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2/3/2012 - Same-Sex Marriage Bill Passes in WA Senate
The Washington state Senate voted 28 to 21 this week to pass a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, with four Republicans voting in support of the bill. The bill could go to the state House as early as next week, where it is expected to pass. Governor Chris Gregoire (D) has indicated that she will sign the bill into law, which would make Washington the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage.
Lacey All, Chair of Washington United for marriage, stated, "We thank Majority Leader Brown, Sen. Murray and the bipartisan coalition of senators who stood with us today in the name of equality. The overwhelming support we're seeing from businesses, labor, faith communities, and people all across the state is a testament to the momentum of this movement and sensibilities of Washingtonians."
At the first public hearing on same-sex marriage in Washington state last week, Senator Mary Margaret Haugen (D) announced that she would support legalizing same-sex marriage. With Haugen's vote, considered the deciding vote, the state Senate had enough votes to pass its same sex-marriage bill.
Currently, New Jersey, Illinois, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Hawaii recognize same-sex civil unions. Same-sex couples can obtain marriage licenses in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, and Washington, DC.
2/3/2012 - VA Senate Blocks Fetal Pain Bill
Yesterday the Virginia Senate Committee on Education and Health voted against a bill that would have banned abortions at 20 weeks and would impose criminal penalties on doctors. The bill is based on the unfounded notion that the fetus can feel pain at this point in the pregnancy. The American College of Gynecology refutes assertions that fetuses can feel pain at 20 weeks, stating that there is "no legitimate evidence that fetuses can experience pain."
Tarina Keene, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, stated, "We are very pleased that the members of this committee recognized both how extreme and unconstitutional this legislation is as well as its potential impact on women's health. This bill would have taken away a woman's ability to make an extremely personal and private medical decision and place it in the hands of politicians. It is not the job of the legislature to make medical decisions about others' unforeseen circumstances."
Currently, women may legally seek an abortion in Virginia between 24 and 25 weeks gestation or at the end of the second trimester.
2/3/2012 - Komen To Continue Grants To Planned Parenthood
The Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure issued a statement today indicating that it would continue to provide grants to Planned Parenthood affiliates for breast cancer screenings, treatments, and education after announcing earlier this week that it would cease providing such grants.
The Komen Foundation stated, "We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives. We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair... Our only goal for our granting process is to support women and families in the fight against breast cancer. Amending our criteria will ensure that politics has no place in our grant process. We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities."
Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America stated, "The outpouring of support for women in need of lifesaving breast cancer screening this week has been astonishing and is a testament to our nation's compassion and sincerity. In recent weeks, the treasured relationship between the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation and Planned Parenthood has been challenged, and we are now heartened that we can continue to work in partnership toward our shared commitment to breast health for the most underserved women. We are enormously grateful that the Komen Foundation has clarified its grantmaking criteria, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Komen partners, leaders and volunteers."
2/2/2012 - Komen Foundation to Stop Grants to PPFA
Yesterday the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure announced that, in accordance with its new policies, it will no longer award grants to Planned Parenthood affiliates to conduct breast cancer screenings, education, and treatment. Anti-abortion groups have criticized and threatened the Susan G. Komen Foundation for providing approximately $600,000 annually to 19 Planned Parenthood affiliates for breast exams, screening, and education. Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), stated, "We are alarmed and saddened that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation appears to have succumbed to political pressure."
Judy Norsigian, author of Our Bodies, Ourselves,, told NPR, "One of the things many women don't understand is that the founder of Komen, Nancy Brinker, has had a long-standing and supportive relationship with the Bush family and with the Bush presidencies, with the Republican party and on many occasions has supported policies that most supporters of Komen probably wouldn't approve of." Moreover, The Atlantic reports that the decision was largely guided by Karen Handel, the new senior vice president of public policy for the Komen Foundation, who expressed her strongly anti-abortion views during her campaign for governor of Georgia.
"It's tragic that the Susan Komen Foundation is politicizing breast cancer care by its decision to exclude the PPFA affiliates from funding for breast cancer exams, screenings, and education. We must stop making women's health care a political football. Thankfully PPFA and its affiliates and supporters will not be intimidated and will continue its vitally needed breast health program and reproductive health services," said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America has launched the Planned Parenthood Breast Health Fund to ensure that the nineteen Planned Parenthood clinics that previously received support from the Komen Foundation are not adversely affected by the Komen Foundation's decision. Richards added, "Our greatest desire is for Komen to reconsider this policy and recommit to the partnership on which so many women count. While this is deeply disturbing and disappointing, we want to assure women who rely on Planned Parenthood for breast care that we're still here for them, and we always will be. The new fund we're launching to support these services will ensure that the Komen Foundation's decision doesn't jeopardize women's health."
