Tag Archives: abortion

Woman Sues Church Of Scientology Over Alleged Forced Abortion

Jessica WakemanJuly 17, 2012 //

We're blaming these celeb breakups on Scientology. 5 Photos »

Scientology Under Fire

5 questions about Scientology that the Church does NOT want you to ask. Read More »

Katie's A Bad Ass

Five reasons why Katie Holmes is our new hero. Read More »

Laura Ann DeCrescenzo, a former Scientologist who left the church in 2004, has filed a lawsuit against the Church of Scientology for allegedly forcing her to have an abortion when she was a teen. According to Radar Online, DeCrescenzo was recruited to the religion in New Mexico at age nine and moved away from her family to work for the Church in Los Angeles as a member of the Sea Org at age 12 . Her education apparently did not progress past the 7th grade while working at the church, contrary to what Scientologists had promised her family when she moved away from them. She married at age 16 and then at age 17, she became pregnant; she claims the church did not want her to have a child because they wanted get get more labor out of her. DeCrescenzo’s lawsuit alleges the church threatened to fire her from her job, kick her out of her home, and break her apart from her husband if she didn’t terminate the pregnancy. Additionally, DeCrescenzo’s lawsuit accused the religion of false imprisonment, as the Church of Scientology reportedly restricted her access to TV, Internet, and the telephone, and opened and read all of her mail. Keep reading »

Judge Keeps Mississippi’s Only Abortion Clinic Open For Now

Jessica WakemanJuly 16, 2012 //

No Abortion Clinic?

Will Mississippi become the first state without an abortion clinic? Read More »

Clinic Open For Now

Judge blocks law that would have closed Mississippi's one clinic. Read More »

Screwed By Sex Ed

Mississippi learns the hard way abstinence-only sex ed sucks. Read More »

A federal judge has blocked parts of a law that would effectively force Missisippi’s one remaining abortion clinic to shut down. However, the judge allowed certain restrictions of the MS legislature’s new abortion-restricitng law to remain. MS had passed a law, which went into effect July 1, that required doctors who perform abortions have admitting privileges at a local hospital. OB/GYNs at the Jackson Women’s Health Organization have applied for such privileges, but have not yet been granted them. Last week, a federal judge said the doctors need to acquire their admitting privileges but while they do so, they will not be subject to punishment for breaking the law. Keep reading »

China Issues Payout To Forced Abortion Woman

Jessica WakemanJuly 12, 2012 //

China's Forced B.C.

Chinese woman seeks asylum in the U.S. over forced birth control. Read More »

China's Bride Shortage

That's what happens when society devalues its women. Read More »

Abortion Rights

All of The Frisky's posts about reproductive rights. Read More »

Last month, those of us concerned with reproductive rights were aghast at the story of Feng Jianmei, a 22-year-old Chinese woman who was forced to have an abortion. She and her husband, who have a five-year-old daughter, could not afford the $6,300 fine for violating the country’s one-child policy, so family planning officials forced her into having an abortion. Her husband, Den Jiyuan, told a Chinese newspaper that she was hooded, abducted by being pushed into a car, and forcibly injected with some substance that terminated her pregnancy at seven months along. Her “consent” to the abortion was someone inking her fingerprint onto a document against her will. According to the Guardian, forced abortions and forced sterilizations are technically illegal in China, but they still occur. Last year, a 37-year-old woman named Ma Jihong reportedly died from a forced abortion gone wrong. Keep reading »

Texas Wants To Ban Doctors From Even Talking About Abortion

Jessica WakemanJuly 11, 2012 //

Yes, seriously: Texas wants to ban doctors from even talking about — or as Texas puts it, “promoting” — abortion as an option. Some people really believe ignorance is a good thing, huh? [Dallas Observer]
Mississippi’s only abortion clinic will be kept open longer that originally thought after a judge has extended a block on a law that aimed to close it July 1. [CNN; BBC]
Jane Lynch and Billie Jean King are supporting LPAC, a lesbian super-PAC that will provide financial packing to lesbian political candidates. [Huffington Post]
The Green Party’s nominee Jill Stein has revealed her running mate will be Cheri Honkala, a homeless activist with the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign. [Time]
A pregnant lesbian and her girlfriend were asked to leave a Kentucky park because they were kissing. [Queerty]
Keep reading »

“I Had An Abortion” Project Collates Women’s Accounts Of Abortion

Jessica WakemanJuly 11, 2012 //

Coat Hanger Abortions

A Mississippi pol doesn't think coat hanger abortions are a problem. Read More »

My Abortion

This author says her abortion was the best decision of her life. Read More »

Abortion Rights

All of The Frisky's posts about reproductive rights. Read More »

What is it like to have an abortion? The Internet can be a crapshoot for honest narratives about the experience. You remember, the Internet, land of grotesque photos of bloody fetuses and rumors that breast cancer is caused by abortion?

