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News Stories 101 to 125 of 11999 
4/29/2013 - Mary Thom, Former Ms. Magazine Executive Editor, Dies at 68
Mary Thom, one of the longest serving editors of Ms. Magazine, died in a motorcycle crash over the weekend. Thom was the Editor in Chief of the Women's Media Center.
Thom joined Ms. Magazine in 1972 as a researcher and stayed with the magazine for twenty years as executive editor. In 1992, Thom wrote Inside Ms.: 25 Years of the Magazine and the Feminist Movement, a history of the magazine. She also edited a compilation of letters sent to Ms. from 1972 to 1987.
The co-founders of the Women's Media Center, Jane Fonda, Gloria Steinem, and Robin Morgan, said in a statement "Ms. Magazine, the Women's Media Center, the women's movement and American journalism have suffered an enormous blow. Mary was and will always be our moral compass and steady heart."
"She was always there," said Eleanor Smeal, president of Feminist Majority Foundation and publisher of Ms. Magazine. "She was always there as a guiding hand to make sure that the spirit of feminism came through in everything in the writing at Ms. Magazine and later at Women's Media Center. She strengthened the writing of two generations of feminists. She will truly be missed."
4/29/2013 - Quinnipiac Will Keep Women's Volleyball in Title IX Settlement
Quinnipiac University has agreed to keep women's volley ball as a varsity sport, increase scholarships for female athletes and expand opportunities for women as part of a Title IX legal settlement.
The case against Quinnipiac began in 2009 when the university made an announcement that the school was cutting women's volleyball, men's golf, and men's outdoor track and changing competitive cheerleading to a varsity sport. The lawsuit, brought by ACLU, Pullman & Comley, and Sports Equity, claimed that Quinnipiac violated Title IX by failing to provide equal opportunity to women athletes to participate in varsity-level sports. One of the female coaches testified that the school takes names of male student athletes off team rosters and then reinstitutes them in order to make the school's Title IX reports appear to be in compliance with the law. In 2010, U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill ruled in favor of the women athletes and required Quinnipiac to come into compliance.
Sandra Staub, legal director of the ACLU Foundation of Connecticut, said, "This litigation advanced the cause of equality for female collegiate athletes across the nation, and the settlement will bring tremendous benefits to female athletes at Quinnipiac University." David McQuire, an attorney with the ACLU Foundation of Connecticut, told reporters, "It's not just about the numbers, it's about the quality of benefits the teams receive... We believe Quinnipiac is committed to implementing this and coming up with a first-class non-discriminatory athletic program."
The settlement must still be approved by Judge Underhill.
4/26/2013 - DOJ Issues Guidelines for Medical Examinations of Sexual Assault Victims
New national guidelines on forensic medical examination in sexual assault cases were released by the Department of Justice this Wednesday. In addition to focusing on the victim's emotional and physical wellbeing during medical examinations, the guidelines also clearly state a recommendation that sexual assault victims are offered emergency contraception. In the case that the medical staff has moral objections, the patient must be informed where they can immediately obtain emergency contraception.
The last guidelines were issued in 2004 and were mostly focused on criminal prosecution. The new guidelines [PDF] prioritize the victim's emotional and physical needs over criminal prosecution. Bea Hanson, the director of the Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women, cites this shift in priority as a means to help the victim and law enforcement better collaborate. "Research shows that once victims get support, they're more likely to cooperate with the criminal justice system," Hanson said.
A former investigator of sex crimes for the Phoenix Police Department, Sergeant Jim Markey, described the new guidelines as "long overdue." He explained, "What this does is this allows workers in the trenches, those victim advocates, those detectives and nurses, to go to the decision makers and leaders in their communities and say: 'You know what? Here are the standards. We need the resources to provide the minimum standards that are in this protocol.'"
4/26/2013 - Bill to Expand Abortion Access in Peace Corps Introduced
On Thursday, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced a bill that would extend insurance coverage for abortion in cases of rape or incest to Peace Corps volunteers. Currently only paid Peace Corps staff have this coverage, forcing Peace Corps volunteers who are assaulted to pay for abortion procedures out of pocket. The bill, titled the "Peace Corps Equity Act" is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Currently there is no sponsor in the House.
In a press release, Lautenberg said "We must not stand idly by while Peace Corps volunteers continue to be subjected to this gross inequity in their health care coverage. Peace Corps volunteers choose to provide a valuable public service despite inherent risks to their safety, including sexual assault, and it is unacceptable that their own country restricts their access to care. My legislation would ensure that Peace Corps volunteers don't have to forfeit their rights or jeopardize their health when they volunteer to help underserved populations throughout the world."