According to Planned Parenthood, its clinics that have received funding from the Komen Foundation have provided approximately 170,000 breast exams and 64,000 mammogram referrals. Throughout the nation, Planned Parenthood clinics provide some 750,000 breast screenings per year. Planned Parenthood indicated in its statement that "more than 90 percent of Planned Parenthood health care is preventive, including lifesaving cancer screenings, birth control, prevention and treatment of STDs, breast health services, Pap tests, and sexual health education and information."
2/2/2012 - Departments of Labor and Treasury to Enhance Retirement Security
The US Departments of Labor and the Treasury announced, following the President's State of the Union Address, two executive actions to help Americans save for retirement and to plan for longevity, as well as to increase transparency regarding their 401K plan options. According to the Departments of Labor and the Treasury, the executive actions are particularly important for women, who tend to live longer than men and thus need greater savings.
The executive actions will revise a previous regulation to allow Americans to consider partial annuities, "which allow retirees to receive a steady stream of income for the duration of their lifetimes while also keeping a portion of their savings invested in assets with the flexibility to respond to liquidity needs." The executive actions will also clarify lifetime income option policies for employees and their spouses. As a result of the first ruling, employees could obtain a low-cost annuity from their employer's pension plan using a single-sum 401K payout. The second ruling will allow employers to give their employees the option of using their 401K savings "to purchase deferred annuities and still satisfy spousal protection rules with minimal administrative burdens."
Treasurer Secretary Tim Geithner stated, "When American workers take the responsible step of saving for retirement, we should do all we can to provide them with sensible, accessible choices for managing their hard-earned savings. Having the ability to choose from expanded options will help retirees and their families achieve greater value and security."
US Labor Secretary Hilda Solis added, "This common sense rule greatly benefits employers by enhancing the information service providers must disclose to them about the costs associated with providing workplace retirement plans. This rule, and its companion participant-level fee disclosure rule, bring transparency to retirement saving. The rules will enable businesses that sponsor retirement plans, and the workers who participate in the plans, to make better decisions about those plans, the fees they pay, and their investments, leading to cost savings for retirement savers nationwide."
2/2/2012 - VAWA Reauthorization Passed by Committee on Party Line Vote
The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2011 (VAWA) was voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning on a party-line vote of 10-8. All Democrats voted to move the bill to the Senate floor for a vote and all Republicans voted no. Although Republican Judiciary Committee Members voted against sending the bill to the full Senate, Republican Senators Scott Brown (MA), Michael Crapo (UT) and Lisa Murkowski (AK) have signed on as cosponsors of the bill.
Despite intense opposition from Ranking Republican Senator Charles Grassley (IA), the bill introduced by Democratic Committee Chair Patrick Leahy's (VT) was voted out almost intact. Grassley's substitute bill, which failed to pass, included closing the Office of Violence Against Women in the U.S Department of Justice.
The Iowa Republican, however, was successful in gaining sufficient votes to amend the Leahy bill. One amendment that passed includes mandatory minimum sentences of five years for aggravated sexual assaults. This provision was opposed by sexual assault victim advocates who are concerned that it will deter victims from reporting incidents to the police.
"The fact that not a single Republican member of the Judiciary Committee voted to send VAWA to the floor is an outrage. It is clear that the war on women has no boundaries" said Norma Gattsek, Director of Government Relations for the Feminist Majority after today's vote.
2/1/2012 - Komen Foundation to End Partnership with PPFA
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the largest breast-cancer charity in the United States, announced that it will end its partnership with Planned Parenthood affiliates. This will prevent Planned Parenthood affiliates from receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars to conduct breast cancer screenings annually. According to Planned Parenthood, its clinics received $680,000 last year alone from the Komen foundation.
Representatives from the Komen foundation indicated that they ended the partnership with Planned Parenthood because the Komen foundation recently adopted a policy, which states that grants may not be given to organizations that are under investigation by local, state, or federal officials. Leslie Aun, a spokesperson for the Komen foundation, indicated that because Planned Parenthood's spending on abortion services is the subject of an investigation initiated by Representative Cliff Stearns (R-FL), the Komen foundation has elected to end its partnership.
