Category Archives: Feminism

The Republican war on women: late-term abortion bans

Posted on April 4, 2012 by David

In the last few months, we’ve seen a series of attempts by state legislatures to limit access to abortion. Today, the Republican-controlled Georgia legislature passed a bill outlawing all abortions after the twentieth week of pregnancy, with no exceptions. Several … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, Social justice | View Comments

The human cost of Nicaragua’s anti-abortion law

Posted on May 17, 2011 by David

In October 2006, the National Assembly of Nicaragua passed an amendment to the Penal Code criminalizing all abortion in Nicaragua, with no exceptions. The total ban on abortion came into force in July 2008, making Nicaragua one of only five … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, Religion, Social justice | View Comments

The tragedy of women’s prisons

Posted on May 13, 2011 by David

Yesterday evening I attended a panel discussion, featuring Howard League director Frances Crook and former prison governor Stephen Pryor, on the subject of women in the penal system. I’ve written in the past about the urgent need for reform of … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal justice, Feminism | View Comments

The Royal Wedding and the symbolism of patriarchy

Posted on May 9, 2011 by David

As a staunch monarchist, I watched and enjoyed last week’s Royal Wedding, and found it a pleasant and uplifting event. However, as a staunch supporter of gender equality, there were points at which I couldn’t help cringing during the traditional … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, Religion | View Comments

“The collapse of family life!!!”

Posted on April 18, 2011 by David

Today, the Daily Fail is working itself up into a storm of self-righteous fury following the latest report from Iain Duncan Smith’s “Centre for Social Justice”, a spectacularly-misnamed propaganda outfit which appears to be devoted to blaming single parents for … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, Social justice | View Comments

The stupidity of banning the burqa

Posted on April 12, 2011 by David

Under a new law which entered into force yesterday, women in France can be fined for wearing the burqa or the niqab in a public place. I can’t help but see a painful irony in claiming to “liberate” women by … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil liberties, Feminism, Social justice | View Comments

The human cost of anti-abortion laws

Posted on March 16, 2011 by David

For those of my readers who have not already seen this, here’s a horrifying story: Danielle Deaver was about 22 weeks into her pregnancy when doctors told her she wouldn’t be able to carry to term and her child would … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil liberties, Feminism | View Comments

The Republican war on women continues

Posted on February 19, 2011 by David

I wrote recently about the Republicans in the United States Congress and their ongoing attempts to make access to abortion more difficult. Unfortunately, it gets worse. Republicans in the House of Representatives have just voted to deny all federal funding … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, Social justice | View Comments

The Republican war on women

Posted on February 12, 2011 by David

Across the pond, having taken control of the House of Representatives, the Republican Party are busily trying to pass measures on reproductive health that can only be understood as deliberate, calculated attempts to hurt women. Opposition to abortion has long … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil liberties, Feminism, Idiocy | View Comments

Toxic masculinity and the cost of gender stereotyping

Posted on February 11, 2011 by David

A Swedish newspaper reports that a six-year-old child was stabbed by another child at his pre-school, after being subjected to a lengthy campaign of bullying by his peers “for wearing pink”. A 6-year-old boy was stabbed in the neck at … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, LGBT, Social justice | View Comments