legislation

Louisiana Law Forces Many Sex Workers to Register as Sex Offenders

by Cara March 22, 2011

Trigger Warning for descriptions of sexual violence and abuses against sex workers Last week, Jordan Flaherty wrote an article at Colorlines about how sex workers are being punished under an archaic and punitive law that specifically targets those who are convicted of selling oral or anal sex (as opposed to vaginal sex). The law makes [...]

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Arizona Bill Would Require Hospitals to Check Patient Immigration Status

by Cara February 15, 2011

Arizona legislators are working on a new anti-immigration bill that is essentially the hospital equivalent of their notorious SB 1070. The new bill, SB 1405, would require all hospitals within the state to verify the immigration status of all patients. If a patient cannot prove that sie is in the country legally, hospital staff would [...]

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Idaho Law Says Only Married Women Can Be Raped By Fraud

by Cara December 3, 2010

Trigger Warning for sexual violence and rape apologism A couple weeks ago in Idaho, a judge dismissed a rape case in which a woman was allegedly raped by a man who she believed at the time to be her boyfriend. The article itself contains a graphic description of the charges themselves (Trigger Warning), but what [...]

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Illinois Considers Laws to Revoke Medical Licenses of Sex Offenders

by Cara November 29, 2010

Trigger Warning for discussions of sexual violence within a medical context. Earlier this year, I wrote about part of a Chicago Tribune series that exposed how Illinois doctors can pretty easily sexually assault patients and get away with it with few to no negative consequences for their violations, frequently even being allowed to keep their [...]

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New Venice Beach Regulations Aim to Displace Homeless Population

by Cara October 5, 2010

Earlier this week, the New York Times reported on plans in the Venice Beach section of Los Angeles to “crack down” on homeless people who live in R.V.s and vans, parking them either on the street or in beach lots at night. Every day, Diane Butler and her husband park their two hand-painted R.V.’s in [...]

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President Obama to Sign Law Targeting Sexual Violence Against Native American Women

by Cara July 29, 2010

I’m incredibly pleased to be able to pass along some great news for a change — the Tribal Law and Order Act, which I  had previously urged all of you to support, and which the infinitely awesome Pretty Bird Woman House vocally approves, has passed both houses of Congress and it set to be signed [...]

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Alabama Expands Abuse Protection Law to Cover Dating Relationships

by Cara July 9, 2010

Yesterday, a new domestic violence law went into effect in Alabama. The changes provide greater privacy to victims filing protection orders, and expand the definition of abuse to include a wider range of relationships — namely, dating relationships. Changes to Alabama’s abuse protection law will now cover more people when it comes to domestic violence. [...]

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Illinois Passes Law Requiring That All Rape Kits Be Tested

by Cara July 8, 2010

As reports of untested rape kits across the U.S. just keep on rolling in, Illinois has passed a law mandating that every rape kit be tested. Facing criticism that physical evidence from sexual assault cases in Illinois often went unanalyzed, Gov. Patrick J. Quinn this week signed a law requiring the police to test all [...]

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Experts Believe Arizona Immigration Law Will Harm Domestic Abuse Victims

by Cara July 6, 2010

By now, most of you have probably heard of SB 1070 — the abhorrent Arizona immigration law that is soon to take effect. For those who haven’t heard of the law or who need a refresher, SB 1070 not only has the effect of legalizing racial profiling, it requires it of police. Once in effect, [...]

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Connecticut Increases Funding for Domestic Violence Prevention and Response

by Cara July 1, 2010

I love having good news instead of bad news to pass along, and it’s not incredibly often that I get it. Connecticut has recently passed a large package of anti-domestic violence laws. One of the portions of the package going into effect today is an increase in funding for domestic violence shelters — specifically, almost [...]

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