Mitt Romney's troubling past assertions that his mother was pro-choice in 1970 are rooted in an ongoing tradition of male politicians using their female relatives to bolster their credibility with female voters. The problem is that it's really not that helpful.
Mexico has thirty-two states if you include Mexico City’s federal district, and until the spring of 2007, when Mexico City legalized it during the first twelve weeks of gestation, abortion was illegal in all of them. It was rarely prosecuted, though, and there were also legal exemptions.
As we celebrate the nearing anniversary of Roe v. Wade and President Obama's repeal of the global gag rule another matter deserves our attention: the Helms Amendment is still alive and well. The president has it within his power to lessen the toll on women. Will he do so?
Race, class, ethnicity, and sex still determine, to a great degree, how justice is dispensed and whether people are treated justly by the United States legal system. Recent news stories and hard data show just how far we remain from Martin Luther King's "promised land."
I know for a fact that I will be doubling my order of Thin Mints this year in support of a national organization that welcomes, supports, and empowers all girls.
Military servicewomen fight for our country and our rights yet are denied access to basic reproductive health care. They face shockingly high rates of sexual assault and rape, yet are denied access to legal services. We urge policymakers in 2012 to put politics aside and support the women serving our country through policies that put their needs and wellbeing first, as they do ours.
