March 2001

Good News, Bad News For Abortion Foes
Okay To Spew Hate, Not To Spew Bullets
Friday, March 30, 2001 So a federal court says you can encourage people to murder doctors who provide abortions ó but if you actually go ahead and murder one, you might wind up on the FBIís most wanted list. This week, the court threw out an earlier verdict against the owners of an anti-choice web site that featured "Wanted" posters (as in, "Wanted: Dead or Alive") with pictures of abortion doctors, their home addresses, and their phone numbers; the site also advocated the murder of anyone protecting a clinic or defending abortion rights. The court said that the site did not constitute a threat of violence against the doctors (it "merely encouraged unrelated terrorists," said the presiding judge) and was therefore protected by the First Amendment.

But in a slight setback for those mixed-up pro-life killers, James Kopp, the alleged gunman in the 1998 shooting death of Dr. Barnett Slepian and a potential suspect in other similar but non-fatal shootings, was arrested in France by US authorities after his stint on a "Wanted" poster ó the kind thatís issued by the FBI. With John Ashcroft as Attorney General, will Kopp be prosecuted or praised for violating the FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) Act? Too bad Ashcroft took down www.johnashcroft.org, the site he maintained while unsuccessfully campaigning for re-election to the Senate ñ it was about as anti-choice as that other site, and as the top cop, he can make all the "Wanted" posters he wants.

Equal Rights Amendment Re-Introduced
US, Meet Fairness. Fairness, Meet the US.
Thursday, March 29, 2001 In the early 1920s, just three years after women won the right to vote in the US, activist Alice Paul wrote something to the effect of, "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." Since then, the Equal Rights Amendment has been introduced a number of times, and was even approved by both the House in 1971 and the Senate in 1972, but has never passed. Last week, Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Stephen Horn (R-CA) reintroduced the ERA in the House and Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) reintroduced it in the Senate, hoping to make the equitable treatment of men and women a permanent part of the Constitution. Itís especially important to support this amendment now, when the divided Senate could pass laws to replace existing anti-discrimination laws, and politicians come up with more and more anti-woman legislation every day. To help this Excellent Righteous Agenda pass the Evil Right-wing Assholes, write your representatives and let them know that you demand Everyoneís Ratifying Assent.

S. African Schoolgirls Face Rampant Rape
Send Vigilante Posse Applications Here
Wednesday, March 28, 2001 Well, we managed to go a whole week without writing about rape, but yesterday Human Rights Watch released a pretty goddamn important report detailing the widespread sexual abuse of schoolgirls in South Africa, the country with the highest incidence of rape (and the highest incidence of AIDS) in the world. The perpetrators are teachers, principals, and male classmates, most of who go completely unpunished by school authorities or police ñ reports of abuse are generally met with hostility and suspicion, and girls are often forced to stay in classes with their attackers. Erika George, the author of the 138-page report, noted the devastating repercussions on young womenís education: "Girls are learning that sexual abuse and harassment are an inescapable part of going to school every day ñ so they donít go." The South African government has so far ignored the situation, neglecting to collect data on the rate or impact of sexual violence in schools. Hey, now that apartheid is no longer an option, theyíve got to officially ignore someoneís human rights.

Bush To Issue Gag Rule Memo
TO: Women RE: Youíre Screwed
Tuesday, March 27, 2001 President Bush is preparing to issue a presidential memorandum that would shore up the recently resuscitated "gag rule" barring international aid and health care groups from providing abortions or abortion advice. The gag rule is being challenged by Democrats, but their venture is seen as unlikely to succeed, and the presidential memorandum may obviate the challenge altogether, which would spare the Republicans a long, loud debate on the state of abortion rights. Bush may try to skirt the issue, but top skirts like Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) are dressing him down for his cowardice, calling him out for being a "tool of the far right." If youíre against the gag rule, donít just shut up and swallow it ñ go here and send a letter right to the Tool himself.

No Drug Tests For Pregnant Women
But Pregnant Men Will Definitely Be Quizzed
Monday, March 26, 2001 The Supreme Court ruled last week that doctors and hospitals may not test pregnant women for drugs without their consent. The case in point involved a South Carolina hospital where some pregnant women were arrested in their hospital beds after tests revealed the presence of cocaine in their systems ñ the Supreme Court noted that this was a direct violation of the Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable search and seizure. The hospital claimed that testing the women without their consent and turning the results over to law enforcement officials was intended to get the patients into drug treatment programs, and to avoid drug-related birth defects and other unfavorable conditions for their children. Because, you know, prison is an excellent place to get off drugs and raise a kid.