A new Tumblr project called I Had An Abortion (not affiliated with the documentary of the same name), organized by reproductive health advocate Steph Herold, seeks to collect stories about abortion experiences which have been published around the web. Keep reading »

Judge Blocks Law That Would Have Closed Mississippi’s One Remaining Abortion Clinic

Jessica WakemanJuly 2, 2012 //

No Abortion Clinic?

Will Mississippi become the first state without an abortion clinic? Read More »

Screwed By Sex Ed

Mississippi learns the hard way abstinence-only sex ed sucks. Read More »

Coat Hanger Abortions

A Mississippi pol doesn't think coat hanger abortions are a problem. Read More »

Women in in Mississippi can breathe easy, at least temporarily: at the eleventh hour on Sunday night, a federal judge blocked a law that would have effectively closed the state’s only abortion clinic. A law was set to go into effect on Monday that would have required doctors at the Jackson Women’s Health Organization to have admitting privileges at local hospitals. However, that was not going to happen as all four of the clinic’s OB-GYNs live out of state, in part because they, their families and neighbors are horrendously harassed by anti-abortion extremists. Only one of the practicing OB-GYNs has admitting privileges at the local hospital; the others have not been granted them yet. Had the law gone into effect today, women’s access to safe and legal abortions would have been even more impeded as they would have been required to drive out of state, which requires time and money. Keep reading »

Victory For Baltimore “Crisis Pregnancy Centers”

Jessica WakemanJune 27, 2012 //

“Crisis pregnancy centers” in Baltimore are having their First Amendment rights violated by being required to post notices that state they do not offer abortion referrals or birth control, an appeals court has ruled. “CPCs” are primarily run by anti-abortion activists, located near abortion clinics, and use trickery to dissuade women from terminating their pregnancies. Baltimore created an ordinance in 2009 telling them they must be transparent to women; however, the courts have repeatedly that ordinance is regulating CPCs’ speech. [Bloomberg]
Why has the blog TV Tropes deleted its entire content page about “rape tropes” in popular culture at Google’s behest? This is disturbing to me. [The Mary Sue]
Nationwide vigils have been planed for a young lesbian couple who were found shot on Saturday at a park in Texas. [Queerty] Keep reading »

Will Mississippi Become The First State Without An Abortion Clinic?

Jessica WakemanJune 25, 2012 //

On July 1, Mississippi’s only surviving abortion clinic may shut down after a new law goes into effect requiring doctors at the clinic to have admitting privileges at local hospitals. This will likely make it impossible for the clinic to continue operating because three out of four of the clinic’s doctors live out of state, in part to avoid harassment by local anti-abortion protestors. Siiiigh. But no worries: coat hanger abortions are no biggie. [New York Times]
The Marine Corps released its plan today to hold troops accused of sexual assault, as well as their commanders, more accountable for their behavior. [Stars & Stripes]
Meet Keith Mason and his wife Jennifer, the forces behind Personhood USA, a group that seeks to change the legal status of a fetus to a “person,” thereby criminalizing all abortion and possibly birth control. [The Daily Beast]
Former CNN/NBC anchor Campbell Brown wrote a pretty annoying op-ed for The New York Times this weekend that criticized Planned Parenthood. [Politico] Keep reading »

New Hampshire Governor Vetoes Anti-Abortion Bill

Jessica WakemanJune 21, 2012 //

New Hampshire’s governor vetoed an anti-abortion bill today that would have classified the death of a fetus as a homicide, which is a sneaky tactic by pro-life activists to restrict abortion rights by granting fetuses the rights of full human beings. [Feminist.org]
Vice President Joe Biden has released a powerful new anti-violence against women PSA called #1is2many. Give it a watch and tell me what you think? [Feministing]
An East Texas high school mishandled the case of a high school student who was raped, according to a complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. The student, Rachel Bradshaw, was forced into a disciplinary program and was told to “work it out” with the young man who sexually attacked her, which she says created a hostile educational environment. [ACLU] Keep reading »

Anti-Abortion Law Pennsylvania Goes Into Effect

Jessica WakemanJune 19, 2012 //

A law restricting abortion rights in Pennsylvania by posing medically unnecessary requirements on clinics has gone into effect. Fourteen of the state’s previous 22 abortion clinics have been licensed to provide surgical abortions going forward. The other clinics will provide various other levels of care, although one abortion clinic has actually closed. [Philly.com]
A transgender person proposed to their partner at the White House during an LGBT Pride reception this weekend. [Feministing]
Bleacher Report’s “100 Hottest Olympians,” about the hot female athletes of the Olympics, is the most sexist, disrespectful piece you’ll read all week. [Think Progress] Keep reading »