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An Army general in Iraq backed away from his threat today to court martial female soldiers who get pregnant. "I see absolutely no circumstance where I would punish a female soldier by court martial for a violation ... none," Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo III wrote to ABC News in an exclusive statement. " I fully intend to handle these cases through lesser disciplinary action." Cucolo triggered debate, some of it angry, when his Nov. 4 policy forbidding pregnancy among his soldiers became public recently. His policy statement said violation of the rule could be punishable by court martial, and that...

Dear xxxx xxxxxx, The elections held Tuesday should open all of our eyes. Please meet the new Governor of Virginia: [The] " dynamic new trend of working women and feminists ... is ultimately detrimental to the family." You read that right -- the new Governor of Virginia thinks working women are "detrimental" to the family. If you're scared that it might get worse in 2010 -- and you should be -- well, I have a way you can help fight these right-wing extremists who'd like to take over our government. NOW is committed to making sure women's voices are heard...

Shhhh. No comments required. Just savor it. “Relationships get built in those more informal settings,” O’Neill told ABC News, “and the relationships have a huge impact on the influence an individual has. We know what happens when we segregated whether it by race or whether it by gender — you end up with 1st class citizens and you end up with 2nd class citizens.” O’Neill told ABC News’ Mike Callahan, “we need to see the White House leading the way for desegregating the work places all around the country and it is troubling.”… “It’s extremely important now especially for the...

Abortion rights activists are working to rebuild a coalition in Kansas following the death of one of the nation's few late-term abortion providers and the closure of his political action committee. Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed May 31 at his church, and his family has since closed his Wichita clinic. ProKanDo, the political action committee he founded and funded, was closed in mid-June upon the request of the Tiller family, its former director, Julie Burkhart said. But even before his closure of ProKanDo, the political action committee had been struggling to find someone in Kansas willing to take...

Credit where credit’s due. --------------------------------------------------------- Comedians in search of a laugh should really know better than to snicker about men having sex with teenage girls (or young women) less than half their age. The sexualization of girls and women in the media is reaching new lows these days — it is exploitative and has a negative effect on how all women and girls are perceived and how they view themselves. Letterman also joked about what he called Palin’s “slutty flight attendant look” — yet another example of how the media love to focus on a woman politician’s appearance, especially as...

Letterman voted into NOW Hall of Shame: After two nights of "jokes" at the expense of Palin and her family, Letterman tried to explain himself and offer something of an apology. On his June 10 show, Letterman said he was referring to Palin's 18-year-old daughter, Bristol -- not the 14-year-old daughter who actually accompanied Palin on her New York trip. Letterman said "I recognize that these are ugly" jokes. NOW agrees. Comedians in search of a laugh should really know better than to snicker about men having sex with teenage girls (or young women) less than half their age. The...

Who is worse? The father molesting the daughter, or the mother who knows and looks the other way? The man raping the girl in the alleyway, or the passive bystander who neither stops the attack nor calls the police? The mother beating her children, or the husband who goes to work and leaves the children with her? Who is worse? The abuser, the attacker is worse. But we are revulsed and disgusted by the people who aid and abet and ignore the perpetrators, and rightly so. Last week, ten women were the subject of a cyber-rape. That is, without their...

NOW Identifies Murder of Dr. George Tiller As Domestic Terrorism, Calls for Action from Justice Department and Homeland Security Statement of NOW President Kim Gandy June 1, 2009 Women across the country have lost a champion today. The cold-blooded murder of Dr. George Tiller this morning in church is a stark reminder that women's bodies are still a battleground, and health care professionals are on the frontlines. This kind man and skilled doctor braved blockades, harassment, assault, and countless threats, including an attempted murder in 1993 when he was shot in both arms. He knew his life was in constant...

Don’t take a conservative’s word for it. No less a left-wing authority than Kim Gandy of NOW has let Sonia Sotomayor’s liberal cat out of the bag . . . Gandy today described PBO’s pick for the Supreme Court as “very progressive.” The NOW honcho was a guest on this evening’s Ed Show. She was preceded by senior PBO adviser Valerie Jarrett, who danced furiously away from the liberal label. But then came Gandy, who gave the game away. View video here.

