Her Daily News

Weekly Cheers and Jeers brought to you by Women’s eNews.

Cheers

The What Women Want political party launched in Brisbane, Australia, on June 28, The Age newspaper reported. Justine Caines–an advocate for maternal health–founded the party in April to encourage all Australian women to participate in politics and help shape the policies that affect them.

“We are seeing our policy makers saying that they want greater participation from women and
yet it is seemingly only on their terms,” Caines said.

Caines will be the party’s New South Wales Senate candidate while other women from the party will run for seats in the Senate and House of Representative for other territories.

The party has 700 members–including 38 men–and will fund candidates through membership fees, Caines told the Adelaide Advertiser. The party platform will emphasize issues such as paid maternity leave, child care and career support. Caines said it is not likely the party can make significant inroads into Australia’s two-party system but can help put women’s issues on the public agenda.

More News to Cheer This Week:

• More than 1,500 Nepali women have signed up for a chance at a career in the British army, after an announcement that the Brigade of Gurkhas would allow women to enter its ranks, Reuters reported June 27. The elite Gurkha soldiers are drawn from a tribe in the Himalayan foothills known for their fierce combat abilities and have served in the army since 1815. It will be two years before the first female Gurkha is deployed, the army estimated. About 3,400 Gurkhas have fought in Iraq.
• Legislation calling on the Japanese government to issue a formal apology for enslaving “comfort women” during World War II sailed through the House Committee on Foreign Affairs June 26. The nonbinding resolution is aimed at putting pressure on Japan to acknowledge its history in coercing thousands of women into sexual slavery during the war. The resolution is expected to come to the House floor for a vote in July.
• Egypt’s health minister, Hatem al-Gabali, banned every doctor and member of the medical profession from carrying out female genital mutilation on June 27. The ban followed the controversial death of a 12-year-old girl from the procedure, Agence France Press reported June 27. The cultural practice, which affects 97 percent of both Muslim and Christian women in Egypt, was banned in 1997 but doctors were allowed to do it “under exceptional circumstances.”
• The Alliance of Women Film Journalists, based in New York, released a Top 100 Films 2007 list in response to the 10th anniversary of the American Film Institute’s 100 Greatest Movies List. The women’s group noticed that of 400 films nominated for the institute’s list, only five were directed or co-directed by women. The group also noted a lack of female writers and strong female characters.
• Doctors at the British Medical Association’s June 27 annual conference recommended overturning a requirement that women obtain a referral from two doctors before seeking a first-trimester abortion, the Guardian reported.
• Sarah Pavan, a Canadian volleyball player at the University of Nebraska, was named the female college athlete of the year, the Globe and Mail reported June 26. Pavan had a 33-1 record with the Cornhuskers during the last season.

Jeers

More than 150 Iraqi women’s organizations say that international governmental and media support, which has bolstered women’s rights in the past decade, is greatly lacking now as sectarian violence escalates, the Inter Press Service news agency reported June 25. The groups are lobbying to ensure that women’s rights are enshrined in Iraq’s new constitution.

To date, the network of women’s groups has not received official international support but has written to U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, noting “a sequence of disappointments.”

The groups object to Article 41 of the proposed constitution, which would impose Islamic law on women and govern marriage, divorce and custody proceedings. The United States was instrumental in lifting a similar measure in 2003 and helped establish guaranteed representation in parliament, which also led to record numbers of women voting in the 2005 election.

Hanaa Edwar, founder of the Iraqi Al-Amal Association, warned that Article 41 could deepen sectarian divisions in Iraq if it remains. “We feel that this is not a women’s demand, it is a national demand,” she told the IPS. “This is important for national security.”