A spokesperson for the Peace Corps, Shira Kramer, said in a statement that the corps supports the bill to create changes that "provides female volunteers with the same rights and protections as many of their female colleagues."
4/26/2013 - Jenny Yang Confirmed for EEOC
Late last night, Congress approved the nomination of Jenny Yang as a commissioner to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
In her role as partner in the class action law firm Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, Yang was responsible for some of the biggest sex discrimination cases in recent years. Yang was one of the lawyers representing 1.6 million women in the class action case Wal-Mart Stores Inc. v. Dukes. In 2011, the case was dismissed by the Supreme Court. The case was the largest sex-discrimination class-action suit in history. Yang was also part of the class action Beck v. Boening Company in Washington. The case was settled for $72 million in 2004.
Wade Henderson, the president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, applauded the decision in a press statement. He said, "Throughout her career, Jenny Yang has shown dedication to using the law to ensure equal opportunity in employment for all Americans. Her work at the Department of Justice, as a federal judicial law clerk, in private practice, and at the National Employment Law Project make an EEOC appointment a natural fit for her abilities... We are confident in Yang's ability to serve our nation well through thoughtful and deliberate enforcement of employment discrimination protections and equal employment opportunity programs."
4/24/2013 - Eden Foods Suing Obama Administration, Facing Boycott
Eden Foods, a popular supplier of organic food items, has filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration over contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act. The Michigan-based company says that the contraception clause of the Affordable Care Act violates religious freedom. In the words of Eden's lawsuit, the clause "attacks and desecrates a foremost tenet of the Catholic Church" where the use of contraception is sinful. In the words of Michael Potter, the CEO of the company, "The government is just walking on the rights of companies and individuals who are trying to exercise their lives consistent with their conscience." Potter wrote to the Huffington Post to say he did not intend to block health care access for his employees.
The lawsuit is inspiring activity on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, with many former fans vowing to boycott Eden's products and encouraging their friends and followers to do the same. Some grocery stores that carry Eden Foods products are considering canceling their orders. Potter said the amount of negative feedback was "certainly alarming." Although the majority of reactions have been negative, some customers have contacted the company to voice their support of the lawsuit.
Eden Foods joins a long list of companies suing the administration over the mandate. Other companies that have sued include Dominoes, Hobby Lobby, and more. Other companies, such as Universal Orlando, have said they will drop insurance coverage for their part-time employees so they do not have to comply with Obamacare.
4/24/2013 - ENDA to be Introduced in Congress Thursday
Both the House and the Senate are expected to reintroduce The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) this Thursday. In the House, ENDA will be introduced by Representative Jared Polis (D-CO), an openly gay member of the House. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) will be introducing the Senate version of ENDA. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act would ban discrimination by employers based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
While the number of co-sponsors in the House is yet to be determined, the Senate version has five original sponsors: Senator Merkley, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL), Senator Susan Collins (R-ME); and Tom Harkin (D-IA), the Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
ENDA legislation has been introduced in every Congressional session since 1994 except one. According to the Center for American Progress, only 21 states and the District of Columbia prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and only 16 and the District prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity.
"The bottom line is no worker in America should be fired or denied a job based on who they are. Discrimination is wrong. Period. And I think the Senate is ready to take that stand," said Senator Merkley (D).
4/24/2013 - Building Collapse in Bangladesh Kills Over 100
An eight story building in Bangladesh collapsed on Wednesday morning, killing at least over 100 people. The death toll is still rising.
The building in the suburb of Savar, outside of the capital Dhaka housed five garment factories as well as a shopping center. An official appointed to give information about those missing or hurt told Reuters that 96 people were confirmed dead and at least 1,000 were injured. Firefighters said that they believed over 2,000 people were in the building at the time of the collapse. The Daily Ittefaq, a local paper, reports that the death toll is over 100, and the government has declared Thursday a national day of mourning.
Mohammad Asaduzzaman of the local police station told reporters that a crack had been detected on Tuesday and the factory owners were given a warning not to allow their workers in the building. However, factory owners either ignored or never received the warning. "There were some crack at the second floor, but my factory was on the fifth floor," said Muhammad Anisur Rahman, a factory owner. "The owner of the building told our floor manager that it is not a problem and so you can open the factory." Another worker said that factory owners told their workers they had examined the crack and "not to worry."