Take a gander at the YouTube video embedded below, produced and posted online by Media Matters for America, a progressive media watchdog group. Or if you have more important things to do (and I don't blame you) than to watch this venom-spewing performance by a pompous parade of right-wing male commentators, let me describe it to you. A video cavalcade of pompous, annoying, thoroughly unattractive, low-brow guys poke fun at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's recent clarifications of her position on what she knew (about the Bush administration's use of torture) and when she knew it.

Paid Parental Leave Urge Senators to Support This First StepAsk your senators to support upcoming legislation to guarantee federal workers four weeks of paid parental leave for a new child, as a first step toward universal paid leave.Action Needed:Providing paid leave to parents is only fair to working families who need to both care for a new family member as well as maintain an income. Most industrialized nations have provided paid parental leave for decades.Paid parental leave for 2.7 million federal workers can be the model that we can work to achieve for the rest of the country. This important...

The statement on Buffalo Beheading by the National Organization of Women.

Yesterday we noted the horrible story of 37-year-old Aasiya Hassan of Orchard Park, N.Y., who last week was beheaded and whose husband, Muzzammil, has been charged with her murder. We wondered what the National Organization for Women had to say about this, but couldn't find a word on NOW.org, the group's Web site. It turns out, however, that a different Web site, NOWNYS.org, on Monday posted a strong statement on the subject: NOW New York State is horrified that Erie County DA, Frank A. SeditaII , has referred to this ghastly crime as "the worst form of domestic violence possible."...

Don't Look NOW Man allegedly beheads wife. Feminists shrug. By JAMES TARANTO Last week the National Organization for Women issued a press release on an important topic: The recent arrest of R&B star Chris Brown, who reportedly assaulted and threatened singer Rihanna, preventing her participation in the Grammys, has brought the ever-present issue of violence against women into the public spotlight once again. "Everyone is talking about this case because it involves two popular recording artists, but the sad reality is that domestic violence and dating violence happen every day, even among young teens, and the impact is both far-reaching...

NOW Cheers Repeal of Global Gag Rule As First Step toward Worldwide Reproductive Justice January 23, 2009 "President Obama took the side of justice today," said NOW President Kim Gandy. "For eight years the Global Gag Rule has forced international family planning organizations to make an impossible choice between providing comprehensive reproductive health care, and receiving funds that enable them to help women in need. Women around the world have died as a result of this heartless policy." President Ronald Reagan first instituted the rule, officially known as the Mexico City Policy, in 1984. The policy requires that non-governmental organizations...

CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- What's made up of five women, four African-Americans, three Latinos, two Republicans and two Asians, including a Nobel Prize winner? The answer: President-elect Barack Obama's Cabinet. Obama is taking the big-tent approach to governing and wanted a Cabinet that stretches the tent wide. "I think people will feel that we followed through on our commitment to make sure that this is not only an administration that is diverse ethnically, but it's also diverse politically and it's diverse in terms of people's life experience," Obama said December 16. It might be diverse, but not everyone is happy....

The National Organization for Women (NOW) Political Action Committee and the Feminist Majority Political Action Committee Thursday announced their endorsement of Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D - Manhattan) for appointment to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D). "Senator Hillary Clinton leaves big shoes to fill, and Carolyn Maloney has what it takes. She knows how to tackle big issues and is willing to take on entrenched interests," said Kim Gandy, president of NOW. "She is a tireless advocate for her constituents, and one of the most effective legislators in the House." "I have worked with many...

Clarke D. Forsythe AUL Senior Counsel Introduction The political claim—that women were or will be prosecuted or jailed under abortion laws—has been made so frequently by Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and NOW over the past 40 years that it has become an urban legend. It shows the astonishing power of contemporary media to make a complete falsehood into a truism. For 30 years, abortion advocates have claimed—without any evidence and contrary to the well-documented practice of ALL 50 states—that women were jailed before Roe and would be jailed if Roe falls (or if state abortion prohibitions are reinstated). This claim rests...