More News to Jeer This Week:

• Louisiana state lawmakers approved a ban on a specific abortion procedure, called intact dilation and evacuation, the Times-Picayune reported June 25. The state ban follows an April Supreme Court decision that upheld a similar federal law and is the first of what is expected to be a proliferation of similar bills in state legislatures. Last year, the state passed a law that would immediately ban all abortions when and if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its 1973 decision that legalized abortion.
• The National Board of Medical Examiners has refused to accommodate Sophie Currier’s request for extra break time so she can nurse her 7-week-old baby during a nine-hour exam. Currier, who holds a dual medical-doctoral degree, must pass the exam in order to begin her residency. The board says breastfeeding is not an official disability and cannot accommodate her request for 20 minutes of extra break time.
• The Maendeleo ya Wanaume men’s organization is asking the Kenyan High Court to stop the government from allocating and disbursing funds to women or any other person based on sex, the Nairobi Nation reported June 27. The group claims that funding women’s groups is discriminatory.
• Female bank employees in Saudi Arabia were partitioned away from their male coworkers, the Associated Press reported June 25. Bank managers refused to say who issued the gender segregation order. Women in Saudi Arabia make up less than 10 percent of the work force but are 15 percent of the staff in banks.

This week’s great woman in history is….

Jeannette Rankin - (June 11, 1880 - May 18, 1973)

Here are some highlights in Rankin’s life:

• She was the first American woman elected to Congress on November 6, 1916.
• She was the oldest of eleven children.
• Rankin attended Montana State University at Missoula and graduated in 1902 with a bachelor of science degree in biology.
• She was a social worker in Spokane, Washington, in a children’s home.
• She became involved in the woman suffrage movement in 1910.
• Rankin became the first woman to speak before the Montana legislature.
• She organized and spoke for the Equal Franchise Society.
• She went to work for the New York Woman Suffrage Party and in 1912 she became the field secretary of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.
• Rankin was among the thousands of suffragists at the 1913 suffrage march in Washington, D.C., before the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson.
• Only four days after taking office, Jeannette Rankin made history in yet another way: she voted against U.S. entry into World War I.
• She was active in the antiwar movement, often invited to speak or honored by the young antiwar activists and feminists.

For more information: Women’s History, About.com

women, history, politics, Jeannette Rankin, legislature, congress

Frustrated with the lack of representation of women in their government, a group of Australian women have launched a predominantly female political party. The party is called What Women Want and was launched in Brisbane, Australia today. The party wants the opportunity to enhance women’s roles.

The party was launched by Justine Caines, a mother of six, who is running as a party candidate, has been lobbying for improvements in maternity leave provisions. Though the party is female-centered, it does have 38 male members who support the groups goals and ideas the same as the other female members. The party has plans to run Senate candidates in each state and territory and wouldn’t rule out running a male candidate.

So, what could this type of mentality mean for other countries around the world? A successful campaign with a female-centered party could mean a change in the way political parties as a whole are viewed. These types of parties might be able to find a way to focus less on candidates and more on the issues. Eventually,this party may not be just viewed as a party that is focused on women’s issues but a party that is working toward a common goal of equality and fairness within the government. The stigma of being outside of the norm male in politics might lose it’s negative connotation if it is shown to move toward change in a positive way. We wish them the best of luck.

Source: Women launch political party - LAURA ANDERSON, AdelaideNow.com

women, politics, political parties, Australia, female, Brisbane

It shocks and appalls me that people still entertain this woman as a serious authority on right-wing politics. It has become obvious over the years that even the most conservative members of Washington no longer wish to be affiliated with her. Yet she still finds a way to get interviews and publish books. So here again, she has gone and shot off her mouth again. What makes this time notable, though, is that someone took the time to put her in her place.

While Ms. Coulter was on Hardball with Chris Matthews, Elizabeth Edwards, wife of presidential candidate John Edwards, called in and gave her a piece of her mind. I find it a bit painful to watch because I can feel the sincerity that Mrs. Edwards has and the cold responses of Ms. Coulter are disheartening. I think what is made clear here is that in order to make fun of someone and their dead child you have to lack a soul. Hopefully at least some part of this request got through to her.

Ann Coulter vs. Elizabeth Edwards on Hardball

For more information: Ann Coulter Battles Elizabeth Edwards on ‘Hardball’ Over ‘Hate’ Language - Editor & Publisher

women, Ann Coulter, Elizabeth Edwards, politics

We have all heard about the public struggle the Annapolis Naval Academy has face since they first started admitting women over 30 years ago. Stories of harassment, rape, prostituion, and sexual misconduct has made the public question how hard the academy was trying to make their female cadets feel comfortable.