Officials from Planned Parenthood have indicated that they believe that the Komen foundation was motivated by pressure from anti-abortion forces. Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, stated, "It's hard to understand how an organization with whom we share a mission of saving women's lives could have bowed to this kind of bullying. It's really hurtful. Until really recently, the Komen foundation had been praising our breast health programs as essential. This really abrupt about-face was very surprising. I think the Komen foundation has been bullied by right-wing groups."
Planned Parenthood health centers across the country conduct over one million cervical cancer screenings and 830,000 breast exams yearly. Its clinics also provide contraception to approximately 2.5 million women per year.
2/1/2012 - Department of Labor Announces Equal Pay App Challenge
The US Department of Labor, in partnership with the National Equal Pay Task Force, announced that it will launch a new Equal Pay App Challenge, to encourage web developers to create a software application to educate users about the pay gap and work to eliminate it. The winners of the challenge will be announced on Equal Pay Day in April.
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis stated, "Women make up nearly half of the U.S. labor force and play a vital role in the nation's economy. While progress has been made in recent decades, the pay gap continues to disadvantage many women, with consequences not only for them, but for their families and the economy as a whole."
White House Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra added, "Today's employers and employees are more resourceful and technologically savvy than ever before, but too many remain unaware of how the pay gap affects them. By encouraging developers to help us solve this problem, we're leveraging the unique ability of the federal government to provide mountains of valuable data as well as the innovation power of the private sector."
In the United States, women make on the average 77 cents to a man's dollar, despite women's greater likelihood of attending college and earning a degree. Since women comprise over half of the workforce and are the primary or co-breadwinners in over 66 percent of families, the wage gap harms not only women, but also families that suffer from lost wages, decreased pensions, and reduced Social Security benefits.
1/31/2012 - Department of Labor Seeks Comments on FMLA for Military
Today First Lady Michelle Obama joined US Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis to announce proposed regulations to update the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for military families. The changes would entitle family members take up to twelve weeks of exigency leave to assist a relative in the armed forces who is deployed on short notice, in order to handle financial, legal, or childcare resulting from the deployment. Currently exigency leave is only granted to family members of those in the National Guard and the military reserves who are called up.
Under the Obama proposal, family members would also be allowed to take up to 26 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to care for a service member with a serious illness or injury as a result of military service. The proposed revisions would be applicable to military caregivers for up to five years after their family member has left the military and would also enable caregivers to take FMLA leave from work to provide care for conditions that did not appear until after the service member left the military. The extended FMLA provisions were previously only applicable to caregivers of currently serving service members.
In addition, Family and Medical Leave Act protections would be extended to flight crews, including flight attendants, who had previously been excluded from the ability to take the unpaid, job-protected leave because their work schedules did not fit into a traditional work week.
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis stated, "Keeping the basic promise of America alive means ensuring that workers, from our servicemen and servicewomen who keep us safe at home to the flight crews who keep us safe in the skies, have the resources and opportunities they need and have rightfully earned. The proposed revisions the announced today are an important step toward keeping that promise."
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking http://www.dol.gov/whd/FMLANPRM.htm
Comments may be submitted electronically at http://www.regulations.gov through April 11, 2008. Enter the words "Family and Medical Leave Act" (including quotation marks) in the "COMMENT OR SUBMISSION" field to make a comment or view submitted comments.
1/31/2012 - Women's Rights Groups Launch Campaign to Save Birth Control from Catholic Bishops
Beginning today, women's rights groups - including the Feminist Majority Foundation, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the National Organization for Women (NOW), the National Council of Jewish Women, and others - have launched a campaign and blog carnival to support the Obama Administration's decision to maintain full contraceptive coverage under the Preventive Care package of the Affordable Care Act. The administration has been under enormous pressure from the Catholic bishops to broaden the religious exemption. The campaign, which will include a blog carnival this week and other actions, aims to correct misinformation generated by negative newspaper editorials and other media outlets.
The request to broaden the religious exemption, primarily pressed by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, would have denied millions of American women contraceptive coverage, including students, teachers, nurses, social workers, and other staff (and their families) at religiously-connected or affiliated schools, universities, and hospitals, as well as social service institutions like Catholic Charities.
