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NEWS & LETTERS, December 2007 - January 2008Women World Wideby Mary Jo Grey President Bush vetoed money for women's health care in November because it included $310.9 million in funding for Title X family planning services. This largest increase in 35 years would have provided services for an estimated 139,000 more women. Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said, "More than 17 million women in the U.S. need subsidized birth control and this historic increase would help thousands of women prevent unintended pregnancy and plan healthy families." --Information from FEMINIST MAJORITY * * * A Saudi Arabian court in November defended sentencing a 19-year-old victim of a gang rape by seven men to six months in jail and 200 lashes because she was alone with an unrelated male friend when attacked. The punishment was more than doubled by the court in considering her appeal of their verdict. The government implied her sentence was increased because she spoke to the press. Human Rights Watch said this "not only sends victims of sexual violence the message that they should not press charges, but offers protection and impunity to the perpetrators." * * * As the East African nation of Burundi struggles to maintain peace and prepares for a reconciliation process, women's rights advocates are calling for nationwide legal and social reforms to address the countless crimes of sexual violence and to reform the country's legal treatment of rape. UN Human Rights chief Louise Arbor called the number of victims of sexual crimes in the region appalling. "There is a tendency to treat these incidents as lesser crimes. Many who are brought to court on rape charges are immediately released," she said. --Information from Women's eNews * * * The Colorado Supreme Court voted unanimously in November to allow a proposed ballot initiative in the 2008 election that would define a fertilized egg as a person. "Proponents of this initiative have publicly stated that the goal is to make all abortion illegal," said Kathryn Wittenben, executive director of Colorado NARAL Pro-Choice. "Yet nothing in the language of the initiative even mentions abortion. If that's not misleading, I don't know what is." This law could also affect any woman using hormone-based birth control or in vitro fertilization. --Information from FEMINIST WIRE |
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