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Domestic Violence Becomes Political Weapon in War on Women
Recently it’s seemed as though anything affecting women, from breast cancer to birth control, has been manipulated in
The House Takes a Step towards Banning Guns for Domestic Abusers
Last week, Congress moved closer to passing legislation preventing domestic abusers and stalkers from purchasing or possessing guns, as Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI-12) and Rep. Robert Dold (R-IL-10) introduced the Zero Tolerance for Domestic Abusers Act (H.R. 3130). The bipartisan bill would close a loophole in federal law that allows some perpetrators of domestic violence to access firearms. Crucially, it would expand the definition of “intimate partners” to the definition used in the 2012 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act: someone who has been in a romantic or intimate relationship with the abuser. The bill also adds convicted stalkers to the list of those prohibited from purchasing and possessing guns.
Stop Cuts to Family Planning
The past few weeks have brought mixed news in the realm of sexuality education. At the end of June, we wrote about a House sub-committee vote to eliminate programs proven to reduce teen and unplanned pregnancy, reduce abortion and save tax dollars in Fiscal Year 2016.
Since then, a Senate sub-committee voted to advance similar cuts, proposing a budget that would significantly cut funding for the evidence-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPPP) and for Title X family planning centers, while increasing funding for abstinence-only until marriage programs by 300 percent. By gutting funding to family planning services for low-income individuals and undermining evidence-based programs like TPPP, these appropriations bills would leave millions of Americans without information and services to keep themselves safe and healthy.
February Hate Crimes Watch: The Faces Behind the Violence
In 2009, there was an average of 11,125 violent hate crime attacks per month.
URGENT: Tell Your Senators to Reauthorize VAWA!
I know I’ve already written here about the Violence Against Women Act: I’ve written that 1.3 million wo
Prayer for the Jews of France
A prayer for the Jews of France after today’s violence in Toulouse.
Reform Leader Condemns Rocket Fire in Israel
In response to the barrage of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Be'er Sheva, Tel Aviv and Ashdod in recent days, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President-elect of the Union for Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:
Esther and Vashti: Strong Women with Modern Problems
While I don’t have much experience studying Torah or examining each week’s parsha, I try to pay special attention to the stories that I loved as a child.
Reform Movement Horrified by West Bank Terror Attack
Our hearts are heavy today after learning of a vicious act of terrorism in the West Bank, in which Israelis are suspected of setting the home of a Palestinian family on fire. Tragically, the fire claimed the life of a toddler and badly injured others. Rabbi Jonah Pesner offered thoughts on the tragedy: