NY Equality Act Unveiled; Harassment Goes Global

Credit: UN Women/Fatma Elzahraa Yassin.

(WOMENSENEWS)–

Cheers

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on June 4 unveiled his long-promised Women’s Equality Act, a 10-point plan. Its most controversial element, codifying federal abortion rights into state law, could determine the fate of various other antidiscrimination provisions included in the bill, The New York Times reported June 5.

The governor has made the proposal a central part of his plan to reclaim New York’s progressive mantle and to cement his own reputation as a defender of women’s rights, something that could be critical to any presidential bid.

More News to Cheer This Week:

An Ohio lawmaker is looking to pass a bill that would pay for a lifetime of medical care, a college education and $25,000 a year to the three Cleveland women who were held captive as sex slaves for more than a decade, ABC News reported June 5.

The first women’s sports center in Saudi Arabia has opened, the Associated Press reported June 3.

Susan Rice, the U.S. permanent representative to the U.N., is to become President Barack Obama‘s national security adviser, officials say, BBC News reported June 5. The White House also said Obama would nominate Samantha Power, a human rights researcher and former White House adviser, to replace Rice as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

A raunchy TV ad featuring ex-Baywatch star Pamela Anderson has been banned for being sexist and degrading to women, reported The Guardian June 5.

Jeers

Sexual harassment was in the headlines globally this week. An American tourist was gang raped by a group of men in a hill resort in northern India, police said, in what is the latest in a series of attacks that have thrown the spotlight on women’s safety in the country, The Denver Post reported June 4.

In Egypt, sexual violence against women is reported to have increased in the post-revolutionary Islamist rule, according to official reports and rights activists, Al Arabiya reported June 2.

Beijing police and public transport authorities have asked women to reduce their risk for sexual harassment by not wearing minimal clothing, such as miniskirts or hot pants, when taking public transportation, China Daily reported June 5.

More News to Jeer This Week:

Cambridge Health Alliance detailed the findings on June 6 of a new study led by Harvard Medical School that shows that low breastfeeding rates in the United States may cause each year as many as 5,000 cases of breast cancer, nearly 54,000 cases of hypertension and almost 14,000 heart attacks.

A jury in Bexar County, Texas, acquitted Ezekiel Gilbert, who was charged for the murder a 23-year-old Craigslist escort, Gawker reported June 6. The jury found Gilbert’s actions justified because he was attempting to retrieve the $150 he had paid to Lenora Ivie Frago, who refused to have sex with him.

Beatriz, who was denied an abortion last week in El Salvador in spite of her poor health condition, had a hysterotomy, a form of abortion carried out through C-section, RH Reality Check reported June 4. The online publication describes the procedure as a high risk surgery compared to other forms of abortion. Considered as a last resort, according to medical experts, it is rarely performed in the United States.

More men are poking holes in condoms and swiping women’s birth control in a sneaky effort to get them pregnant, a study of 641 women between the ages of 18 and 41 reveals, The New York Daily News reported June 3.

The military services say they have assigned some of the research to develop physical and other job standards for women to serve in ground combat jobs to a series of Pentagon-connected think tanks, possibly delaying allowing women into the ground combat jobs or creating new obstacles, USA Today reported June 3.

The Chinese city of Wuhan in central Hubei plans to fine mothers who have a child out of wedlock, CBS News reported June 3.

A mass protest is being organized to take place June 9 at Jerusalem’s Western Wall to express opposition to the Women of the Wall activist group who plan to hold their monthly prayer service at the site, The Jerusalem Post reported June 6.

Gene flaws that raise the risk of breast cancer are surprisingly common in black women with the disease, according to the first comprehensive testing in this racial group, the Associated Press reported June 3.

Republican congresswoman Marsha Blackburn said that women “don’t want” equal pay laws during a roundtable discussion on NBC‘s “Meet the Press,” The Huffington Post reported June 2.

Noted:

Michael Douglas clarified at an event in New York June 3 that he never assured that his throat cancer was caused by oral sex but was pointing out the various possibilities that could lead to a cancer diagnosis, CNN reported June 4. In an interview with the U.K.’s Guardian, the American actor is quoted as saying that HPV (the human papillomavirus) contracted through oral sex led to his throat cancer diagnosis in 2010.

A photo of a Turkish woman dressed in a red summer dress being tear gassed by riot police in Istanbul has gone viral on social media, Reuters reported June 4.

Sen. John McCain told the leaders of every military branch he cannot in good conscience advise women to join the service as the military grapples to contain and curb its sexual assault epidemic, ABC News reported June 5.

Ms. Foundation for Women has launched an online petition calling for the cancellation of the prime-time “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on Fox Business Network after an all-male panel made sexist comments last week.

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation is canceling its signature three-day walks next year in seven cities, reported Dallas News June 4. The organization cited a drop in participation in Komen races and walks as a factor. Participation has been down at Komen races nationwide since its founder, Nancy Brinker, sparked national headlines in February 2012 when she unsuccessfully attempted to defund grants to Planned Parenthood, reported The Daily Beast June 6.

A man suspected of rape has been buried alive by villagers in the southern highlands of Bolivia, BBC News reported June 7.

A jury found an Ohio archdiocese discriminated against Christa Dias, a teacher fired after becoming pregnant via artificial insemination, reported The Huffington Post June 5.