. Every year […]
At a press conference on Wednesday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers announced their plan to introduce a bill that would repeal a provision of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which makes it a crime to provide information about abortion on the Internet. The provision, which was not in either the Senate or House version and […]
Three U.S. servicemen were convicted of raping a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by a panel of three judges at the Naha District Court Wednesday. In sentences considered tough by Japanese standards, Navy Seaman Marcus Gill and Marine Pfc. Rodrico Harp each received sentences of 7 years in prison, while Marine Pfc. Kendrick Ledet was sentenced to […]
On Tuesday night, the Hawaii House approved a bill to put a constitutional amendment on the November ballot defining marriage as existing between a man and a woman, following a debate in which half of its 51 members rose to speak. Earlier in the day, the Senate had narrowly approved a bill creating “domestic partnerships” […]
In several states, lawmakers interested in restricting no-fault divorce have suggested “cooling off” periods and mandatory counseling for couples wishing to divorce without establishing who is at fault. Some of the momentum to change the laws comes from religious conservatives and father’s rights groups. A sociology professor at the University of Southern California, Constance Ahrons […]
The White House has sent a memo to general counsels throughout the government proposing new rules for all federal departments that would require proof of discrimination before awarding race-based government contracts and would limit such contracting. The rules would disallow strict set-aside rules that designate specific numbers of minority contracts, and such “race-conscious” procurement would […]
On Wednesday, Virginia became one of the last states to comply with the National Voter Registration Act, which facilitates voter registration by enlisting motor vehicle offices and posting mail-in voter applications at numerous public places. Gov. George Allen had failed in his attempt to show that Congress was unconstitutionally dictating election laws to the states […]
Last Thursday, a northern California group called the Freedom To Marry Task Force presented 1,600 letters opposing an anti-gay bill to California Assemblywoman Sheila James Keuhl of Santa Monica, who opposes the bill. The bill was introduced by Assemblyman William J. Knight and passed by the Assembly 41-33 on January 31, 1996; it would invalidate […]
The Washington Post reports that the Pentagon has not yet decided whether or not to aid production of “G.I. Jane,” a new Demi Moore movie about the Navy. According to the Post, Moore has appealed directly to President Clinton to urge Pentagon approval of the project. The Pentagon often helps military-related movie productions with equipment […]
