In documenting how she was stalked and threatened online , Amanda Hess, a feminist journalist, shines an unflinching spotlight on the ugly misogyny that too often pervades online forums, making women feel unwelcome or even unsafe just for speaking our minds. It is for similar reasons that (much as I cherish the First Amendment) I generally try not to get sucked into reading comments posted on stories covering cases brought by the ACLU Women's Rights Project, where I work. But Hess' article (along with this thoughtful response from an involved father who got bashed for merely combing his...

This post explores the many ways in which fairness in the workplace has yet to be attained. We continue to work toward justice and economic freedom for all women and families. ~MomsRising Ed. On this Women's Equality Day - the anniversary of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote - I'm struck by all the ways in which women have yet to attain equality. Also, because this August 26 comes two days before the 50th Anniversary of the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, I'm reflecting on all the ways in which Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream of racial equality and social...

By Mie Lewis, Staff Attorney for the ACLU Women’s Rights Project This week, an Ohio federal jury awarded Christa Dias $171,000 after she was fired from her part-time teaching jobs at two religious schools. Dias had alleged that she was fired for becoming pregnant while unmarried. In response, the schools and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati had claimed that her use of artificial insemination violated Catholic religious tenets and was a valid reason for firing her. In its verdict, the jury specifically found that Dias was the victim of pregnancy discrimination. The verdict is an important victory...

By Dr. Stephanie Dahl, Physician I am a doctor in North Dakota, and I love my work. One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is helping cancer survivors who are now facing infertility from their lifesaving chemotherapy and radiation treatments achieve their dream of having a family. Some of these patients require in-vitro fertilization to have a baby, but others must rely on donor sperm or donor egg. However, if some of our lawmakers have their way, I will have to turn away cancer survivors and as well as many other couples with infertility. A series of measures pending before the North...

Yesterday we told you about an amazing change in the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), lactation policy for nursing mothers. The new policy allows nursing mothers, to request extended or additional breaks to pump during the LSAT, for up to one year following childbirth. We got involved after MomsRising contacted us about one of their members, Ashley Foxx, who was denied a lactation-related modification and was told she would either have to take the test without additional time to pump, wean her baby in time for the test date, or take the test when she was no longer breastfeeding. Here’s what...

Recently, a mother in South Carolina reached out to the ACLU for help. She was pregnant, and although she had had two prior cesarean surgeries, she wished to attempt a “trial of labor,” that is, to give birth naturally, rather than having a scheduled cesarean surgery. The mother’s wish made sense in light of her medical history, and according to professional standards set by obstetricians. Nevertheless, the mother’s doctors — publically employed physicians working in a public hospital — forced her to schedule a C-section, called her “stupid” for wanting to do otherwise, and threathened to...

By Ariela Migdal, Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU Women's Rights Project Peggy Young delivered letters and packages sent by air for UPS. When she got pregnant after struggling with infertility and IVF, her doctor recommended that she not lift more than 20 pounds. She asked UPS, where she had worked since 1999, for a "light duty" assignment, so that she could continue working through her pregnancy. UPS said no. It explained that its policy was to offer light duty assignments or "inside" jobs to lots of different kinds of workers who were temporarily unable to perform their regular tasks: workers...

By Ariela Migdal, Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU Women’s Rights Project According to a new study , sexual harassment, including unwanted sexual touching and sexual coercion as well as milder behaviors, is a regular feature of going to school for a significant number of American middle- and high-school students. The American Association of University Women released a study yesterday, surveying nearly 2000 students in grades 7 through 12. According to the study, girls reported being harassed more than boys, and harassment affected girls more negatively than boys. Of great concern, 13% of girls...

By Ashley On October 1, 2011, I sat on the bathroom floor of the LSAT test center pumping milk for my 5 month old son. I felt dirty, embarrassed, stressed, and alone. Things no one should feel as they are in the midst of taking one of the most important exams of their life. An exam that is key to gaining entry into a profession that fights for and defends the rights of all individuals to compete on an even playing field so they can live up to their full potential. A few months before signing up to take the LSAT, I called the organization that administers the LSAT, the Law Schools Admissions...