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Former ALEC Task Force Member Files Companion ‘Preborn Pain’ Bill In Texas Senate

Texas capitol building.

Following on the heels of a House member, a second Texas legislator with ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council files a companion bill to the state’s proposed 20-week abortion ban.

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Birth Control and “The Myth of the Judeo-Christian Tradition”

Torah and jad - exhibits in Big Synagogue Museum, Wlodawa - Poland.

Many U.S. rabbis and ministers have long recognized the moral wisdom of ensuring wide availability of safe and effective birth control.

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Texas ALEC Chair Files “Preborn Pain Act,” as Promised by Rick Perry

Texas capitol building.

This morning, ALEC-affiliated Texas State Rep. Jodie Laubenberg (R-Parker) filed the state legislature’s first attempt to ban abortions after 20 weeks—the so-called Preborn Pain Act.

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Christian Right Group on an Anti-LGBTQ Crusade in Brazil

Snapshot from the Brazilian Carnival.

Brazil is a country of contradictions. It can produce both the Brazilian Carnival and house right-wing Christian empires.

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Congress Passes Violence Against Women Act

Both arms of Congress have finally reauthorized a version of VAWA that doesn't purposefully exclude people on the basis of their ethnicity, immigration status, or sexual orientation.

Both arms of Congress have finally reauthorized a version of VAWA that doesn’t purposefully exclude people on the basis of their ethnicity, immigration status, or sexual orientation.

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Rethinking Immigration: Moms Will Do Whatever it Takes to Protect Their Kids

Congress needs to understand something important as it works to pass a new immigration law: Neither a border nor even the threat of detention can keep a determined parent from trying to reach a child who needs her care.

As Congress works to pass a new immigration law, legislators must realize that neither a border nor the threat of detention will keep a determined parent from trying to reach a child who needs her care.

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How Do You Prove That Discrimination No Longer Exists?

At the heart of the discussion about the need for both VAWA and the Voting Rights Act is a fundamental disagreement about what governments should do about discrimination, and, even more so, what they shouldn’t do.

At the center of recent legal and legislative battles is the question of how to determine the exact moment when everyone truly has equal opportunities.

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On Clueless Congressmen and Trans-vaginal Ultrasounds

Rep. Sean Duffy.

Rep. Sean Duffy  “probably agrees” with mandatory transvaginal ultrasound legislation. But he doesn’t really know because, he says, “I haven’t had one.” Well, I have. I’ve had several, in fact. So, Rep. Duffy, pull up a chair and let me explain how a transvaginal ultrasound works, and how it feels.

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What We Are Missing in the Trans-vaginal Ultrasound Debate

2013-03-01-weitz

In the heated debate around trans-vaginal ultrasounds, there is too little focus on what is really wrong with these laws.

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House Vote on Violence Against Women Act Comes on Last Day of Teen Violence Prevention Month

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) today, the final day of Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Awareness Month.

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) today, the final day of Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Awareness Month. So what’s at stake for youth?

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