I inadvertently fell asleep on the couch before writing my pithy opening tonight! So let’s just start with a smart, well-prepared, emotionally mature young girl:
Indiana girl, 10, given award for saving lives: In Henry County, Indiana:
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office presented 10-year-old Aneres Bellefont with a Life Saving Award on January 8 after she reported to police that she had located an unconscious adult male in a vehicle near the house she was in. She also located an unconscious adult female near the car.
“Aneres remained calm and gave precise locations of both subjects and continued to update our dispatchers with pertinent information until Law Enforcement and EMS arrived,” said HCSO.
Emergency responders gave both people Narcan.
“Aneres, you are a True Hero! Two adults are alive today because you courageously took control of the emergency situation you found yourself in. You did all of the right things! The Henry County Sheriff’s Office salutes you!”
And folks? Some drugs are too risky, don’t mess with them!
In Other News
Will our first female president be a republican?
Doubtful. Amanda Marcotte on why all the media hype about Nikki Haley won't change the fact that Republicans - including many Republican women - don't want a woman President. Best point: The GOP is all about maintaining racial and gender hierarchies.
economics
The Conversation Mothers are more likely to work worse jobs – while fathers thrive in careers: "Mothers are underrepresented in high-quality jobs – those with attributes including good work-life balance, control over working hours and control over job tasks.” – King's College London senior research fellow Rose Cook
Having a child is bad for a woman’s earnings. This is not only in the immediate period after the birth, but across her lifetime – as shown in research by recent economics Nobel prize-winner Claudia Goldin. [Yet] men who become fathers are perceived as self-reliant and decisive. And they are often rewarded at work with opportunities and pay.
Campaigns by groups like Pregnant Then Screwed make explicit that, in the UK, this “motherhood penalty” extends to pregnancy discrimination, the extortionate costs of childcare and ineffective flexible working policies. [But we need more information on] how it extends to job quality. Together with colleagues, I have carried out research to explore this “motherhood penalty” further. Using data from 15,877 employees from the UK Household Longitudinal Survey, we investigated the kinds of jobs women with children do, and how this compares with fathers and women without children....
Violence
Kenya: Senator Mutinda Blames Rising Murders Of Young Women On 'Obsession For Money' SMH.
more from CFR National Emergency of Femicide in Kenya
Kenya is facing a rise in gender-based violence. Since the start of the year, at least four women have been brutally murdered in Kenya. One case—that of 26-year-old Starlet Wahu—has garnered significant media attention. Ms. Wahu was allegedly stabbed by a man who is a member of a criminal group known for violently assaulting women they meet on dating sites. People have turned to social media to call for an end to gender-based violence by using the hashtags #StopKillingWomen and #EndFemicideKe. In 2023, Femicide Count Kenya recorded 152 killings—the highest figure in the past five years. According to data from 2022, more than one in three Kenyan women report having experienced physical violence. Kenya’s Azimio la Umoja leader, Raila Odinga, has described the situation as a “national emergency,” and rights groups are calling for more action.
Israel-Gaza war: Evidence points to systematic use of rape and sexual violence by Hamas in 7 October attacks Guardian aware of sexual assaults for which multiple corroborating pieces of evidence exist TRIGGER WARNING: Contains graphic descriptions https://www.theguardian.com/...
We've had at least 2 AP articles here on the dkos front page that call E. Jean Carroll as TFG's "accuser," and refer to her "allegations." Even after a court found that he did the crime, they still both-sides it and try to cast doubt on her. This article “When Does “Allegedly” Die?!” is old, but speaks to this insistence on always treating sexual assault victims as possibly lying, even after a conviction.
It is explained here that $Rump tried to appeal based on “the jury vindicated him by failing to conclude he raped a columnist,” which appeal was rejected because although “the jury concluded she had failed to prove that Trump raped her ‘within the narrow, technical meaning of a particular section of the New York Penal Law’”:
TRIGGER WARNING: Graphic description of rape and sexual assault in the quote box:
The judge said the section requires vaginal penetration by a penis while forcible penetration without consent of the vagina or other bodily orifices by fingers or anything else is labeled “sexual abuse” rather than “rape.”
He said the definition of rape was “far narrower” than how rape is defined in common modern parlance, in some dictionaries, in some federal and state criminal statutes and elsewhere.
The judge said the verdict did not mean that Carroll “failed to prove that Mr. Trump ‘raped’ her as many people commonly understand the word ‘rape.’ Indeed ... the jury found that Mr. Trump in fact did exactly that.”
