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grrrly news 05/29

May 29, 2004 08:47 AM posted by lisa : track it (0)

Games for Girls
Pericles' statement, "Fame will be great...for the woman whose reputation for excellence or blame is least known among males," reflects a typical attitude toward women's activities in ancient Greek literature. Yet tantalizing fragments of evidence suggest that some Greek girls did engage in athletic competitions, mostly at religious festivals marking their progress toward womanhood.

IRAQI WOMEN RAPED AT ABU GHRAIB: REPORTS
Reports have emerged that Iraqi women held at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison were raped by both US and Iraqi jailers, according to human rights groups, following the reports of abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US troops there.

Women in power, beware heart problems
The combination of heavy work pressure and high authority may take a toll on some women's heart health, new research suggests.
The study of more than 3,000 adults ages 18 to 77 found that over 10 years, women in demanding jobs with high levels of autonomy or authority had an increased risk of developing heart disease.
The same was not true of men, the researchers found, and highly demanding work in and of itself was not related to heart disease risk in either women or men

Abused Girls at Risk of Later Eating Disorders
- Women who were physically abused as children are twice as likely as other women to suffer from an eating disorder, new study findings show.

Chechen women are targets of kidnapping
In what human rights groups say is a controversial new strategy of pre-emptive strikes, Russian security services have launched a series of raids targeting young Chechen women seen as potential "black widow" suicide bombers. Such bombers, having lost a husband, father or brother, leave quiet farm villages like this one, board the overnight train to Moscow, strap bomb packs known as "martyr belts" to their waists and transform their despair into explosions.

Afghans, Iraqis first time attend Women's Summit
Iraq and Afghanistan has delegations at the Global Summit of Women for the first time this year, the latest sign - they say - of improved conditions for women in their homelands since the toppling of Saddam Hussein and the Taliban.
"I can't compare before with now," said Soraya Rahim, deputy minister of the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs, who heads a nine-member delegation to the three-day forum in the South Korean capital.

'Women have the right to decide on abortion'
Girls under the age of 18 can legally have abortions without parental consent, the Pretoria High Court ruled on Friday.

The court dismissed the Christian Lawyers' Association's challenge to the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act.

What Abu Ghraib Taught Me
Even those people we might have thought were impervious to shame, like the secretary of Defense, admit that the photos of abuse in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison turned their stomachs.
The photos did something else to me, as a feminist: They broke my heart. I had no illusions about the U.S. mission in Iraq -- whatever exactly it is -- but it turns out that I did have some illusions about women.

Girls, boys believed to learn differently
This is the second in a series about a drive to segregate boys from girls in classes in Liberty County middle schools.

Who you callin' fat?
After a lifetime of obsessing over her weight, the author of "The Fat Girl's Guide to Life" embarked on a mission to free women from their fear of fat.

Hip Hop's Gender Problem
The recent controversy over Nelly's music video "Tip-Drill" has highlighted what we've all known for some time: Hip-hop has a gender problem. And for most of hip-hop's 30-something years, folks have been compelled to point out the sexism, misogyny and homophobia that finds a forum in the lyrics of the young black and brown men who have primarily influenced the genre, and the lack of a womanist perspective that could directly counter those lyrics.

Free Camilo Mejia, Now
Where is the justice?" cried Maritza Castillo, whose 28-year-old son Camilo Mejia was found guilty of desertion on May 21 for refusing to return to Iraq. "The American soldier who tortured Iraqi prisoners was sentenced to one year in prison and my son, who denounced these abuses and followed his conscience, was also sentenced to one year in prison. Is that fair? Is that just?"

Domestic Worker Challenges Diplomatic Immunity
After four years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, an Upper East Side domestic worker in New York escaped her employers. Now, she has filed a civil suit against them, only to find that as a diplomat, he has immunity

Lack of Safety Regs Put Female Workers at Risk
The downgrading of Clinton-era ergonomics-safety laws to voluntary guidelines has left workers in the heavily female health care field particularly prone to injury, according to advocates.

Kerry, Bush Court Votes of Female Business Owners
Both the Kerry and Bush campaigns are going after female business owners, a bloc that votes more, earns more and crosses party lines more often than other women.

