Minnesota Senator Al Franken has spent his time in office as a staunch advocate for women’s reproductive health.  And once more, he is proving he is a pro-woman senator.

Written by Robin Marty for RHRealityCheck.org – News, commentary and community for reproductive health and justice.

The radical right’s position of “no exceptions” for abortion is consistent with the view that women are chattel, their rights unimportant, and their bodies objects to be controlled by men and the state.

Written by Amanda Marcotte for RHRealityCheck.org – News, commentary and community for reproductive health and justice.

There is an important amendment to the Wall Street reform bill that directly impacts this conflict, and it needs your attention right now. This vote will likely be done by the end of the week. This legislation is essential if we will address the conflict mineral trade — and it only requires transparency from companies; it does not require certification. This is an effort that industry can afford to make.

The Second Congo War, also called Africa’s World War, killed 5 million people between 1998 and 2003. It was the largest war in Africa’s history; it involved eight African nations and more than twenty armed militias. Although there was an agreement between the warring parties in 2003, the conflict continues in the eastrn region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It continues because of the metal mines that the armed groups fight to control.

There is an action item at the end of this diary that will certainly help save lives and impact suffering: The Senate Financial Overhaul Bill contains a provision that requires companies that use targeted metals to annually report where they buy them. The House Financial Services Committee is reviewing the Senate bill during the next two weeks.

In the last 30 years, protection of the fetus has increasingly risen to the level of “nigh-personhood.” The trend and purpose of state laws on feticide are clear: treating the fetus as a “person.”

Written by MakoSharkEsq for RHRealityCheck.org – News, commentary and community for reproductive health and justice.

Comforted by the fact that the Utah legislature “revised” the bill on miscarriages? Don’t be. Its main purpose is not to advance a “culture of life,” but to advance laws that permit imprisonment of pregnant women.

Written by Lynn Paltrow for RHRealityCheck.org – News, commentary and community for reproductive health and justice.