In late June, Texas Sen. Wendy Davis (D - 10th district) filibustered for 10 hours in an attempt to keep Senate Bill 5 from passing. Texas Senate Bill 5 was the legislation to ban abortion after 20 weeks, require that doctors who perform abortions have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, require abortion clinics meet the same standards as ( Read more... )

Last Thursday, Obama passed an executive order that went relatively unnoticed by both parties due to the Republican National Convention. However, it's important to note not just the executive order contents, but also the Obama administration's reason for taking the route of signing an executive order instead of going through Congress as the ( Read more... )

I was reading an article from the New York Times about the Violence Against Women Act that Democrats are planning to put on the table today. The legislation seeks to expand (both in financing and in scope) domestic violence programs all over the country. As both the daughter of a survivor and a survivor myself of domestic violence, I see this as a ( Read more... )

The state of Virginia is considering a mandate that any woman seeking an abortion would be forced to undergo an ultrasound procedure before proceeding with abortions, including a procedure called a transvaginal ultrasound, in which an ultrasound wand is inserted into the vagina. It's not an uncommon procedure, and it's also used in cases of ectopic ( Read more... )

Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Sacramento, CA) decided to inject himself in the debate over the Lowe's/All-American Muslim advertising debacle by writing a letter to the CEO of Lowe's. Here's an excerpt:
I am writing regarding Lowe’s action of pulling its advertising from Discovery Channel/TLC’s show “All-American Muslim” because of complaints from the Florida ( Read more... )

( This may be a difficult topic for some to discuss, so I'm going to put it behind a cut )

The state of Illinois is considering new legislation to soften cemetery laws that were put in place after the 2009 Burr Oak cemetery scandal. Five employees were digging up bodies and re-selling plots in a scam that lasted at least five years. One of the plots was the final resting place of Emmett Till, a young African-American whose 1955 murder ( Read more... )

While state lawmakers look for ways to fix a massive budget shortfall, they are also being told to tackle another hot-button issue -- abortion. Specifically, Gov. Rick Perry wants to add a few steps to the process of ending a pregnancy ( Read more... )

It's hard being a teenager. High school wasn't easy for me. Being fat and unpopular put a huge target on my back, but I was lucky because I had great friends, spirituality, family and an extroverted personality. There are others who aren't the same way, who may have trouble talking to peers or their family, who are shy and feel alone ( Read more... )