Military Women Deserve Better Coverage
Military women serve with distinction everywhere, including hellholes comparable to Abu Ghraib. But with the media fixated on sexual-conduct stories, it's easy to get the distorted idea that their participation is mainly fraught with problems.

Suarez Free; Few Female Leaders in Asia
Maria Suarez is a free woman.
Released this week in California after 22 years in prison for aiding in the murder of her captor, a man who forced her into five years of sex slavery, Suarez was granted permission by the Department of Homeland Security to remain in the United States permanently
The Asia-Pacific region has the lowest ratio of women in legislative office, according to a report presented at the Global Summit of Women 2004 in Seoul.
According to the report released this week, Europe has the highest number of female cabinet members, comprising 18 percent of the legislative body. Compared with 14.7 percent in the United States and 10.8 percent in Africa, the Asia-Pacific region comes in at 6.9 percent

Ebadi Says Women's Rights True Test of Democracy
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi said in a major speech yesterday that women's rights is a fundamental precursor to ending the wars afflicting the globe.

Curves Work Out May Reduce Women's Options
Women who work-out at the female-friendly fitness chain Curves are second-guessing their membership with the news that founder Gary Heavin uses his profits to fund anti-choice groups

Morning-after pill to be available over-the-counter
The morning-after pill may soon be available over the counter all across Canada.
Health Minister Pierre Pettigrew is proposing an amendment to the Food and Drug Regulations to allow a 0.75 milligram dose of levonorgestrel (an emergency contraceptive) to be available without a doctor's prescription

Man gets jail for inducing miscarriage
A Montreal man began serving a one-year jail sentence Wednesday for inducing his girlfriend's miscarriage with an ulcer-treating drug.
Gary Bourgeois, 46, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault and administering a toxic substance.

Sissy Spacek lauds World War II-era women for paving the path for later generations
Sissy Spacek said she was a tomboy growing up in Texas, riding cows, chewing tar and sneaking out at night in her pajamas. She thought if she could kiss her elbow, she'd turn into a boy.
Spacek said at Thursday's unveiling of a historic collection of "Rosie the Riveter" stories and World War II memorabilia that she more clearly understood the power and gift of being a woman when she had her first child.

New mums quit rat race to give their kids more
Staying at home to care for children is not necessarily an anti-feminist choice, writes Miranda Devine.

Self-Determination and the Single Woman
Today’s swift action by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney to introduce legislation requiring the FDA to review its ban of over the counter emergency contraception doesn’t come without its election year perks. Following the successful march for women’s lives in Washington D.C., Representative Maloney and a coalition of women’s health groups are taking on the FDA and drawing on the electoral power of one of the greatest non-voting blocs in the American electorate—namely, single women. And with numbers topping the 50 million mark, it’s no wonder politicians and pundits alike are tripping over themselves to woo the so-called “Sex and the City” voter

Women: are we equal now?
'It's time to get even', runs a recent campaign slogan of the UK's Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) (1). The focus of this campaign is equal pay - and the fact that, 30 years on from the implementation of the Equal Pay Act (2), there is still a sizeable gap between the wages that men and women earn. 'You were cheap from day one', reads one of the EOC's posters. 'You don't know what your mother sacrificed for you. Neither does she', reads another. A promotional beermat provides an illustration of a weekly pay packet, with deductions for tax, national insurance and 'being a woman'. 'Something to talk about when you've covered sex, religion and politics', reads the slogan on the back.

Just the schmacks, ma'am
bring this up because of a recent column I wrote on the March for Women's Lives. I referred to the bad old days when 10,000 women a year died of illegal abortions. Ka-boom. The number -- 10,000 deaths -- produced a mother lode of e-mails insisting that it was either a lie or propaganda or an "urban legend." Many said that this figure came from Dr. Bernard Nathanson, formerly prochoice and now prolife, who has claimed responsibility for the bunk which he now debunks.
Well, as someone who is both prochoice and pro-facts, I went back into the deep, dark numeric archives with guide Stanley Henshaw, who, poor soul, is actually writing a paper on all this for the Guttmacher Institute.

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