Outrage over the conditions of garment factories in Bangladesh gained international headlines in November of 2012 when 112 workers died during a fire in a factory that was producing clothes for Walmart and other Western retailers that an official investigation ruled that the fire was deliberately started. In addition to being a deliberate act, the investigation determined that up to nine officials prevented workers from leaving the building and even padlocked exits.
The investigation also found severe evidence of negligence on behalf of the factory owner, Delwar Hossain. Hossain had originally denied that the factory was unsafe, however the factory's fire certificate had expired before the fire. In addition, the building only had permission to be three stories high but was in fact nine and lacked sufficient emergency exits.
4/23/2013 - Kansas Governor Signs Anti-Abortion Bill into Law
On Friday, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback (R) signed an anti-abortion bill into law that defines life as beginning at fertilization.
The measure requires that abortion providers supply women with a list of organizations that provide abortion alternatives, prevents any abortion facility from receiving state funding or tax credits, and requires doctors to provide patients with medically inaccurate information. In addition, it will define life as beginning at the moment of fertilization in the state-s constitution. The bill passed in the state legislature earlier this month by a wide margin in both chambers.
Before signing the bill into law, Governor Brownback wrote "JESUS + Mary" in his notes as captured in an Associated Press photograph. Brownback continued in his notes and in his oral statements that this bill would create a "culture of life' in Kansas.
4/23/2013 - BSA Proposal Would Allow Gay Youth, But Not Adults
The Boy Scouts of America have proposed to partially lift the ban that excludes gay members from service. The proposal would admit gay youth, but would still continue to bar adult troop leaders. It is a revision to a BSA proposal made in January that would have allowed local troops to decide whether to accept gay members. Unveiled last Friday, the new proposal must go before roughly 1,400 voting members of the BSA's National Council. The council will vote over the week of May 20th during its annual meeting in Texas.
Gay-rights advocacy groups are criticizing the current proposal as incomplete. Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign asked "What message does this resolution send to the gay Eagle Scout who, as an adult, wants to continue a lifetime of Scouting by becoming a troop leader?"
Some conservative groups went on the defensive saying that the ban should remain in its entirety. "The policy is incoherent," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. "The proposal says, in essence, that homosexuality is morally acceptable until a boy turns 18 - then, when he comes of age, he's removed from the Scouts."
The BSA anticipates backlash from many long-term members of the organization and estimate that between 100,000 and 350,000 members would leave the organization should the proposal pass.
4/22/2013 - FL House Passes Controversial Abortion Restrictions
The Florida House of Representatives passed an abortion measure last Thursday that would outlaw abortion based on the sex or race of the fetus. HB 845, "Termination of Pregnancy Based on Sex or Race of Unborn Child," passed on what anti-choice activists have declared "Right to Life" day on a vote of 71 to 44.
The bill's sponsor, Representative Charles Van Zant (R) from Keystone Heights, who is white, stated that abortion groups target black women. "In America alone - without the Nazi Holocaust, without the Ku Klux Klan - Planned Parenthood and other abortionists have reduced our black population by more than 25 percent since 1973," Van Zant told the House.
Despite Van Zant's assertion that the legislation was to prevent what he called "discriminatory targeting," many black Representatives were offended during the debate and a few even left the proceedings. Representative Barbara Watson (D) of Miami chose to leave. She later told the Huffington Post, "I don't appreciate anyone trying to explain what any other ethnic group's lifestyle is and what they do, when you really don't have any authority to interpret it. I think the women and people of color in that chamber deserve an apology from him, but I don't know that it would actually change his point of view."
4/22/2013 - Global Heroes Honored in LA
An Afghan rapper. The founder of the first primary school for girls in a Kenyan village. A trailblazing member of Congress who fights to create an AIDS-free generation. An advocate for women's and children's rights and empowerment.
Tonight in Los Angeles, the Feminist Majority Foundation (publisher of Ms.) will award these four women with its 8th annual Global Women's Rights Awards, celebrating their hard-fought accomplishments for girls and women on the world stage.
The rapper--considered to be Afghanistan's first woman at the mic--is Soosan Firooz. Though facing death threats, she continues to use music to speak out against the injustices and violence faced by women and girls in Afghanistan. Through her performance and bravery, Soosan has brought attention to the need for peace-building in Afghanistan. Check out a video report on her.
