Tag Archives: politics

Conservative Writer Compares Ashley Judd To Todd Akin

Sarah GrayFebruary 27, 2013 //

Ashley Judd is serious about a Senate run. Read More »

Akin's Rape Science

Rep. Todd Akin says "legitimate rape victims" don't get pregnant. Read More »

Ashley On Feminism

Ashley Judd discusses the patriarchy and misogyny like a pro. Read More »

um, what?

Ashley Judd was compared to Todd Akin by conservative writer for The Daily Caller, Alex Pappas. Seriously?

Ashley Judd’s name has been floated around as possible Democratic candidate to run Senator Mitch McConnell in Kentucky in 2014. But haters have already come out swinging, with a writer for conservative blog The Daily Caller comparing the actress/humantarian/women’s rights activist to Todd “Legitimate Rape” Akin. No, seriously. He did:

“Judd runs the risk of being portrayed as a Todd Akin-esque candidate — meaning voters simply decide she’s unqualified to serve as a senator, because her comments are so outrageous.”

They both have the initial “A” in their names and when people talk about them the word “senate” is thrown around, but that’s where the similarities end. Judd’s comments may be on the liberal end of the spectrum, but they are not “outrageous” in the way that Akin’s uneducated comments were. Last I checked, Ashley Judd understands actual biology. Keep reading »

Violence Against Women Act Might Actually Pass The House Of Representatives

Sarah GrayFebruary 27, 2013 //

Senators Against VAWA

These guys didn't even want to bring VAWA to a vote. Read More »

Vawa Passes!

The violence against women act passed in the Senate. Read More »

Domestic Violence Advice

... from a prosecutor who has seen it all. Read More »

Keep your fingers crossed: Politico is reporting that the Violence Against Women Act is expected to pass in the House of Representatives this week.

VAWA was originally championed by then-Senator Joe Biden back in 1994 and gets renewed very six years. The bill allocates funds to help victims of rape and domestic violence, including money to process rape kits, and prosecute men accused of abusing women. Sounds like a no brainer, right? Well, it’s not. Apparently violence against women is A-OK for some of our politicians. Last year, VAWA hit a snag in the House, which refused to pass a Senate version of the bill allocating funds to undocumented women, same-sex partners, and Native American women who are abused by non-Native American men. Keep reading »

Big Bird & Michelle Obama Talk Healthy Snacks

Jessica WakemanFebruary 24, 2013 //

Michelle's Midlife Crisis

The First Lady said she got bangs because she's having a midlife crisis. Read More »

Shut Up, Karl

Karl Lagerfeld harrumphs at the First Lady's hairdo. Read More »

Watch The Obamas Dance

Jennifer Hudson serenaded the first couple to an Al Green song. Read More »

let's move

"Sesame Street" In The White House

Big Bird flew up from Sesame Street to help Michelle Obama hunt for healthy snacks in the White House kitchen as part of her Let’s Move! campaign.

Another video about how much fun (?) it is to exercise, after the jump… Keep reading »

Alabama State Rep. Mary Sue McClurkin Says Abortions Remove A Woman’s Largest Organ & 5 Other Politicians Who Are Clueless About The Female Body

Sarah GrayFebruary 20, 2013 //

View the Gallery / 5 Photos »

In shocking news to everyone, as a fetus you were your mother’s largest organ! Or at least that’s what Alabama State Representative Mary Sue McClurkin (R) is now claiming.

The bill she introduced this week requires a series of demanding requirements of abortion clinics who perform this “big surgery.” According to the Huffington Post, these regulations could potentially close the sparse five remaining abortion clinics in Alabama. The Montgomery Advertiser reports that the bill:

“Would require physicians at abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at local hospitals; require clinics to follow ambulatory clinic building codes and make it a felony — punishable by up to 10 years in prison — for a nurse, nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant to dispense abortion-inducing medications”

Rep. McClurkin’s reasoning for such harsh new regulations: the removal of an organ is a serious surgery, and by her estimation a child is an organ. Rep. McClurkin’s assertion is ridiculous for so many reasons.

Keep reading »

Politicians On Rape

A handy guide to what various old white conservatives have said. Read More »

Akin's Rape Science

Rep. Todd Akin says "legitimate rape victims" don't get pregnant. Read More »

"Fetal Personhood"

Fetal personhood laws want a fertilized egg to legally be a person. Read More »

New York Governor Cuomo Looks To Update State’s Abortion Laws

Sarah GrayFebruary 19, 2013 //

VA's Abortion Bills

Virgina's transvaginal ultrasound anti-abortion bill is super-scary. Read More »

Crazy AZ Abortion Law

According to new AZ law, pregnancy begins 2 weeks before conception. Read More »

Politicians On Rape

A handy guide to what various old white conservatives have said. Read More »

