On June 14, 2025, Minnesota lost one of its most dedicated public servants. Melissa Hortman, Speaker Emerita of the Minnesota House of Representatives, was assassinated alongside her husband, Mark, in their Brooklyn Park home. The shooting, described by authorities as a “politically motivated act of domestic terrorism,” shocked the state and the nation. The attacker, […]
On Wednesday, May 21, a federal judge in Louisiana struck down regulations that require most U.S. employers to provide their employees with time off and other accommodations for abortions. Abortions are one of many pregnancy-related medical conditions covered under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which passed in December 2022 with the goal of improving the […]
The U.S. Supreme Court is deliberating several significant cases that could reshape aspects of American law and society. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 on two cases including FDA v. Wages and White Lion Investments, LLC regulating flavored vapes, and TikTok Inc. v. Garland on banning TikTok for national security. As the […]
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) has introduced a new bill in the House, the so-called “Life at Conception Act” (HR 722), which would ban abortion across the nation. According to a press release from Burlison’s office on Jan. 24, “This landmark legislation declares that unborn children are ‘persons’ under the 14th Amendment to the United States […]
Capitol Police prepare to arrest Lauren Handy, third from left, of Anti-Choice Project D.C., and other antiabortion demonstrators, who participated in a “pray-in” outside the office of then-Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to protest a canceled House vote that would ban abortions after 20 weeks on March 25, 2015. (Tom Williams / CQ Roll Call) *adapted […]
Emotions ran high over the past few weeks as reproductive rights activists watched United States v. Lauren Handy et al., play out in federal court. On Tuesday, a federal jury convicted five anti-abortion defendants of federal civil rights offenses in connection with a reproductive health care clinic invasion and blockade in Washington, D.C., on Oct. […]
On August 2, Kansas voters whether to amend the state constitution to say it does not include a right to abortion. Nearly 60 percent voted against the measure, affirming that a majority of Kansans support abortion access. The measure was part of a primary ballot, which are closed in Kansas. Registered Republicans far outnumber Democrats […]
Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that the criminalization of abortion is unconstitutional in a unanimous vote Tuesday. This decision sets a precedent to decriminalize abortion throughout the country, which has the second-largest Catholic population in the world. At question was a law in the northern state of Coahuila which stated people who had an abortion, or […]
This week, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will convene to debate whether President Biden and other Catholic politicians who support access to abortion should be denied Communion for their beliefs on abortion rights. Biden, a devout Catholic, has been denied Communion before for his position on abortion rights. As the first Catholic president since […]
After the Polish constitutional court issued a ruling in October that imposed a near-total ban on abortion in the country, over one hundred thousand Polish activsts have been been protesting the law, now for over 100 days. These protests are the largest mass protest movement that the country has seen in its post-communist era. Yesterday, […]
On December 30, Argentina’s Senate voted to legalize abortions for the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. This vote comes after years of pro-choice activism in the conservative country. Until now, abortion was only permitted in cases of rape or when the mother’s health was at risk. Abortion patients could be punished by up to 15 […]
The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that anti-discrimination employment laws do not protect employees at religious institutions, even if they do not primarily serve a ministerial purpose. The 7-2 decision in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, in which Justices Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer joined the court’s conservative bloc, could affect more than 100,000 […]
In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court upheld a Trump Administration rule which expands the types of organizations that can claim religious or moral exemptions under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The rule allows these organizations to refuse to cover birth control under their health insurance plans. Justice Thomas wrote the majority opinion, and was […]
In a 5-4 decision yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that prohibiting religious schools from receiving state funding in school choice programs violates the First Amendment right to freely exercise religion. The court’s decision in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue was split along ideological lines, with Chief Justice Roberts, along with Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, Alito […]
Feminist Majority Foundation For the second year, the Feminist Majority Foundation concluded a nationwide survey of anti-abortion violence in the United States. The survey collected data on acts of violence targeted at clinics and health care workers during the first seven months of 1994 and following the July 1994 murders of Dr. John Bayard Britton and his […]
For nearly four decades reproductive health clinics and abortion providers throughout the United States have been under attack. There have been thousands of violent incidents including blockades, invasions, chemical attacks, arsons, bombings, death threats, shootings, sniper attacks, and cold-blooded murder. Anti-abortion extremists are waging a war of attrition. This strategy targets one set of clinics […]
Political power was the password for the women’s rights movement at the beginning of 1993. Having closed 1992 pushing Clinton to honor his campaign promise of making his cabinet look like America, feminist leaders remained determined to shatter the political glass ceiling to regain the ground lost during the 1980’s under the Reagan-Bush Administrations and […]
From: NOW (National Organization for Women) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRESS CONTACTS: Barbara Ireton, 202-DU 7-3110 Betty Friedan, 212-874-1658 Muriel Fox, 212-YU 8-1124 NOTE: The latter two may be reached Monday, Nov. 20, through the Mayflower Hotel. WASHINGTON, D. C. November 20 – – The National Organization for Women (NOW) announced today that its second annual […]
Constitutional Protection Against Sex Discrimination An informational memorandum prepared for the National Organization for Women (NOW) regarding the Equal Rights Amendment and similar proposals. NOW’s Statement of Purpose endorses the principle that women should exercise all the privileges and responsibilities of American society in equal partnership with men and states that: “the power of American […]
Events Members and delegates gathered in Washington, D.C. for NOW’s Silver Anniversary and 25th annual conference, presided over by NOW’s eighth national president, Patricia Ireland. Events included a gala dinner honoring past presidents of the organization at the French Embassy, an auction, and a women’s comedy night produced by Robin Tyler. The centerpiece was a […]