The school founder is Kakenya Ntaiya, a tireless advocate for the education and empowerment of girls. The first woman in her Kenyan village of Enoosaen to leave and attend college in the U.S., she returned to her homeland in 2009 to establish The Kakenya Center for Excellence, which finally allowed girls in her village to attend primary school there. National Geographic has honored Kakenya as an Emerging Explorer and CNN named her one of its CNN Heroes. Check out her wonderful TEDX talk.
The congressperson is Rep.Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), a leading feminist in the House and a critical voice for the world�s women and girls, who remain disproportionately affected by the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. Lee conceived of and co-authored the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth Act.
And the advocate for women's and children's human rights is Cheryl Saban, who was recently a member of the U.S. delegation to the 57th U.N. Commission on the Status of Women and was appointed by President Obama to be the U.S. representative to the 67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Saban--a psychologist, author and philanthropist--has just announced a groundbreaking partnership between UN Women and her Women's Self Worth Foundation to work for women's empowerment and gender equality.
We'll be live-tweeting from the event tonight @msmagazine under the hashtag #fmfgala. Join us for a discussion with these amazing women and FMF president Eleanor Smeal!
4/19/2013 - ND Judge Overturns Medical Abortion Ban
A North Dakota Judge has overturned a 2011 law that restricted drug-induced abortions yesterday, citing it as unconstitutional. East Central Judicial District Judge Wickham Corwin stated that, "I remain convinced that a woman's reproductive rights must be protected under the state constitution and must be recognized as fundamental," at the end of the three day civil trial.
The legislation, House Bill 1297, outlawed the use of medication for the intent of ending a pregnancy, despite this being a safe and common alternative to surgical abortions. The case was originally brought to court in July of 2011 by the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), representing the Red River Women's clinic, the only women's clinic in North Dakota currently providing abortion services.
Nancy Northrup, the president and CEO of The Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), said of the ban, "These efforts to keep North Dakota women from the best available medical care and deny them their right to make their own decisions about their pregnancies, their families, and their futures are not only disingenuous, but wholly unconstitutional."
4/19/2013 - Senate Rejects Gun Control Bill
The Senate rejected a bill that would have expanded the scope of background checks for potential gun owners on Wednesday. In a speech following the defeat, President Obama cited conservative control of the Senate as the reason for the loss: "A few minutes ago, 90% of Democrats in the Senate just voted for [gun control]. But it's not going to happen because 90% of Republicans in the Senate just voted against that idea." One senator, Joe Manchin, (D-WV), recently suggested that his fellow members were inclined to vote the bill down because of political pressure from the National Rifle Association.
Multiple sources agree that 90 percent of Americans approve of universal background checks and more stringent requirements for gun owners in general. Vice President Joe Biden explained Wednesday's outcome despite that fact with a quote from a conversation he had with a Congressperson: "that 10 percent who doesn't agree [with gun control], they are going to show up. They’re going to show up and vote." The Washington Post reports that NRA members and other anti-gun control advocates visit their representatives with more frequency than pro-gun control individuals.
In anticipation of heightened efforts by the pro-gun control lobby, a representative from the organization stated "we are prepared for a very long war and a very expensive war."
The National Rifle Association and its supporters have been active in opposing gun control measures since December 2012. In response to the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, CEO Wayne LaPierre called for protective measures in the form of armed sentinels in schools and other public places, not limitations on who can and cannot purchase arms. He said gun control legislation violates the Second Amendment.
4/19/2013 - Five Year Girl in Critical Condition After Rape
A five year old girl is in critical condition after being allegedly kidnapped and raped in Delhi, India.
The girl was allegedly kidnapped on Monday by a neighbor. She was discovered after a neighbor heard crying and called the authorities. She was admitted with injuries to her face and chest wall, and bruises on her neck that could indicate strangulation.
Protests have erupted outside the hospital in response to the assault. Since the brutal gang rape and death of a 23-year-old female medical student in India, protests have been sparked across India, the world's largest democracy, where a woman is estimated to be raped every twenty minutes, with Delhi being labeled the "rape capital" of the country, according to the Associated Press. Huge protests and demonstrations have voiced anger regarding the treatment of women in India and calling for tougher laws on violence against women.
4/18/2013 - Washington Senate Blocks Abortion Insurance Coverage Bill
On Wednesday, an anti-choice collation of Washington state Senators blocked a motion to bring the Reproductive Parity Act to the floor for debate. The bill, which has already passed in the state House and has the Governor's support, would require that any insurance plan that covers maternity care must also cover abortion care as part of it. The vote suggests that the RPA will not be brought to the floor this legislative season.
