abortion laws

This month a fight broke out across the blogosphere. Conservatives complained that the so-called liberal media had ignored the case of illegal abortion provider Dr. Kermit Gosnell prior to his trial, which began in Philadelphia on March 18. The assertion was that there had been a conspiracy of silence.

In a stand reminiscent of the classic movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, a Texas state senator plans to stay on her feet for 13 hours in a filibuster aimed at blocking a bill that would severely restrict access to abortion in the Lone Star State.

Emma Sullivan, a senior at Shawnee Mission East High School in Kansas, and other students in a Youth in Government program went to Governor Sam Brownback's office in Topeka to learn about government. While on the trip, Sullivan Tweeted “Just made mean comments at gov. brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot,” the Kansas City Star reports.

Two recent court cases illustrate how women still don't have independence when it comes to our bodies.

This week, in our series of women you might not know but should, a rising star in Golden State politics is in our sights.

Sara Marcus -- pictured above--author of the new book Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution, says the punk ladies of the ’90s changed not only music and style but also sexual boundaries. 'Although none of Riot Grrrl’s original progenitors identified as lesbians, the movement had taken much of its inspiration from the gay punk networks of the late ’80s and early ’90s. And by 1996, when all the bands originally associated with Riot Grrrl had broken up or were headed that way, the torch was passed to a new wave of specifically queer musicians: all-lesbian supergroup Team Dresch (who frequently toured with Bikini Kill in their early years), power-poppers the Butchies, avant-metal duos the Haggard and the Need.'

This week's roundup proves, once again, that anti-LGBT bigotry knows no borders.

While they didn't work out of the Oval Office, the lives and accomplishments of some U.S. First Ladies have been felt the world over. Some first ladies were great hostesses, and others were loving mothers, but for President's Day, we highlight eight presidential spouses who truly kicked ass in their time.

A bill that was passed by the Utah House and Senate will make it a crime for a woman to have a miscarriage. If the governor signs the bill, it would also make induced abortion a crime in some instances. The proposed law is different because it is specifically designed to punish the pregnant woman, not those who assist or cause an illegal abortion or unintended miscarriage. The bill could make women legally responsible for miscarriages caused by "reckless" behavior.

Eight million more women than men voted for Obama for president.  And one of the reasons we did was because of his purported position on reproductive justice issues like abortion and emergency contraception (EC). But with the stroke of 20 pens that is just what President Obama did, when he signed into law on March 23, the long awaited  "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590)" by pandering to pro-life Democrats.

For many lesbians, the attacks on abortion availability can be background noise. We focus on problems that seem to affect lesbians more directly, such as same-sex marriage, the military’s dismantling of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, or even the newest lesbian celebrity gossip. When we think about our own reproductive rights, it is more often about becoming pregnant and raising our children. To the extent we consider abortion, it may seem an issue exclusively for our heterosexual sisters.

The assault on a woman's right to choose runs parallel to right-wing efforts to roll back queer rights.