Tag Archives: women news

Louisiana Governor Signs More Abortion Restrictions Into Law

Jessica WakemanJune 8, 2012 //

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has signed into law an increased “waiting period” between the time a pregnant woman views a mandatory ultrasound and when she can have her abortion. The law also says the woman will be offered an opportunity to hear a fetal heartbeat. Such “waiting period” abortion laws are considered by pro-choice activists to be an anti-abortion ploy to make obtaining an abortion more difficult for a women, because it requires more doctor appointments and more time away from work/life. [NOLA.com]
The House of Representatives has approved language for a Homeland Security bill that bans women in immigrant detention facilities from receiving abortions, in most cases. Because if there is any woman who is at the perfect place in her life to have a child, it’s one locked inside immigration detention, right? [The Hill]
Meet the women and people of color who helped invent the Internet. (This one is for you, _JSW_!) [Ms. Magazine] Keep reading »

Natasha Trethewey, African-American Pulitzer Prizewinner, Named Poet Laureate

Jessica WakemanJune 7, 2012 //

Natasha Trethewey, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, has been named Poet Laureate of the United States. Trethewey has written three collections of poetry, one nonfiction book, and teaches creative writing at Emory University. She is the first Southerner to win since the first-ever laureate and the most recent black poet laureate since 1993. Her fourth book of poems, Thrall, is scheduled for publication in the fall. [New York Times]
Find out more about an utterly scary “super bill” restricting access to abortion proposed by Michigan State Representative Bruce Rendon, a Republican. [Feministing, Think Progress]
A “booth babe” at this week’s Computex exhibition in Taiwan says tech companies are pressuring women they hire to man the booths to show more and more skin. [CNET] Keep reading »

OK Doctor Refuses To Provide Emergency Contraception To Rape Victim In ER

Jessica WakemanJune 6, 2012 //

An Oklahoma doctor working in an emergency room refused to provide emergency contraception to a 24-year-old rape victim because EC is against her personal beliefs. (Yes, the doctor was a woman.) According to the rape victim’s mother Rhonda, the doctor said, “I will not give you emergency contraceptives because it goes against my beliefs.” And guess what! It is perfectly legal for this doctor to do this in the state of Oklahoma because it has a so-called “conscience clause.” This poor rape victim and her mom had to travel to another hospital to get EC and prevent an unwanted pregnancy from rape. This is embarrassing, Oklahoma. [Think Progress]
Washington state’s same-sex marriage law will be voted on in a November referendum, after opponents of marriage equality have gathered enough signatures to put it on the ballet. In the meantime, the measure to allow civil marriage will sit in limbo. [USA Today] Keep reading »

Paycheck Fairness Act Blocked By Senate Republicans

Jessica WakemanJune 5, 2012 //

Republicans in the Senate blocked the Paycheck Fairness Act in a 52-47 vote through a filibuster. Bummer, dudes. The bill would have strengthened the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and tightened up some loopholes in pay inequity. [Think Progress]
Doctors are speaking out against anti-abortion activists’ claims that Plan B can cause an “abortion” by blocking a fertilized egg from implanting in the womb. Plenty of politicians, including Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmman, have referred to the morning-after pill as “abortive pills” or “morning-after abortion pills.” Just because you keep repeating something doesn’t mean it is medically true, guys! [New York Times]
Also, Representative Cliff Stearns of Florida has suggested criminal punishments for women who have abortions. [Reproductive Health Reality Check]
A Republican campaign spokesman in New York who suggested in a Facebook wall post that people “hurl some acid” on female Democratic senators has resigned. [The Nation]
Keep reading »

Vatican Denounces Nun’s Book Supporting Gay Sex, Masturbation

Daley QuinnJune 5, 2012 //

Radical Feminist Nuns

The Vatican is fretting about radical feminist nuns. Read More »

Kate Upton, Sexy Nun

Kate Upton indulges in your sexy nun fantasy. Read More »

Losing My Religion

Rachel Rabbit White on growing up and out of the Bible Belt. Read More »

The Vatican denounced an American nun, Sister Margaret A. Farley, on Monday for her theological teachings in support of same-sex relationships, remarriage after divorce and masturbation.

In her awarding-winning 2006 book, Just Love: A Framework For Christian Sexual Ethics, Sister Farley writes that “masturbation … usually does not raise any moral questions at all.” Sister Farley, a member of the Sisters of Mercy and a professor of Christian ethics at Yale University, also wrote:

“[S]ame-sex relationships and activities can be justified according to the same sexual ethic as heterosexual relationships and activities … therefore same-sex oriented persons as well as their activities can and should be respected whether or not they have a choice to be otherwise.” Keep reading »

Encourage Your Senators To Support The Paycheck Fairness Act!