State Senator Karen Keiser (D-Kent), sponsor of the bill, was angered by the fact that the state Senate leadership had not allowed the bill to come to a vote, especially when she believed they would have the necessary support. State Senate Republican Leader Mark Schoesler (Ritzville) led the move to block discussion, arguing that Keiser was "impugning" her fellow legislators. Keiser and fellow Democrats were also accused by state Senator Don Benton (R-Vancouver) of trying to force Republican leaders to bring an ill colleague, Mike Carroll, to come into the chamber and jeopardize his health.
4/18/2013 - Proposed Bill Would Ban Telemedicine Abortions in Louisiana
On Wednesday, the Louisiana state Senate Health and Welfare Committee approved a bill that would prohibit the use of telemedicine for abortion care. The bill now goes before the Senate.
Senate Bill 90 would require a physician to be physically present in the room with a woman who is seeking a medical abortion when she takes the medication. This often significantly reduces the availability for women to have access to medical abortion in rural areas where the nearest abortion clinic is hundreds of miles away. The bill's sponsor, Senator Fred Mills (R-Breaux Bridge), says the bill is meant to be a preventative measure and is unaware of any telemedicine abortions being performing in Louisiana.
4/17/2013 - TX Senate Committee Proposes New Abortion Restrictions
The Texas Senate Health and Human Services Committee passed new legislation yesterday that would require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges to a local hospital within thirty miles. The bill was proposed by Senator Larry Taylor (R) of Galveston.
"Requiring hospitals to credential and grant privileges to doctors who provide outpatient services is time consuming and expensive for the hospital," said Stacy Wilson, a representative of the Texas Hospital Association. A potential issue with the legislature is that many hospitals have a religious affiliation and would not grant admitting privileges to doctors who perform abortions.
Similar TRAP (Targeted Regulations of Abortion Providers) laws requiring hospital admitting privileges have been passed in Mississippi and Alabama. The bill in Alabama was signed into law by Alabama Governor Robert Bentley last week. In Mississippi, the sole abortion clinic in the state has been trying to gain admitting privileges at local area hospitals to comply with a 2012 law, but has been denied by every hospital within a 30 mile radius. The state was trying to close the clinic when a federal judge extended a temporary injunction that prevents the state from closing the clinic until the constitutionality of the law can be determined in a current pending lawsuit against the state of Mississippi.
4/17/2013 - NH State Representative Reduces Women to Vaginas
New Hampshire State Rep. Peter Hansen (R) is being critized for an e-mail he sent to fellow representative Steve Vaillancourt (R) in which he used the word "vaginas" to refer to women. In an email conversation among the state legislators about a controversial "Stand Your Ground" law, Vaillancourt had been advocating retreating when a physical threat is posed, and resorting to deadly force only when pursued after that point. Hansen countered his argument by saying "What could possibly be missing from those factual tales of successful retreat in VT, Germany, and the bowels of Amsterdam? Why children and vagina's of course. While the tales relate the actions of a solitary male the outcome cannot relate to similar situations where children and women and mothers are the potential victims," emphasis added.
Multiple representatives who viewed the e-mail responded angrily, admonishing Hansen for his terminology. State Rep. Rick Watrous(D-Concord) replied "Are you really using 'vaginas' as a crude catch-all for women? Really? Please think before you send out such offensive language on the legislative listserve."
A speaker from NARAL Pro-Choice New Hampshire made the comment "[Women] are daughters, sisters, mothers, students, professionals, and community leaders. We deserve more than being referenced by our body parts."
Hansen's initially defended his wording: "Having a fairly well educated mind I do not need self appointed wardens to A: try to put words in my mouth for political gain and B: Turn a well founded strategy in communication into an insulting accusation, and finally if you find the noun vagina insulting or in some way offensive then perhaps a better exercise might be for you to re-examine your psyche." He later issued an apology "to those who took offense."
4/17/2013 - STOP Act Reintroduced in Congress
At a press conference this morning, Congresswomen Jackie Speier (D-CA) announced that she is reintroducing the Sexual Assault Training Oversight and Prevention Act (STOP Act) to address sexual assault in the military.
In an official statement, Speier said "The epidemic of military rape and sexual assault is a damning indictment of the military judicial system's treatment of these cases. True justice demands impartiality which is absent in a system that relies on individual commanders who have no legal expertise to determine which assailants get prosecuted and which go free. Instead of commanders making decisions about guilt or innocence, no matter how senior, an independent military office of trained experts should determine how these cases are treated."