Appeal denied. $Rump’s countersuit on much the same grounds also dismissed. He is, if you prefer, a convicted sexual abuser. But two judges have now found that he can be called a rapist. Case closed, we hope. With the exception that $Rump will owe Ms. Carroll more money after she wins the next case too. DKos’ satirical ShowerCap is one of the few to pull no punches, putting “rapist” right in his headline and after Iowa calling $Rump the “frontrapist”.
Woman sues Lyft over driver who raped and impregnated her.
The inside story of two rape trials: ‘It’s as bad as I’ve ever known it’ https://www.theguardian.com/…
Wyoming Church Youth Leader Charged With Molesting Girl, Says He ‘Gave In To Temptation’
A girl less than 12 years of age. Some temptation! SMH. Fortunately, there is an ongoing further investigation. I bet they find more!
American Nightmare: The woman who was kidnapped and raped – then blamed for faking the crime metro.co.uk/…
Spoiler Alert: She didn’t. She eventually won a lawsuit against the police department. And they probably haven’t learned their lesson.
Missing
WKOW Wisconsin Lawmakers hear emotional testimony for Missing & Murdered African American Women Task Force
NBCLosAngeles California introduces Ebony Alerts to find missing Black women, children
Indigenous Women Crisis : A Native woman launched a forensics nonprofit to address missing and murdered Indigenous women after her relative went missing and was never found www.businessinsider.com/…
New Mexico pulls plug on missing and murdered Indigenous task force Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s (Democratic!) administration has quietly ended a state task force created to find solutions to a crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women. https://nmindepth.com/…
The governor’s press secretary, Caroline Sweeney, didn’t answer a question about whether some members’ opposition to Mountain’s appointment was a factor in ending the task force, but told New Mexico In Depth the group achieved objectives spelled out in an executive order that expired in summer 2022. Sweeney didn’t explain why the administration continued to fund and convene the group for a year after it had achieved its objectives.
The governor is “grateful” to task force members, Sweeney wrote in an email. Indian Affairs spokesperson Aaron Lopez added in his own email the agency “understands that members of the task force may wish to continue a dialogue with the department, and we are actively evaluating ways to provide that opportunity.”
The agency is also asking state lawmakers to fund four full-time employees to focus on recommendations the task force made, Sweeney and Lopez wrote.
Apparently there was some controversy over a man picked to lead the task force. If that was the problem, we really need to be more mission-focused than to let something like that end needed initiatives.
Canada: How many Indigenous women have gone missing? The problem is so pervasive that the Canadian government does not know how many Indigenous women are missing or have been murdered. Estimates suggest that around 4,000 Indigenous women and girls and 600 Indigenous men and boys have gone missing or been murdered between 1956 and 2016.Jun 5, 2023 https://phys.org › news › 2023-06-i...
Abortion
Jessica Valenti's testimony before the Senate: the suffering and deaths caused by abortion bans aren't some unfortunate side effect. They're by design.
Thousands gather in snowy D.C. for March for Life 2024 rally: This is the second March for Life since Roe v. Wade was overturned. What has changed for antiabortion activists, and what are their 2024... https://www.washingtonpost.com/… Grrr…. “Life,” my rump.
From PBS The Risk of Giving Birth - All three episodes clickable to view there or HERE: Part 1: A Maternal Health Crisis. Part 2: Black Maternal Health. Part 3: Latina Maternal Health. Risks are why abortion must be a routine part of healthcare!
Rollcall.com Latina candidates plan abortion rights push - Democrats say polls show opposition to bans, even among Hispanic Catholics.
Medicine
NBCnews Hundreds of thousands of U.S. patients are harmed or die each year because of diagnostic errors: women and minorities are up to 30% more likely to be misdiagnosed than white men.
Healio.com Latinas in medicine experience high rates of discrimination throughout medical training.
