Feminist News

Weekly News Email

News RSS

All | National News | Global News

Search Feminist News by keyword

Search News and/or Month Year

News Stories 51 to 75 of 13144

6/5/2013 - Nationwide Abortion Ban Advances in Committee

A bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks nationwide was approved by the House Judiciary Subcommittee yesterday. The bill, sponsored by Trent Franks (R-AZ), who is also the chair of the subcommittee, originally applied only to the District of Columbia and would have banned abortion at 20 weeks gestation with exceptions only to save the woman's life. However, Franks decided to expand the bill nationwide following the murder conviction of Kermit Gosnell, a rogue doctor who performed illegal abortions in Pennsylvania. Franks has introduced the bill in previous sessions of Congress, but it was defeated.

The all-male subcommittee approved the bill along party lines in a vote of six to four. Opponents of the bill took issue with the fact that there were no women or medical professionals on the subcommittee to consider the legislation. Representative John Conyers (D-MI) objected to the bill saying, "It is totally out of order for us to determine a medical question like this under the guise of acting as members of the very vital House Judiciary Committee... No good has ever come from an all-male committee deciding the law about a woman's body. This is not appropriate." Ted Deutch (D-FL) echoed Conyer's sentiments, saying that it was "hard for people to take" a group of men making medical decisions for women. He continued, "To insert a role of politics in all this, in what for [some parents] has gone from the greatest exulation they may have felt as a married couple to the depths of despair at learning they have found themselves in a situation [where] they have to make that painful decision, is just not what we should be doing."

The bill now goes before the full House Judiciary Committee. Though a hearing or vote has not been scheduled yet, the chairman of the committee is Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) who has a consistent anti-choice voting record.

6/5/2013 - Women Senators Form Bipartisan Front on Military Sexual Assault

Yesterday Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the epidemic of sexual assault in the military demonstrated the role of the record number of women in the Senate. The seven women Members of the Committee, five Democrats and two Republicans, were united yesterday as they asked hard questions of the all-male military leadership.

Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO), said, "This isn't about sex. This is about assaultive dominance and violence, and as long as those two get mushed together, you all are not going to be as successful as you need to be in getting after the most insidious part of this, which is the predators in your ranks." Even Republican Senator John McCain (AZ) was candid in his outrage, telling the panel of officials, "I cannot overstate my disgust and disappointment over continued reports of sexual assault in our military. We've been talking about the issue for years." Senator Deb Fisher (R-NE) expressed a similar sentiment when she said "this is not a gender issue, it is a violence issue."

While the senators and the military officials in attendance agreed that military sexual assault had gotten extremely out of control, debate centered around whether or not sexual assaults cases should be taken out of the chain of command. Many of the military leaders argued that removing the cases from the chain of command will cause the problem to escalate. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who has proposed legislation to take sexual assault cases out of the hands of superior officers, responded, "You have lost the trust of the men and women who rely on you that you will actually bring justice in these cases."

Yet some senators in the hearing attributed to the rampant rate of sexual assault in the military to external factors such as hormones and the availability of pornography to service members. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) decried the military's response to sexual assault while at the same time arguing that hormones were responsible for such a high number of cases. He said, "The young folks who are coming into each of your services are anywhere from 17 to 22 or 23. Gee whiz, the hormone level created by nature sets in place the possibility for these types of things to occur... But guys, we are not doing our job. You're not doing yours, and we are not doing ours with the rates we are seeing on sexual assaults."

Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) argued that with the prevalence of pornography available to service members it was no wonder that assaults rates were so high. "Mr. Chairman, I'd just add a letter, a document here that was given to me from Morality in the Media," he began. "[They point] out that, a picture here of a newsstand and an Air Force base exchange with, you know, sexually explicit magazines being sold. So, we live in a culture that's awash in sexual activity. If it's not sold on base, it's right off base. There are videos and so forth that can be obtained, and it creates some problems, I think."

A debate over military sexual assault is likely to occur in the House Armed Services Committee as they prepare to debate a defense policy bill on Wednesday. Provisions regarding sexual assault, in addition to Guantanamo Bay, the war in Afghanistan among others are likely to see generous discussion while a vote in anticipated in the evening.

6/5/2013 - Congresswoman Jackie Speier Criticizes Marine Response to Offensive Facebook Page

Yesterday, Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) issued a statement critical of the Marine Corp's handling of her complaint regarding an offensive Facebook page posted by active-duty Marines threatening violence against women and the Congresswoman herself.