The National Organization for Women -- citing Obama's commitment to reproductive justice, pay equity, ending violence against women (Hi, Biden), and keeping marauding crackpots off the Supreme Court -- has endorsed the Obama-Biden ticket, and yes, this is actually news. NOW has not endorsed a presidential candidate in the general election since 1984, and no, that had nothing to do with Geraldine Ferraro. According to NOW president Kim Gandy -- who talked to Broadsheet late Tuesday about the group's decision -- NOW endorsed Walter Mondale in the primary, back "when he was still fighting it out with Gary Hart and...

Clearly worried about the impact Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has had on the presidential race, the Obama campaign stepped up its efforts to court women this week, recruiting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to join Sen. Joe Biden for a taped webcast answering questions from women, announcing a list of high profile women who are endorsing Sen. Barack Obama and releasing a tough anti-McCain ad targeting women. On Monday, as part of his "Women's Week of Action," Obama held a conference call with female supporters to outline the issues he will bring to the forefront in the weeks ahead, such as...

The National Organization for Women (NOW) said Tuesday it had been pushed by the Republicans pick of Sarah Palin as vice presidential nominee to back Democrat Barack Obama for the White House. "NOW is going to be endorsing the Obama-Biden ticket," NOW head Kim Gandy told National Public Radio (NPR), referring to Obama and his running mate Joseph Biden. The 500,000-strong women's movement, which "very, very rarely endorses in a general election", broke with its tradition of neutrality after "the addition of Sarah Palin gave us a new sense of urgency," said Gandy. "She is being portrayed as a supporter...

Governor Sarah Palin has grown up in a world full of open doors. She was born on February 11, 1964. By the time she entered middle school, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 had been passed which prohibited discrimination against women in educational activities (including athletics) receiving federal funds. By the time she entered high school, the Supreme Court had decided Roe v. Wade. By the time she graduated from college, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibited employment discrimination based on sex and the Equal Pay Act which prohibited women from being paid...

Less than 24 hours after the historic selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate, a quick perusal of the National Organization of Women (NOW) website provides a telling window into the world of feminist politics. NOW is the largest feminist organization in the United States, claiming over 500,000 contributing members in over 500 local and campus affiliates. Its self-stated purpose is to "take action to bring women into full participation in society--sharing equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities with men, while living free from discrimination". You might think that a woman being nominated to become vice president of the...

Not Every Woman Supports Women's Rights August 29, 2008 Statement of NOW PAC Chair Kim Gandy on the Selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain's Vice Presidential Pick Sen. John McCain's choice of Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate is a cynical effort to appeal to disappointed Hillary Clinton voters and get them to vote, ultimately, against their own self-interest. Gov. Palin may be the second woman vice-presidential candidate on a major party ticket, but she is not the right woman. Sadly, she is a woman who opposes women's rights, just like John McCain. The fact that Palin...

August 29, 2008 Statement of NOW PAC Chair Kim Gandy on the Selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain's Vice Presidential Pick Sen. John McCain's choice of Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate is a cynical effort to appeal to disappointed Hillary Clinton voters and get them to vote, ultimately, against their own self-interest. Gov. Palin may be the second woman vice-presidential candidate on a major party ticket, but she is not the right woman. Sadly, she is a woman who opposes women's rights, just like John McCain. The fact that Palin is a mother of five who...

Sen. John McCain's choice of Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate is a cynical effort to appeal to disappointed Hillary Clinton voters and get them to vote, ultimately, against their own self-interest. Gov. Palin may be the second woman vice-presidential candidate on a major party ticket, but she is not the right woman. Sadly, she is a woman who opposes women's rights, just like John McCain. The fact that Palin is a mother of five who has a 4-month-old baby, a woman who is juggling work and family responsibilities, will speak to many women. But will Palin speak...

