We’re only just learning the full cost of Harvey, and Irma has destroyed entire islands and is aiming at Florida. It’s important to remember that the poor are the most affected by natural disasters: they are the least able to evacuate early (if at all), are less likely to have insurance or money for anywhere to stay or rebuild, and for those who are undocumented, can’t even claim aid from FEMA. Beyond this, though, there are still actions being taken against women. Maybe they hope that among all the other horrors, we won’t notice?
Thanks as always to the WoW crew: special mention to Tara, OfficeBSS, ElenaCarlena, EyesBright, Besame, and Ramara!
Politics
There is so much that can go here.
First is Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who is trying to make college sexual assault rules under Title IX more fair...to those accused of assaulting people. Don’t ask me how allowing previous sexual history to be brought up by the accused rapist is somehow being more ‘fair’. Because all it’s going to do is exactly what it had done...shame and intimidate victims, and keep them from reporting.
www.huffingtonpost.com/…
Even in your 50’s as a member of Congress, apparently women are still not deserving of respect. Yes, it’s Don Young (R-AK), known for being an all-around jerk, but...calling a colleague a young lady who doesn’t know a damn thing (paraphrased)…
www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Violence against Women
Melissa Blake opinion piece about on-line harassment of women: something all of us who’ve spent time on the internet knows happens.
http://www.cnn.com/…
Another student protesting a school dress code after being singled out in front of her peers for "too-narrow" straps - this time in Portland Oregon:
http://www.pressherald.com/...
Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” Is Getting Called Out By Domestic Violence Survivors. I’ve not heard the album — sometimes Taylor Swift does a good job at calling things out. Other times, not so much.
https://www.bustle.com/…
Wannabe kid minister calls cops to come help his bloody dead wife, knife on the bed, no one else around, and says maybe the OTC cold medicine made him do it. TAKE HOME MESSAGE - ESCHEW Coricidin Cough and Cold !
http://people.com/…
Awful story about Indian Parents flying to Florida to help beat their daughter-in-law for being 'disobedient' to their son - then their grandchild gets hurt too:
http://www.nydailynews.com/...
Health Care
We should be able to trust that doctors and other medical professionals have our best interests at heart, and will give us solid and medically sound advice. That isn’t always the case.
Rewire has a good article again (still) about OB/GYN practice at Catholic hospitals or other hospitals under Catholic directives.
https://rewire.news/…
Tied with that, studies have been done on telemedicine: a doctor or nurse consulting via the internet/Skype so people in underserved areas can get health care. In many areas, this is the only way women can get abortion services. Studies show? It’s as good as a doctor’s office. Will that keep states from trying to ban it so women can’t get abortions? We know the answer to that. www.huffingtonpost.com/…
Somehow, when it’s for women, it’s not ‘really’ healthcare. Here’s a fun video — it's from Chelsea on Netflix and the title is: "Getting Hard Is Easy, Getting birth Control Is Not"
(virtually all insurance covers Viagra, many don't cover birth control and fewer will if the ACA is repealed or eviscerated).
https://www.facebook.com/...
PP wins the Lasker Award 2017. http://www.latimes.com/...
The Lasker Awards, announced Wednesday, are given annually to recognize advancements in the prevention and treatment of disease. Each award carries an honorarium of $250,000. Dozens of past winners have gone on to win the Nobel Prize. [...]
“Approximately one in five women in the U.S. have received its assistance at some point during their lives,” the Lasker Foundation said in its award citation. “Without Planned Parenthood, many individuals would not have access to high-quality and affordable health care.”
Follow-ups
Most of you have seen the fantastic diaries here about the Utah nurse who prevented an illegal blood draw — and was illegally arrested (or at least detained) for it. Here's an update — the hospital apologizes, changes policies about dealing with police including for hospital security and university police. In addition, the detective involved is being investigated as is the Lieutenant who apparently told him to go ahead with the arrest — and the DA has asked the FBI to investigate all of the law enforcement involved for civil rights abuses, including those who just stood by.
https://apnews.com/…
Eric Bolling, the latest Fox News host to be accused of sexual harassment, has been fired. This is...number four now? I have to wonder how many more are just hoping no one kept the dirty and threatening pics and texts. When it’s this common, it’s the entire culture. money.cnn.com/...
Good News
Yes, there are fantastic things that are being done against this relentless drive to push women back out of participating in the world around us.
In honor of both women's art and National Wildlife Day today:
Lebanese women hang wedding dresses to protest law allowing rapists to marry victims — thanks to their efforts, the law has been changed.
New Zealand election: Jacinda Ardern pledges to decriminalise abortion
In a fiery 90-minute televised leaders’ debate on Monday night in Auckland, Ardern stated unequivocally that abortion “shouldn’t be in the Crimes Act”. Her stance was met with a round of applause and cheering from the 400-strong studio audience of undecided voters.
https://www.theguardian.com/...
"Heavy flow: are "period pants" the revolutionary solution to an age old problem?
Tampons, towels and the occasional menstrual cup are the go-to products for women seeking to manage their period. But knickers with a waterproof layer could be the answer for everything from pelvic floor weakness to unusually heavy periods"
https://www.theguardian.com/…
From ranked 83’d to champion of the US Open — what an athelete, and what determination. bleacherreport.com/…
Time magazine has done an awesome series of 12 powerful women.
www.huffingtonpost.com/…
If you haven’t seen this Twitter thread, you HAVE to check it out. It mocks the way women are talked about by using men rather than women. It’s good for several giggles….and a lot of thought, if you've ever found yourself accidentally saying similar things. It's crazy how much we're socialized to think of women as somehow less. www.huffingtonpost.com/…