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to update abortion laws in New York by removing restrictions on late term abortions (past 24 weeks), which have previously been available only if a woman’s life is at risk. His proposal also includes allowing licensed practitioners to perform abortions, and changing the regulation of abortion to the state’s public health law rather than the penal codes. [New York Times]
More uplifting news from politicians: Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings announced his campaign to end violence against women and is calling on 10,000 to rally at City Hall to end domestic violence. [Feministing]
According to analysts and pollsters, how women feel about gun control could be a major factor in the 2014 midterm elections. According to Joe Garofoli of the San Francisco Chronicle, women think less about guns as a Second Amendment right and more about safety. [The Columbus Dispatch] Keep reading »

Duke University Is Training Feminist Bloggers

Jessica WakemanFebruary 19, 2013 //

Lindy West On Trolls

Jezebel blogger Lindy West faces down her Internet trolls. Read More »

"Feminist"? No Way

Beliefnet would not allow blogger to use the word "feminist" on her blog. Read More »

On Feminist In-Fighting

Can't we all just get along? Read More »

Frisky Feminism!

Everything The Frisky has ever written about feminism! Read More »

Duke University has suffered some blows over the years as an academically prestigious school with a bad rep towards women. There was the infamous Duke lacrosse rape accusation of 2006 (which was later found to be false) and more recently, embarrassing fratboy shenanigans. Finally, some really positive news: Duke Women’s Center has created a program during the spring semester called Write(H)ers, which will train 23 students on how to be feminist bloggers. Keep reading »

Bill Introduced To Help Military Sexual Assault Survivors Get Disability Benefits

Jessica WakemanFebruary 14, 2013 //

Marine To Fox News

Sexual assault should not be part of her job. Read More »

Military Sister

My brother joined the armed forces. Read More »

A Soldier's Thoughts

An ex-soldier on lifting the ban on women in combat. Read More »

Yesterday afternoon, two Democratic politicians introduced the Ruth Moore Act, a bill to support former service members who survived sexual assault in the military. Veterans Affairs has long rejected disability claims of military sexual trauma (MST) for troops who were raped by colleagues and now need assistance. According to the Service Women’s Action Network, only one in three claims of PTSD from MST were approved by the VA between 2008 to 2010, presumably because the threshold was too high for these survivors to been seen as eligible. Keep reading »

Limp Boehner Jokes About Foreplay

Sarah GrayFebruary 13, 2013 //

Politics Vs. Love

Can you ignore someone's politics in love? Read More »

Men Quoted In Media

4th Estate chart about women in journalism

Men overwhelmingly quoted in media about women's rights. Read More »

Please Go, Todd Akin!

Republicans urge Rep. Akin to drop out of the race. Read More »

Quotable

“Slow down. Slow down. How about a little foreplay? There’s a bipartisan conversation going on in the Senate. There’s a bipartisan conversation going in the House. Let these things work their way along. It is too early to talk about legislation going on in one house or the other.”

– This was Speaker John Boehner’s cringeworthy response yesterday to a question about immigration reform. Okay, can we just all say “ewww!” Yo Boehner, if the phonetic pronunciation of your last name is already a dirty joke in the making, best not bust out the sex metaphors! [Huffington Post]

Recap: President Obama’s State Of The Union Address

Sarah GrayFebruary 13, 2013 //

Obama Victory Speech

Watch Obama's victory speech and Romney's concession speech. Read More »

Vawa Passes!

The violence against women act passed in the Senate. Read More »

Senators Against VAWA

These guys didn't even want to bring VAWA to a vote. Read More »

President Obama On VAWA

Missed the State Of The Union address last night? Well, here’s a guide of some major points for those of you who still want to know where we’re at. The economy continues to dominate President Obama’s agenda, given how the first 20 minutes were a mixture of economic policies from spending cuts to boosting the middle class. Though we’re no longer arguing about the Bush tax cuts, bailouts, or the debt ceiling, we have new talking points: sequester cuts, deficit reduction, tax codes. Oh my.

Sam Seaborn, fictional speechwriting dreamboat from “The West Wing,” would argue the SOTU speech is not solely about policy, it’s about noble over-reaching that government should aspire to. So what’s on President Obama’s agenda? Where are we heading in the next four years? Keep reading »

Good News: The Senate Passed The Violence Against Women Act (Again)

Sarah GrayFebruary 12, 2013 //

The Senate passed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act by a wide majority of 78-22 yet again. The measure first passed in 1994 was up for reauthorization in 2012; however, in April 2012 the Senate passed a similar bill, which failed in the House of Representatives due to measures added to extend protections to Native American women, undocumented immigrants and same-same sex couples. According to Politico, the 2013 bill has minimal changes besides dropping a portion that would “grant U visas to undocumented immigrant women who had been abused.” Here’s hoping this finally passes the House! [Politico]
Reportedly there is some pressure from Republicans to get VAWA passed: Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor were sent a letter by 17 Congressmen from their own caucus urging them to “immediately reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.” [NYMag.com Huffington Post]
France’s legalization of same-sex marriage moved one step further: a measure extending marriage and adoption rights to gay couples passed the National Assembly 329-229. [CNN] Keep reading »