In a victory for women’s health, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R) reversed his position under pressure and will support a state law that makes emergency contraception available at all hospitals, regardless of religious affiliation. The Massachusetts legislature made emergency contraception available behind-the-counter at pharmacies in September, overriding Romney’s veto. The new law included the statement […]
In an impressive victory for women’s health advocates, voters in California defeated a ballot measure (proposition 73) that would have required doctors to notify the parents of young women under the age of 18 before performing an abortion. The proposal, endorsed by Governor Schwarzenegger, was defeated 52.6 percent of 47.4 percent. Funding in support of […]
Alito’s Confirmation Would Drive Women’s Rights Back Decades Arlington, Virginia Ð Feminist Majority President Eleanor Smeal issued the following statement on the nomination of Samuel A. Alito to the Supreme Court: The Feminist Majority opposes the nomination of Samuel Alito to replace Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court. Alito is no O’Connor. Instead of […]
The Los Angeles Roman Catholic Archdiocese released personnel files yesterday as part of settlement talks with 560 alleged victims of priest sexual abuse. The documents, which were edited to delete revealing details about both the priests and the alleged victims, revealed that in many cases over the past several decades, priests accused of pedophilia were […]
Angela Merkel will replace Gerhard Schroeder as chancellor of Germany, becoming the first woman and first East German to hold the office. The decision came after three weeks of negotiation between the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the left-leaning Social Democrats (SPD), following an inconclusive election. The two opposing parties decided to attempt joint […]
In defiance of the Vatican’s refusal to ordain women priests, nine Roman Catholic women participated in an ordination ceremony on Monday, risking excommunication. The nine women were ordained by unofficially ordained Bishops Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger and Gisela Forster on a cruise ship off the coast of Canada. One of the women ordained Monday, Regina Nicolosi, told […]
Spain’s Parliament approved a bill this week legalizing same-sex marriage. The bill not only guarantees same-sex couples the right to marry but also includes the right to adopt children and protections for property inheritance. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who has led efforts to reform the Spanish legal code since taking office in 2004, […]
Italy’s referendum to loosen a restrictive fertility law failed on Monday due to low voter turnout in a vote that the Pope urged Catholics to boycott. Not only does Monday’s referendum vote uphold what women’s rights and reproductive health groups are calling the most restrictive fertility laws in Europe, but it has also led to […]
In a victory for women’s collegiate athletics, Assumption College, a Catholic four-year liberal arts college in Worchester, Massachusetts, has reinstated both the men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field teams. The college had planned to cut the teams, citing budget concerns, but received a letter from Trial Lawyers for Public Justice (TLPJ) informing […]
A new study found that 55 percent of Catholic hospitals and 42 percent of non-Catholic hospitals in the United States do not dispense emergency contraception in their emergency departments under any circumstances. The study, conducted by Ibis Reproductive Health and published in the American College of Emergency Physicians’ Annals of Emergency Medicine found that of […]
Several American Cardinals chose to avoid a special service in honor of Pope John Paul II on Monday conducted by Cardinal Bernard Law, the controversial former archbishop of Boston. Cardinal Law was forced to resign as archbishop of Boston in 2002 due to his mishandling of priests who were accused of sex abuse, according to […]
On Sunday, women leaders held a protest outside of NBC’s Washington, DC studio where “Meet the Press” is taped to highlight the exclusion of women of faith invited to appear on the show to discuss religion and public policy. The protest, organized by Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) and attended by leaders from the […]
Colorado Governor Bill Owens (R) vetoed a bill on Tuesday that would have required all hospitals to inform rape victims about emergency contraception. Owens, a Roman Catholic, claimed that the bill would have forced church-backed institutions to violate their own ethics guidelines, reports the Associated Press. The bill, HB 1042, which passed 46-19 and 22-13 […]
Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois created an emergency rule on Friday that requires pharmacists to fill prescriptions of contraceptives immediately and without delay. The Governor’s action was in response to a pharmacist’s refusal to fill two prescriptions for emergency contraception (EC) on February 23, and draws attention to a problem that is becoming increasingly widespread, […]
A judge has ruled that a pharmacist who refused to fill a woman’s prescription for birth control on religious grounds should be reprimanded. In July 2002, Neil Noesen, a pharmacist at Kmart, refused to fill a University of Wisconsin student’s oral contraceptive prescription, arguing that it would be a sin under his religion, reports Medical […]
Poland’s Parliament voted 199 to 183 to drop a measure that would have liberalized the severely restrictive abortion laws in a country that currently has a very powerful Catholic hierarchy. According to Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, the measure would legalized abortions up to 12 weeks gestation and called for sex education to be taught […]
A senior Vatican official from Switzerland has stated that condoms could be used to fight AIDS in the poorest parts of Africa and Asia. While keeping with the Vatican’s official stance against using condoms as contraception, Cardinal Georges Cottier stated that there is justification to use condoms under certain circumstances, like fighting AIDS because the […]
The trial against Paul Shanley, a 73-year-old defrocked Catholic priest facing three counts of child rape and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child, begins tomorrow. These charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. Shanley remains one of the only priests in the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston indicted in the […]
Ruth Kelly, who was recently appointed by British Prime Minister Tony Blair to serve as Education Secretary, has been linked to the far-right religious sect Opus Dei. Described as a cult by some, Opus Dei practices indicate a belief that women should be subservient to men, and some of its more fervent members practice self-mortification. […]
After a spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Church in Spain for the first time expressed support of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, Spain’s bishops retracted the statement. Juan Antonio Martinez Camino, spokesperson for the Spanish Bishops Conference, told reporters in Madrid, “Condoms have a place in the global prevention of AIDS” and that […]
