Morning Roundup: Nancy Pelosi Fires Back

Beth Saunders

Pelosi speaks out on the anti-choice assault on women's rights, a Thai airline seeks to hire transgender women as flight attendants, women use less epidural anesthesia during labor when they control their own pain relief, and a heart-breaking attack on women's shelters in Afghanistan.

Pelosi speaks out on the anti-choice assault on women’s rights, a Thai airline seeks to hire transgender women as flight attendants, women use less epidural anesthesia during labor when they control their own pain relief, and a heart-breaking attack on women’s shelters in Afghanistan.

  • Nancy Pelosi has fired back to the Republican-sponsored attacks on reproductive rights saying that the new slate of anti-abortion legislation “disrespects the judgment of American women.” The Washington Post blogger reporting the story writes, “The GOP has sought to wrap its anti-abortion push in the language of fiscal responsibility, but Pelosi’s no-holds-barred approach suggests this war could end up being fought out squarely on old culture-war turf.” Yeah, well, when your rights are being trampled, it doesn’t really matter how someone packages it. Pelosi is calling a spade a spade.
  • A Thai airline seeks to set itself apart by hiring transgender women as flight attendants. Those who have been hired were chosen because they have “a feminine voice and the right attitude.” The flight attendants interviewed seemed happy to have the job, rather than feeling used as a gimmick to sell plane tickets.
  • Laboring women who can control the amount of anesthesia used during an epidural use about 30% less than those that are given a continuous drip, according to a new study. Those who had control of their medication did report higher pain scores during the pushing phase, but did say they were pleased with their pain management overall.
  • Women’s shelters in Afghanistan are under attack. To appease the Taliban, the shelters may soon come under government control, which would mean women would have to appear before “an eight-member government panel, which would determine whether she needed to be in a shelter or should be sent to jail or back home, where she would be at risk of a beating or even death. She would also have to undergo a physical exam that could include a virginity test.” Why attack women’s shelters? According to a proponent of the change, the shelters increase “perversion” and encourage women to run away from home.

Feb 11

Feb 10