On Today’s Show... Show Highlight: Obama can't, uh, get, uh, more than -- than two words, uh, you know, out when he's, uh, off the teleprompter. We played a 46-second montage of his uhs and ums, along with his many vapid responses. (Rush 24/7 Members: Listen Here) Podcast Special: When Rush learned the Uh Montage was only a fraction of the supposedly eloquent Obama's stammers, he ordered them all strung together. It took over two hours to edit and runs 7:34 -- with no repeats! It was too long to play on air, so we've prepared this special podcast....

The lady prefers 'congressman'By HELENA ANDREWS | 4/15/08 8:56 PM EST Blackburn signs her official correspondence with "congressman." Photo: John Shinkle In any other office, it wouldn’t sound as strange: “OK, let me grab the congressman. Hold on.” But in this office it does, seeing as how the congressman is Marsha Blackburn, a Republican U.S. representative from Tennessee, who since joining the delegation in 2003 has preferred the masculine form of the title. “It’s not something I see as a big deal,” said Blackburn, 55, the only female member of the Tennessee delegation, emphasizing that she’s not trying to make...

From the looks of this photo, new pals Ted Kennedy and Barack Obama are enjoying an old-boys'-club moment at the Capitol - and women are fuming at the power pair's snub of Hillary Rodham Clinton just a few feet way. PHOTO GALLERY: Hillary Snubbed Some female leaders, in fact, are calling the apparently contemptuous stare-down - which took place before the State of the Union Address Monday night - downright sexist. "In general, they've been disre spectful, and I think that women voters are going to get very tired of seeing that," said Marsha Pappas, who heads the New York...

Marcia Pappas will probably consider me a male chauvinist pig for saying this, but her attack on Sen. Edward Kennedy yesterday was idiotic and suggests she is unfit to lead her organization. Pappas, president of the New York State chapter of the National Organization for Women, accused Kennedy of committing the "ultimate betrayal" of women everywhere. And what was his heinous offense, pray tell? Advocating reversal of Roe vs. Wade? Calling for repeal of women's suffrage? Supporting female circumcision? No. Endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for President instead of Sen. Hillary Clinton. "He's joined the list of progressive white men who...

The National Organization for Women’s New York chapter issued a scathing reaction to Sen. Ted Kennedy’s endorsement of Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton. Actually, the word “scathing” feels inadequate here. Read for yourself: “Women have just experienced the ultimate betrayal. Senator Kennedy’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton’s opponent in the Democratic presidential primary campaign has really hit women hard. Women have forgiven Kennedy, stuck up for him, stood by him, hushed the fact that he was late in his support of Title IX, the ERA, the Family Leave and Medical Act to name a few. Women have buried their anger that...

PRESS RELEASES Psychological Gang Bang of Hillary is Proof We Need a Woman President January 11, 2008 by Marcia Pappas, President NOW - New York State We've all witnessed scenarios where, on the playground little girls are being taunted by little boys while both girls and boys stand idle, afraid to speak up or even cheering. Or, in the workplace males tease young and older female co-workers; make obscene gestures, inappropriate comments, laughing and expecting (often correctly) that everyone will join in. Then there was that movie where Jodie Foster portrayed the true story of woman who was ganged raped...

The National Organization for Women’s New York chapter issued a scathing reaction to Sen. Ted Kennedy’s endorsement of Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton. Actually, the word “scathing” feels inadequate here. Read for yourself: “Women have just experienced the ultimate betrayal. Senator Kennedy’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton’s opponent in the Democratic presidential primary campaign has really hit women hard. Women have forgiven Kennedy, stuck up for him, stood by him, hushed the fact that he was late in his support of Title IX, the ERA, the Family Leave and Medical Act to name a few. Women have buried their anger that...

