Department of Justice Will "Deter Violence" Against Abortion Providers
The Huffington Post
reported that Attorney General Eric Holder gave a stern speech at the
Washington Lawyer’s Committee Tuesday condemning violent acts against
abortion providers like Dr. George Tiller. Holder promised the
Department of Justice would to "deter violence against reproductive
health care providers," and prosecute those engage in violence.

He told the Committee:

"Neither our respect for the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech
nor our clearest hope for common ground can justify the violence that
we saw in Kansas," Holder said. "We will not tolerate murder or the
threat of violence masquerading as political activism. Let me be clear,
the Justice Department will use every tool at its disposal to protect
the rights ensured under our constitution and we will do all that we
can to deter violence against reproductive health care providers and
prosecute those who use such violence to the fullest extent of the law."

His
comments were also relevant for other recent violence that has taken
place around the country, referring to the shooting at the Holocaust
Museum in DC, where a security guard was killed by a white supremacists.

Hillary Clinton Issues Human Trafficking Report
Today, Hillary Clinton issued the ninth Department of State Trafficking in Humans Report, according to Feminist Daily News Wire.

In the introductory letter
to the report from Clinton said,

"The human trafficking
phenomenon affects virtually every country, including the United
States. In acknowledging America’s own struggle with modern-day slavery
and slavery-related practices, we offer partnership. We call on every
government to join us in working to build consensus and leverage
resources to eliminate all forms of human trafficking."

The
report said that 5,212 human trafficking cases prosecuted globally in
2008, and out of that number, there were 2,983 convictions. The report
talked about punishments for traffickers, but also discussed ways to
protect trafficking victims.

Legislation to Eliminate Child Marriage is Passed in House of Representatives

The International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of
2009 was passed last week in the House of Representatives by a 235-187
vote, according to Feminist Daily News Wire. The initiative is meant to eliminate child marriages in developing countries.

Betty McCollum (D-MN), author of the original bill, said, "child marriage is a human rights violation that undermines America’s
investments in foreign assistance to improve women’s and girl’s
education, health, and economic status."

Child
marriage is common in rural, poor areas of developing countries. Child
brides are often given no education opportunities, pressure to have
children and lower long-term reproductive health, according to the article.