The pages, which Speier reported to the Secretary of Defense in the beginning of May, featured degrading images and comments about women and women in the military. Many images condoned and even promoted violence against women and rape. Facebook has since removed the page, but various versions have reappeared. After Speier filed her complaint, new pages threatening Speier (and President Obama) that featured manipulated photos of her implying abuse and sexual assault appeared. The threats are being investigated by the Secret Service and the US Capitol Police.

In response to her complaint, Speier received a letter [PDF] from General James Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps, on behalf of the Secretary of Defense. In the letter Amos cited the difficulties in monitoring and tracking social media to investigate offensive content; technicalities regarding military conduct codes; and lack of funding, hindering their efforts to investigate offensive content.

Congresswoman Speier criticized Amos' excuses, saying the following in her statement:

"The Marine Corps' good order and discipline creed has been totally undermined when it cannot police Marines who use social media to promote anti-Semitism, sexism and racism. These messages of hate reflect the kinds of attitudes our military fights around the world as oppressive and demeaning to human dignity. The postings of a few serve to discredit the entire Corps and contribute to a hostile work environment. In the private sector these employees would be fired. The Marine Corps must do the right thing now and stop their own who practice the worst forms of hatred.

The letter from General Amos offers sequestration as a reason for inaction. The Commander-in-Chief has spoken. Suggesting that misconduct cannot be addressed because of sequestration is frankly unacceptable."

6/5/2013 - Feminist Majority Foundation Applauds Plan B Ruling

Today the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must immediately begin selling emergency contraception over the counter to anyone who asks for it.

The court partially rejected a stay requested by the Department of Justice that would force them to sell emergency contraception over-the-counter to women and girls of all ages. The FDA had begun to implement the changes as required by a lower court ruling, when Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled their decision, prompting a Department of Justice appeal. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that two-pill variations of emergency contraception must immediately be made available without restrictions. However, the court did grant a stay against the unrestricted sale of one-pill variations, pending appeal.

Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority Foundation, asserted, "This is a major victory for women's health. The Appeals Court gets it. Evidence-based science and medicine must rule, not politics. This decision will help countless women and girls gain local access to safe, emergency birth control."

6/5/2013 - Feminist Majority Foundation Applauds Plan B Ruling

6/4/2013 - Statement of Eleanor Smeal - Remembering Senator Frank Lautenberg

A Strong Supporter of Women's Rights

Senator Frank Lautenberg, who had the support of the feminist movement in New Jersey and nationwide throughout his Senate career, was a leader in many fights for women's rights.

He was the author and champion of the 1996 Domestic Violence Gun Ban, which prohibited people convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence from possessing or purchasing a firearm. Together with Donna Edwards, then Executive Director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence, the Feminist Majority, and leaders of the National Organization for Women, I had the privilege then of working with Senator Lautenberg, who never doubted it would pass. After passage he stood firmly against all attempts to gut the law by exempting police officers and military service personnel from its coverage. His actions prevented countless tragedies. He also stood strongly with Dianne Feinstein in passing the Assault Weapons Ban in 1994.

Senator Frank Lautenberg worked for passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 and championed coverage of children with pre-existing conditions and funding of comprehensive sex education. Throughout his career, he strongly supported women's reproductive rights and fought all Congressional efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.

6/4/2013 - Statement of Eleanor Smeal - Remembering Senator Frank Lautenberg

6/4/2013 - Sound of Change Live Concert Highlights Women's Rights Worldwide

On Saturday, the first Sound of Change Live concert highlighting women's current struggles around the world was held in London, England.

Featuring performances by big name artists such as Beyonce, Florence + The Machine, Jennifer Lopez, and John Legend, the Sound of Change Live charity concert shared stories of women who faced abuse, educational disparity, and lack of basic health care around the world and urged viewers to take a step towards creating change. Gloria Steinem, Madonna, Ryan Reynolds, and Jada Pinkett Smith were some of the presenters. Attendees were given a code they could use after the show to put money from their ticket purchase towards one of the many projects that Chime For Change, the organization responsible for the concert, supports. Viewers at home were urged to learn more at the organization's webpage and contribute to a project.

