When Ms. last spoke with Diane Derzis, director of Jackson Women’s Health Organization in Jackson, Mississippi, she was “forging ahead” in her battle to keep the state’s last abortion clinic open. That battle continues today, as the clinic’s physicians have been denied admitting privileges at seven hospitals in the area—and having those privileges is a [...]
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, voting has become an afterthought to those affected by the storm. Sandy ravaged much of the Northeast last week, leaving millions in the tri-state area without power and displacing hundreds of thousands more from their homes. In New Jersey alone, more than 2 million homes lost power last Monday; [...]
Last week, Ms. posted a “Question of the Day” on Twitter that asked followers “What would be your power(s) if you were a feminist superhero?” The response has been tremendous: Hundreds have replied to the question with their own wished-for feminist superhero power, and retweeted others’. Responses range from serious to humorous to awe-inspiring. People even [...]
In the weeks leading up to Election Day, Ms. will be outlining state ballot initiatives and referenda of major significance to women. I know what you’re (wishfully) thinking: By 2012, American women should already have easy access to, and public funding for, abortions—with the most minimal-to-nonexistent restrictions. Unfortunately, the opposite is true: In state legislatures [...]
A coalition pushing for earned sick time in Orange County, Fla., was defeated today when its initiative failed to make the November 2012 ballot. Though the coalition, Citizens for a Greater Orange County, collected around 50,000 signatures during the summer in support of the initiative, the Orange County Commission halted the initiative from going forward. [...]
When Diane Derzis shut the doors of the New Woman All Women Health Care clinic in Birmingham, Ala., last May, she did not expect the clinic to be shut for good. Derzis, known as the “Abortion Queen” by both her opponents and her supporters in the Deep South, was under investigation by the Alabama Department [...]
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court temporarily stopped a harsh voter I.D. law from taking effect in the upcoming November 2012 election, sending the case back to the lower court for further review. In a 4-2 decision the state’s highest court ruled today that the six-month-old voter I.D. law is not being implemented correctly and, as a [...]
Pat Robertson has never been a friend of feminists, but he’s just proved that he’s the absolute last person you should go to for marriage advice—unless, of course, you’re looking for an excuse to beat your wife. The televangelist, most notable for denouncing gays and lesbians, linking the destruction of Hurricane Katrina to the legalization [...]
Bishop Robert W. Finn of the diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph (Missouri) was convicted Thursday of failing to report suspicions of child abuse that took place within his diocese. He is the highest-ranking American cleric to be convicted of a child abuse crime in the Catholic Church. However, he was sentenced to just two years [...]
The first night of the Democratic National Convention kicked off with a number of impressive women at the podium, including Congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran who lost both her legs in combat; Nancy Keenan, the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America; Lilly Ledbetter, the namesake of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act; Secretary [...]
