Today, August 1, the Affordable Care Act enacts eight preventive health care services for women’s health and well-being that will be available under all insurance plans–without copays or deductibles. Women leaders in Washington, D.C., have been heralding the passage and subsequent enactment of the ACA as a major advancement for American women—possibly the most […]
Health
Olympian Leisel Jones Proves the Body-Image Sexists Wrong
Leisel Jones is the first Australian swimmer to compete in four Olympic Games. She has earned eight Olympic medals during her swimming career, three of which were gold medals. This morning in London, the 26-year-old was “so proud” to finish fifth in the 100m breaststroke final, which was won by 15-year-old Lithuanian swimmer Ruta Meilutyte. Unfortunately […]
$5 Million to Address Sexual Violence Against Children—A Drop in PEPFAR’s Bucket?
As the XIX International AIDS Conference draws to a close tomorrow, the United State’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has announced a $5 million grant for the Together for Girls (TFG) partnership–designed to address violence against girls and boys. U.S. Global AIDS coordinator Eric Goosby says funds will go to “support countries’ responses […]
Women’s Rights Key To Effective Global AIDS Response
As the XIX International AIDS Conference proceeds in Washington, D.C., this week, its pertinent to note that a new report by the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, an independent body of former world leaders and top legal, human rights and HIV experts, has labeled the global response to the AIDS epidemic as “stifled” by various […]
Montana’s Personhood Amendment Won’t Be on Ballot
Should an embryo or fetus be granted equal protection under the law and the full rights of persons? Montana voters don’t seem to think so. Members of Personhood Montana, in conjunction with the Montana ProLife Coalition, scrambled over the last few months to get the requisite 48,674 signatures needed for their statewide petition to put […]
Why the Bishops’ “Religious Freedom” Argument Is a Lie
The recent Huffington Post article by Sister Mary Ann Walsh of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) tells us quite a bit about the veracity of its claims that religious freedom is under attack in the United States. Sister Walsh portrays Catholic institutions as just wanting to be able to give away services as acts of charity without […]
Virginia Promotes CPCs, Along with Anti-Abortion Agenda
Feminists across the country heralded the defeat of Virginia’s transvaginal ultrasound bill last February as one of the major victories in the War on Women. But while its amended law, which went into effect July 1, mandates only external ultrasounds, the statute still requires women to seek an ultrasound 24 hours before their scheduled abortions–a medically unnecessary […]
Sexual Objectification 4: Daily Rituals to Start
The fourth and last in a series about how girls and women can navigate a culture that treats them like sex objects. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). This post details some daily rituals that women can start doing to interrupt damaging beauty culture scripts. 1) Start enjoying your body as a physical instrument. Girls […]
Merger with Catholic Hospital Could Deny Women Abortions in Pennsylvania
Abington Memorial Hospital is a major medical center on the eastern side of Montgomery County, Penn. With more than 60 OB/GYNs on staff, the hospital delivers more than 5,000 babies a year. The obstetricians and gynecologists at Abington also provide abortions, though doctors performed less than 100 of those in each of the last two […]
Fetal Personhood Amendment Defeated in Ohio
A measure to declare fertilized eggs “persons” with full constitutional rights met its makers in Ohio today after failing to receive enough signatures from Ohio voters. The measure, which advocated for amending the state’s constitution, garnered a mere 30,000 of the estimated 385,000 signatures necessary to be placed on the statewide ballot this November. The anti-abortion […]