Council On Foreign Relations Women This Week: Gender Health Gap Hindering Global Economy Growth
Women’s Health Linked to Improving Global Economy
The World Economic Forum and the McKinsey Health Institute have jointly published research which suggests that the global economy could grow by at least $1 trillion annually with concerted efforts to improve women’s health. The study found that, on average, women are diagnosed with diseases years later than men—two and a half years longer for cancer and four and a half years for metabolic diseases. It also found that women typically experience poor health for 25 percent longer than men and that there is limited, missing, and inaccurate research into women’s health conditions. Addressing these concerns would not only improve women’s health but have significant economic benefits. Dr Lucy Pérez, a co-author of the report, said, “Many people think that because women live longer, they are healthier, and that’s just not true. On average, women spend nine years of their lives in poor health, and the majority of these are during working age. Many of the root causes are addressable.”
harassment
London: Sexual harassment in City has shifted from office to work trips, MPs told Despite #MeToo movement bringing about some change, sexism in financial sector has become more ‘underhand and pernicious’, women tell inquiry https://www.theguardian.com/…
Politico
A former disaster recovery coordinator for the state [of California] is suing her one-time boss for sexual harassment and retaliation, arguing the abuse imperiled crucial emergency services...The lawsuit was brought Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court by Kendra Bowyer, who served in the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. It accuses Deputy OES Director Ryan Buras, an appointee of Gov. Gavin Newsom, of sexually harassing Bowyer and points to allegations that he harassed multiple other women. It alleges Buras’ behavior was ignored and condoned by agency brass...
MiddleEastEye Lawsuit accuses New York County police of forcibly removing Muslim woman's hijab. During an arrest, the Suffolk County Police Department allegedly took off a woman's hijab and did not give it back until her release ... The lawsuit [also] alleges that ... she was inappropriately touched as male officers observed her while undergoing a body search by the police department.
Utah
PublicNewsService None of Utah's congressional delegation is female, compared with almost 27% nationally.... women in Utah experience higher rates of sexual abuse and domestic violence than nationwide, ... Utah men are generally less aware of gender bias than their global counterparts.
Safety Net Needs
Fortune A disproportionate number of Black women are ‘kinless’ as they age. Advocates say they deserve a social safety net, too.
Good News
Regarding abortion rights:
Becerra to launch reproductive health care series ahead of Roe anniversary:
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra will be joining with Democratic lawmakers to launch a reproductive health care series this week to highlight efforts by the administration to ensure access to reproductive and contraceptive care.
The health care series will start in D.C. on Wednesday, with Becerra hosting Democratic female Congress members for a discussion on HHS’s work, The Hill can exclusively report. This series will take place ahead of the 51st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision on Jan. 22.
-snip-
The secretary will travel to Richmond, Va., on Thursday for a community conversation at the Planned Parenthood East End Clinic. Becerra on Friday will then travel to Pennsylvania and Maryland to speak with students at Lincoln University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Missouri abortion rights groups launch effort to place constitutional amendment on the 2024 ballot: Missouri is the latest state where abortion-rights advocates have sought to put the issue directly on the ballot in the post-Roe era.
A coalition of reproductive and civil rights groups formally launched an effort Thursday to advance an amendment that would enshrine abortion rights in the Missouri Constitution.
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom began collecting signatures throughout the state after they selected one proposed constitutional amendment to attempt to place on the 2024 ballot from an original field of 11 possible options.
-snip-
The [Republican] group has [also] filed several proposed amendments with state officials, including one that would add exceptions for rape and incest to the current abortion ban and another that would enshrine language in the state constitution allowing abortion care until the 12th week of pregnancy.
"States like Ohio have put abortion rights on the ballot for voters to decide. In instances where this has happened, anti-abortion advocates have lost. Last November, Ohio voters approved an amendment to their state constitution to guarantee the right to abortion and other reproductive rights." https://www.npr.org/..
More from CFR: France to Propose Abortion Access in New Constitution
This week, the French Assemblée Nationale’s Laws Committee took the first step toward enshrining abortion access in the French Constitution. The committee approved draft language that would offer abortion as a “guaranteed freedom” to women wishing to end their pregnancies. Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti, who was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron, said that the language intends to provide “constitutional protection for this freedom, without freezing current legislation nor creating a kind of absolute, unlimited right” to abortion. The constitutional amendment was put forward by President Macron’s minority government and will require support from three-fifths of both the National Assembly lower house and Senate.
Sheryl Sandberg: $2bn woman: how Sheryl Sandberg became one of tech’s most successful bosses Sandberg was once considered so critical to Facebook’s success that her exit was seen as potential risk to investors’ money https://www.theguardian.com/…
Take Action
From UN Women: Take action: 10 ways you can help end violence against women:
- Listen to and believe survivors.
- Teach the next generation and learn from them.
- Call for responses and services fit for the purpose.
- Understand consent.
- Learn the signs of abuse and how you can help.
- Start a conversation.
- Stand against rape culture.
- Fund women’s organisations.
- Hold each other accountable.
- Know the data and demand more of it.
See the link above for details!
As always, this is a group effort. Many thanks to the whole WOW team!