South Dakota Abortion Ban Galvanizes Pro-Choice Majority

With the passage of a law banning virtually all abortions in South Dakota, the pro-choice movement is gearing up to save the right to a safe, legal, and accessible abortion.

Demonstrating the broad support for reproductive rights in the state, the South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families collected over 38,000 signatures on a petition to allow voters the chance to reverse the ban at the polls in November- more than twice the number of signatures needed. The ban, which was scheduled to take effect July 1, was stayed with the initiative being certified until voters have a chance to weigh in this November.

The confirmation of abortion opponents John Roberts and Samuel Alito as Supreme Court Justices has given anti-abortion legislators in states across the country new impetus to move toward banning abortion. South Dakota is the first state to pass a ban on abortion that isn't a trigger law-in other words, a law that only takes effect if Roe is overturned.

The South Dakota ban is so punitive that it even prohibits abortion for women who have become pregnant as a result of rape or incest. The only exception is to save a woman's life. The law makes it a felony for doctors to perform abortions for any other reason.

Abortion bans have been introduced in nearly a dozen other state legislatures. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D) signed into law a "trigger" abortion ban in June, which only allows exceptions to save the life of a woman or to prevent serious physical harm. A bill to ban abortion in Mississippi was passed by both houses but died in conference committee when the legislative session ended in March.

Already, only one abortion clinic remains in the state of Mississippi. Susan Hill, president of the National Women's Health Organization, which owns the Jackson , MS clinic, said, "Mississippi has been extremely punitive to women's rights in a lot of different ways, so this proposed ban is in keeping with this tradition. But we're not going anywhere-we're going to fight until the bitter end."

If Roe were overturned, 18 states would immediately outlaw abortion because of trigger laws or pre- Roe abortion bans still on the books, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Only six states have passed trigger laws that would protect the right to a safe, legal abortion if Roe is no longer the law of the land (CA, CT, ME, MD, NV, and WA).

"Clearly, anti-abortion forces hope that the new Supreme Court will be sympathetic to a frontal attack on Roe," said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority. "These bans must be a wake-up call to all pro-choice supporters in the nation who believe that Roe could never be overturned."

Bill for Afghan Women Introduced in Senate and House

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) has introduced the "Afghan Women Empowerment Act of 2006" (S2392), and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) has introduced similar legislation in the House. The Afghan Women Empowerment Act seeks to strengthen institutions that promote and protect women's rights and nonprofit organizations led by Afghan women as "essential to building civil society and holding the Government of Afghanistan accountable for protecting women's rights and human rights."

In order to accomplish these goals, the Act authorizes funding for the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) and Afghan women-led nonprofit organizations (NGOs) to promote the rights of women and to provide services for women and girls in Afghanistan . It specifically authorizes the President to appropriate $10 million dollars a year for three years for the AIHRC, $5 million each year for the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs, and $30 million each year to be used by Afghan women-led NGOs to provide adult literacy and technical training, health care, education, and other critically needed services to women and girls throughout Afghanistan.

In introducing the Act, Senator Boxer stated, "I am pleased to introduce legislation today ... to strengthen and empower the women and girls of Afghanistan . More than four years after the invasion of Afghanistan and the fall of the Taliban government, the women of Afghanistan still face significant hurdles as they seek to realize their full potential."

Congresswoman Maloney noted that women throughout Afghanistan "continue to face intimidation, discrimination, and violence ... With women in Afghanistan having one of the highest mortality rates in the world, their illiteracy rate continuing to hover around 80 percent, and the attacks against schools that educate girls increasing substantially, it is more important than ever that the United States take action and that the Afghan Women Empowerment Act is passed."

Some 300 schools, many of them schools for girls, have been burned and bombed since the fall of the Taliban. Educators have also been attacked for teaching girls. In the past six months, a male teacher was executed in front of his whole school for teaching girls, and the male headmaster of a coed school was beheaded in front of his family for allowing girls to be taught with boys. In some provinces, because of the increasing insecurity in the country with the resurgence of the Taliban, only 3 percent of students are girls.

The Feminist Majority, which urged the introduction of this legislation, has advocated strongly for direct funding for Afghan women-led organizations and for the Ministry of Women's Affairs and the Independent Human Rights Commission. Legislation authorizing this direct funding was passed in 2002 and has been used to appropriate funds since that time but it is about to expire. There is now a critical need for new legislation if the U.S. is to help Afghan women and girls and fulfill its promises to regain their rights.

Take Action! Urge your Senators and Representative to co-sponsor the Afghan Women Empowerment Act. Take action online at http://www.feminist.org/action or call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Bill Introduced to Help Women Garment Workers

Representatives George Miller (D-CA), Hilda Solis (D-CA), and John Spratt (D-SC) introduced a bill to protect garment workers, who are mostly women, in the Northern Mariana Islands . The bill would require the Marianas , a U.S. territory, to gradually increase its minimum wage (currently $3.15) until it reaches the U.S. federal minimum wage and to follow U.S. immigration laws.

The Marianas are subject to US laws, but are exempt from US minimum wage requirements and most provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Currently, some 30,000 temporary "guestworkers"-predominately women-from China , the Philippines , and Thailand sew clothing for top-name American brands, which are then allowed to label the clothes Made in Saipan (USA), Made in Northern Mariana Islands (USA) or Made in the USA .