Chime for Change was founded by Beyonce Knowles-Carter, Gucci Creative Director Frida Biannini, and Salma Hayek Pinault. According to the organization's website, Chime for Change "serves to convene, unite and strengthen the voices speaking out for girls and women around the world. We focus on three key areas: Education, Health and Justice." Beyonce said to the audience at the concert, "It's time for change. Let's chime for change. This is such an incredible night for me." In all 50,000 people attended the concert the concert, raising $4.3 million in ticket sales for 200 organizations in 70 different countries around the globe.

Learn more about Chime for Change at their website.

6/4/2013 - Congressional Hearing on Military Sexual Assault Begins Today

Top Pentagon leaders will face scrutiny from members of Congress today as the first hearing on military sexual assault begins today. The hearing, hosted by the Senate Armed Services Committee, will feature testimony from victim-support organizations focused on the military and a wide variety of military officials and legal counsel on the issue.

Many members of congress are outraged over the string of recent sexual assault cases that have been exposed in the military. Senator Kay Hagen (D-NC) told reporters, "We are demanding that change take place... This is a crime and we're going to address it as a crime, and the perpetrators are going to be kicked out of the military." Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told reporters "I think 26,000 sexual assaults is going too far," Mikulski said. "And now there is even a criminal investigation of the football team at the Naval Academy, where we are training the next best."

Anu Bhagwati, former Marine Corps Captain and executive director of Service Women's Action Network (SWAN), said in a statement [PDF], "We are grateful to Chairman Carl Levin and Ranking Member James Inhofe for holding this hearing to discuss critical legislation on the issue of sexual violence in the military. The military is facing a crisis in the ranks and troops are quickly losing faith in the military's ability to provide adequate protection for victims and prosecute and punish offenders. Much of the new legislation, if passed, would help restore confidence in the military's ability to maintain good order and discipline in the ranks."

6/3/2013 - New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg Dies

New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg (D) passed away this morning due to complications from viral pneumonia. The Senator was 89 years-old and was the oldest currently serving member of the Senate. He holds the record for most votes cast by a Senator from New Jersey and cast his 9,000th vote in December 2011.

Lautenberg served five terms in Congress despite stomach cancer and other various health problems throughout the years. A champion of progressive legislation, Lautenberg was responsible for many laws that are considered standard today such as no smoking on airplanes, 0.008 blood-alcohol limit for driving, and a legal drinking age of 21. Lautenberg was also key in advancing several women's rights and gun control laws, such as prohibiting convicted abusers from owning guns, attempting to defund abstinence-only education, and enforcing truth in advertising laws on crisis pregnancy centers.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) will decide how to fill Lautenberg's Senate seat.

The Senator was the last World War II veteran in Congress. He is survived by his late wife and six children.

6/3/2013 - Beatriz Will Undergo C-Section To Save Her Life

Beatriz, a woman from El Salvador who was denied a lifesaving abortion by the Supreme Court, will undergo a C-Section to end the pregnancy that is threatening her life.

Last week, the Supreme Court of El Salvador denied Beatriz's appeal to undergo an abortion to save her life. Despite suffering multiple severe medical conditions and the fetus being unviable, the court ruled that "rights of the mother cannot take precedence over those of the unborn child or vice versa." Abortion in El Salvador is illegal in all circumstances with a penalty of up to 30 years in prison. After the ruling, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued a non-binding resolution ordering El Salvador to save Beatriz's life.

The Health Ministry then ordered her doctors to perform a premature C-section, which the fetus is not expected to survive. Health Minister Maria Rodriguez told reporters, "It is very clear at this time that the pregnancy intervention is not an abortion, it is an induced birth, which is something else." The surgery is planned for some time this week.

In a phone interview, Beatriz told Reuters, "I feel good because next week they will perform (a Caesarean). Right now, the doctors have not told me anything, but I believe everything will work out fine."

6/3/2013 - Illinois Same-Sex Marriage Bill Fails To Get Vote

A bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the state of Illinois failed to gather enough support to pass before the end of the legislative session.

The law would have redefined marriage as the legal union of two people, not specifically a man and a woman. It would also have converted civil unions to marriages within a year's time. Religious institutions and individuals that oppose homosexuality would not be required to perform marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples. The bill passed the state Senate in February with a vote of 32 to 21.