Employer insurance plans must not discriminate against women in health care, and must cover FDA approved birth control with no co-pays or deductibles starting in August 2012. Non-profit religious institutions' employer plans that do not currently cover contraception will have an additional year to comply. Those institutions that currently cover birth control in their health insurance plan, however, must offer it without copays or deductibles by August 2012. Moreover, student insurance plans at religiously affiliated universities must cover contraception with no co-pays or deductibles beginning August 2012. Only employees who work directly for a house of worship or church hierarchy, such as for a church, diocese, synagogue, or mosque itself, are exempted from this required coverage.
In August 2011, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new guidelines, developed by the Institute of Medicine, that will require private insurance plans under the Preventive Care package of the Affordable Care Act beginning on or after August 1, 2012 to cover without co-pays or deductibles a variety of services, such as an annual well-woman visit and cancer screenings, counseling, such as for domestic and interpersonal violence, and testing for HIV and STIs, as well as all FDA-approved contraceptives, breastfeeding support, lactation services, and supplies.
1/31/2012 - Blog Carnival Will Support VAWA Reauthorization
A blog carnival is beginning today in support of the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), sponsored by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Mike Crapo (R-ID). A Senate briefing was held last week on VAWA, which is due to expire at the end of this year. The legislation is scheduled to be marked up in the Senate committee on Thursday.
VAWA was originally drafted by then-Senator Joe Biden and was signed into law in 1994. It was then reauthorized by Congress in both 2000 and 2005. The law has thus far allocated more than $9 billion to improve federal, state, and local-level investigation and prosecution of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault and to provide support for prevention, education, temporary shelters, rape crisis centers and community services for survivors.
It is estimated that every nine seconds, a woman is abused in the United States and nearly one-third of women in the United States report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some time in their lives. Since the passage of VAWA, the rate of intimate partner violence has dropped by 53 percent. A summary of the blog posts will appear at www.HERvotes.us
1/30/2012 - First-Ever Oral HPV Study Conducted
The first-ever study of oral human papillomavirus (HPV) in the United States, conducted by the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, revealed that 7 percent of people in the United States are infected with oral HPV. This may account for the growing rate of mouth and throat cancers over the past twenty-five years.
According to the National Partnership for Women and Families 10.1 percent of men were found to have oral HPV, as compared to 3.6 percent of women. Moreover, 42 percent of women in their 20s were found to have genital HPV.
The researchers of the study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined oral-fluid samples of 5,000 people between the ages of 14 and 69.
1/30/2012 - UN Secretary General Promotes Women's Rights, Gay Rights
In a speech to the African Union Summit in Ethiopia, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for the end to discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. General Ban Ki-moon encouraged renewed efforts to ensure women's greater representation in parliaments in African countries and stated the importance of ensuring that women are part of the peace process in Africa.
He remarked, "We must ensure that women are fully represented in in decision-making bodies, including in Egypt and Tunisia where they played a role" in the protests of the Arab Spring. He also described women as "champions of peace."
The Secretary General denounced discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, which is criminalized in many African countries, saying, "This has prompted some governments to treat people as second-class citizens, or even criminals. Confronting discrimination is a challenge." Homosexuality is illegal in most African countries with the exception of South Africa, which recognizes gay marriage, but even there, anti-gay practices such as "corrective rapes" of lesbians, are commonplace.
1/27/2012 - Abortion Medically Safer than Childbirth
A new study, conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Raymond and Dr. David Grimes and published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, indicates that the likelihood of women dying during childbirth is 14 times higher than the likelihood of dying during an abortion. According to the study, between 1998 and 2005, one woman died per every 11,000 pregnancies but only one woman died per every 167,000 legal abortions performed. Moreover, women who carried their pregnancy to term were more likely to experience high blood pressure, urinary tract infections, and mental health disorders than women who had abortions.
Bryna Harwood, an ob-gyn at the University of Illinois- Chicago, expressed her concern about state laws which require that women be read a list of abortion-related complications, some of which are not medically proven, by their doctors prior to obtaining abortions. She stated, "It is certainly an impediment to have the state dictate my informed consent process beyond the usual. Abortion care and pregnancy care should not really be any different than consenting people for any other procedure."
The study was conducted as a collaboration between the Gynuity Health Projects of New York and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and used data compiled from government agencies. The researchers in the study indicated that the study was not intended to encourage women seek abortion services but instead to reveal that a legal abortion is a safe alternative for women who do not wish to carry their pregnancies to term.
