This Week in the War on Women

This Week in the War on Women
WHERE THE NEWS MAY BE BAD, BUT THE COMPANY IS THE BEST

Gold Stars and special thanks to: Besame, cinnamon 68, elenacarlena, Eyesbright, mettle fatigue, ramara, Tara the Antisocial Social Worker, and 2thanks for all the links! A true group project.
And don’t miss WOW2 for June, which posted earlier: www.dailykos.com/...

This has been a week for Hell’s record books — so overwhelmingly, senselessly violent. Devastating news from Orlando of yet another hate-filled man with an assault rifle mowing down dozens of people in only minutes.

We have the statistics on these horrifying shootings:

Using FBI data and media reports, Everytown for Gun Safety developed an analysis of mass shootings that took place between January 2009 and July 2015. The analysis found that there have been at least 133 mass shootings in the nearly seven-year period.
The FBI defines “mass shooting” as any incident where at least four people were murdered with a gun.
Here are just two excerpts from their report:
...
High-capacity magazines — or assault weapons likely equipped with them — were used in at least 15 of the incidents (11%). These incidents resulted in an average of 13.3 total people shot — 155% more people shot than in other incidents (5.2) — and 7.5 deaths — 47% more deaths than in other incidents (5.1).
...
There was a noteworthy connection between mass shooting incidents and domestic or family violence. In at least 76 of the cases (57%), the shooter killed a current or former spouse or intimate partner or other family member, and in at least 21 incidents the shooter had a prior domestic violence charge.
Under federal law, domestic abuse only prohibits firearm ownership when the perpetrator has been married to the victim, has a child with them, or cohabits with them. In 23 percent of mass shootings in which the perpetrator killed a former or current partner (13 of 56), there was no evidence the pair had ever married or had a child together.
...
— everytownresearch.org/...

What America has lacked is the political will to pass laws to make it much harder for mass murderers to get their hands on these weapons.

Even if you have a history of mental illness and violent behavior, even if you’re on Homeland Security’s suspected-ties-with-terrorists “No Fly” list, in this country you can buy an AR-15 for under $700.00, walk into a crowded place, and open fire.

But no country is immune from this plague of hatred. Not even Great Britain, with its long history of strict gun control laws, Last Thursday, Labour Party MP Jo Cox, aged 41, a strong advocate for women’s issues, was shot and stabbed to death as she was leaving a meeting with her constituents. British Members of Parliament rarely travel with a security detail, so she was unprotected when the man attacked her. A 77-year-old bystander was also stabbed when he tried to intervene, but he survived.

Police arrested a 52-year-old former psychiatric patient. According to witnesses, her killer used either an antique or a home-made gun which he calmly reloaded between shots. As Jo Cox lay bleeding to death, he repeatedly kicked her before walking away. When the killer appeared in court today, he gave his name as "Death to traitors, freedom for Britain."

Her husband, Brendan Cox, issued this statement:

“Today is the beginning of a new chapter in our lives. More difficult, more painful, less joyful, less full of love. I and Jo’s friends and family are going to work every moment of our lives to love and nurture our kids and to fight against the hate that killed Jo.
Jo believed in a better world and she fought for it every day of her life with an energy, and a zest for life that would exhaust most people. She would have wanted two things above all else to happen now, one that our precious children are bathed in love and two, that we all unite to fight against the hatred that killed her.
Hate doesn’t have a creed, race or religion, it is poisonous.”

ACTION NEEDED: If you haven’t already, please sign Ultraviolet’s petition to ban military-style assault weapons: act.weareultraviolet.org/…

The GOOD News:
(and how we need it this week)

Pop singer Christina Aguilera is promising the proceeds from her latest song will benefit those who were affected by the Orlando shooting. Aguilera released “Change” on iTunes Thursday, and all money from its sales through September 14 will go to the National Compassion Fund to help with “the immediate and long-term complex emotional and physical needs of these victims and their families.”— www.goodnewsnetwork.org/...

“Waiting for a change to set us free
Waiting for the day you can be you, and I can be me.
Waiting for hope to come around,
Waiting for the day when hate is lost and love is found.”

