New method of protection against HIV/AIDS/HSV-2 for women!

Earlier this week my Mother told me about a new product that curbs the risk of HIV infection. At first I was skeptical, I thought her story was too good to be true. I went home later that day and did some research to try and confirm if what my Mother heard on the radio was the real deal.

Within minutes I found an article which supported her claims and made me really excited! Finally some progress is being made! It is true, scientists have reported that there is a new gel that has proved capable of preventing the AIDS virus!

A study conducted in South Africa report that the gel has the potential to reduce a women's chances of getting HIV and HSV-2 virus from an infected partner by half. And though this is not full protection such news brings great hope for women all over the world.

The gel would be a helpful tool in protecting women whose partners won't use condoms. It would have an even greater impact in African countries which have the highest incidence of rape and child rape. The long-lived belief in the so called “Virgin Cure” make young African girls especially vulnerable to rape and infection. In places like the Congo where girls as young as 2 and women as old as 80 are raped such protection is vital!

The new vagina gel is the first women-initiated and controlled HIV prevention and if confirmed it would help end the AIDS epidemic. Thirty three million people are infected today and over twenty five million people have died due to this disease. The AIDS epidemic is a global issue and it has to stop. I personally have lost someone to AIDS and I look forward to the day when people no longer have to suffer. Though we still do not have a cure for AIDS science has brought women some more options for protection and this is progress!

Newsday Tuesday: August 11 Edition

Hello fellow feminists! It's Tuesday again which means in it time for another round up of Newsday Tuesday. Our numbers are dwindling in the office as more and more of my fellow interns head back home. Soon I'll be the only one left if I don't melt from the heat and humidity we are currently experiencing. Talk about a heat wave!

Nonetheless, news still is happening! This week was filled with many sad and happy events. The most recent was unfortunately a sad one. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who founded the Special Olympics and championed the rights of the mentally disabled, died early this morning.

Along with her passing, another sad news story from this past week was the hate crime against women Tuesday night in Pennsylvania. George Sodini shot and killed three women and injured 11 more before killing himself. Sodini entered an aerobics class at a gym in the Pittsburgh area intending to take revenge on women, who he saw as rejecting him as a whole.

Now on to happier news! Judge Sonia Sotomayor was officially sworn in as an associate justice of the Supreme Court on Saturday. This is after her confirmation Thursday from the Senate by a 68-31 vote. She will be the 111th justice, the third woman, and first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court.

Also, a judge in Oakland, California ruled Wednesday that an ordinance prohibiting protesters from approaching women entering abortion clinics is constitutional. The bubble ordinance bars protesters from coming within eight feet of women seeking access to a reproductive health clinic. The plaintiff in the case was Walter Hoye, who claimed that the bubble ordinance was vague and unfairly applied to opponents of abortion.

There were also several important reports released last week. Chair of the Joint Economic Committee, Representative Carolyn Maloney, and her colleagues released a report Thursday stating that more than 1.4 million women are adversely affected by the recession because they are losing their health insurance through their own or their spouse's job loss. In addition, there is an increase in uninsured children due to an increase in unemployment among single mothers.

Along with that, the American Psychological Association (APA) announced Wednesday that psychologists should not advise gay clients that therapy can help them become straight. Of 83 studies of sexual orientation conducted since 1960, no evidence could be found that therapy can change an individual's sexual orientation.

Some other important news in the world of feminism includes Secretary of State Hillary Clinton trip to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, to denounce atrocities against women in the war-ravaged country. Clinton is visiting for two days to raise awareness of the prevalence of sexual assault and the use of rape as a weapon of war. Since the war in the Congo began in 1998, tens of thousands of women and girls have been raped.

Also, Fox News commentator Glenn Beck joked about poisoning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's wine on his show last week. Beck's statements came just three days after he decried violence and disrespect in political commentary.

Photo courtesy of keithpr on flikr.com

Newsday Tuesday: June 30 Edition

This week was definitely a sad week in the world of entertainment. On Tuesday, we lost TV personality and Tonight Show announcer Ed McMahon, 86, to bone cancer and pneumonia.

The following Thursday, both actress Farrah Fawcett, 62, and "King of Pop" Micheal Jackson, 50, passed away. Fawcett was battling anal cancer and known best for her role in the 1970s TV show Charlie's Angels. Jackson, who's death is still under investigation, is the pop phenomenon who has sold more albums than any other artist, including his biggest hit "Thriller," and has had a career that has spanned over 4 decades.

