Tag Archives: laws

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

Sarah GrayFebruary 19, 2013 //
VA's Abortion Bills
abortion protest photo
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 »

Arizona Bill Would Expose Airbrushed Ads

NewserFebruary 17, 2012 //

If you’re going to airbrush a woman in an ad, you must include a disclaimer exposing the wrinkle-hiding, curve-thinning lie—at least if an Arizona lawmaker gets her way. The proposed bill seeks to make it illegal in the state for advertisers to enhance a photograph without attaching a note that reads: “Postproduction techniques were made to alter the appearance in this advertisement. When using this product, similar results may not be achieved,” reports the Arizona Republic. Read more…

Will MTV’s “Skins” Run Afoul Of Child Porn Laws?

Jessica WakemanJanuary 20, 2011 //

I smell a publicity stunt: MTV is worried future episodes of “Skins,” its new show about the hormone-laden escapades of a posse of Baltimore teens, will run afoul of child pornography laws because of too much sexxxy sex. “Skins,” which debuted on Monday, is an Americanized version of a popular show in Britain; however, the UK — and Europe in general — have much more liberal attitudes towards sexuality, especially in youngsters. Most of the actors or non-actors on MTV’s scripted programs or reality shows are adults over the age of 18. However, some of the actors on “Skins” are as young as 15 and acting out sexual acts onscreen could, by some interpretations of the laws, be seen as trying to arouse viewers. (Granted, I’m not an expert on the laws regarding this subject.) Keep reading »

Did You Know It’s Technically Illegal For Women To Wear Pants In Paris?

Leonora EpsteinOctober 27, 2010 //

I live in Paris. And I wear pants. Which apparently means I’m in big trouble. I got a crazy talking to the other day from a man sitting next to me in a cafe when he told me what I was doing was illegal. I panicked for a second, hoping that my heroin stash hadn’t fallen out of my bag or that the security tag from my stolen shirt wasn’t showing. No, all good there, so what was the deal? “You’re wearing pants,” the creepster said. “You know it’s against the law for women to wear pants in Paris, right?” Keep reading »

Hollywood Party Crashing Could Soon Earn You Jail Time

Kelli BenderAugust 18, 2010 //

Thanks to movies like “Wedding Crashers” and incidents like the Salahis’ not-so-official invite to the White House, party crashing has become more of an occupation than a form of trespassing. Well, California is trying to take the glamour out of sneaking in through a window or slipping past a bodyguard; the state’s lawmakers are looking to make inviting yourself to someone else’s shindig an offense that is punishable by six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. Keep reading »

New Bill Proposed To Protect Designers From The Knockoff Biz

Leonora EpsteinAugust 6, 2010 //

A new bill to appease the fashion industry’s gripes with copycat issues has been proposed by Senator Charles Schumer. Interestingly, the bill doesn’t exactly cut down the Forever 21s and Steve Maddens, but proposes that construction, rather than an intellectual idea, is most key when considering a copyright case. Reports The New York Times: “The proposed legislation provides very limited intellectual property protection to the most original design. A designer who claims that his work has been copied must show that his design provides ‘a unique, distinguishable, non-trivial and non-utilitarian variation over prior designs.’ And it must be proven by the designer that the copy is ‘substantially identical’ to the original so as to be mistaken for it.” This puts designers in a weird position of not being able to call out potential knockoffs for color or patterns, so much as the unique construction of a garment. Keep reading »

African-American Hair Braiding Salons Tied Up In Legal Battles

Leonora EpsteinMay 4, 2010 //

Bureaucracy has not taken kindly to practitioners of African-American hair braiding. In Illinois, there’s been a crackdown on salons that offer the service and haven’t conformed to the state’s ridiculous regulations—if you want to braid hair, you need a cosmetology degree and a license, which takes hours of time and thousands of dollars. While this poses a financial issue to many hair braiders, the law also doesn’t cater to the art both for practical and philosophical reasons. Keep reading »

Shakira Shakes Up Controversy Over Arizona’s New Immigration Laws

Ami AngelowiczApril 30, 2010 //

If I wasn’t already slightly embarrassed to admit that I grew up in Arizona, I am now. With the announcement of the new immigration laws, I want to boycott the state altogether, but unfortunately that’s not an option since my family lives here. In fact, I am here right now with my brother for a family visit. On the flight over from NYC, there was a guy sitting a few rows behind me wearing a baseball cap that said, “Don’t shoot! I’m legal!” Yes, it was meant to be ironically disdainful, but this issue is personal for my brother. His girlfriend is a Canadian citizen, which would make it potentially dangerous for her to come visit. That’s how over-the-top the new laws are. Speaking of visiting … Arizona has a famous visitor this week who is also deeply angered by the new laws. Keep reading »

Would You Sue The Other Woman For Alienation Of Affection?

Jessica GoldbergDecember 9, 2009 //

If you ever, like Elin Nordegren, have the misfortune of finding out that an “outsider” has been interfering in your marriage, and you happen to live in Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota or Utah, there is something you can do—sue said third-party for “alienation of affection.” These laws date back to the days when women were considered their husbands’ property, so seducing your neighbor’s wife would have been regarded kind of like theft. Archaic as the attitude is, the alienation of affection laws are still used by both sexes today, in the states where the laws are still on the books. Keep reading »

10 Ridiculous Lady Laws That Are Still On The Books

Ami AngelowiczNovember 18, 2009 //

Even though Paris is the fashion capitol of the world, it is still technically against the law for a woman to wear pants there. Someone should tell the police quick … they could have made a killing during Fashion Week. But seriously, how crazy is that? This ridiculous law has survived years of attempted upheaval. In 1892, the law was amended to say that trousers were permitted “as long as the woman is holding the reins of a horse.” In 1909, female cyclists were declared exempt. After a couple more attempts over the ages, I guess the ladies (and police) forgot the law even existed and went right on ahead breaking it by proudly rocking their pants. That got me thinking. What other crazy kinds of laws are there that we don’t even know about? Wait for this one. I discovered that here in New York a woman can incur $25 fine for flirting! Oops … I broke that law like a million times. After the jump, some more archaic lady laws that need to be repealed pronto. [Newser, Dumblaws] Keep reading »

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