Archive for June 2014

Corporate Rights Trump Women’s Rights

Jun 30th, 2014 | By
[image credit: www.pirateparty.org.uk]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org In this increasingly polarized country with a deeply partisan Congress, a divided Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of corporate rights (aka corporate “personhood”) over a woman’s right to use the contraception of her choice. In the long-anticipated outcome of Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that family-owned
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Will Congress Come to Bat for Women’s Rights?

Jun 23rd, 2014 | By
Community health worker gives a vaccination in Odisha state, India [photo credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_health_in_India]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org. Last week there was action around the Global Gag Rule, an on-again, off-again 30-year-old policy detrimental to women’s reproductive health. The Global Gag Rule denies U.S. foreign assistance to organizations working overseas if they use private, non-U.S. funds to provide referrals, counseling, or access to safe abortion, even when it is legal in the country
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Family Planning is a Smart Investment

Jun 18th, 2014 | By
[photo credit: data.unfpa.org]

By Suzanne York. In a time of government budget cuts and austerity programs, family planning is a low-cost investment that yields big dividends.  And more importantly, it saves lives. Globally, there are 222 million women in developing counties who lack access to contraception.  Off these, 162 million women live in the world’s poorest countries. Barriers
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Acts of Violence Against Women: From India to the Congo to the USA

Jun 11th, 2014 | By
[photo credit: timesofindia.com]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org It’s been a horrific year for women’s rights across the globe.   Just in the past couple of months there has been the kidnapping of nearly 300 girls in Nigeria, an “honor” killing of a pregnant woman in Pakistan, the rape and hanging of two teenage girls in India, and a
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Time to Shed Our Fear: Words of Wisdom From an Inspiring Woman

Jun 5th, 2014 | By
mathaai-slider

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org World Environment Day – a day “for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the environment” – is another officially recognized day by the United Nations for doing something (anything) positive for the environment. Given the fragility of the climate, environment and communities around the world, it is a good time to
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Gone in a Blink of an Eye?

Jun 2nd, 2014 | By
[photo credit: www.worldwildlife.org]

By Suzanne York, www.howmany.org There is no denying that humans are impacting the planet, and not necessarily for the good. Some people may argue this point, but one look at mountaintops blown off in Appalachia or forests cleared for palm oil production would have to elicit some acceptance of human alteration of the environment. Many
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