It is vital to show by deed as well as by word that the United States means to walk its talk on gender justice. This would go a long way in rebuilding the trust and goodwill that the past administration has squandered in the rest of the world.
Preaching from the US about sexual and reproductive rights is not productive. Our own house is not quite clean enough. So we really need to link our domestic policies and their enforcement with our moral voice abroad.
There are two particular questions I've been mulling over quite a bit lately. First, how much should the administration pressure foreign governments to reform anti-woman laws? And, should US policymakers, and the women's movement, try to leverage concern over the environment to garner more support for reproductive health and women's empowerment programs?
Is Adrienne Germain's plan really a bold one? Only in the sense that the US is so far behind the curve on modern thought about gender, sexuality and reproduction that getting there with our current mindset is unthinkable. In this sense, it is a good plan for the 20th century, but I say let's be really bold and move to the 21st.
We need to ensure that within our initiatives to assist various nations, we're working with and funding local women's organizations, talking to women and girls on the ground, and allowing them to maintain agency so that they're not just being helped, but being heard.
In order to make real progress, there has to be a paradigm shift in our perception of sex and sexuality in the context of HIV. Money tied with restrictions that exclude many groups and limit access to services will only save to extend the lifeline of the epidemic.
Saturday, March 8th was International Women's Day - a day celebrated every year that focuses on the unique issues affecting women and girls globally and to embolden ourselves to act on these challenges. In honor of International Women's Day and in order to foster a lively discussion and debate on what the best way to address these global issues may be, RH Reality Check is thrilled to introduce our first co-produced and co-hosted online salon with our partner, UN Dispatch.
I'm a transgendered sex worker, and I want to not get killed for who I am or what I do. As our death count rises, I beg that you consider your prejudices around gender, and let us live in peace. I'm literally begging for my life.
In examining rooms, we see women in terrible pain, but their suffering doesn’t count in Stupak/Pitts world. By banishing abortion from the reform bill, the amendment punishes women who need to end unwanted or unhealthy pregnancies.
With the Stupak amendment literally and symbolically stripping women of equal status, the movie "Precious" presents, in grim detail, the way race, class and bias render a woman's body simultaneously invisible and subject to abuse.
Form-based ethics teach the Christian to ask the question “Am I allowed to do this?” Content-based ethics teach the Christian to ask “Am I truly loving the person or persons with whom I am doing this, including myself?”
I agree with Jim Wallis that the truth has become a casualty in this war--because both Jim and the Catholic Bishops have twisted it. And if Jim Wallis and his conservative allies have their way, women will become another casualty.
Two new studies show what many have already argued: Implementation of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment would likely result in the almost total loss of coverage for abortion care, including in situations where life and health are at risk.
A federal employee--barred by the Hyde Amendment from insurance coverage for abortion--incurs costs of $9000.00 to end a pregnancy in which the fetus is missing major portions of its brain, skull, and scalp.
If motherhood is "the only life sentence without chance at parole you can get without committing a crime," low-income motherhood is infinitely harder still. Still, we judge these mothers and make their lives harder, as we force them into it.
The US goes out of its way to deny poor women access to services--including abortion. Meanwhile, Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in Africa has liberalized its abortion laws and pays for abortion care for women who need it.
A new report, released by Political Research Associates, connects the dots between U.S. conservatives, African churches and a growing homophobia - with frightening results.
After attacking James Dobson and Mitt Romney for not being anti-abortion enough, American Right to Life has set its sights on a new high profile target: ex-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
In 140 characters, Penelope Trunk started a controversy around how women should react to a miscarriage. Is it best to suffer in silence? Are you ever allowed to be grateful? And above all, are you EVER allowed to discuss abortion?
New statistics released by the National Coalition of STD Directors and the Centers for Disease Control show the public health burden of STDs in the U.S. is worsening at the same time the resources needed to fight them continues to shrink.
In all the fuss over Stupak-Pitts, the fact that both houses of Congress removed mandated coverage not only for contraception, but also STD counseling and pelvic exams went largely unnoticed.
Form-based ethics teach the Christian to ask the question “Am I allowed to do this?” Content-based ethics teach the Christian to ask “Am I truly loving the person or persons with whom I am doing this, including myself?”
Rep. Diana DeGette releases a statement on the Senate bill's exclusion of the anti-choice Stupak Amendment language and her vision for moving forward with health care reform.