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rape and sexual assault

When Partner Abuse Isn't a Bruise But a Pregnant Belly

By Lynn Harris

June 29, 2009 - 8:00am

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Sexual violence and coercion by intimate partners plays a critical role in unintended pregnancy, the spread of sexually transmitted infections, poor maternal outcomes and in abortion. The problems of violence, control, and contraceptive sabotage are so widespread that public-health advocates see teen pregnancy as a "canary in a coal mine" or one indicator of possible abuse.

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Addressing Sexual Violence through Sexuality Education

By Karen Rayne

April 20, 2009 - 7:00am

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Parents and teachers need to have lots of difficult conversations about sex with their teens, where the "right" answer isn't clear.

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New Afghan Law a Dramatic Abrogation of Women's Rights

By Deepali Gaur Singh, RH Reality Check, Asia

April 17, 2009 - 7:00am

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The international community played a role during the drafting of the Afghan constitution, ensuring seats for women in Parliament. Now this is the time to follow up on those principles that they enshrined for the Afghan people.

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Men Can, and Should, Stop Rape

By Kay Steiger, RH Reality Check

April 15, 2009 - 7:00am

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At the Men Can Stop Rape conference in DC, a 40% male participant group brainstormed on evolving masculinity, gender relations, re-examining marital rape, and innovations coming from the federal government.

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The Date Rape Heard Round the World

By Sarah Seltzer, RH Reality Check

April 13, 2009 - 2:11pm

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The date rape in "Observe and Report" is a natural progression from the "Knocked Up" mentality of sidelining women for dude-induced yuks.

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LA Rape Kits Left to Rot

By Elisabeth Garber-Paul, RH Reality Check

April 9, 2009 - 5:22pm

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As a Law and Order: SVU junkie of sorts, I always assumed that there would be a sassy female detective pestering the crime lab to ensure that any sexual offender would be tracked down and reprimanded for their crime, making sure that every bit of evidence is tested. But when it comes to the handling of rape kits, life doesn’t always imitate television.


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The World According to O'Reilly: If You Got It, You Were Asking for It

By Amanda Marcotte, RH Reality Check

March 25, 2009 - 7:00am

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The reason that people blame Rihanna or any victim of a gender-based hate crime is that the supposed protection of the patriarchy is only extended to good girls.

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A World in Which Women Are Cartoons, Not People

By Amanda Marcotte, RH Reality Check

March 20, 2009 - 7:00am

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If you can't grasp the basics -- women have minds and feelings, just like men -- it's a short jump to dehumanizing women and girls in other ways.

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Excommunicate Me

By Emily Douglas

March 10, 2009 - 4:11pm

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If there is no room in the Catholic Church for doctors who would provide an abortion to a nine-year-old incest survivor pregnant with twins, then there is no room for me, Brazilian Catholics are saying.

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Ab-Only Group Shamed into Changing Victim-Blaming Website

By Joe Sonka, Advocates for Youth

February 23, 2009 - 8:00am

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The Ohio program Abstinence 'Till Marriage no longer victim-shames on their website. A small victory -- but now we need to end funding for all failed abstinence-only programs.

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