It’s that time of year again: On Monday, TIME published its list of nominees for 2012’s Person of the Year. This annual designation recognizes a person or group that has significantly influenced the year’s events. The title is “bestowed by the editors on the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, […]
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton Spearheads Global Initiative for Women’s Equality
One year ago, President Obama addressed the United Nations General Assembly after the U.S. signed a declaration ensuring women’s political and economic empowerment. The president has already made serious headway toward the goals of this declaration by issuing an executive order in August that promised to better respond to violence against women globally by creating […]
HBO’s Veep: Stolen Stylists, First Lady Feuds and Politics
In the social media era we live in, it’s hard for the personal to not be political. And often, for the political not to veer towards the personal. In the last couple weeks, for example, we’ve learned a few new things about Hillary Clinton. With the brilliant Texts from Hillary Tumblr page, we got to […]
New Appointment Raises Doubts About U.S. Commitment to Congo’s Women and Girls
Just as violence flares again in the Democratic Republic of Congo–where women and girls have borne the brunt of decades of conflict–the U.S. State Department has announced the appointment of a new representative to the region. But what sounds like a renewed U.S. commitment to Congo is getting mixed reviews from activists and advocates. The […]
Top Three Lessons from the Prop 8 Trial
California’s gay marriage ban, Prop 8, was back in court this week for what is likely to be the last of the many appeals hearings. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals weighed two matters: First, whether the video tapes of the trial’s proceedings could be made public (Prop 8 supporters want them deep-sixed) and second, […]
NEWSFLASH: After 9 Years of Hemming and Hawing, FDA Likely To Approve Over-the-Counter Plan B!
At long last, the emergency contraception (EC) drug Plan B is poised to become available over the counter with no age restriction. EC has been available via prescription since 1998, and in 2003, the FDA began considering making it available over the counter. But the process was bogged down in internal debate. FDA medical official […]
The Women of “Women, War and Peace”
The remarkable five-part PBS series Women, War and Peace concludes on Tuesday, November 8 with War Redefined, the capstone piece that brings together the issues brought up in the previous films about conflicts in Afghanistan, Colombia, Liberia and Bosnia. Narrated by Geena Davis, the film touches on, among other things, how the proliferation of small […]
Peace Unveiled–An Interview with Afghan Women’s Rights Activist Hasina Safi
The next installment of the groundbreaking five-part PBS series Women, War & Peace, airing October 25, takes us to Afghanistan, where women continue their fight to carve out a role for themselves in the country’s future. Peace Unveiled follows the lives of three different Afghan women as they share their hopes, fears and struggles. The Ms. Blog […]