1/27/2012 - Same-Sex Marriage Referendum Likely to Appear on ME Ballot
EqualityMaine, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Main Women's Lobby announced on Thursday that they have 105,000 petitions signed by Maine voters, which far exceeds the 57,277 required to place a question on the November ballot regarding same-sex marriage. The Secretary of State's Office now has 30 days to certify that the signatures are valid. Three years ago, Maine residents voted 53 to 47 on a referendum to overturn the state Legislature's vote to legalize same-sex marriage.
Betsy Smith, executive director of EqualityMaine, stated, "Many people have changed their minds. The number of signatures we gathered and the thoughtful conversations we've been having with voters tell us that Mainers are eager to speak on this question again."
Maine is the only state in New England in which civil unions or same-sex marriages are not legalized. Currently, New Jersey, Illinois, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Hawaii recognize same-sex civil unions. Same-sex couples can obtain marriage licenses in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, and Washington DC.
1/26/2012 - AZ Congressman Introduces Bill to Restrict Abortion in DC
Arizona Representative Trent Franks (R) introduced the District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act this week that would prohibit women in the District of Columbia from having an abortion after 20 weeks gestation unless her life is in danger. The bill is based on the unfounded notion that the fetus can feel pain at this point in the pregnancy. The American College of Gynecology refutes assertions that fetuses can feel pain at 20 week, stating that there is "no legitimate evidence that fetuses can experience pain."
Washington DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton criticized the bill stating, "We do not intend to succumb to the insatiable Republican obsession with interfering with the rights of women in our city. Instead of spending the recess focused on jumpstarting the economy or attending to the business of his own constituents, Representative Franks appears to have used his time at home figuring out new ways to undemocratically usurp the local authority of American citizes who did not elect him and who have no way to hold him accountable."
Franks responded by saying, "Congress has the seminal and incontrovertible responsibility for making legislative policy in the District of Columbia." Currently, six states - Idaho, Nebraska, Kansas, Alabama, Indiana, and Oklahoma - have "fetal pain" laws. These laws directly challenge the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, which allows women to obtain abortion services until fetal viability at 22-24 weeks
1/26/2012 - IN Senate Committee Votes to Restrict Medical Abortion Pill
Yesterday, the Indiana Senate health committee voted 5 to 4 to further restrict women's access to RU-486, or the abortion pill. If the bill passes, doctors would be required to conduct an in-person examination of a woman before prescribing the abortion pill, as well as give her written information of the risks of an abortion and perform a follow-up ultrasound two weeks later. Doctors who fail to comply could face misdemeanor charges.
The bill also requires that doctors follow FDA guidelines recommending that doctors prescribe a 600 milligram dose of the drug, even though studies have found 200 milligrams of the drug to be adequate. Dr. John Stutsman, medical director of Planned Parenthood of Indiana and a professor at Indiana University, indicated that the higher dosage would increase the possibility of side effects for the woman.
The Associated Press reports that mifepristone is currently used in about 15 percent of abortions in the United States. Marketed as Mifeprex in the United States, the drug provides women with more privacy than a surgical procedure does because women are able to take the pill home. Mifepristone has also increased the accessibility of abortion. Among Planned Parenthood's 322 clinics nationwide that provide abortion, almost half administer mifepristone, but do not offer surgery.
1/24/2012 - WA Gains Necessary Vote to Pass Same-Sex Marriage Bill
At the first public hearing on same-sex marriage in Washington state, Senator Mary Margaret Haugen (D) announced that she will support legalizing same-sex marriage. With Haugen's vote, considered the deciding vote, the state Senate will have enough votes to pass its same sex-marriage bill, as will the state House. Moreover, Governor Chris Gregoire (D) has indicated that she will sign the bill into law, which would make Washington the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage.
Washington Senator Ed Murray, who sponsored the legislation, stated, "I'm proud of the steps the Senate and House committees took today to advance marriage equality in Washington. Momentum continues to grow and we're seeing blossoming support from people of every walk of life. Now is the time for our state and our people to recognize that treating all Washingtonians equally is not only the right thing to do, but it's the Washington way."
Lacey All, chair for Washington United for Marriage, also remarked, "Washington United thanks the respective senate and house committees for taking a bold step towards equality today. Marriage is about respect, dignity, love and commitment which is exactly what you heard from our testifiers. As families across the state struggle to hold and find jobs, and to keep their families warm and safe, we can take this action to make sure that all families are protected and included in our united social and economic fabrics of society."