Now, women make up more than 20% of the student body. Last year the academy appointed their first female commandant, which is the second-highest position in the school. So what is the next step in the right direction? A new program aimed at addressing sexual harassment will begin this fall. The curriculum for the program spans all 4 years and even involves a peer counseling program.

Many hope the the program will raise awareness in an instutution that has already seen a lot of change. Many former female students feel that the atmosphere has changed for the better over the years, even though more could still be done. There are hopes that these types of educational programs will help change the academy culture. As women have yet to be accepted as equals in a still-male centered environment, the small steps that are being taken should not go unnoticed.

women, military, education, sexual harassment, Naval Academy

Female only floors in hotel. At first glance you might jump to one of a number of conclusions. Is it sexist? Discrimination? Anti-feminist? A safety measure? Well, after reading the article below, you be the judge…

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This weeks cheers and jeers courtesy of Women’s eNews.

Cheers

The U.S. Naval Academy’s new installment of a four-year sexual harassment awareness program for the incoming class of 2011 signals a change in how the institution handles sexual harassment cases involving its students, CNN reported June 21.

“That’s been shown to make a difference, so they are starting to experiment, so I’m optimistic on that level,” said Debby Tucker of the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence. Tucker added that she hopes the program, which includes peer training, will do more to make the seriousness of sexual harassment clear to students.

Supporters of the program say the institution is seriously addressing recent harassment cases–which include a former medical officer taping students having sex and the conviction of two athletes in sex-related incidents in April–and historic incidents, such as the handcuffing of a female student to a urinal in 1990.

The academy first admitted women 30 years ago; they are now 20 percent of the student body. Last year, Capt. Margaret Klein was appointed the first female commandant of the academy, which makes her second in command at the institution.

Female students and recent graduates at the academy have noticed that, along with institutional changes, the overall atmosphere among students has been one of more respect, communication and sensitivity.

More News to Cheer This Week:

• The U.S. House of Representatives successfully skirted the Bush administration’s “global gag rule,” which prevents contraceptives from being donated to international groups who offer abortions or referrals, the Washington Post reported June 22. Democrats tucked in an amendment to a 2008 appropriations bill allowing the donations. President Bush has threatened to veto the measure.
• Canadian obstetricians strongly condemned the use of gender testing kits for selective abortions, the CBC reported June 21. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada says early tests could be used by parents to decide whether to maintain the pregnancy or abort the fetus based on its gender, calling the practice unhealthy, discriminatory and unethical. Some prenatal tests can determine the sex of a fetus as early as five weeks.
• British steeplechaser Hatti Dean set a new record at the June 9 Manchester Grand Prix, Athletics Weekly reported, beating the previous record by five seconds. Meanwhile, at Emerald Down in Auburn, Wash., five female jockeys were favorites to win in the track’s nine thoroughbred stakes races, which have the largest purses, the Seattle Times reported June 21. “These days, it’s a lot easier to do the job that we are all doing here because of where we are in society,” said Sharon Ross, a longtime trainer. Female jockeys are gaining better mounts as they make inroads in the sport.
• President Nicolas Sarkozy has appointed France’s first female finance minister in a cabinet reshuffle, the Independent reported June 20. Christine Lagarde, who spent 20 years in the United States, was head of the Chicago law firm Baker and McKenzie. Sarkozy named seven other women to the 16-member cabinet, fulfilling a campaign promise.

Jeers

The Bush administration is countering widespread critiques of abstinence-only sex education with a negative report on comprehensive education programs, the Washington Post reported June 21.

The 40-page report from the Department of Health and Human Services concluded that nine popular sex education curricula used by schools contained inaccurate facts about condoms–for example, not mentioning that effectiveness depends on correct usage–and did not mention abstinence as an alternative to intercourse frequently enough.

The $77,000 study was conducted by two nonprofit groups–the Medical Institute for Sexual Health in Austin, Texas, and the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research in Indianapolis–that promote abstinence and lifelong monogamous relationships, the Post reported.

A congressional report released in April found that abstinence-only curricula do not significantly dissuade teens from having sex nor does they increase condom use.