Reduced to little more than indentured servants due to outrageous trafficking fees the women must pay to go to the Marianas and the low minimum wage, many of these women are subjected to long working hours (some up to 20 hours a day, some off the clock), and poor living conditions, according to an investigative report in Ms. magazine (which FMF publishes).

Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff worked on behalf of the Marianas government and its garment industry to ensure that Congress would not pass laws to improve wages and working conditions for the Marianas workers. Tom DeLay, one of Abramoff's staunch Congressional allies, helped in keeping any bills regarding the Marianas from reaching the House floor, according to Rep. Miller.

Find out more about the situation for women in the Mariana Islands and join the Ms. community at http://www.msmagazine.com.

Women Could Make Gains in 2006 Election

As of this writing, new pro-women's rights Democratic candidates running for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives may be key in determining whether the House goes Democratic. This field may be the largest number of viable new feminist House candidates since 1992.

Women are running in nearly half of the close House races in 2006. What's more, women candidates are in two of the critical six races needed to win a Democratic majority in the Senate.

If the Democrats win 15 more House seats, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi- now the Democratic minority leader who is pro-choice, pro-women's rights, and anti-Iraq war-would become the first woman House Speaker in history. This would place a woman in the highest position in the U.S. government thus far, third in line to succeed the President.

Currently, women comprise a mere 15% of the U.S. Congress, an average of 22% of the state legislatures, and in some states less than 10% of the state legislatures.

Mifepristone (RU 486) Under Attack -- Again

In a sometimes contentious hearing, a subcommittee of the US House of Representatives Government Reform Committee recently heard testimony and debated whether mifepristone (RU 486) should be removed from the market. Democrats who attended the meeting unanimously advocated letting science and not ideology or politics determine the future use of the medical abortion drug known in the US as Mifeprex.

The hearing was led by Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), chair of the House Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources Subcommittee, who repeatedly stated that his opposition to abortion had no relevance to the hearing. Souder said his motivation for calling for the removal of Mifeprex from the market is his concern for women's health following the deaths of five women out of the almost 600,000 who had used Mifeprex in the United States . All five had taken Mifeprex orally followed by a prostaglandin inserted vaginally. Four of the deaths have been determined to be from a rare bacteria (Clostridium) that has been identified in 30 fatalities, including eight women who had given birth, two who had miscarriages, and also some men.

The subcommittee's ranking Democrat, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), questioned why the hearing was focusing on only the deaths from the Clostridium bacteria where mifepristone was taken when there were more fatalities in people who had not been given the drug. Cummings said, "Our focus should be looking at all of the deaths, not bullying the FDA" to remove mifepristone from the market.

Questioning the basis for the hearing, Rep. Henry Waxman, (D-FL), ranking Democrat on the full Government Affairs Committee, said, "The reason I believe we are here ... [is that] people wanted RU 486 pulled since it was approved." Waxman further said, "Any regulatory decision on RU 486 must be made based on science and law, not politics of the abortion debate."

Bush Administration Resumes Push for Right-Wing Appeals Court Nominees

With two new anti-choice and anti-women Justices on the Supreme Court, President Bush has renewed his efforts to pack the federal appeals courts.

Brett Kavanaugh, President Bush's nominee to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, was confirmed by the Senate in May on a vote of 57-36, with three Democrats joining the 54 Republicans who voted for confirmation. Kavanaugh is best known for his work with Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr during the Clinton presidency. First nominated in 2003, Kavanaugh had strong opposition because of his lack of judicial experience and his possible connections to Bush administration memos allowing wire-tapping of American citizens and torture of military detainees.

Another contentious nominee is District Court Judge Terrance Boyle, President Bush's nominee to the Fourth US Circuit Court of Appeals. Boyle, a close ally of former Senator Jesse Helms, has issued numerous opinions hostile to affirmative action, women's rights, fair employment, and voting rights. The most recent controversy surrounding the nomination is a report that reveals that Boyle failed to recuse himself from nine cases in which he had a conflict of interest.

In another triumph of ideology and cronyism over competence, President Bush's nominee to the Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals, Michael B. Wallace, former aide to Senator Trent Lott, has been rated by the American Bar Association as "unqualified" to sit on the federal bench, marking the first time an appellate court nominee has been given this rating in 25 years.

The Feminist Majority is part of a broad coalition of progressive organizations opposing Boyle, Kavanaugh, Wallace, and other far-right judicial nominees.

FM Congressional Council Launched

The Feminist Majority has launched the Feminist Majority Congressional Council. The Council is composed of Feminist Majority volunteer Congressional district coordinators and contacts who will call and visit their Congress members and staff in their district offices or their state legislators on key legislation and policies affecting women.

The Council, which was launched during the fight to stop President Bush from stacking the Supreme Court against women's rights, already has members in 25 states.

Currently, Council members are working to pass funding legislation to help Afghan women; to pass legislation to address women's rights and human rights abuses in the Mariana Islands (a U.S. territory); and to deliver support for ending the war in Iraq.

Throughout the year, Congressional coordinators and contacts receive special emails and/or faxes, in-depth mailings, phone calls, and periodic conference calls with the most pressing, up-to-date information regarding the Feminist Majority's legislative activities, from judicial nominations to Title IX to Afghan women and more!

For further information:
Contact Alice Cohan at: acohan@feminist.org or call 703-522-2214.