Critics of NY Abortion Rights Argue They’re Protecting Women

~ mcequality

According to reports and the anti-abortion blogosphere, the bill’s detractors have argued that one of its measures, which reclassifies state abortion law as a health statute rather than letting it remain under the penal code, will have the side effect of doing away with legal punishment for violence that ends pregnancies. To further their disingenuous anti-abortion campaign, the New York Time reports Republicans have cited the case of Anthony Hobson, arrested and charged earlier this month with second-degree murder of his ex-girlfriend, 35-year-old Jennifer Irigoyen. Hobson stabbed Irigoyen while she was 14 weeks pregnant. Queens district attorney Richard Brown said that the bill is to blame for his decision not to charge Hobson with criminal abortion as well.

via Critics of NY Abortion Rights Argue They’re Protecting Women

The Heidi Group in Texas Offers Glimpse of Post-Gag Rule U.S.

~ mcequality

fter Texas defunded Planned Parenthood in 2011, the state poured millions of dollars into a network of anti-abortion Christian pregnancy centers—a decision that could offer a glimpse of what’s to come in other states after the Trump administration announced a plan to block federal grant funding for reproductive health organizations that offer abortion services and counseling.

The Houston Chronicle reports that in 2016, the state of Texas awarded Christian pregnancy center the Heidi Group, founded by abortion opponent Carol Everett, nearly $40 million in family planning funds. In an email to a network of anti-abortion activists, Everett called it “the greatest possibility for expansion of pro-life care for the poor ever.” As the Chronicle notes, Everett, a well known anti-abortion activist, had neither clinical experience nor experience contracting with the state, and many of the pregnancy centers she cited did not even provide contraception.

via The Heidi Group in Texas Offers Glimpse of Post-Gag Rule U.S.

Emma Thompson Explains to Skydance Why She Refused to Work With John Lasseter

~ mcequality

fter Pixar co-founder and animator John Lasseter left the company following allegations of sexual harassment, it wasn’t long until he got a new gig at Skydance Media. But the hiring didn’t sit right with Emma Thompson, who recently left the “large-scale” animated film Luck produced by Skydance because of Lasseter’s presence at the company.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Thompson officially withdrew from the project on January 20 but had begun conversations to withdraw ever since Lasseter’s hire was announced. Thompson sent the LA Times a letter she sent to Skydance’s management explaining her decision, in which she acknowledges that the situation is “complicated,” but asks these questions of management:

via Emma Thompson Explains to Skydance Why She Refused to Work With John Lasseter

Transgender debate: Scottish footballer says ‘the barriers are coming down’ – BBC Sport

~ mcequality

Footballer Blair Hamilton says “the barriers are coming down” to transgender athletes competing in sport, after recent criticism from Martina Navratilova and Sharron Davies.

Navratilova – one of the most successful tennis players of all time – has been criticised as “transphobic” for writing that transgender women had “unfair” physical advantages over female opponents. She later apologised for using the term “cheating”.

On Saturday, former British swimmer Sharron Davies told BBC Sport that many current athletes “feel the same way” as Navratilova and that trans athletes should not compete in female events to “protect women’s sport”.

via Transgender debate: Scottish footballer says ‘the barriers are coming down’ – BBC Sport

Matthew Bowman at HHS Has Long Record of Anti-Abortion Harassment

~ mcequality

An influential lawyer at the Department of Health and Human Services who previously clerked for Samuel Alito before his time on the Supreme Court has a long history of anti-abortion extremism, including multiple arrests for harassing abortion providers, according to a new report from Mother Jones.

On Friday, Mother Jones reported that Matthew Bowman, a deputy general counsel at HHS—who also provided legal counsel to the Office of Refugee Resettlement as it tried to block migrant girls from accessing abortions—has a long history of harassing and targeting abortion clinics, providers, and patients. According to Mother Jones, Bowman had “at east fourteen run-ins with the law” between 1996 and 2001, including arrests during abortion protests. Here’s how Bowman spent his free time during law school, which he started in 2000:

via Matthew Bowman at HHS Has Long Record of Anti-Abortion Harassment

South Dakota Fails to Pass Bill Targeting Trans Athletes

~ mcequality

On Monday, the South Dakota State House narrowly voted against a bill seeking to reject a policy that allows transgender students to play on whichever sports team matches their gender identity.

The vote was an even split, 34-34, failing to garner the majority required for its transfer to the the state Senate. NBC News reports that this was the fourth anti-trans bill proposed and subsequently rejected by South Dakota lawmakers this session.

via South Dakota Fails to Pass Bill Targeting Trans Athletes

When Will Sex Work Finally Be Decriminalized?

~ mcequality

Cecilia Gentili, originally from Argentina, was undocumented for much of her time in the United States. She’s been incarcerated for substance use and trading sex, hassled by immigration agents at Rikers, and struggled for years to find access to unbiased medical care. Like many sex workers, when she was in unsafe situations she feared being wrung through the criminal justice system more than almost anything else.

Since getting clean and being granted asylum almost a decade ago Gentili has been active in a number of organizations, most recently working as a director of policy at the AIDS organization GMHC. But “one thing I’ve always wanted to take part in was the decriminalization of sex work,” she tells Jezebel. “Because of having a history of being arrested for doing the work that allowed me to survive.”

via When Will Sex Work Finally Be Decriminalized?

Revenge Porn Soon to Be Illegal in New York

~ mcequality

It took New York five long years, but finally, the state passed a bill that will make revenge porn illegal across the state. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo supports the bill, which would make New York the 42nd state to pass a revenge porn law.

The law will allow victims to sue anyone who shares explicit or intimate photos of them without consent, an offense punishable by up to one year in prison. Per the New York Times, the law would also be the first in the nation to “allow judges to order websites or social media platforms — in addition to the original poster — to take down the photos or videos.” The law would also apply to minors, who would appear before a Family Court judge.

via Revenge Porn Soon to Be Illegal in New York

‘Girl Power’ T-Shirt Company F= Fires 100 Workers Protesting Low Wages

~ mcequality

A new report from the Guardian found that a manufacturer for F=, a UK company that advertises itself to be “all about inspiring and empowering girls,” has fired 100 workers for protesting their low wages. Ironically, the company sells £28 t-shirts printed with the words “GIRL POWER” on them, and offers £10 of each sale to Worldreader, a nonprofit that provides people in the developing world free access to digital books. “In one case,” reports The Guardian, “a female employee was beaten on the orders of the management and threatened with murder.”

via ‘Girl Power’ T-Shirt Company F= Fires 100 Workers Protesting Low Wages

11-Year-Old Argentinian Girl Forced to Give Birth to Rapist’s Baby After Being Denied an Abortion

~ mcequality

An 11-year-old Argentinian girl, known only as “Lucía” to protect her identity, was forced to give birth after repeatedly asking for an abortion.

The Guardian reports that Lucía became pregnant after being raped by her grandmother’s 65-year-old partner. After discovering she was pregnant, Lucía attempted suicide twice and was ultimately put in a state hospital in the city of Tucumán. There, she told a psychologist, “I want you to remove what the old man put inside me.”

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via 11-Year-Old Argentinian Girl Forced to Give Birth to Rapist’s Baby After Being Denied an Abortion