More News to Jeer This Week:

• Not a single country in sub-Saharan Africa is on target to meet the United Nations’ eight millennium development goals intended to reduce poverty and improve health, education and women’s status worldwide by 2015, the Associated Press reported June 17. The number of sub-Saharan Africans living on $1 a day has declined almost 5 percent since 1999, but AIDS deaths continue to mount, reaching 2 million in 2006. A woman in Africa has a 1 in 16 chance of dying in childbirth or from complications in pregnancy, compared to the 1 in 3,800 chance in developed countries.
• Fewer than 50 black women hold high-level, decision-making political positions in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Inter Press Service reported June 19, but over 75 million black women live in the region. Over 90 percent of Latin American people of African descent live in poverty and only have access to the lowest-paying jobs.
• Fox and CBS television networks rejected an advertisement for Trojan condoms due to its pregnancy prevention message and alleged inappropriateness, according to a post on Salon’s Broadsheet June 19. Fox said in a letter to Trojan that the ad should promote condom use for health-related issues and AIDS prevention instead. The ad will run on other networks and nine cable stations.
• Physicians’ groups say they will sue to block a new law allowing midwives to deliver babies in homes, the Kansas City Star reported June 18. The Missouri State Medical Association said midwifery is unsafe and fraught with liability problems. Previously, certified nurses could deliver babies at home, but only with a doctor present.
• Runa Tareen, Afghanistan’s new minister of women’s affairs, told CanWest News Service June 19 that mullahs, or religious leaders, are encouraging a culture of treating women as “a piece of meat.” Tareen said that about half of girls in the city of Kandahar attend school now and women have a better chance of finding work outside the home, but women fare far worse in rural areas of the province.

This week’s great woman in history is….

Amelia Earhart
Born: July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansa
Disappeared: July 2, 1937

At age 20, Amelia Earhart, on a trip to Toronto, Canada, volunteered as a nurse’s aide at a military hospital, part of the World War I war effort. She made several tries at studying medicine and she worked at other jobs including social work, but after she discovered flying, that became her passion.

Amelia Earhart’s first flight was at an airshow with her father, which motivated her first to learn to fly — her teacher was Neta Snook, the first woman instructor to graduate from the Curtiss School of Aviation.

Amelia Earhart then bought her own plane and began to set records, but sold the plane to drive East with her newly-divorced mother.

In 1926, magazine publisher George Putnam tapped Amelia Earhart to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic — as a passenger. The pilot and navigator were both men. Amelia Earhart became an instant celebrity as a woman aviator, and began to give lectures and fly in shows, again setting records. In one notable incident, she flew First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt over Washington, DC.

In 1931, George Putnam, now divorced, married Amelia Earhart. She flew solo across the Atlantic in 1932, and in 1935 became the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the mainland. In 1935 she also set speed records traveling from Los Angeles to Mexico City, and from Mexico City to New York.

Purdue University hired Amelia Earhart as a faculty member to counsel female students on opportunities, and in 1937 Purdue gave Amelia Earhart a plane.

Amelia Earhart was determined to fly around the world. Replacing her first navigator with Fred Noonan, and after several false starts, Amelia Earhart began her round-the-world flight on June 1, 1937.

Near the end of the trip, Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan missed their expected landing on Howland Island in the Pacific, and their fate is still uncertain. Theories include crashing over the ocean, crashing on Howland Island or a nearby island without the ability to contact help, being shot down by the Japanese, or being captured or killed by the Japanese.

Why did Amelia Earhart capture the imagination of the public? As a woman daring to do what few women — or men — had done, at a time when the organized women’s movement had virtually disappeared, she represented a woman willing to break out of traditional roles.

Source: Women’s History Guide, About.com

women, flight, aviation, history, Amelia Earhart

Though it is still early and there is still much to be seen regarding the presidential election, I wanted to take a moment to show some important factors women should consider when voting in 2008:

• Women outnumber and outvote men, and candidates are already creating campaigns to woo the female vote and strategists are tailoring campaign issues to focus on women’s concerns, including health care and education.

• Women constitute more than half the population, which makes them highly sought-after voters, political observers say.

• They register and vote in larger numbers than men.