However, in the House, the bill failed to gain enough support to pass. As a result, the bill's sponsor Representative Greg Harris (D-Chicago) announced that he would not bring the bill up for a vote. He said before the chamber, "And I've never been sadder to accept this request, but I have to keep my eye, as we all must, on the ultimate prize. They've asked for time to go back to their districts, talk to their constituents and reach out to their minds and hearts and have told me they'll return in November with their word that they're prepared to support this legislation." He continued, "We will be back and we will be voting on this bill in this legislature, in this room... Until that day, I apologize to the families who were hoping to wake up tomorrow as full and equal citizens of this state."

If passed, Illinois would have become the 13th state to legalize same-sex marriage. The Minnesota state legislature voted to approve same-sex marriage in mid-May, shortly after Rhode Island and Delaware.

5/31/2013 - New Study Shows Immigrants Pay More Into Medicare Than They Take Out

A study released by the Harvard Medical School on Wednesday shows that immigrants as whole pay more into Medicare than they use, effectively subsidizing the program. The study found that in 2009 alone, immigrants created a $13.8 billion surplus for Medicare. From 2002 to 2009, immigrants paid a total of $115 billion more to the government health program than they used. American-born workers, on the other hand, posted a $28 billion deficit in the same 2002 to 2009 time frame.

Leah Zellman, who led the research team, explained possible reasons for the surplus, "Immigrants generate a surplus for Medicare primarily because so many of them are working age adults and the group has a high labor-force participation rate-a combination that generates large payroll tax payments." Since the immigrant population contributing to Medicare is overall younger and larger than its American-born population, and is therefore not eligible, part of the surplus could be generated simply because of availability.

The authors of the study wrote that changes in immigration policies could have unanticipated consequences for the government program. They wrote, "Policies that reduce immigration would almost certainly weaken Medicare's financial health, while an increasing flow of immigrants might bolster its sustainability." Zellman said, "[This study] pokes a hole in the widespread assumption that immigrants drain U.S. health care spending dollars."

The study also included some personal interjection from the authors on the issue of immigration. They wrote, "Having ourselves witnessed immigrants dying needlessly because of lack of health care, we (and many of our colleagues) are motivated by the belief that all patients have a human right to health care. But economic concerns - including the worry that immigrants are driving up US health care costs - have often dominated the debate over immigration. Our data offer a new perspective on these economic concerns."

5/31/2013 - Tunisian Feminist Fined for Carrying Pepper Spray, May Face Other Charges

On Tuesday, a court in the Tunisian city of Kairouan convicted a feminist activist with carrying a can of pepper spray given to her by a journalist.

Amina Sboui, also known as Amina Tyler and a member of the feminist group Femen, was arrested on May 19 while staging a protest. She was charged with carrying an "incendiary device" - a can of pepper spray a journalist gave her to protect herself in Tunisia's conservative climate. She was convicted and fined $182. Sboui remains in custody pending further charges of desecrating a cemetery and offending public decency, which could carry penalties of two years and six months in jail respectively.

Sboui generated outrage in her community when she posted topless photos of herself with "My body is my own" written on her torso as part of a Femen protest earlier this year. After receiving death threats, Sboui went into hiding but reappeared in the city of Kairouan. In Kairouan, she was arrested after allegedly painting "Femen" on a cemetery wall near the city's primary mosque. Police arrived as a mob formed around her.

Three other members of Femen have been arrested for staging a topless protest in front of a courthouse as they called for Sboui's release. The three activists will have an open hearing in court on June 5 on charges of public indecency and attack on public morals. If convicted they could face six months in jail for each charge.

5/31/2013 - Transgender Veteran Has Military Records Corrected

A Navy veteran who has transitioned since her military career ended has successfully petitioned the Pentagon to have her military records reflect her correct gender. This is the first time the Pentagon has approved such a change.

Autumn Sandeen was assigned male at birth but knew that she was female in her teen years. She entered the Navy, where she served for two decades before retiring. During her military career, she kept her true gender a secret for fear of dismissal on mental health grounds. She told reporters "If I would have been myself, I would have been kicked out... feel like we should able to serve openly because we are physically able to serve openly. It's not a disorder," she said. "We're not allowing capable people who have something to offer the country to serve their country." Despite the ban on openly gay and lesbian soldiers from serving being lifted in 2011, the ban on transgender soldiers remained. There is hope that this can also be removed now that the American Psychiatric Association no longer recognizes gender identity disorder as a mental disorder.

