WeNews Staff

Pope Francis criticized pay inequality between men and women. Also this week, in the wake of the Baltimore riots following the death of Freddie Gray, a video of a black mother confronting her son went viral.

After months of delay, the Senate approved Loretta E. Lynch to be U.S. attorney general. Also this week, a report shows that heavily minority schools have large athletics gaps for female students.

Iran announced that women would be allowed to attend big sporting events. Also this week, Kansas has become the first state to ban a second-trimester abortion procedure.

Arkansas’ governor called for changes to a religious-freedom bill passed by the state’s legislature; Indiana is reconsidering its similar bill. Also in Indiana, a judge sentenced a woman to 20 years in prison on charges of feticide of her fetus.

New York lawmakers voted to pass a package of bills to strengthen protections for victims of human trafficking. Also this week, Brown University students silently marched across campus to protest the college’s handling of recent sexual assault allegations.

The percentage of female lawmakers worldwide has nearly doubled over the past two decades. Also this week, a report shows that violence against women around the world occurs “at alarmingly high levels.”

Internet activists scored a landmark victory as the FCC approved a plan to govern broadband Internet like a public utility. Also this week, the U.S. Department of Education has found that the New York City Department of Education has violated Title IX.

A federal judge has ordered a county official in Mobile, Ala., to comply with an earlier ruling and issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Also this week, a report details how female prisoners in New York State deal with substandard reproductive health care.

House Democrats have proposed the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act. Also this week, three separate abortion bills, two impacting minors, were proposed by the Republican majority in Missouri.