A 20-year-old legal fight over protests outside abortion clinics ended Tuesday with the Supreme Court ruling that federal extortion and racketeering laws cannot be used against demonstrators. The 8-0 decision was a setback for abortion clinics that were buoyed when the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals kept their case alive two years ago despite the high court’s 2003 ruling that had cleared the way for lifting a nationwide injunction on anti-abortion leader Joseph Scheidler and others. Anti-abortion groups appealed to the justices after the lower court sought to determine whether the injunction could be supported by findings that protesters...

NOW is "not putting out a statement or taking a position.".......One of the most striking examples comes in the area of wars and conflicts. The left is bubbling over with concern about human rights...right? At least, that's what they want you to think. Unfortunately, if you take a detailed look at all the conflicts that get them upset—and all the conflicts about which they are silent—you discover a disturbing pattern. So, as I said in Selective Outrage: How the left's agenda trumps genuine concern for human suffering: Simply put, the left gets completely outraged at conflicts in which the side...

...There has been appropriate international outrage over the treatment of Gibbons, from virtually everyone except American “feminists.” Multiple Muslim groups in the U.K. have condemned the sentence. Even the popular little boy in Mrs. Gibbons’ class who suggested the name for the bear came to her defense, explaining that he named the bear after himself.

NOW @ SDSU's bake sale charges men more for the same goods Imagine going to McDonald's and hearing that, because you're a white male, you pay full price for a Big Mac. Meanwhile, the girl behind you pays three-quarters of the total amount for the same thing. NOW (National Organization for Women) @ SDSU brought that reality to San Diego State yesterday at the Aztec Center by holding a pay equity bake sale. The prices for cookies reflected the difference of pay between genders and races. "It's just to raise awareness," NOW @ SDSU Co-President Amanda Whitehead said. "A lot...

WASHINGTON -- A prominent feminist, allied with the presidential campaign of former Sen. John Edwards, accused Democratic front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday of "disingenuously playing the victim card" by infusing her campaign with messages about gender. "When unchallenged, in a comfortable, controlled situation, Sen. Clinton embraces her political elevation into the 'boys club,' " Kate Michelman, the former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, wrote in a posting on a blog of the liberal group Open Left. But when she's challenged, when legitimate questions are asked, questions she should be prepared to answer and discuss, she is just as...

After jeers from her Democratic rivals and many commentators, Hillary Rodham Clinton has backed off her suggestion last week that her opponents were ganging up on her because she is a woman. But the debate is still churning in feminist circles, where some women's activists said she had every right to invoke sexism and gender stereotypes as a defense on the campaign trail — and predicted that this tactic will prove effective against fellow Democrats and against a Republican, if she is the general election nominee. “It goes beyond logic — it’s a gut response,” Eleanor Smeal, president of the...

NOW Challenges Fatherhood Programs The National Organization for Women (NOW) has filed a federal complaint against three Responsible Fatherhood programs funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – for alleged sex discrimination against women. The three grantee organizations are Love in the Name of Christ (Love, INC), Fairbanks, Alaska; Catholic Charities of Idaho; and South Coast Business Employment Corp., Coos Bay, Ore. NOW complains that women are excluded from these programs “solely because they are women.” Love, INC was given a five-year grant of $205,834 a year for a Fatherhood Initiative Project aimed at helping low- and...

Demand National Health Care For Everyone Access to health care is a fundamental human right, not a luxury. People need and deserve universal, continuous, and accessible health coverage that is provided by a single payer and does not require full-time employment and a beneficent employer. It is time for our nation to adopt a national public health policy that ensures an equitable health care delivery system and a healthier society. Action Needed: Take Action: Ask your representative to co-sponsor the U.S. National Health Insurance Act, H.R. 676. Introduced by Representative John Conyers (D-Mich.), the bill would create a publicly financed,...

Lift the Ban! Only one law in the United States mandates firing someone because of her or his sexual orientation. That law is 10 U.S.C. 654, also known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and it applies to all personnel serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, including active duty, Reserve, and National Guard personnel. All service members deserve respect, regardless of sexual orientation. Under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, more than 11,000 members of the U.S. Armed Forces have been discharged, including those with valuable linguistic skills. The policy undermines the dignity, privacy, and integrity of service members by requiring...

