Michigan Ultrasound Bill Passes State House

A 69-37 vote by the Michigan House yesterday may require medical clinics to offer women seeking abortion an ultrasound of the fetus, reports the Detroit Free Press. While Michigan has a history of pushing extreme anti-choice laws, this is their favorite as of late.
“Women will be given the opportunity to see the miracle of life through the miracle of today’s technology to truly make an informed choice,” Rep. Dave Robertson said in a news release. An “opportunity.” Is that what they’re calling it now? I call it a shitty way to try to influence already-informed women.
Shelli Weisberg, a lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, says the ...

A 69-37 vote by the Michigan House yesterday may require medical clinics to offer women seeking abortion an ultrasound of the fetus, reports the Detroit Free Press. While Michigan has a history of ...

Equality For The ‘Talented’ and ‘Ambitious’

Break out the champagne, ladies—the men-folk have solved our problems!
Right on the heels of John Tierney’s profound article on What Women Want (apparently not to compete with big, bad men), Matt Miller solves women’s work/life dilemmas by listening to his wife.
Both men seem to have the same answer for a problem that women apparently haven’t been able to solve—just change the structure of the workplace. Wow, we never thought of that!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m appreciative of the interest and coverage on the issue. But both articles smack a little too hard of condescension for my taste.
Pandagon’s responses to Tierney’s What Women Want say it all, ...

Break out the champagne, ladies—the men-folk have solved our problems!
Right on the heels of John Tierney’s profound article on What Women Want (apparently not to compete with big, bad men), Matt Miller solves women’s ...

These people rock

…and have made my job a lot easier this morning:
Amanda at Pandagon tells John Tierney what women really want.
LiberalOasis on the filibuster deal. He’s not loving it.
Tennessee Guerilla Women give an update on the spousal rape bill.
Jill at Feministe takes on the stem cell bill and Bush’s bullshit.

…and have made my job a lot easier this morning:
Amanda at Pandagon tells John Tierney what women really want.
LiberalOasis on the filibuster deal. He’s not loving it.
Tennessee ...

NPR on Fantasia’s ‘Baby Mama’


Yesterday’s Morning Edition on NPR covered the “controversy” over American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino’s song, Baby Mama.
Critics say that the song promotes teen sex and–gasp!–portrays being a single mom as a good thing. The horror!
Check out one verse:
It’s about time we had our own song
Don’t know what took so long
Cause nowadays it’s like a badge of honor
To be a baby mama
I see ya payin’ ya bills
I see ya workin’ ya job
I see ya goin’ to school
And girl I know it’s hard
And even though ya fed up
With makin’ beds up
Girl, keep ya head up

Yeah, what a terrible message ...


Yesterday’s Morning Edition on NPR covered the “controversy” over American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino’s song, Baby Mama.
Critics say that the song promotes teen sex and–gasp!–portrays being a single mom as ...

Women soldiers: We’re already seeing combat

From USA Today:
Last month, a striking photo of a 25-year-old soldier named Dawn Halfaker appeared on the front page of USA TODAY. Lt. Halfaker was wearing an Army T-shirt and was missing her right arm, the result of a rocket-propelled grenade slamming into her armored Humvee in Iraq.
Reaction to the photo was muted. No campaigns to pull women out of combat zones. Just supportive letters noting the sacrifice made by Halfaker and other women in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Now, some members of Congress seem determined to “protect” Halfaker and other women in the military. The lawmakers are challenging Army policies that have placed thousands of women in war zones where front and rear lines ...

From USA Today:
Last month, a striking photo of a 25-year-old soldier named Dawn Halfaker appeared on the front page of USA TODAY. Lt. Halfaker was wearing an Army T-shirt and was missing her right ...

IWF’s “Woman of Valor” ignores women


The Independent Women’s Forum (those gals we love to hate) is holding a gala dinner tonight in honor of Secretary of Labor, Elaine L. Chao, recipient of the organization’s Woman of Valor Award.
Now I’m not so familiar with Chao’s career, but I do know what’s happened under her watch.
As of July 2005, the Department of Labor will no longer be reporting on women workers. Valor-iffic!
Considering the award comes from an organization that argues the wage gap doesn’t exist, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.

Young women in Papua New Guinea being sold for guns

The National reports that young women are regularly being traded by their families and tribes for guns:
While no figures were given out, [Western Highlands Rural Zones Commander Inspector Billy Kombel] said authorities know these things are happening in many areas of the province where tribal fights have gone on for years.
It was also made known to police that when warring tribes find that there is no money or pigs to pay “mercenaries” which they hire to help them fight, they give away their young girls.
Out of fear of reprisal, or of being seen as outcast, their mothers and other immediate relatives keep quiet about it.

The Young Women of the YWCA of PNG have come ...

The National reports that young women are regularly being traded by their families and tribes for guns:
While no figures were given out, [Western Highlands Rural Zones Commander Inspector Billy Kombel] said authorities know these ...

O’Reilly says Harvard should woo women with shoes


The lovely Bill O’Reilly has a great suggestion of how Harvard can use the $50 million they pledged to recruit more women: buy them shoes.
“Any woman who signs on to work at Harvard gets 100 pair of shoes…to make it even more enticing, they’re gonna give women shoes, because all women want shoes.”
How right he is. I would so prefer a nice pair of heels over equality in academia.
Media Matters has the story and the audio clip.

The lovely Bill O’Reilly has a great suggestion of how Harvard can use the $50 million they pledged to recruit more women: buy them shoes.
“Any woman who signs on to ...
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