Then last Sunday, Billy Mays, 50, was found dead in his home, apparently due to a heart condition. Mays's claim to fame is as spokesperson for such products as "OxiClean," "Orange-Glo," and other household products. All of these people will be very missed and their impact on the entertainment community will not be forgotten.

Back to the world of feminism, a lot has been going on. So lets get a quick recap of the highlights for the week.

Education
Last Tuesday, on the 37th anniversary of Title IX, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that millions of dollars in grants will be awarded to improve girls' proficiency in math and science.

Neera Desai, PhD, a pioneer of women's studies in India, died of cancer at age 84 this week. Dr. Desai founded India's first women's studies program, the Research Center for Women's Studies at SNDT Women's University in Mumbai.

National
Vice President Joe Biden announced the appointment of Lynn Rosenthal as the first ever White House Advisor on Violence Against Women last Friday (which our president, Ellie Smeal, was in attendance of). Vice President Biden is a strong advocate for fighting domestic violence, as he co-authored the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

The US Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the strip-search of 13-year old student Savana Redding at her Arizona public school was unconstitutional. Redding was accused of bringing ibuprofen to school, which is banned under the school's drug policy. The school's principal sent her to the nurse's office, where she was stripped down to her bra and underpants. The Court ruled that Redding's Fourth Amendment rights had been violated.

On Thursday, Attorney General Eric Holder testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee urging passage of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. The bill, which passed in the House in April, would allow for "federal prosecution of violence undertaken because of the actual or perceived gender, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity of any person."

States
Virginia - A 2008 court decision which declared unconstitutional a Virginia ban on a specific abortion procedure was overturned Thursday in a split 6 to 5 decision.

Arizona - The Arizona State Senate on Thursday passed a restrictive anti-choice bill that requires minors to receive notarized parental consent prior to an abortion.

Africa
A lawsuit is being filed against the Namibian government as at least fifteen HIV-positive women were forcibly sterilized. The International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS has documented cases that indicate that the women were coerced into signing documents consenting to their sterilization.

Following a failed prison break where 20 women were brutally raped in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) late Sunday, it is apparent that rape is being used as a weapon of war more and more in the Congo. Since the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo began in 1998, tens of thousands of women and girls have been raped in sexual violence widely viewed to be a war tactic

Iran
Women are starting to play a major role in the public uprising after the Irani elections several weeks ago. Several U.S. reporters are arguing that women's increased role in politics is making women more of a major factor in the current political arena. This is also causing the needs and interests of women to become more and more important on the political agenda.

Media
L'Oreal was found guilty this week of racial discrimination in hiring by France's highest court. The suit claimed that L'Oreal employees were told to look for "BBR" women – a common euphemism used to describe white French people of white French descent. The company has been fined €30,000 and is required to pay an additional €30,000 to SOS Racisme, an anti-racism group who helped to bring the suit. Read more about this in a past blog post.

Newsday Tuesday: June 9 Edition

Hey there, feminist folk, here's your Tuesday roundup of the hottest feminist news this week:

In the US, the death of Dr. George Tiller and related news has dominated the newswire. However, a few other domestic things have come across our radar:

• The Supreme Court will not hear a case challenging the constitutionality of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, banning gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military.
  
  
• In New Hampshire, legislation legalizing same-sex marriage was signed into law by Governor John Lynch.
  
  
• The US House passed the Federal Paid Parental Leave Act, which would provide 4 weeks of paid parental leave to Federal Employees after the birth or adoption of a child.
  
  
• Recent polls are showing that Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor has public support - Sotomayor would be the third woman and the first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court, if confirmed.

On the Global Front:

• Meira Kumar, an Indian parliamentarian, is expected to become India's first female Speaker! In other India-related news, Pratibha Patil, the country's first woman president, announced an initiative to pass legislation to empower women in government by reserving a portion of seats for women.
  
  
• President Obama's speech in Cairo addressed global women's rights, including rights of women in Islam.
  
  
• The number of reported rapes in the Democratic Republic of Congo is soaring, with incidences caused primarily by the Democratic Forces of the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Rwandan Hutu rebel group.