After originally filing the request in 2011 with the office of Veteran's Affairs, Autumn's records were updated earlier this month in both the VA office and the Pentagon. Sandeen even purchased a woman's uniform for photographs to replace her photographs from before her transition. "By showing you can actually change your gender marker with the Department of Defense, it shows that the Department of Defense actually will do that, and if they do that then it's another stop toward figuring out a way to have open service for trans people" she said.

5/30/2013 - El Salvador Supreme Court Denies Life Saving Abortion

The Supreme Court of El Salvador ruled in a four to one decision to deny a life-saving abortion to a woman with an unviable pregnancy.

"Beatriz", who is currently 22 and is already the mother of a young infant, was diagnosed with multiple severe illnesses including kidney failure and lupus and is now 26 weeks pregnant. The fetus will not survive more than a few days outside the womb (if at all) due to a severe fetal abnormality where part of the brain does not develop. Doctors fear that if she continues with the pregnancy, Beatriz could lose her life. However, abortion under any circumstance is illegal in El Salvador and abortion without approval from the Supreme Court could result in up to 30 years in jail for aggravated homicide.

In their ruling, the judges wrote, "This court determines that the rights of the mother cannot take precedence over those of the unborn child or vice versa, and that there is an absolute bar to authorising an abortion as contrary to the constitutional protection accorded to human persons 'from the moment of conception.'" The one dissenting judge, Florentin Melendez, argued that the court needed to affirm Beatriz's request to "guarantee that the medical personnel would not omit [any treatments] and would act diligently at all times, without having to recur to legal authorisation to protect the life of the mother and the human being she is carrying in her womb."

Victor Hugo Mata, Beatriz's lawyer, told reporters, "We cannot appeal the case because this was the last step, the Supreme Court... The only way now is to go to the international courts. [But] everyday, the health of Beatriz is [getting] worse. If they wait another week or two weeks, she will be too feeble to endure the operation."

5/30/2013 - Canadian Abortion Provider, Henry Morgentaler, Dies at 90

Henry Morgentaler, a lynchpin figure in the history of legal abortion in Canada, passed away on Tuesday from a heart attack. Dr. Morgentaler was 90 years old.

Born in Poland and a Holocaust survivor, Dr. Morgentaler arrived in Canada in 1950. After graduating medical school and becoming a Canadian citizen, he opened Canada's first independent abortion clinic in 1969 when abortion was still illegal. He was tried multiple times for violating abortion laws, but was acquitted in each case. One acquittal was overturned on appeal and he spent 10 months in jail. However, Morgentaler continued to perform abortions and open abortion clinics. After facing another overturned acquittal in Ontario, Morgentaler appealed the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada. In 1988, the Supreme Court ruled in Morgentaler's favor, determining that the country's abortion laws were unconstitutional and legalizing abortion in Canada. However, provincial rules on abortion varied, and Dr. Morgentaler continued to challenge them as he encountered them. He also continued to perform abortions into his 80s despite clinic bombings, death threats, and health issues. In 2008, Dr. Morgentaler was awarded the Order of Canada, one of the highest civilian honors in the country.

National Abortion Federation's president Vicki Saporta spoke with reporters about the doctor's death. "Canadian women owe Dr. Morgentaler a tremendous debt of gratitude for standing up for their lives and health at great personal sacrifice and risk. He survived numerous threats on his life, a clinic bombing, and aggressive protests," she said.

Catherine Ford, former editor at the Calgary Herald, wrote in a memorial piece, "Morgentaler leaves a legacy of freedom that to this day is unique in the world: the untrammelled and unrestricted choice of every Canadian woman to decide for herself whether to bear a child... Every woman in Canada owes him thanks for facing down the draconian laws of yesterday." She concluded, "How successful was Henry's single-minded determination that all women are capable of making up their own minds? Very few young women would recognize his name today and what essential part he played in allowing them the freedom to choose. Henry would see that as a resounding success."

In 2008, Dr. Morgentaler spoke about his controversial life with an interviewer. He said, "I became the target of people who were opposed to abortion, and it was something I had to live with, but I am tremendously satisfied that my life was not in vain and that I was able to help a lot of people."

5/30/2013 - Kenyan High Court Demands Police Investigate Rape Cases

In a landmark victory, the High Court in Meru, Kenya ruled Monday that local police had failed to properly investigate hundreds of rape cases over the past several years. In his ruling, Justice Makau ordered the Inspector General of Police, as well as their agents, delegates, and subordinates, to re-investigate multiple rape cases as part of a lawsuit filed on behalf of over 264 girls between 3 and 18 years of age who were raped and received no assistance from police at the time of reporting.