Huffington Post’s Good News section is full ofStories of People Coming Together and reaching out to the survivors and the families of victims of the Orlando mass shooting, proving again what Mr. Rogers told us: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” — www.huffingtonpost.com/…

Clea Newman,daughter of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, continues her father’s charitable legacy atSeriousFun Children’s Network, which so far has hosted 127,000 children with serious illnesses at their 30 camps, where the kids can re-discover the fun of just being a kid. — www.today.com/…

Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI) is so fed up by Republicans “criminalizing” poverty that she has proposed drug-testing the “top 1%” earners. She introduced Thursday the Top 1% Accountability Act, which would force taxpayers with itemized deductions of more than $150,000 to submit to the IRS a clean drug test, or else take the much lower standard deduction when filing their taxes. “We’re not going to get rid of the federal deficit by cutting poor people off [the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program]. But if we are going to drug-test people to reduce the deficit, let’s start on the other end of the income spectrum,” she said. “We might really save some money by drug-testing folks on Wall Street, who might have a little cocaine before they get their deal done.”

SCOTUS Overturns Ninth Circuit, Upholds Tribal Court Convictions — ruling that prior uncounseled tribal court convictions used in subsequent criminal cases does not violate the Constitution when the proceedings were in compliance with the Indian Civil Rights Act. The unanimous decision inU.S. v. Bryant, which was delivered by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, reversed a Ninth Circuit Court decision. ""Today the Supreme Court affirmed the inherent sovereignty of Tribal Nations to protect their women and children from repeat domestic violence offenders,” said Mary Kathryn Nagle (Cherokee Nation), attorney for the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center. “Justice Ginsburg's well-reasoned opinion confirms that a tribe's exercise of its inherent sovereignty in no way ‘violates’ the Constitution because the tribe's power existed before, during, and after the United States' Constitution came into existence."— indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/…
Panama Canal Engineer Ilya Espino de Marotta, who is in charge of preparing the designs and specifications for all Panama Canal Projects, and who led the execution of the Panama Canal Expansion Program, will celebrate the opening of the new waterway on June 26th. — iwforum.org/…

Ilya Espino de Marotta at her “office”— The Panama Canal

Google Celebrates 'Lady Day' after sexist remark – When a shareholder addressed a question to “the lady CFO,” finance chief Ruth Porat, the alumni of Stretch, Google’s leadership development program, declared “Lady Day” as a tongue-in-cheek protest, with the tag line: “Actually…it’s just CFO.”—www.usatoday.com/…

Women’s Law Project in Pennsylvania launched a renewed campaign for thePA Fairness Act to be passed by the General Assembly, and three bills were introduced in the state senate this week to update the state Human Relations Act to include protection for LGBT people from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodation.

Engaging Men to End Violence Against Women —Gary Barker, president/CEO of Promundo and member of the UN Secretary-General’s Network of Men Leaders, on using targeted, structured group education with boys in schools, sports settings and communities, combined with supporting women’s economic and social empowerment, to break the cycle of violence against women — http://blogs.cfr.org/women-around-the-world/2016/06/17/engaging-men-to-end-violence-against-women/
What the United State of Women Means for Global Issues — U.S. ambassador-at-large for women's issues, Catherine Russell — blogs.cfr.org/...
Felony Indictment Against Anti-Abortion Extremists Daleiden and Merritt for Using Fake IDS Still Stand, but Texas Judge Dismisses Misdemeanor Charge — rewire.news/…
A Proper Reckoning: Feminist Economics deserves recognition as a distinct branch of the discipline — www.economist.com/…
Scotland — Court order issued for first time in Fife to block a schoolgirl being taken to Pakistan for forced marriage— Her older sister fled to police to avoid being sent to Pakistan for a forced marriage, saying she feared her younger sister would be offered in her place, so Police Scotland and Fife Council made joint application to the sheriff court, which issued a Forced Marriage Protection Order—www.dunfermlinepress.com/…
Stanford Rape Case Judge Aaron Persky Removed From New Sexual Assault Case —
inewstoday.net/...
Dating App Bumble Shut Down User for Being a Sexist Jerk — www.scarymommy.com/...
Wonder Women Tech Conference — Long Beach, CA — July 15 - 17, 2016 Women Women Tech is a conference that highlights, celebrates and educates women & diversity within Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics (STEAM). Keynote speakers and special guests include 'Oprah's Favorite Guest of All Time', Dr. Terarai Trent, President of UN Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, Almas Jiwani, Crunchbase Director of Content, Gené Teare and many more!
International Conference on Advances of Women’s Studies— Buffalo, NY — July 30 – 31, 2016 This academic conference for global scholars is in its third year. Previous editions have been held in Sri Lanka and Toronto – it aims to be internationally representative of the latest academic research in women’s studies.