At the press conference, Feminist Majority Government Relations Director, Norma Gattsek, said "The military structure for the handling of sexual assault is, in itself, a barrier to real justice. The atmosphere and the treatment of survivors deter them from reporting crimes and the perpetrators continue unabated. For all too many, it has meant leaving work they love, they are trained to do and that they do well. This is our loss."
The STOP Act, which has 83 co-sponsors, would take sexual assault cases out of the hands of chains of command and place it under the jurisdiction of an autonomous Sexual Assault Oversight and Response Office which will be comprised of civilian and military personnel. This would prevent officers from being able to overturn sexual assault convictions like in a case last month.
4/16/2013 - Mississippi Clinic Wins Injunction On License
Jackson Women's Health Organization, the last abortion clinic in Mississippi, won a temporary injunction yesterday against a 2012 law that threatened to shut its doors.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III extended a temporary injunction that prevents the state from closing the clinic as it tries to come into compliance with a 2012 law requiring all doctors who perform abortions at the clinic to have admitting privileges at local hospitals. The injunction was extended until the constitutionality of the law can be determined in a current pending lawsuit against the state. So far, no hospital within 30 miles of the clinic has granted admitting privileges to any of the doctors.
In his opinion, Judge Jordan wrote "Closing its doors would - as the state seems to concede in this argument - force Mississippi women to leave Mississippi to obtain a legal abortion... [This] would result in a patchwork system where constitutional rights are available in some states but not others."
4/16/2013 - Gun Control Legislation Scheduled for Senate Debate Today
The Senate is scheduled to debate the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 (S. 649) today, which would require background checks for all firearm purchases and strengthen existing regulations on gun sales.
However, it is unsure whether the bill will get enough votes to pass. Sponsor and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) was struggling to get the necessary votes in a whip count on Monday. Currently only four Republicans - John McCain (AZ), Mark Kirk (IL), Susan Collins (ME), and Kelly Ayotte (NH) - have agreed to support the bill. Three Democrats have said they are still reviewing the proposal and would not commit to supporting the bill until after they had finished. Three others have not taken a position.
4/15/2013 - GA Governor Refuses to Support Integrated Prom
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal (R-GA) refuses support a group of four students who are trying to racially integrate their high school prom.
When asked by a progressive non-profit organization to come out in support of desegregating Wilcox County High School's prom, the Governor issued a statement discarding the request as a political ploy. Governor Deal's spokesperson wrote in a statement, "This is a leftist front group for the state Democratic party and we're not going to lend a hand to their silly publicity stunt." However, three conservative state representatives have come out in support of the desegregation.
Four high school students from Wilcox County High School are currently pushing to have one integrated prom. In the past, the county has put on two proms: one that is racially integrated and one exclusively for white students. A biracial student who attempted to attend the white prom last year was escorted off the premises by police. Since the proms are not funded through the school, but instead are privately funded by supporters in the county, it is legal to have separate, segregated prom events.
4/15/2013 - PA Senate Committee Votes to Remove Abortion Coverage
A bill that would remove abortion coverage from Pennsylvania's new federal health care program passed in a state Senate committee last Tuesday. The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee passed the bill on a vote of eight to five.
"Under the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, states have the authority to prohibit certain abortion coverage made available in these taxpayer subsidized health plans and we intend to exercise that authority," committee chairman Senator Don White (R-Indiana) said in a press release. "I want to make this clear, Senate Bill 3 does not ban abortions, nor does it bar insurance coverage offered in the private sector from covering abortions. This legislation extends our existing law on the use of taxpayer dollars for elective abortions to health insurance exchanges." However, the bill does not provide an alternative to state-funded insurance coverage, leaving women to pay out of pocket for separate insurance that could cover abortion procedures.
The House is currently reviewing a similar measure. In the last legislative session, both the Pennsylvania House and Senate approved similar bills, but could not resolve the difference between the bills.
4/15/2013 - TX Senator Campaigns with Controversial Anti-Choice Slogan
Representative Steve Stockman of Texas (R) has released a controversial new bumper sticker and slogan for his re-election campaign: "If babies had guns, they wouldn't be aborted. Vote Pro-Life!" Stockman's slogan gained attention when he used Twitter to publicize his new slogan last Friday on his @ReElectStockman account. His previous account, @SteveStockmanTX, has been suspended by Twitter.
Stockman refers to himself as "the most conservative congressman in Texas" and often uses shock value to create controversy surrounding his main issues of anti-choice and pro-gun legislation. In the past, he has compared President Obama to Saddam Hussein and has suggested impeachment of the president if there were executive orders made on gun control.
