Special Coverage: Reproductive Justice and Gender

Americans' Attitudes Toward Breastfeeding Are Making Our Kids Sick

Aisha Qaasim, Women's eNews. August 29, 2008.
Want a healthy baby? Put the Baby Einstein videos and hand sanitizer away and breastfeed.

From the blogs

Obama Wants the Gay Vote ... Sorta

by Deeky , Shakesville

This isn't change I can believe in, it's the same old bullshit I've been hearing for most of my life.

How Obama Can Get Clinton Voters; Be Straight

by Nomi Prins, The Women's International Perspective

Why didn't Obama choose Hillary as his running mate? It's a question he needs to answer.

Michelle Obama Rallies Women for Barack

by Adele M. Stan, The Media Consortium

Michelle: Hillary made my husband a better candidate.

We Mourn the Loss of Del Martin: Hero, Activist, and GLBT Rights Pioneer

by Anna, Feministe

The world is a better place thanks to Del Martin, who passed yesterday.

How Effective Is the HPV Vaccine?

by Lucinda Marshall, Feminist Peace Network

The New England Journal of Medicine raises some serious questions about the vaccine's safety and effectiveness.

McCain Surrogate Falsely Suggests McCain Does Not Want To Overturn Roe

by Faiz Shakir, Think Progress

More multi-messaging from team McCain.

McCain Backs Down: Decides to Flip Flop on Abortion

by Digby, Hullabaloo

I doubt even most conservatives think that a woman's life should be sacrificed in favor of a fetus, much less normal people.

Amazing Women in Beijing

by Ren, Feministe

Where have all the role models for girls and young women gone? Right here.

Gang Bang Beer Ad Denounced by Guinness

by Melissa McEwan, Shakesville

Misogynistic viral video was not created by Guinness; in fact they are making it clear that this is not how they do business.

It Is Time to Send Maureen Dowd Packing

by Don Hazen, AlterNet

Journalism should be about afflicting the comfortable, and comforting the afflicted. Dowd just afflicts everyone.

Plan B Damned: My Quest for Emergency Contraception

Nikol Hasler, RH Reality Check. August 29, 2008.
Unless you have Plan B in your medicine cabinet, it's highly unlikely you'll get your hands on a morning-after pill the morning after.

Sex Worker Rights Are Human Rights

Juhu Thukral, On The Issues Magazine. August 28, 2008.
It cannot be said enough: sex workers are people -- friends, wage earners, parents -- and they deserve the same human rights as everyone else.

U.K. and Australia Fight Breast Cancer with Free Screening for Women 50+

Alice Alech, The Wip. August 28, 2008.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, with one in nine women affected at some stage in their lives.

The Christian Right's Slick Campaign to Make Abstinence Seem Trendy

Vanessa Valenti, AlterNet. August 28, 2008.
Conservatives finally learned that sheer moralizing doesn't keep teens from having sex. Now they have a creepy new tactic.

The Bikini Car Wash: One Sexist Tradition

Kimberly Gadette, Women's eNews. August 28, 2008.
Bikini car washes, inexplicably sanctioned by many parents, teach girls the best way to turn a buck is by stripping down for men.

Why Young Women Delay Marriage

Erich Goode, Sirens Magazine. August 27, 2008.
Most women in their 20s are far more concerned with education, career, and gaining life experience than with their single status.

Women Lawmakers Take Up Wage Discrimination at Convention

Gail Russell Chaddock, Christian Science Monitor. August 27, 2008.
Women not only earn less money than men, they often pay more for the same services, like tailoring, dry cleaning and hair cuts.

Unifying Dems Is No Longer Hillary's Job -- It's Up to Delegates and Us

Kathleen Reardon, Huffington Post. August 27, 2008.
Hillary Clinton's call to support Barack Obama was unequivocal. Now everyone else needs to follow her lead.

In November, Women Will Vote With Health Care in Mind

Judy Waxman, The Women's Media Center. August 27, 2008.
And with good reason: The nation's health care system is in crisis, and women are bearing the brunt of its failures.

Women Film Critics: An Endangered Species?

Jennifer Merin, The Women's Media Center. August 27, 2008.
The lack of female voices in film criticism is a manifestation of an industry that favors male-oriented movies and audiences.