Jessica WakemanJune 4, 2012 //

Unequal Pay Protest

Find out why Swedish feminists burned $13,000. Read More »

Fired For Being Hot?

A woman says she was fired from a lingerie company for being hot. Read More »

Frisky Feminism!

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

Today's Lady News

Catch up on all your women's news. Read More »

Today's Lady News

Tomorrow the U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act, which will strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963. Simply put, equal pay is the reason that Peggy Olson would not get paid less than Michael Ginsberg just because she’s a woman. And that goes the same for you and the dude sitting in the cubicle across from you. Urge your senators to vote in support of the PFA — find out how to contact them at the link! [Feministing]
Boston photographer Glenford Nunez capturing black women’s natural hair in a cool new endeavor called “The Coiffure Project.” [Uptown Magazine]
The Vatican denounced an American nun who wrote a book about Christian sexual ethics, which included acceptance of same-sex marriage, masturbation and remarriage after divorce. [New York Times] Keep reading »

Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg Gives Harvard Business School 2012 Commencement Address

Jessica WakemanJune 2, 2012 //

Jane Lynch At Smith

Jane Lynch told the 2012 graduating class at Smith College what's up. Read More »

Celeb Commencements

Amy Poehler and other awesome commencement speakers. Read More »

Rachel Maddow At Smith

Rachel Maddow gave the 2010 commencement address at Smith. Read More »

Watch Video

There’s many commencement addresses delivered each year by celebrities, but too few of them are delivered by crazy-successful businesswomen who have us hanging on their every word. Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg delivered the 2012 address at her alma mater, Harvard Business School, this week. “Careers … are not a ladder, they’re a jungle gym,” she told them. ”Move sideways, move down, move on, move off.” Smart, no? You can read the full text on of her speech Huffington Post, too. [YouTube]

WTF Chart: Men Overwhelmingly Quoted In Media About Women’s Rights, Abortion & Birth Control

Jessica WakemanJune 2, 2012 //

This is a chart made by the media watchdog group 4thEstate.net about the numbers of women and men quoted in the media in print and on TV on women’s issues. As you can read about in more detail on 4th Estate’s site, regardless of the publication or show, men’s voices still over-represent even when the issue being discussed is women’s rights, abortion, birth control or attacks on Planned Parenthood.

The chart itself requires little explanation. The questions it arises? Those are endless. [4thEstate.net]

Republican Rep.’s Spokesman: “Hurl Some Acid” On Female Democratic Senators

Jessica WakemanJune 1, 2012 //

The campaign spokesperson for Rep. Nan Hayworth (R-NY), a guy named Jay Townsend, wrote a Facebook message about senators who support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act but paid their male staffers more than their female staffers. Townsend wrote, “Let’s hurl some acid at those female democratic Senators who won’t abide the mandates they want to impose on the private sector.” It never fails to shock me how dumb people in politics can be when it comes to writing Facebook comments. [Raw Story]
This teen girl is smarter than us all: Snigdha Nandipai, 14, from California, won the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee on the word “guetapens.” [MSNBC]
North Carolina’s General Assembly passed a bill that will grant reparations of $50,000 to poor women and women of color who were forcibly sterilized between 1929 and 1974. [Jezebel]
A New Mexico health official said she was asked by the governor to resign after she gave a TV interview and said teenagers should use condoms to prevent the spread of STDs. Go ahead and keep your head in the sand, New Mexico, and hope your teens don’t get herpes. [Feminist.org] Keep reading »

Douchebag Teen Boy Hooked Up With Teacher On $500 Bet

Jessica WakemanJune 1, 2012 //

Earlier this week, the tabloid New York Post put out the headline every paper dreams of:

PHOTO EXCLUSIVE! TEACHER’S PET! Caught in action with student

The photo exclusive showed a 26-year-old teacher named Julie Warning amorously smooching her 18-year-old student, Eric Arty.

Of course, the Manhattan Theater Lab High School teacher was in the wrong here. Arty is over the age of consent, but Warning is still his teacher at his school. She deserves to be fired. But what isn’t getting enough attention is the fact that Eric Arty and four of his classmates each put in $100 on a bet to see who could hook up with “Miss Warning” first.

Eric, the winner, walked away with a $500 prize — as well as a gold seal of douchebaggery from moi. Keep reading »