• Although some may be influenced by their sex and thus likely to vote for a woman on the ballot, others are just as likely to vote for a man, observers say.

• in last year’s midterm election, exit polls indicated that proportionally more women than men voted for Democrats, and they were credited with helping Democrats regain control of Congress.

• Married, suburban women historically are more likely to vote than their younger, unmarried counterparts, observers say.

• In the 2004 election, 50 percent of women ages 18-24 voted, compared with 44 percent of the men that age, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civil Learning & Engagement.

• Worldwide, more than 40 countries - but not the United States - have had women in charge of their government. England has had Margaret Thatcher, Ireland has President Mary McAleese and Germany has Chancellor Angela Merkel, to name a few.

• The U.S. lags far behind others in female legislative leadership, ranking 70th out of 139 countries, according to data from Women in National Parliaments.

• Top on the list was Rwanda, with 48.8 percent women in their House and 34.6 percent women in their Senate. In the U.S. Congress, women are 16.3 percent of U.S. House members and 16 percent of the Senate.

• Presidential candidates are creating special groups to try to draw women to their camp. Women for Giuliani. Women for Hillary. Women for McCain. Women for Richardson. Women for Romney. And so on.

Source: Women’s Vote is a big factor in 2008 - Anna M. Tinsley, Miami Herald

women, voting, politics, election, presidential, 2008, voters

The abortion discussion in America is often times different from those of other countries. In Mozambique it is a question of protection of women’s lives. Too often women seek abortions in this country, where it is illegal, only to suffer serious injuries and even death because of improper procedure. These illegal abortions are the third leading cause of maternal mortality in Mozambique. For a country with the highest maternal mortality rate in the world, the measure will offer women a chance to seek procedures in proper facilities. The Feminist Daily News has the rest of the story.

women, abortion, Mozambique, international, mortality, maternal

It’s lonely at the top. Especially if you are the only female vying for the opportunity to become the first female president. This topic has been debated from all angles but the one I find most interesting is that of the women either for or against Hillary Clinton becoming president. So what’s all the fuss? Shouldn’t women just be happy that a woman is even in the running? Not quite.

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Fertility treatments are definitely a hot topic recently. An article released recently on Salon.com’s Boadsheet caught my eye when discussing what these kinds of treatments mean for women in our society. Both of the women in the article gave birth to sextuplets with the help of fertility treatments only 10 hours apart. So what’s the big deal? Well, its the classic battle of nature vs. science.

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A weekly review of the good and bad in women’s issues from Women’s eNews.

Cheers!

• Female students at Bamyan University in Bamyan, Afghanistan, will soon have a dormitory of their own, the Bayat Foundation said in a press release. The cornerstone for the building was laid June 12. When construction is complete it will enable young Afghan women to forgo commutes and study, sleep and eat safely while attending the university.

• British female millionaires will outnumber their male counterparts by 2020, London’s Daily Mail reported. In that year, 53 percent of the nation’s millionaires will be women, according to a June 11 survey by Barclays Wealth Management.

• The Barbara Lee Family Foundation awarded Simmons College in Boston a $1.5 million endowment to encourage young women to pursue careers as politicians and policy makers. The grant will allow up to 20 female students a year to serve as interns for female state legislators or statewide elected officials in Massachusetts.

• Cyril Ebie, a young Cameroonian who mounted a successful campaign to end the practice of female genital mutilation in his home village, won a competition hosted by the BBC honoring those who stand up for their rights, the BBC reported June 8. Ebie left his home with his younger sister for nine months to prevent her from undergoing female genital mutilation.

• Philadelphia on June 8 declared itself a “pro-choice city,” the Associated Press reported. The city council narrowly passed a resolution declaring its support for women’s reproductive rights and freedom.

Jeers!

• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last Monday that businesses do not have to pay the federal minimum wage or overtime pay to home-care workers; the vast majority of whom are low-income women of color.

• A United Nations target to halve maternal mortality from 2000 levels by 2015 will be missed unless more women in poor countries get access to safe blood transfusions, the World Health Organization warned, Reuters reported June 14. On World Blood Donor Day, the U.N. agency called for more blood donations, better tests of donated blood, and closer monitoring of severe bleeding risks during and after childbirth. Some 99 percent of the 500,000 women who die in pregnancy, childbirth or immediately after birth each year are in the developing world, the agency said. As many as 28 percent of countries cannot test all donated blood for one or more of HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and syphillis, according to a WHO study 172 nations worldwide.

