This will be a slightly abbreviated diary, as our scheduled host had to cancel. Feel better soon, cinnamon! The group has been collecting links all week: thanks ramara, officebss, Besame, Eyesbright, and the rest of the crew for the contributions.
Reproductive rights:
In France, Marine Le Pen Pushes Anti-Abortion Politics Into View. Her far-right party is well known for its anti-immigrant, nationalist message. In a country that serves as a beacon for abortion rights, she is also challenging that part of the status quo.
Why would you trust a teen to raise a kid, but not to have an abortion?
…..21 states require parental consent before a teenager can have an abortion; 13 mandate that at least one parent be notified; and five states mandate both consent and notification. States that require parental notification and consent for a teenager to have a child? Zero. Surely if we believe young people are mature enough to parent or responsible enough to carry a baby to term, and thoughtful enough to make the decision to put a baby up for adoption without parental or judicial intervention (though there are five states that require parental involvement if a minor puts a child up for adoption), they should also have to right to decide whether or not to get a 10-minute medical procedure.
Abortion rights supporters share personal stories in testimony against Texas law.
Amicus briefs filed in Supreme Court abortion case focus on dignity of women and stories of women who do not regret abortions, clearly targeted to Justice Kennedy.
Violence and harassment:
L.A. County spent $400K and 5 years trying to discredit a woman raped by an on-duty cop.
Some women in Saudi Arabia have started catcalling and otherwise harassing men - and the men aren't "flattered" at all. What happened to all those men who said they’d love it if women catcalled them?
While some Americans like to deflect the severity of the treatment of women here by saying women's lots in life are so much worse elsewhere - and women's lives are bad in many regions of the world - our cultural norms can make it pretty bad for women here. Isn't it telling that advocating for women's rights can be dangerous?
The U.S. Approach to Fighting Violence Against Women
One in three women globally experience some form of domestic or sexual violence during their lifetime. Facing statistics like these, it is easy to become discouraged; however, many countries have made undeniable progress. The United States is an example of how coordination between government and civil society can take strides towards remedying this immense problem. True collaboration between these sectors is imperative to stop violence against women, and in the United States, it has led to a significant decrease in the rates of domestic violence and gender-based violence in the past 20 years.
Following sexual assault allegations against a male performer, porn studio Kink issues new consent guidelines, and has all performers sign statements that include:
“I understand that no one has a right to my body besides me, on-set or off. No one has the right to physical contact with me, on set or off, without my consent.”
Notice what's missing there? Nothing aimed at the perpetrators.
Meanwhile, in Germany...
The mayor of Cologne has summoned police for crisis talks after about 80 women reported sexual assaults and muggings by men on New Year's Eve.
The scale of the attacks on women at the city's central railway station has shocked Germany. About 1,000 drunk and aggressive young men were involved.
City police chief Wolfgang Albers called it "a completely new dimension of crime". The men were of Arab or North African appearance, he said.
Women were also targeted in Hamburg.
But the Cologne assaults - near the city's iconic cathedral - were the most serious, German media report. At least one woman was raped, and many were groped.
Most of the crimes reported to police were robberies. A volunteer policewoman was among those sexually molested.
The female Mayor of Cologne advised women to keep strange men at "arm's length" to keep from being "misunderstood." I'm glad to see she got some pushback on this.
Economics and workplace issues:
The Gender Gap in Wages inched closer by one whole cent! -- or did it?
"In 2014, female full-time workers made only 79 cents for every dollar earned by men, a gender wage gap of 21 percent" - looks more like it stayed the same.
Maasai women in Kenya creating sustainable agricultural business. In four years, 140 women have turned an overworked scrap of land — 40 acres — into a model of sustainable agriculture, growing aloe, and selling the leaves to the British cosmetics company Lush.
The Gambia has ordered female government employees to wear headscarves at work in a sign that the west African country is embracing a Muslim identity, one month after its president, Yahya Jammeh, declared it an Islamic republic.
Health:
Toxic Shock Syndrome is back and still deadly. 13-year-old dies from tampon use—Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) demands manufacturer disclosure.
Media:
Gender and the Emmy nominations.
Chicago TV station tells female reporters not to wear hats in outdoor shoots, regardless of cold weather.
Sorry, no action items this week — post links in the comments!