Tag Archive for "Law"

Posts Tagged Law

“All she is is a host for a fetus”: Brain-dead pregnant woman forced to stay on life support in Texas

You’re likely already familiar with the harsh reality of abortion restrictions in Texas. In particular, we’ve covered the ordeal of the Munoz family, who are being forced to keep Marlise Munoz alive even though she was declared brain dead before Thanksgiving when she was 14 weeks pregnant and despite her clearly expressed wishes to her husband, Erick Munoz, that she did not want this to happen. The New York Times has delved more deeply into their story. The results, compounding an already heartbreaking situation, are infuriating. It’s only 10am where I live but I’m already putting money on this piece as the feminist must-read of the day:

By zerlina • 10 years ago

BREAKING: Senate passes “nuclear option” so judicial confirmations only need 51 votes

Did Majority Leader Harry Reid just win the day? The so called “nuclear option” just passed and that means that the GOP, who have been blocking judicial and executive branch nominees for years, can no longer simply block nominations to the courts. Prior to today, the GOP would simply refuse to allow confirmation hearings on Obama’s nominees and there didn’t necessarily have to be a reason. They would threaten to filibuster, and one GOP Senator is all you need to block a nomination.

Via ThinkProgress

By Lori Adelman • 10 years ago

Comic of the day: ACLU publishes “Stealth Attack” illustrating sneaky new abortion laws

It’s no secret that anti-choice radicals have been using disingenuous laws and misleading language to force a decline in abortion access across the country. To expose this trend, the ACLU enlisted the talented Jen Sorensen to create a comic highlighting these coordinated, decetiful national attacks on abortion rights. Check out the full comic after the jump, and if this particular comic happens to elicit rage rather than lols from you, click here to sign the ACLU’s petition to fight back against these attacks.

By Alexandra Brodsky • 10 years ago

Breaking: NJ judge rules that same-sex couples can soon marry

The Huffington Post reports:

Judge Mary Jacobson of the Mercer County Superior Court ruled Friday that gay couples can marry in the Garden State starting October 21.

“This unequal treatment requires that New Jersey extend civil marriage to same-sex couples to satisfy equal protection guarantees of the New Jersy Constitution as interpreted by the New Jersey Supreme Court in Lewis,” wrote the judge. “Same-sex couples must be allowed to marry in order to obtain equal protection of the law under the New Jersey Constitution.”

Jacobson said she made her decision in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on United States v. Windsor, but the ruling is likely to be appealed.

This news comes the same day as a

The Huffington Post reports:

Judge Mary Jacobson of the Mercer County Superior Court ruled Friday that gay couples can marry in the Garden State starting October 21.

“This unequal treatment requires that New Jersey extend civil marriage ...

By Katie Halper • 10 years ago

Women: stop getting yourselves sexually harassed!

When I saw the following headline, I thought I had accidentally stumbled onto The Onion website:

Formal complaints over sexism should be last resort for women: The negative impact of formal reporting outweighs any benefits, writes a lawyer. Instead, define your boundaries early on.

But no, I was on The Guardian’s website, in a section called “Women in Leadership,” no less. Since Women in Leadership defines itself as a “community” which “discuss[es] the lack of women at the top and what we can do to change this,” I was sure that the op-ed they posted on Tuesday wasn’t as sexist and ridiculous as it seemed. So, I read the whole thing, waiting for the moment when the author would ...

When I saw the following headline, I thought I had accidentally stumbled onto The Onion website:

Formal complaints over sexism should be last resort for women: The negative impact of formal reporting outweighs any benefits, writes a ...

By Sesali B. • 10 years ago

New law requires California public schools to respect students’ gender identity

California has already been proactive in fighting discrimination against trans folks – you may remember us talking about their ban on trans discrimination in healthcare. They also banned gender discrimination in schools.

Lawmakers in the state have now taken steps to make sure that trans folks are not only safe from discrimination but given the opportunity to participate and flourish in school. Governor Jerry Brown has signed the School Success and Opportunity Act into law.

“The law, which goes into effect on January 1, 2014, is the first of its kind in the country, and requires that California public schools respect students’ gender identity and makes sure that students can fully participate in all school activities,sports teams, programs, and ...

Lawmakers in the state ...

By Sesali B. • 10 years ago

Who do we trust to name their own child?

Yesterday we included a link in our Daily Feminist Cheat Sheet about a Tennessee judge who imposed her own religious views and changed the name of a baby against his parents’ wishes. But as rapper Meek Millz said, “it’s levels to this shit” and this is more than an issue of violating the separation between church and state. The racial and family dynamics in this story are important and deserve some unpacking.

Jaleesa Martin and the father of her son, of New Port Tennessee, could not agree on their baby’s last name and were going to child support court to resolve the issue. They did, however, agree on the first name, which was Messiah. Judge Lu Ann Ballew came ...

By Sesali B. • 10 years ago

Ireland passes its first abortion law

Talk about baby steps (no pun intended). Not even a year ago, Savita Halappanavar died after being refused a life-saving abortion in Ireland. Her story brought international attention to exactly how strict the staunchly Catholic nation’s abortion ban was.

In 1992 the Supreme Court did rule that abortions were allowed in cases where the pregnancy was life-threatening. Unfortunately this decision was too vague and not enough to save Halappanavar’s life. This is why the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill was so important. The bill passed in the first vote earlier this month and President Michael D. Higgins signed it into law today.

“The law permits abortions to alleviate life-threatening conditions, including a woman’s own threat to commit ...