Mercy Chidi, an activist who runs the Meru-based shelter Ripples International, often works with girls who need shelter and assistance following rape. She filed the suit with a representative group of 11 girls, all of whom will now receive proper investigation into their rapes. Legal resources for Chidi and the girls were provided by Canadian non-profit The Equality Effect.

One in five women and girls in Kenya are victims of sexual violence, and rape is rarely reported despite strong laws against sexual crimes. When cases are reported, police officers sometimes fail to investigate the crime at all and harass victims. In the cases brought forward to the High Court, police locked girls in cells, demanded bribes for investigations, and even told victims they had consented to intercourse. By failing to act, Makau ruled that officers had created "a climate of impunity" where perpetrators no longer feared repercussions for sexually violent crimes; this climate, he said, made police "directly responsible" for the damage suffered by rape victims in the case. Officers who engaged in that behavior are now liable for arrests, fines, and imprisonment themselves.

Chidi described the ruling as a "glorious victory" to the Daily Nation. "I want defilement of girls to stop," she continued, "and now [police] must hold perpetrators of horrific crime accountable." The Equality Effect intends to pursue suits like these across Africa to achieve broader change in the region.

5/29/2013 - Facebook to Revise Harmful Content Policy After Social Media Campaign

Yesterday Facebook announced that it will revise its harmful content policy to include gender-based violence after a social media campaign pressured advertisers to pull their ads from the website.

Last week Women, Action, & the Media (WAM), Everyday Sexism, and a coalition of other organizations and leaders launched the Twitter and email campaign #FBrape in an effort to convince Facebook to change their policy. In addition, the coalition pressured advertisers to remove their ads from Facebook as the ads appeared on groups and images that incited and condoned rape.

In their open letter to Facebook the campaign wrote:

These pages and images [encouraging rape] are approved by your moderators, while you regularly remove content such as pictures of women breastfeeding, women post-mastectomy and artistic representations of women's bodies. In addition, women's political speech, involving the use of their bodies in non-sexualized ways for protest, is regularly banned as pornographic, while pornographic content - prohibited by your own guidelines - remains. It appears that Facebook considers violence against women to be less offensive than non-violent images of women's bodies, and that the only acceptable representation of women's nudity are those in which women appear as sex objects or the victims of abuse. Your common practice of allowing this content by appending a [humor] disclaimer to said content literally treats violence targeting women as a joke.

The coalition called on Facebook to "1. Recognize speech that trivializes or glorifies violence against girls and women as hate speech and make a commitment that you will not tolerate this content; 2. Effectively train moderators to recognize and remove gender-based hate speech; and 3. Effectively train moderators to understand how online harassment differently affects women and men, in part due to the real-world pandemic of violence against women."

The campaign generated over 60,000 tweets and 5,000 emails to advertisers who appeared on pages and groups that condoned violence against women. 15 advertisers, including Nissan UK, eReader Utopia, and Specialty Natural Medicine, pulled their advertisements from Facebook while others such as Zappos and Zipcar contacted Facebook and even urged people to delete their ads.

On Tuesday, Facebook released a statement in response. The statement read "Facebook's mission has always been to make the world more open and connected... This requires us to make difficult decisions and balance concerns about free expression and community respect. We prohibit content deemed to be directly harmful, but allow content that is offensive or controversial. We define harmful content as anything organizing real world violence, theft, or property destruction, or that directly inflicts emotional distress on a specific private individual (e.g. bullying)."

Facebook continued, "In recent days, it has become clear that our systems to identify and remove hate speech have failed to work as effectively as we would like, particularly around issues of gender-based hate. In some cases, content is not being removed as quickly as we want. In other cases, content that should be removed has not been or has been evaluated using outdated criteria."

Facebook has pledged to update their Community Standards guidelines for hate speech and update the training for the teams that monitor and review reports of hate speech and harmful content. In addition, Facebook has called for more collaboration with women's groups and other cyberbullying/cyberhate prevention groups to help with the process.

5/29/2013 - Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Planned Parenthood Defunding Case

On Tuesday the United States Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal by the state of Indiana over the blocking of a law that would ban Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funding. The Court dismissed the case without comment, allowing the lower court ruling to stand. Last July, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Indiana law violates federal law which requires that Medicaid enrollees have the freedom to choose their health care provider, and permanently blocked its enforcement.