The NOT Good News:

Alabama State Trooper got plea bargain for misdemeanor sexual misconduct, but originally faced rape and sodomy charges for assaulting car accident victim. Apparently 6 months is the standard sentence for rape in 2016 — www.thedailybeast.com/...

Qatar to Deport Dutch Woman Convicted of Illicit Sex After Being Raped — Tourist who said she was drugged and raped in Doha will be deported after conviction on "fornication" charges for having sex out of wedlock. She has been held in custody since her arrest last March. A court official described her one-year suspended sentence as "lenient". "Had she been a Muslim woman, she would have received at least five years in jail. No one can get out of such charges here in Qatar," he said. The rapist, who is from Syria, was also convicted of having sex out of wedlock, but not charged with rape. He will receive 100 lashes for the illicit sex act, and 40 lashes for public drunkenesss. — www.aljazeera.com/…

Five years into the explosion of anti-abortion legislation, experts say women are increasingly turning to dangerous methods to end their pregnancies. Email to an abortion clinic that provides online information on medication abortion: “I came across your instructions on the abortion pill and decided to use it for an at home abortion after finding pills online. I took the pills 2.5 weeks ago and am still cramping and bleeding sometimes mildly sometimes heavily, please I would like some advice on what I can do to help me heal faster.”— www.theguardian.com/…

Planned Parenthood Condemns DC Abortion Ban and Nunnelee Amendment — www.plannedparenthood.org/...

Pregnant and Shackled — According to a new report, not a single jail or prison facility in Massachusetts has written policies that are fully compliant with the law against restraining pregnant women behind bars —rewire.news/…

Parents of a 12-year-old black girl have sued her exclusive, predominately white school after three white male classmates allegedly wrapped a rope around her neck and “violently jerked” her to the ground, leaving severe burns in her skin that are documented in graphic photos included in the complaint. “Even if this incident was unintentional, the school’s lack of supervision to let this happen, dismissive and tone deaf response after it happened, and refusal to investigate until legally prompted to, showed an utter disregard for one of the only African American children in the school,” the suit says. “Even ignoring what or who caused this injury, the school’s failure to notify the injured child’s mother is inexcusable and reckless.” The suit also claims that a series of bullying incidents preceded the rope injury. — www.theguardian.com/…

L.G.B.T. People Are More Likely to Be Targets of Hate Crimes Than Any Other Minority Group according to an analysis of data collected by the F.B.I. — www.nytimes.com/...
Progress for Women Stalled in Pakistan. After the Punjab Assembly passed the Protection of Women Against Violence bill 2016 (PWAV), Pakistan's Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), a constitutional body responsible for ensuring no legislature in the country is repugnant to Islam, argued that by passing the bill without its consent, the Punjab Assembly had committed an act of treason. The main focus of the PWAV bill is on the establishment of protection centres and shelters for the victims, but religious opposition has brought this process to a halt. Activists say that since the PWAV has no clauses that criminalize violence against women, its effectiveness is even more compromised. Now the CII has issued a 163-point bill to counter the PWAV which lists women's “rights” as well as actions it deems non-permissible for women, and they declared it is permissible for a man to "lightly beat" his wife "if needed." While these two groups of men argue, violence against women continues —www.aljazeera.com/...