Saw this from Digg: The National Organization for Women (NOW) and other women advocacy groups have filed suit against the Bush Administration seeking to abolish Fathers Day. During a press conference held after the filing of the lawsuit, Kim Gandy of NOW said, "the day clearly indicates that it is meant to recognize only fathers." The American Civil Liberties Union, filing on behalf of the organizations said the day runs afoul of equal protection and Title IX provisions and should be abolished because it is discriminatory against women. "It is time to move beyond the pattern male discrimination against women...

During my three years as a columnist for my college newspaper, I’ve resisted frequent requests that I explain my opposition to feminism. Apparently, a lot of people are shocked to discover a female college student who does not spend her days singing the praises of the National Organization for Women. Feminists fight for my rights, my readers tell me – so why am I constantly criticizing them? I usually decline to answer because I think my columns speak for themselves. However, since I’m currently working on a book about this subject, I’ve decided to answer the question I hear most...

Seattle, WA (LifeNews.com) -- An abortion business in Seattle that targeted poor women is closing after doing abortions for thirty-four years. The Aradia Women's Health Center abortion facility is closing down because it mostly does abortions on low-income women and rising costs for rent and other expenses have made it difficult to operate. The abortion center, located in First Hill, will shut down next month and lay off its twenty employees. Karen Besserman, vice president of Aradia's Board of Directors, said the abortion center has seen a 20 percent increase in lower-income women seeking abortions. "There's a decrease nationwide of...

FRESNO, CA--An Episcopal diocese in California overwhelmingly passed a series of resolutions yesterday that position it to secede from the Episcopal Church and affiliate with conservatives in the global Anglican Communion. If the Diocese of San Joaquin affirms the move in a second vote next year, the small diocese, with 48 parishes and 7,000 members, would be the first to try to break from the Episcopal Church, which has been torn by conflict since the consecration of a gay bishop in 2003. Until now, only individual parishes have severed ties. The vote by the diocese is one more step in...

HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. — When they called her name, she could not move. Sgt. Leana Nishimura intended to walk up proudly, shake the dignitaries' hands and accept their honors for her service in Iraq — a special coin, a lapel pin, a glass-encased U.S. flag. But her son clung to her leg. He cried and held tight...T.J. was 9, her oldest child, and although eight months had passed since she had returned from the war zone, he was still upset by anything that reminded him of her deployment... The faraway move to live with his grandmother. The months that...

EARLIER THIS month, amid relatively little media fanfare, the National Organization for Women celebrated its 40th anniversary. [...] NOW's 1966 statement of purpose declared: ``The purpose of NOW is to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, exercising all the privileges and responsibilities thereof. . . . [...] While paying lip service to the idea of equal parenting, NOW has steadfastly opposed efforts to broaden the rights of divorced fathers. With the exception of a few chapters, it has staunchly opposed such proposals as joint custody and mediation instead of litigation. Ten...

Some parents want their kids taught in single-sex classrooms. They believe that the presence of the other sex causes distractions that get in the way of education. Other parents disagree. They want their sons and daughters to study together. They think it breeds healthy social interaction and doesn’t impede, and can even enhance, education.  Who is right? They both are: Some kids will do better in a single-sex environment and others will thrive in coeducation. The good news is that we don’t have to agree about the superiority of one educational method over another. Parents, who presumably know their children...

"What's the difference between a gang of terrorists and a bunch of swedish, PC feminists suffering from PMS? You can negotiate with the terrorists." The manifesto: "2006 Feminist Initiative Election Manifesto Election year 2006. A Feminist Initiative in politics is needed; - because women on average have 4,300 Swedish kronor less than the men in their wallets every month, in spite of the fact that women work just as much as men because 46 percent of all women at some point in their lives have suffered physical or sexual violence, or threats of violence by a man and because many...