The law, which was passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature and signed into law by Governor Mitch Daniels (R) in 2011, would have prohibited the state from contracting Planned Parenthood of Indiana for health care services other than abortions despite Planned Parenthood using private funds to pay for abortion services. It would also have prohibited Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funding for preventive healthcare services, such as cancer screenings, well-woman visits, and STI tests. The law would also have prevented Medicaid recipients who went to Planned Parenthood from being reimbursed through their insurance for services rendered. Supporters of the ban argued that allowing Medicaid funding for preventative services indirectly provided more organizational money to fund abortions.

Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, told reporters, "[Yesterday's] announcement from the Supreme Court is not only a victory for Planned Parenthood's patients in Indiana, it is a victory for the nearly 3 million people who turn to Planned Parenthood health centers each year across the country."

In the 2013 legislative season, seven new states have tried to defund Planned Parenthood. Similar measures in Tennessee, North Carolina, Kansas, and Arizona have also been blocked by judges. However, efforts to restrict funding in Oklahoma and Texas were more successful.

5/29/2013 - Italy Passes European VAW Treaty

On Tuesday, Italy's lower house of parliament unanimously approved a European treaty to end violence against women while the country mourned a 15-year-old victim of intimate partner violence.

The lower house of parliament ratified the Council of Europe's Istanbul convention, which would create and reinforce legal measures to prevent and prosecute gender-based violence. The treaty now goes before Italy's upper parliament, or Senate, for final ratification. If approved, Italy would become the fifth nation to ratify the treaty, which needs at least 10 nations to ratify before taking effect. It is expected that the Senate will also approve ratification in light of recent horrific attacks on women in the country.

One such case is the story of Fabiana Luzzi, a 15 year old student who was brutally murdered by her 17-year-old boyfriend last week. The boyfriend stabbed Fabiana 20 times and then set her on fire while she was still alive. Her remains were discovered the next day. That same week a 35 year old woman in a different part of the country was stabbed to death by a former partner and a 50 year old woman was shot in the head by her husband, who then committed suicide. Fabiana's funeral, which was attended by thousands of supporters, was held the same day as the vote.

Josefa Idem, the Italian Equal Opportunities Minister, was one of the people in attendance at the funeral. She told reporters, "Faced with Fabiana's death, I reaffirm the commitment of all the government and my ministry to make the fight against gender-based violence a key point of this legislature... I feel the need to ask forgiveness from her and from all women killed by the hand of those who abuse the word love. The state must be more effective in its commitment [and] be even closer to the victims."

According to the women's organization Casa delle Donne, there have been 51 gender-based murders in Italy already this year. However, Telefono Rosa, a domestic violence support group, estimates there have been 38 murders. Both organizations cite a lack of official statistics as a major barrier to seeing the true extent of gender-based violence in Italy. In addition, underreporting presents a major barrier, with a 2012 UN report finding that 90% of instances of rape and abuse in Italy were not reported.

5/28/2013 - Women Deliver Conference Begins Today

Today is the opening day of the 2013 Women Deliver Global Conference, the largest conference on women's health, maternal health and maternal mortality in the world.

The third annual conference is being held this year in Malaysia's capital city of Kuala Lumpur. Activists, lawmakers, UN officials, and business leaders from around the world will gather for the three day conference to discuss what health challenges women are facing and what steps can be taken to reduce maternal mortality. Over 7,000 people will be in attendance this year. Many international organizations, such as the World Bank, will be releasing new research on women's reproductive health worldwide.

Jill Sheffield, President of Women Deliver, wrote in an welcome letter, "When we meet in 2013, we will be nearing the 2015 deadline of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). While much progress has been made, there is still a long way to go. This conference will be an opportunity to strategize about the way to 2015 and beyond, highlighting success stories and ongoing challenges to improve the health and well-being of girls and women."

The Asia Director of Women Deliver, Dr. Raj Karim, said in a welcome letter, "Women Deliver recognizes that eradicating HIV and AIDS, improving education, promoting human rights, working towards environmental sustainability, and ensuring economic empowerment and gender equality are all necessary parts of the solution to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity for girls and women. We are all in this together, and we need to build on each other's work to create synergy."

5/28/2013 - NC Legislature Considers "Show Me Your Papers" Bill

The North Carolina House of Representatives is considering an anti-immigration bill that would allow law enforcement officials to police a person's immigration status based on "reasonable suspicion." The bill has already advanced in committee.

