grrrly news 2/6

Retailers pull ‘Boys Are Stupid’ products
The T-shirts and pajamas are meant to be funny, with cartoon captions like “Boys Are Stupid — Throw Rocks At Them.” But some protesters, encouraged by a fathers-rights talk show host, are unamused and have pressured three retail chains into dropping the merchandise.

Doctor didn't break law in abortion try, court says A doctor didn't violate federal law when he had a woman restrained during an unsuccessful abortion, even though she demanded that he stop the procedure and let her leave, a federal appeals court panel has ruled.

Throw all-male Olympic teams out of Games, say feminists
Feminist personalities from Greece, France and Belgium called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to exclude nations who refuse to allow women in their teams

Planned Parenthood moves to shut pro-life firm
Planned Parenthood's move to collect $75,000 from pro-life attorneys could shut down a non-profit firm known for its many legal challenges against the nation's leading abortion provider

Mexican Church attacks pill use
Mexico's Catholic Church leaders have criticised a government decision to allow the so-called morning-after pill.

Same-sex adoption ban upheld
A federal appeals court yesterday upheld Florida's ban on same-sex adoptions, ruling the landmark Texas sodomy case does not establish a right for homosexuals to parent displaced children

French cabinet approves headscarf bill
- The French cabinet on Wednesday approved a controversial bill to ban the Islamic headscarf from schools, opening the way for its passage through parliament and adoption by the start of the next school year.
Stating that in schools "the wearing of signs or clothes which conspicuously display a pupil's religious affiliation is prohibited," the bill will be presented next Tuesday to the National Assembly, parliament's lower house, which will cast its first vote on February 10

'No Child' Law Leaves Gifted Kids Behind
While President Bush's "No Child Left Behind Act" is helping needy, at-risk students transfer out of bad schools into good ones, some argue the law isn't living up to its name and is leaving gifted children behind.

< a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3439757.stm">Women offered prison alternative
A new centre in Glasgow is set to offer an alternative to prison sentences for female offenders.

Editorial: Communion and choice
Bishop Raymond Burke of the La Crosse Catholic Diocese took an extraordinary step earlier this month of instructing priests in his diocese to refuse Communion to politicians who support abortion rights. His move has provoked controversy and criticism, and not just in western Wisconsin but nationally

Japan May Allow Women Imperial Succession
A government panel plans to recommend that Japan amend a law to let women inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne, a newspaper reported Sunday, as the imperial family faces its most serious succession crisis in centuries

New tactic in abortion battle
There are no signs outside the construction site heralding the new building that's going up alongside a busy Austin highway. The trucks and other work vehicles that pull in each day are anonymous and lacking any company markings. Even the building permits on file with the city don't disclose the identities of the subcontractors working on the project.

Senators: Iraqi Women Could Lose Rights
Iraqi women are in danger of losing many of their rights to Islamic law, and the U.S. occupation authority is not doing enough to prevent it, Democratic lawmakers said Monday.

'Affirmative-action bake sale' restored
A student group at the College of William & Mary fought successfully for restoration of their "affirmative-action bake sale," a satirical event designed to show harmful effects of race-based admission policies

As deadly as the male
What turns women into suicide bombers? The Israelis say it's coercion; the Palestinians say it's anger.

Iraqi Women Deal With Mixed Legacy
With the backing of the U.S.-led coalition, Nidal Jreo was appointed in July as the first woman judge in the conservative Shiite Muslim city Najaf. Six months later, she has yet to hear her first case

Child sex slavery: the nightmare continues
Nicholas Kristof writes, "After I had purchased the freedom of [teenage prostitutes] Srey Mom and Srey Neth...we took Srey Neth back to her family. Then we had to drive clear across Cambodia to return Srey Mom to her native village. During that long drive, she repeatedly vowed that she would never return to the brothels - but she said it so insistently that the possibility clearly preyed on her mind.

Mars Mission a Landmark for Female Astronomers
The two recent landings of robotic rovers on Mars are the work, in part, of a new generation of female scientists and engineers

Rape, Abductions on Rise in Baghdad
Amid surging crime in postwar Baghdad, sexual violence and abductions of women appear to be increasing. But with police stations focused on bombing threats, no one is counting the women being attacked or sold into prostitution

Hip-Hop Women Stride Into Spotlight
As they snap up most of this year's Grammy nominations for hip-hop, female performers are joining an effort by filmmakers and educators to improve the social messages that a powerful pop culture sends to female fans

Martha Stewart Trial Reeks of Anti-Diva Spite
With the charges against Martha Stewart hinging on very technical readings of federal criminal law, the Queen of Domestic Living seems to be attracting an unfair share of society's anger at corporate malfeasance

Big Businesswomen Tap Other People's Money
A study of female entrepreneurs with annual business revenue over $1 million finds they arrange credit sources to fund expansions, join business organizations, hire advisors and are more likely to be certified as a female-owned business.

Breastfeeding Ads Are Okayed; Female GIs Report Rapes
La Leche League International reports that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is going ahead with a national campaign on the risks of not breastfeeding. The campaign uses public service ads to point out that breastfeeding can prevent diarrhea, ear infections and respiratory illnesses in infants and might have an effect on childhood obesity. It had been delayed by infant formula industry representatives and others who claimed a more "positive" approach would be better.
At least 37 female members of the military who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have reported that they were sexually assaulted by fellow American soldiers. And they're not getting much help from their superiors. While there may be many more who are still overseas and cannot seek treatment, at least 37 service women have gone to rape-crisis centers in search of counseling since returning to the U.S., reports The Denver Post this week.

Computer Clubs Lead Girls to Master Tech Science
In response to the dearth of women in computer-related fields, popular local and national programs are encouraging girls to pursue computer science and connect girls with female role models in the workplace

Works of 11 Female Artists Are Oscar Nominees
The work of 11 female directors and screenwriters have been recognized in the major awards categories in 2004 Oscar race. Nominations for Sofia Coppola's film "Lost in Translation" are just the tip of the iceberg in a record-setting year.

Dunham Adds Afro-Caribbean Beat to U.S. Dance
The practitioners and the esthetics of mainstream American modern dance were lily-white before Katherine Dunham came along

I Become a Mother of a Chinese-American Girl
Marie Tessier writes from China about the tensions and excitement she's facing as she waits to meet her soon-to-be adopted Chinese daughter

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