Special Coverage: Reproductive Justice and Gender

Anti-Abortion Group Tries to Swiftboat Obama

Bill Berkowitz, Media Transparency. October 13, 2008.
BornAliveTruth.org plays loose with the facts in an ad targeting Obama.

From the blogs

FOX's Ugly Sexism Toward Hillary Clinton

by ZP Heller, Brave New Films

Watch's FOX's standard of decency hit a new low.

McCain Voted to Protect Domestic Terrorists

by Ryan Powers, Think Progress

McCain has repeatedly voted against protecting Americans from domestic terrorists in the anti-choice movement.

About those "Rape Exceptions" in Proposed South Dakota Abortion Ban...

by Cara , Feministe

Reframing a woman’s choice to not report her rape as empowering to her.

Women Ignored in VP Debate

by Ruth Rosen, AlterNet

In the end, women will swing this election. Might be a good moment to start speaking to them. And a cursory nod to women's rights isn't enough.

When Men Murder Women: New Report Details Homicide Rates

by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet

Women are most likely to be murdered by someone they know.

Palin Raises Money ... for the Left?

by Josh Orton, MyDD.com

Get ready for a bunch of emails in your inbox after Thursday's debate -- this trend will certainly catch on.

CNN's Campbell Brown Rails Against McCain's Sexist Treatment of Palin

by ZP Heller, Brave New Films

Brown accuses McCain of treating Palin like "a delicate flower."

Obama Takes on McCain's Abortion Rights Stance

by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly

Obama is taking steps to educate voters on McCain's stance on choice.

Many Minority Women Don't Vote, Here's How to Help

by Liza Sabater, Culture Kitchen

69% of Latinas do not vote. 70% African American and Asian American registered voting women also abstain from voting.

Zombie Republican "Feminists" Must be Stopped

by Don Hazen, AlterNet

There is a remarkable guerrilla war going on, where everything that feminism stands for is being turned on its head.

Why Everyone Loves Hot, Smart Older Women

Vanessa Richmond, The Tyee. October 10, 2008.
The word "desperation" has disappeared from the definition of "cougar"; words like smart, successful and funny have taken its place.

Memo to Media: The Palin Rape-Kit Story Has Not Been 'Debunked'

Eric Boehlert, Media Matters for America. October 9, 2008.
The central, undisputed facts of Palin's actions remain hidden in plain sight for all to see. It's time for the press to take a closer look.

Let's Just Say You Had $700 Billion to Spend

Allison Stevens, Women's eNews. October 9, 2008.
A look at what we could do instead with $700 billion to spend fixing up our world.

Our Next President Will Transform the Supreme Court

Ellen Goodman, Washington Post Writers Group. October 6, 2008.
John McCain has promised the court to the right wing, and Roe v. Wade is first up on the chopping block.

New Poll: Parents Overwhelmingly Support Age-Appropriate Sex Ed

Scott Swenson, RH Reality Check. October 5, 2008.
Political leaders are nervous about supporting comprehensive sex education in schools. But it may be a bigger political liability not to.

Sarah Palin's Debate Performance Tanked Among Women

Linda Hirshman, TheNation.com. October 3, 2008.
Palin is a lot like a '90s "Rules Girl." She follows a playbook that men respond to -- one that gives women indigestion.

Women Who Took On the Taliban -- and Lost

Kim Sengupta, Independent UK. October 3, 2008.
Of five prominent Afghani women interviewed three years ago by The Independent, three are dead and a fourth has had to flee.

The Age of Unbridled Consumption Just Ended

Lisa Wise, The Women's Media Center. October 3, 2008.
The economic crisis, however painful, will lead to at least one positive outcome.

Women's Health: Yet Another Issue Sarah Palin is Out of Touch On

Cecile Richards, Huffington Post. October 2, 2008.
Women voting for McCain-Palin is like chickens voting for Col. Sanders.

Sarah Palin Is the Pet Rock of Politics

Marie Cocco, Washington Post Writers Group. October 2, 2008.
Palin is a cultural oddity that many Americans value little except as an object -- one that absorbs every projection of the national imagination.

Which Candidate Would Better Handle the HIV/AIDS Epidemic?

Todd Heywood, RH Reality Check. October 1, 2008.
Worldwide, 33 million people are infected. One candidate has a formal plan to deal with this health crisis. The other doesn't.

On the Murder of Afghanistan's Most Famous Policewoman

Nushin Arbabzadah, Comment Is Free. October 1, 2008.
The Afghan policewoman Malalai Kakar was a crusading defender of women and a model of Afghan womanhood far older than the Taliban.

Show Me the Women Moderators

Carol Jenkins, Huffington Post. September 30, 2008.
For four Presidential cycles -- 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 -- the networks have deemed no woman journalist "worthy" of moderating a post-primary debate.

Iran Women Say No to Polygamy

Elahe Amani, Women News Network. September 30, 2008.
An Iranian coalition helps stop legislation that would have made polygamy easier to practice.

In D.C. Prostitution Bust, 'Johns' Went Unpunished

Mark Benjamin, Ms. Magazine. September 29, 2008.
The "D.C. Madam" took a prostitution rap, then took her own life. But her alleged johns walked away uncensured and unscathed.

The Costs of Migration Hit Women Hardest

Diana Mendoza, IPS News. September 28, 2008.
There's strength in numbers, and women migrant workers are organizing themselves and strengthening their networks.

Bailout or Not, Women Are Headed for Financial Trouble

Allison Stevens, Women's eNews. September 26, 2008.
Regardless of what happens on Wall Street, it looks like bad news for women.

The First Debate: Will Candidates Discuss Women's Welfare Along with the World's and Wall Street's?

Serra Sippel, RH Reality Check. September 26, 2008.
Bailing out Wall Street while ignoring the global health needs of mothers and children is both a critical foreign policy and economic issue.

Can You Be a Feminist and Anti-Abortion?

Mandy Van Deven, AlterNet. September 25, 2008.
A new book by Jennifer Baumgardner puts the abortion conversation back in the hands of the women who have experienced them.

Wall Street Takes Welfare It Begrudges to Ordinary Americans

Mimi Abramovitz, Women's eNews. September 25, 2008.
Why is it that the rich and reckless accept "welfare" for themselves while rejecting it for those who need it most, particularly woman.

McCain and Palin Want Women's Votes But Do Women Want Them?

Amie Newman, RH Reality Check. September 23, 2008.
Ultimately, women have the power to decide this election. And unmarried women, the largest voting bloc, tend to lean left.

Sarah Palin Has Pollsters Scratching Their Heads

Peggy Simpson, The Women's Media Center. September 23, 2008.
Tracking the women's vote in this historic presidential election is proving to be tricky.

Rape, Torture and Humiliation in Women's Prisons: A Global State of Crisis

Lys Anzia, Women News Network. September 23, 2008.
Physical and psychological abuse are rampant in women's prisons from the U.S. to Canada to Pakistan.

Daughters of Iraq: Front-Line Guards Against Suicide Bombers

Tom A. Peter, Christian Science Monitor. September 22, 2008.
Iraqi women take on key security role as attacks by female suicide bombers rise.

What's on Your State Ballot?

Kristina Wilfore, Ms. Magazine. September 19, 2008.
It's easy to get lost in the drama of the presidential contest. But some of the most important issues this election will play out at the state level.

Kids Shouldn't Be Learning About Sex from TV

Kelli Conlin, AlterNet. September 19, 2008.
Kids that don't get sex ed in school don't run to the Bible for information -- they get their ideas about sex from sordid teen dramas.

Sarah Palin and the Wrong Way to Battle Sexism

Rebecca Hyman, AlterNet. September 16, 2008.
Palin's VP run reveals more dimensions to sexism in America. And merely weeding out a few bad apples like Chris Matthews won't solve the problem.

Legal Solutions Might Not Be Enough to Curb 'Honor Killings' in Syria

Dominique Soguel, Women's eNews. September 16, 2008.
Syria just opened its first shelter for battered women. But authorities still tolerate families who consider it honorable to kill their kinswomen.

'Sarah Palin Feminism'? More Like Sarah Palin Sexism

Sarah Seltzer, RH Reality Check. September 15, 2008.
Feminists believe in voting for a candidate based on what he or she will do for women. Unfortunately, Palin's uterus alone won't help much.

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Coverage concerning women's rights, reproductive health and education, gender, race, sexuality and more.

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Rebecca Project for Human Rights

Raising the voices of vulnerable families by advocating reform of child welfare, criminal justice, and substance abuse policies that impact the lives of women and girls.

NFPRHA

Family planning services are critical to reducing the need for abortion and providing much-needed health care for low-income communities. Nearly 90 percent of the voting public favors family planning, yet the government routinely underfunds it. Find out how the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association is fighting to keep those services available, and learn how you can help.