House Bill 786, or the Reasonable Enactment of Comprehensive Legislation Addressing Immigration Matters Act (RECLAIM Act) [PDF], would allow law enforcement officials to question someone on their immigration status as part of minor offenses, such as broken headlights, if the officer has any reason to suspect that the individual is in the country illegally. In addition, the bill would not recognize matricula consular IDs, which are issued by the Mexican Consulate in North Carolina, as valid forms of identification. The bill would also force undocumented individuals who are getting a driver's license to get a vertical restricted driver's permit that shows their legal status, and have prepaid nonrefundable car insurance for the entire duration of the time they will hold their permit. However, the bill is actually a small step forward from the original refusal of lawmakers to allow undocumented individuals from obtaining driver's licenses.

Many of the provisions in House Bill 786 reflect Arizona's controversial "Show Me Your Papers" law. In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that law enforcement officials must check the papers of any individual suspected of being undocumented. The Court struck down other provisions of the law that prohibited undocumented immigrants from soliciting work, required that papers are carried at all times, and gave police the right to arrest an undocumented immigrant without a warrant. Later that year, a federal court upheld the rulings by refusing to block the provisions allowing officers to request proof of legal immigration, residency, or citizenship of anyone they suspect might be an illegal immigrant.

5/28/2013 - FL Teen Charged with Felony for Same-Sex Relationship Rejects Plea Deal

An 18-year-old high school senior in Florida who was charged with a felony and expelled from her school for a consensual same-sex relationship with a 15-year-old classmate rejected a plea deal from the state on Friday.

Kaitlin Hunt was arrested in February and charged with "lewd and lascivious battery on a child 12 to 16" after the parents of her partner filed charges against Hunt. The State Attorney, Brian Workman, had offered Hunt a plea deal of two years house arrest and one year probation. Instead, Hunt will go to trial on June 20th. If convicted she could face 15 years in jail.

In a statement, Hunt's attorney Julia Graves said, "This is a situation of two teenagers who happen to be of the same sex involved in a relationship. If this case involved a boy and girl, there would be no media attention to this case... If this incident occurred 108 days earlier when she was 17, we wouldn't even be here."

The case has gathered widespread media attention since it went public earlier this month. The ACLU of Florida released a statement in support of Kaitlin Hunt, saying "This is a life sentence for behavior by teenagers that is all too common, whether they are male or female, gay or straight. High-school relationships may be fleeting, but felony convictions are not... This prosecution does nothing to protect Florida's young people but instead causes a great deal of harm." Even the hacker group Anonymous has come out in support of Hunt, posting a letter that read, "While in the course of performing your duties we feel that you've lost perspective... The truth is, Kaitlyn Hunt is a bright young girl who was involved in a consensual, same-sex relationship while both she and her partner were minors. She has a big future ahead of her and there are people, thousands of people in fact, that have no intention of allowing you to ruin it with your rotten selective enforcement." Anonymous also threatened actions calling for the resignation of the state attorney and those involved in the prosecution.

5/24/2013 - Boy Scouts Will Allow Gay Youth, Not Gay Leaders

On Thursday, the Boy Scouts of America voted to allow openly gay youth to participate in the organization. Openly gay leaders and adults are still prohibited from taking part.

Over 1,400 members of the BSA National Council voted on the proposed change, with over 60 percent voting in favor of allowing gay youth. However, openly gay members will not be allowed to continue with the organization once they turn 18 and gay troop leaders are still prohibited.

Matt Comer, 27, who was kicked out of the Boy Scouts when at age 14 because of his sexual orientation welcomed the news. "Today we finally have some justice for me and others," he said. "But gay youths will still be told they are no longer welcome when they turn 18."

Eagle Scout and executive director of Scouts for Equality, Zach Wahls, said, "The Boy Scouts of America can do better. We welcome the news that the ban on gay Scouts is history, but our work isn't over until we honor the Scout Law by making this American institution open and affirming to all."

Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin said, "Today is a historic day for Boy Scouts across the country who want to be a part of this great American institution. But the new policy doesn't go far enough. Parents and adults of good moral character, regardless of sexual orientation, should be able to volunteer their time to mentor the next generation of Americans."

After the vote, the BSA announced, "While people have different opinions about this policy, we can all agree that kids are better off when they are in Scouting." The new policy will take affect January 2014.