A Chicago doctor and a women’s health clinic have filed a lawsuit in Illinois over a “parental notification law.” If the law goes into effect on Nov. 3, it would require a doctor to tell the parents before performing an abortion on girls under age 18. Girls can bypass notifying their parents by going before a judge, but the judge has 48 hours to rule. Parental notification also isn’t required in the case of a medical emergency or if the girl declares in writing that she is the victim of sexual abuse. [Chicago Tribune]

School officials in Huntington Beach, California read aloud the child rape scene in Maya Angelou‘s autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, by way of encouraging the city council members to ban it. Book banning? In California? In 2009? Seriously? [Jezebel]

Men don’t always know how to keep their hands to themselves on crowded, rush-hour subways. In Tokyo, Seibu Holdings—the company that operates their trains—has set up women-only cars to prevent the morning commute from becoming a gropefest. But now, Seibu shareholders are asking the company to designate men-only cars, too. Why? So that women can’t falsely accuse guys of copping a feel. “While measures against groping, such as setting women-only carriages, have been effective to a certain extent, no measures have been taken against false charges of groping,” said the shareholders who’re requesting a vote at the annual meeting next week. “In the spirit of gender-equality, a male-only carriage must be introduced.” Seibu’s board of directors, however, isn’t so into this idea since only a few customers have made requests for male-only cars. [Reuters]

While it may take until 2009 for HBO’s hot hit Big Love to start its third season, there’s some real life polygamy drama going down in Texas and Warren Jeffs is a real-life Roman Grant.  After an unidentified 16-year-old girl called 911 to report sexual and physical abuse, Police raided the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints’ compound in El Dorado.  Over the weekend, officials removed 219 women and children from the organization’s 1900-acre Texas ranch.  Most have been relocated to a shelter run by family members and friends, but 18 of those at risk women have been taken into state custody for protection.  Although law enforcement couldn’t verify the identity of the caller, Marleigh Meisner, a rep from Child Protection Services, said, “I am confident that the allegations that she brought forth are accurate.” The sect’s “prophet and leader” Warren Jeffs, who claims to be a blood relative of Jesus and Joseph Smith, is no stranger to trouble with the law.  After his trial this past September, Jeffs is currently serving a 10-year sentence for being an accomplice to two counts of rape. While this troubling investigation of sexual abuse continues, rest assured, Jeffs has allegedly already tried to kill himself in prison.  [CNN]