Hillary Electrifies: "Nothing Less Than the Fate of Our Nation ... Hangs in the Balance"

Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. August 27, 2008.
In a speech to a roaring crowd at the DNC, Hillary Clinton gave full support to Barack Obama, promising to fight for health care and the environment.

Don't Assume Candidates Support Your Access to Contraception

Cristina Page, RH Reality Check. August 26, 2008.
The issue many candidates don't want voters to think about is not abortion, but contraception -- and the media hasn't called them on it.

Women's Agenda Storms Into Dem Convention

Allison Stevens, Women's eNews. August 26, 2008.
Women around the country are becoming engaged in politics like never before.

What Should Hillary's Role Be After the Convention?

Marie Cocco, Washington Post Writers Group. August 26, 2008.
It is usually the job of the party nominee to build unity once a vanquished rival has conceded. Unless the loser happens to be a woman.

Michelle Obama Moves First Lady Role into 21st Century

Adele Stan, Huffington Post. August 26, 2008.
Michelle Obama's appearance last night conveyed an admirable unwillingness to diminish herself and her gifts to fit a sexist ideal.

Growing Industry Helps Moms Relaunch Careers

Kara Alaimo, Women's eNews. August 25, 2008.
Women reentering the workforce after taking time off to care for their families are getting help from career counselors and staffing firms.

Behind the Cloak of Polygamy

Andrea Moore-Emmett, Ms. Magazine. August 24, 2008.
Deference to religion and parental rights must sometimes take a back seat to protecting women and children's safety.

Abstinence-Only Sex Ed Movement Loses Ground

Joseph DiNorcia Jr, RH Reality Check. August 22, 2008.
Despite the best efforts of conservative groups and the Bush Administration, more kids are getting information that can save their lives.

The Naked Truth About Stripping: Reality and Fantasy Are Poles Apart

Bernadette Barton, On The Issues Magazine. August 20, 2008.
Our culture and media are obsessed with strippers. But in real life women who dance for a living inspire rabid sexism.

Why Obama Should Pick Hillary

Lanny Davis, Huffington Post. August 19, 2008.
Poll results show that with Hillary on the ticket, Obama can't lose.

Three Aging White Men to Moderate Presidential Debate

Marie Cocco, Washington Post Writers Group. August 19, 2008.
So much for change. Only one female correspondent has moderated a presidential forum since the commission began running debates in 1988.

Stem Cells and IVF: The Wild West of Reproductive Technology

Rick Weiss, Science Progress. August 19, 2008.
The fledgling fertility business of a few years ago has exploded into a giant industry; one that is largely unregulated by our squeamish government.

The Truth About Home Births

Anna Clark, RH Reality Check. August 18, 2008.
Home births presided over by trained midwives are as safe as hospital births. Yet many in the medical community present midwifery as dangerous.

What's Going on with the Media's Ballooning Coverage of Celebrity Babies?

Meredith Blake, The Nation. August 15, 2008.
As print journalism faces extinction, tabloids obsess over celebrity pregnancy and childbirth. What's wrong with this picture?

Out-of-Body Image: Women See Themselves Through Eyes of Others

Caroline Heldman, Ms. Magazine. August 14, 2008.
This sort of self-objectification impairs women's body image, mental health, motor skills and even sex lives.

Ideology Should Not Play a Role in Reproductive Rights

Cynthia L. Cooper, Women's eNews. August 13, 2008.
A political shift to the right has imperiled reproductive rights in many states.

HHS Sec. Leavitt Tries to Define Contraception as Abortion, Then Pretends He Didn't

Scott Swenson, RH Reality Check. August 12, 2008.
Playing dumb can't hide the fact that a new regulation would seriously limit access to contraception.

The Teen Moms of Gloucester: What the Media Didn't Tell You

Elaine Tyler May, Courtney E. Martin, AlterNet. August 12, 2008.
Teen pregnancy is nothing new. So what made the Gloucester girls such a big story?

Female Orgasm and the Need for a New Definition of Sex

Shere Hite, On The Issues Magazine. August 12, 2008.
Decades after the publication of the Hite Report on Female Sexuality, society still clings to outdated notions about women and sex.

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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.