1/24/2012 - Abortion Rate Stalls Worldwide
"Induced Abortion: Incidence and Trends Worldwide from 1995 to 2008," a study conducted by the Guttmacher Institute and the World Health Organization and published in the Lancet, indicates that since 2008, the decline in the worldwide rate of abortions has stalled. According to the study, "between 1995 and 2003, the overall number of abortions per 1,000 women of childbearing age (14-44) dropped from 35 to 29." However since 2008, the rate as remained at 28 per 1,000.
Gilda Sedgh, the lead author for the study, stated, "The declining abortion trend we had seen globally has stalled, and we are also seeing a growing proportion of abortions occurring in developing countries, where the procedure is often clandestine and unsafe. This is cause for concern. This plateau coincides with a slowdown in contraceptive uptake. Without greater investment in quality family planning services, we can expect this trend to persist."
The researchers also noted that approximately 50 percent of abortions performed in the world are unsafe, and 13 percent of all maternal deaths could be attributed to unsafe abortions in 2008. The findings also indicate that restrictive abortion laws do not necessarily result in lower rates of abortion.
1/23/2012 - Political Parity Launches Year of Women Campaign
A coalition of women's rights leaders has launched a bipartisan campaign to double the number of women elected to the highest levels of government by 2020. Political Parity held a press conference on January 19th to announce the initiative chaired by Swanee Hunt and Kerry Healey. Healey dubbed the campaign a "grand experiment".
Speaking at the Round Table was Mary Hughes of the 2012 Project, Tiffany Dufu of the White House Project, congressional staffer Tara Setmayer, Debbie Walsh of Rutgers University's Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), and Sam Bennett of the Women's Campaign Fund. The panelists spoke to increasing the overall number of female elected officials over the next ten years by encouraging women to run for public office and by using research to further women's campaigns.
The group intends to turn 2012 into a new �Year of Women�. The original "Year of Women" occurred in 1992 when women were elected to office in vast numbers. Currently, women comprise only 17% of Congress. Bennett declared that "Political Parity is today�s Seneca Falls" and will work across party lines to promote women's political campaigns.
1/23/2012 - Women Win One Percent of Seats in Egyptian Elections
Final results of the first post-revolutionary parliament elections in Egypt confirm that women have won one percent of the parliamentary seats. The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party won 47% of the seats and the conservative Salafist Nour Party won 25% of the seats, according to the Washington Post. Individuals won one third of the seats and the other two thirds were won by parties or coalitions. No women won seats as individuals.
The newly elected parliament will appoint a body to write the new constitution. The Freedom and Justice Party has promised that all of the political factions will be given a voice in the parliament. The elected members expect full legislative power but the ruling generals in the country have also expressed that they intend to influence the drafting of the constitution.
The head of the ruling military council used his executive power to appoint ten of the 508 members of the new parliament. Of these ten, three were women and five were Coptic Christians.
Women played a key role in the Egyptian revolution last year. As recently as December 2011, thousands of women gathered in Cairo as part of the "Million Women March" to protest police brutality towards female protestors in Egypt.
1/23/2012 - Silver Ribbon Trust Women Campaign Hosts Virtual March
The Silver Ribbon Trust Women Campaign, a coalition of 42 local and national pro-choice organizations, has declared January 20-27 Trust Women Week to celebrate and commemorate the 39th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
The Silver Ribbon Campaign this year has organized a virtual online march in partnership with moveon.org to organize the pro-choice community around support for reproductive health and rights. So far there are close to 68,000 and counting participants in the march.
The organizers of the march have declared it a "super-petition" for reproductive rights. Participants who sign up will be able to write a message to voice their support for reproductive rights. The messages will then appear on the national virtual map.
Visit Trust Women Week march to participate.
1/20/2012 - Feminist Majority Applauds HHS for Rejecting Religious Exemption for Contraceptive Coverage
Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services announced today the Obama Administration will not broaden the religious exemption for contraceptive coverage under the Preventive Care package of the Affordable Care Act. This request, primarily by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, would have denied millions of American women contraceptive coverage, including students, teachers, nurses, social workers, and other staff (and their families) at religiously-connected or associated schools, universities, and hospitals, as well as institutions, such as Catholic Charities.
Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority Foundation, stated, "This is a landmark victory for the health of young women. We applaud this decision for women by Secretary Sebelius and the Obama Administration. Birth control is the number one prescription drug for women ages 18 to 44 years. Right now, the average woman has to pay $50 per month for 30 years for birth control. No wonder many low income women have had to forgo regular use of birth control and half of US pregnancies are unplanned. This decision will help millions of women and their families."
Employer insurance plans must cover FDA approved birth control with no co-pays or deductibles starting August 2012. Non-profit religious institutions employer plans, under this new rule, that do not currently cover contraception must do so with no copays or deductibles beginning August 2013. Those non-profit religiously affiliated institutions that currently cover birth control, however, must offer it without copays or deductibles by August 2012. Moreover, student insurance plans at religiously affiliated universities must cover contraception with no co-pays or deductibles beginning August 2012. Only women who work directly for a house of worship, such as for a church, synagogue, or mosque itself, are exempted from this required coverage.
Women's rights and pro-choice groups, including the Feminist Majority Foundation, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the National Women's Law Center, the National Council of Jewish Women, the National Organization for Women (NOW), and NARAL Pro-Choice America, urged the Obama Administration not to consider the broader religious exemption.
In August 2011, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new guidelines, developed by the Institute of Medicine, that will require private insurance plans under the Preventive Care package of the Affordable Care Act beginning on or after August 1, 2012 to cover without co-pays or deductibles a variety of services, such as an annual well-woman visit and cancer screenings, counseling, such as for domestic and interpersonal violence, and testing for HIV and STIs, as well as all FDA-approved contraceptives, breastfeeding support, lactation services, and supplies.
1/20/2012 - Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
Events have been scheduled around the country to commemorate the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. For those living near the nation's capital, please join the Feminist Majority Foundation for several events in the next few days.
Virtual March, January 20-27, 2012
NARAL's Blog for Choice, January 22, 2012
World Can't Wait Celebration Dinner and Speak Out, January 22, 2012, 8:00 pm, Busboys and Poets
Vigil to commemorate the 39th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade Jan. 23, 2012, 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m, in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, 1 First Street NE, Washington, D.C.
1/20/2012 - Statement of Eleanor Smeal On the Decision of Kathleen Sebelius and the Obama Administration Not to Broaden the Religious Exemption for Contraceptive Coverage
The Feminist Majority Foundation applauds the decision of Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services Secretary, and the Obama Administration not to broaden the religious exemption for contraceptive coverage under the Preventive Care package of the Affordable Care Act. This request, primarily by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, would have denied millions of American women contraceptive coverage, including students, teachers, nurses, social workers, and other staff (and their families) at religiously-connected or associated schools, universities, and hospitals, as well as institutions, such as Catholic Charities.
At last- concern for women's health trumps pressure from the Catholic Bishops. Millions of women who may have been denied access to birth control with no co-pays or deductibles will now have full access. I am especially pleased that college students at religiously affiliated institutions will now have coverage for birth control without co-pays or deductibles under their school health plans beginning in August 2012.
Birth control is the number one prescription drug for women ages 18 to 44 years. Right now, the average woman has to pay $50 per month for 30 years for birth control. No wonder many low-income women have had to forgo regular use of birth control and half of US pregnancies are unplanned. This decision will help millions of women and their families.
Employer insurance plans must cover FDA approved birth control with no co-pays or deductibles starting August 2012. Non-profit religious institutions employer plans, under this new rule, that do not currently cover contraception must do so with no copays or deductibles beginning August 2013. Those non-profit religiously affiliated institutions that currently cover birth control, however, must offer it without copays or deductibles by August 2012. Moreover, student insurance plans at religiously affiliated universities must cover contraception with no co-pays or deductibles beginning August 2012. Only women who work directly for a house of worship, such as for a church, synagogue, or mosque itself, are exempted from this required coverage.
Women's rights and pro-choice groups, including the Feminist Majority Foundation, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the National Women's Law Center, the National Council of Jewish Women, the National Organization for Women (NOW), and NARAL Pro-Choice America, urged the Obama Administration not to consider the broader religious exemption.
In August 2011, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new guidelines, developed by the Institute of Medicine, that will require private insurance plans under the Preventive Care package of the Affordable Care Act beginning on or after August 1, 2012 to cover without co-pays or deductibles a variety of services, such as an annual well-woman visit and cancer screenings, counseling, such as for domestic and interpersonal violence, and testing for HIV and STIs, as well as all FDA-approved contraceptives, breastfeeding support, lactation services, and supplies.