Amish Sex Trafficking— Three charged in Pennsylvania statutory rape case. A 14-year-old Amish girl was "gifted" to a man for helping her parents out of financial trouble, according to court records released yesterday. Child welfare workers in Bucks County found 11 girls, all believed to be Amish, between the ages of 6 months and 18 years living in the house of the 51-year-old man, who was arrested Thursday along with the parents of the 14 year old girl. — www.reuters.com/...

A global round-up of the worst anti-women laws, still in force 20 years after the Beijing Platform for Action, when 189 countries committed to "revoke any remaining laws that discriminate on the basis of sex" — www.marieclaire.co.uk/...

Medical News

Jasmine Sulaiman, M.D. Named 2016 Country Doctor of the Year. She is the sole physician at the Health Center of Southeast Texas and now serves four rural Texas communities, the area hospice, and all patients who enter their doors regardless of ability to pay.— http://www.staffcare.com/jasmine-sulaiman-md-named-2016-country-doctor-of-the-year/#sthash.rYbWQtuM.dpuf

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. It’s an infection that causes warts in various parts of the body, and some strains cause abnormal cell changes that lead to cervical cancer.

More than 3 million US cases per year
Spreads by sexual contact
Some types preventable by vaccine
Can't be cured, but treatment may help
Chronic: can last for years or be lifelong
Requires a medical diagnosis — Lab tests or imaging often required
Many with HPV don't develop any symptoms but can still infect others through sexual contact.
Symptoms may include warts on the genitals or surrounding skin.
There's no cure for the virus and warts may go away on their own. Treatment focuses on removing the warts.
A vaccine that prevents the HPV strains most likely to cause genital warts and cervical cancer is recommended for boys and girls.

Medscape outlines how approval for HPV vaccines have been limited by “feminization” —

Because of HPV's causal association with cervical cancer, the original vaccine trials focused on females, and consequently, the vaccine was approved for females aged nine to 26 years. This approach was perfectly reasonable, given what was known at the time. Unfortunately, this approval also fit within an existing cultural narrative that HPV was a woman's problem. We have come to refer to this overidentification of HPV with females, and its subsequent impact on primary prevention efforts, as the "feminization of HPV." The process of feminization occurs when an issue is socially constructed as focused on females, which can impact how issues are perceived by the public and addressed by the government and other organizations.
The feminization process was, in some sense, the result of an accidental synergy between the known science and our long history of sexism. The decision to license the vaccine only for females was a "perfect storm" of science, politics, economics, and socially constructed beliefs regarding gender roles.
— www.medscape.com/... http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/864578

Hospital mergers typically face little scrutiny from state regulators, putting women at risk for losing access to health care services that Catholic systems oppose on ideological grounds, according to a MergerWatch report — www.womenshealthpolicyreport.org/…

As Zika Threat Grows in U.S., Testing Lags Amid Confusion— www.nytimes.com/...

Arts and Culture:

Artist Rebuilds Columbine’s Cafeteria In a Sobering Take on Gun Violence — In New York’s Greenspon Gallery, artist Bunny Rogers has created a three-dimensional version of the cafeteria where the Columbine shooters committed suicide, but with otherworldly cult figures juxtaposed with its grim reality. — www.huffingtonpost.com/…

Section of Bunny Roger’s ‘Columbine Cafeteria’ installation

Worth the Read:

Stupid Things Female Politicians Face: #1, by Kossack BoxJohnson — www.dailykos.com/…

Alternative Justice for Rape Survivors: California’s AB 1928, a Model for Civil Action — feministing.com/…

Virginia Woolf’s 1940 Thoughts on Peace in an Air Raid — newrepublic.com/… As the bombings continue in the Middle East, Woolf’s thoughts during a WWII air raid are still relevant.

What Brazil is Showing Us About Feminist Resilience and Resistance to Rape Culture — Lisa Barca writes for Ms Magazine about the response to a horrific gang rape in Brazil, and the lessons we can learn from Brazilian activists — msmagazine.com/…

Please Sign:

Sign the Credo Petition to tell Congress to “Pass the Hold Accountable and Lend Transparency (HALT) Campus Sexual Violence Act to strengthen efforts to combat the epidemic of sexual violence on college campuses.”— act.credoaction.com/…