• A Vatican cardinal on June 13 warned Roman Catholics against contributing to Amnesty International after the human rights organization reversed its longstanding neutrality on the issue of abortion and adopted a policy urging governments to ensure access to abortion services in the case of rape, incest, or when the life or health of the woman is in danger, the A.P. reported. Cardinal Renato Martino said the policy represented a betrayal of the group’s commitment to human rights.

• The Kuwaiti Parliament has banned women from working at night, Gulf News reported on June 11. Under the new law, women outside of the medical profession are no longer allowed to work between the hours of 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. The government also barred women from working in jobs that “break public morals and in all-men service places at any time.”

• Two girls were fatally shot June 12 outside their school just south of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, AFP reported. The gender-based violence came two weeks after two female journalists were killed in the same area, prompting government authorities to call for heightened protections for women and girls at schools and in their workplace.

• In the last 30 years, U.S. women have seen their incomes rise more than 60 percent, yet they still lag far behind men when it comes to turning those dollars into political contributions, according to a June 11 report by the Women’s Campaign Forum Foundation in Washington, D.C. Less than one-third of donations to candidates, political parties and political action committees come from women, according to the center.

• Middle East scholar Dr. Haleh Esfandiari remains imprisoned in Iran despite campaigns for her release by the Initiative for Inclusive Security in Cambridge, Mass., and other organizations. Esfandiari was attacked by three armed men on Dec. 30, 2007, while visiting her 93-year-old mother in Tehran and put under house arrest until May 8, when she was taken to prison by Iranian intelligence agents.

• One in 4 women at risk of unplanned pregnancy do not use birth control in a consistent manner or do not use it at all, according to a study released June 13 by the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice think tank in New York. Fifteen percent of at-risk women said they had a gap in contraceptive use for one or more months, and 8 percent said they did not use any method at all.

women, female students, Afghanistan, millionaires, education, careers, pro-choice, Supreme Court, Middle East, Iran, contraceptive, pregnancy

Today is the first installment of many installments called “Great Women in History.” Granted, all women are special in their own way, history has shown that some women stand out from the pack by their accomplishments. I want to take one day per week to spotlight one of these wonderful ladies as a role model for the rest of us.

Now granted this is a bit of a stretch but I want you all to bear with me because I am using the term woman loosely…this weeks great “woman” in history is:

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After laughing hysterically for about 10 minutes, drying my eyes and regaining my composure, I sat down to start writing about this topic. But, alas, I think the product description and accompanying photo say it all:

The tampon stun gun is the latest in portable and personal security systems. The beauty of this stun gun, aptly named The Pink Stinger, is its ingenious design and ability to be concealed nicely and unassumingly into any purse for ultimate stealth. The stun gun’s gentle glide zapplicator easily fits in the palm of your hand for incredible comfort and protection and ready for honorable discharge at a moments notice. In addition, its fresh floral scent helps eliminate the smell of fear, not just cover it up.

The Pink Stinger packs 50,000 volts of power at your finger tips. Because it is an advanced stun gun, you do have the option of stun capabilities with a simple click of a switch. In the Stun setting, you need only make contact with intended target via the 2 prods for an effective toxic shock rendering the victim disoriented, demoralized and embarrassed . When shooting in Zap mode, 2 extra absorbent cotton tampons with barbed probes and 14 ft. of wire are expelled and propelled by compressed nitrogen. Electric current then passes to the body, where the probes have attach to the clothing or bare skin, causing central nervous system disruption, possible urination and certain humiliation. Optimal target range for the taser is 7-10 feet with a maximum of 14 feet. Absorbency range of tampon is 6-9 grams. The included batteries and compressed nitrogen cartridge store neatly in the pink zapplicator casing for easy replacement.

I’m sure all of us women would feel a little safer with one of these in our purses…

Source:

Inventors Spot

women, tampons, protection, security, taser, stun gun