News
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Will You Have To Ask Your Employer For The "Abortion Rider"?
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The American Myth of Women's Equality
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AIDS Becomes Leading Cause of Death for Young Women
Friday Femme Fatale: Bishops, Ann Kuster & Global Gag Rule
Published November 13, 2009 @ 09:52PM PT
It is with regret that I must say this is the last Friday Femme Fatale I'll be doing here at Change.org for awhile. We're adding some new voices to the blog in the next few weeks, so hopefully we will be able to cover as much as we do in these weekly wrap up posts all the same. Be on the look out for additional writing from new authors here on the site. I'll still be here as the editor, so don't worry too much.
After this week, there has been a lot of news about the Stupak amendment and what it means, which we have already written about here on Change.org, but below you will find links explaining more about it and other stories you may have missed in the fem-o-sphere:
Health Care Passed in House, Women Used As Political Poker Chip
Published November 09, 2009 @ 08:22AM PT
I don't know about you, but today I have a health care hangover. After the House of Representatives passed the Affordable Health Care Act this weekend, which include the vitriolic Stupak-Pitts amendment, my emotional and mental well has been completely drained.
While the 220-215 vote cleared the way for the Senate to begin debate on the bill, the battles that occurred on Saturday offered a sobering reality of just how far we have to go before women are considered as more than a political poker chip.
But before I go on about how reproductive choice is seriously threatened by the Stupak-Pitts amendment, let's go over the positive parts of the bill that were passed on Saturday night:
- Lower taxes for gay couples who receive health benefits from employers.
- Nutrition labeling requirements for snack food sold in vending machines and many restaurants.
- A new program to teach parents how to interact with their children.
- The House legislation would require most Americans to obtain health insurance or face penalties.
- Most employers would have to provide coverage or pay a tax penalty of up to 8 percent of their payroll.
- The bill would significantly expand Medicaid and would offer subsidies to help moderate-income people buy insurance from private companies or from a government insurance plan.
- It would set up a national insurance exchange where people could shop for coverage.
While these provisions certainly make me happy that we are doing something to reform America's "sickcare" system, I am ultimately disturbed that it was passed at the expense of women's access to reproductive health.
Update: Yoani Sánchez Detained & Beaten
Published November 07, 2009 @ 08:10AM PT
Yoani Sánchez, the 34-year-old Cuban blogger who was not allowed to leave Cuba and go to the United States to receive the Maria Moors Cabot Prize, was detained and beaten by Cuban state security yesterday.
"No blood, but black and blues, punches, pulled hairs, blows to the head, kidneys, knee and chest,'' Sánchez told El Nuevo Herald. "In sum, professional violence.''
According to Reuters, Sánchez said that she and two fellow bloggers were detained briefly on Friday by security agents and accused of being "counter-revolutionaries" as they walked to a demonstration against violence. This video captures the peaceful demonstration from that day.
Friday Femme Fatale: Social Media, Book Lists & Beth Ditto
Published November 06, 2009 @ 11:22AM PT
This weekend I am taking a reprieve from the bright lights of New York City and heading to Washington, DC for a few days to do some speaking at the Pledge2Protect conference and visit old friends.
Additionally, for those who wonder what I do over at my full-time gig, Air America Media, I just published this column today in SmartBrief titled: Can social media save the radio star?
I hope you all are gearing up for some rest and relaxation this weekend as well, but before you unplug completely check out the stories you may have missed in the world of women's rights:
- Social Media Salary Report: Ladies, It's Not Pretty (Social Media Today)
- No. 1 Omission From Top 10 Book List: Women (New York Times)
- Jewish Women Lag Behind Men in Promotion and Pay (Jewish Daily Forward)
- At the UN, Criminalizing Rape as a Weapon (Women's Media Center)
- No More Women's Unhealthy Healthcare (Feminist Peace Network)
- Beyond Breast Cancer: "Awareness" Must Extend to Other Women's Cancers (RH Reality Check)
- Beth Ditto On Punk, High Heels And Breaking All Fashion's Rules (Air America Media)
- The day-care dilemma (Market Watch)
Photo Credit: Air America
2009 Election: Winning Female Candidates & Democrat Losses
Published November 04, 2009 @ 08:50AM PT
Yesterday's election was fraught with disappointment for Democrats. Instead of continuing the wave of "change" from just one year ago when Barack Obama was elected President, the 2009 elections delivered several big victories for the GOP: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the victory by Republican challenger Chris Christie for the governorship in New Jersey and then Republican candidate Bob McDonnell who won the Virginia gubernatorial race.
Interestingly, despite these losses, Beau Friedlander at Air America says that this shouldn't be considered a referendum on Obama, but rather an example of just how low the Republicans will go to win elections:
The GOP is racing to the bottom of its own depravity. They’ve stopped at nothing, floating racist memes and lies and distorting facts to achieve goals that are so blatantly pro-business and anti-American as to be laughable--if it weren’t for the fact that their message-making, via Fox News and talk radio, seems to find a home in the hearts and minds of many Americans.
Desperate Times Calls for Desperate Catholics
Published November 03, 2009 @ 07:34PM PT
As someone who was raised Catholic, went to 15 years of Catholic school and is still asked to rise at eight o'clock in the morning when I visit my parents to go to church, the following news is quite the shocking revelation: the Catholic Church is now accepting applications from Anglicans.
For those who are not well-versed Christianity, here's a quick definition of an Anglican: those who historically protest the Catholic Church and have been traditionally more liberal on their stances on the ordination of women bishops, gay priests and gay marriage.
But it looks like desperate times in the church call for desperate Catholics as being reported by Laura Flanders at Grit TV:
Now facing flagging attendance and shrinking contributions, some of that hard-lining is going soft. Given the chance to fill some empty pews, by allowing conservative Anglicans into the ranks, the Catholic Church is backing off. Those conservative Anglicans are disaffected by their own church's more liberal stances on contraception, gay rights and women's autonomy but they're not about to excommunicate pro choicers - not yet. So suddenly, Rome is willing to do as the Anglicans do.... and call debate over reproductive rights a difference of opinion. Heck, they're even willing to create loopholes to let married clergy stay married.
Fancy that. So what about all those fights over all those years? What about all those denied a place in their faith, and most of all, those who died due to botched and politicized abortions? All those who were forced to bear children against their will, or were infected with HIV due to lies about condoms - or no sex ed at all? Now we find out they suffered simply over a difference of opinion?
I personally believe that everyone needs a sense of spirituality and often religion can provide that. When I was growing up, the Church gave me an understanding of the concept of having faith and I gained an understanding of social justice and community service that I still appreciate to this day. However, the stances of the Catholic Church toward women definitely make even the Christmas carol hard to sing. It's a good thing to see the Catholic church opening up to other ideas about what the Bible means, but is it too little, too late?
Friday Femme Fatale: Gore Vidal, Gen Y Women & Transphobia
Published October 31, 2009 @ 09:32AM PT
Ok, so this is more like a Saturday Femme Fatale - but I didn't want to let anyone down who is looking for the most interesting links in the feminist sphere from the past week.
Without further delay, here's this week's list:
- What women's lib? 70 percent of Americans think women should take spouse's name after marriage (NY Daily News)
- Work/Life Balance Is Not a Woman's Issue (American Prospect)
- No Dignity For NBC (Ms. Magazine)
- A [Disgusting] Conversation With Gore Vidal (The Atlantic)
- Pro-Palin Book Takes on Tina Fey, Feminists (Washington Independent)
- 'Why Y Women' (Media Post)
- Is Seventeen teaching transphobia? (Salon.com)
- Dating, love and feminism: do men prefer submissive women? (The Examiner)