Senate Democrats Go After Gag Rule
Whoopee Cushions To Be Legal Again!
Friday, March 23, 2001 Senate Democrats are hoping to overturn the "global gag rule," the measure that bars federal funding for international aid groups that provide counseling about or access to abortion. The gag rule, a relic of the Reagan years, was scrapped by Clinton in 1993, but President Bush reinstated it as one of his very first official acts. Also known as the Mexico City Policy, the gag rule has been a troublesome blow to countries that rely on international aid groups for many basic health care services, leading to greater incidences of sexually transmitted disease, unwanted pregnancy, and unsafe, unregulated abortions. Under a US measure called the Congressional Review Act, a group of thirty senators can force a Senate vote on the issue. One Democrat senator optimistically predicted that enough Republicans would join the effort to overturn it, but it would be unlikely to pass a second needed vote in the House of Representatives. The BUST gag rule, meanwhile, covers a different scenario, and mostly has to do with going slowly down the shaft and remembering to breathe through your nose.

The "Unborn Victims of Violence" Bill:
Will It Also Protect Imaginary Friends?
Thursday, March 22, 2001 A bill is slowly creeping though the House of Representatives that would make it a federal offense to kill or injure a fetus "at any stage of development." While the bill specifically excludes abortion providers and potential moms from prosecution, House Democrats like Jerrold Nadler (NY) arenít fooled ñ "The intent of this bill is simply to define the fetus or embryo as a separate person," he said, which would lead to a reversal of Roe v. Wade. Other Democrats have noted that they agree with the need to protect pregnant (and non-pregnant) women from violence, but feel that stronger anti-domestic violence laws would be a better solution. As always, we invite you to write to your representatives and ask them whether or not the bill will provide equal protection for other unborn entities, including the kid you might want to have in a few years, your guardian animal spirit, your dead grandmother, or any long-standing zits.

Priests, Missionaries Sexually Abuse Nuns
Altar Boys Wonder if They Can Relax Now
Wednesday, March 21, 2001 Take back the nun! An article in the Italian paper la Repubblica gives the details of a report to the Vatican attesting to widespread sexual abuse of nuns by priests and missionaries. The charges, first raised in 1995 by nun and physician Maura OíDonohue, cited cases of abuse in twenty-three countries, including the US, Brazil, India, Italy, and Ireland, but the problem was most severe in Africa, where nuns were seen as safe sexual targets in a region plagued by AIDS. In some missions, nuns were forced to take the birth control pill, many nuns became pregnant, and in one case cited, a priest forced a nun to abort, after which she died. A Vatican statement acknowledged the report and claimed that the issue is being addressed, while other sources downplayed the report, saying, "Come on, those nuns totally wanted it. Just look at what they were wearing!"

Contraceptive Ring to be Unveiled
Only Interested if it Comes in Diamond
Tuesday, March 20, 2001 A highly effective new birth control method is as reliable as the pill, emits lower levels of hormones, and has fewer side effects, according to doctors who tested the device. The plastic ring, which a woman inserts herself for three weeks of every cycle, emits the hormones progestogen and estrogen into the vaginal mucus ó gezundheit! The lower dose of hormones is expected to make it more attractive than oral contraceptives to women, especially those who have a higher risk of blood clots which can be increased by taking estrogen. The ring, produced by the Dutch company Organon, may eventually be used in post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy. It has been tested in Europe, Latin America, Australia and the US, where it will no doubt sail like a frisbee right through the FDA approval process without any opposition from any elected or appointed representatives to be embraced with open legs by fertile girls everywhere.

Kuwaiti Womenís Magazine Editor Killed
BUST Moving to New Secret, Lead-Lined HQ
Tuesday, March 20, 2001 Hedayet Sultan al-Salem, the Editor-in-Chief and owner of a Kuwaiti womenís magazine called al-Majales, was assassinated yesterday in Kuwait City when a man burst out of a vehicle at a stoplight and sprayed her chauffeured car with sub-machine gun fire. Salem, who was in her late seventies, was a long-time advocate of political rights for women (women can not vote or run for office in Kuwait) and one of the top female journalists in her country. It is not known yet whether the motive for the shooting was political ñ perhaps the gunmen simply didnít like articles like "Use Your Sexy Ankles to Drive Him Wild With Desire" and "Having a Bad Headscarf Day?"

GOP Attacks Abortion Rights
And Weíre Supposed to Grin and Bear It
Friday, March 16, 2001 House Republicans are ganging up on abortion rights, uniting to propose measures that would reduce the availability of abortions, limit distribution of the abortion pill RU-486, ban certain late-term procedures, force more minors to seek parental consent, and even eliminate coverage of contraceptives for federal employees (and how will fewer contraceptives lead to fewer abortions? Just curious.) The GOP plans to erode abortion rights slowly and stealthily rather than directly challenge the constitutional right to abortion granted by Roe v. Wade. Their first step is to make it a federal crime to harm or kill a fetus during an attack on a pregnant woman ñ by making feticide a federal crime, they open the door to prosecute abortion providers as attackers. Next, theyíll mount a campaign against the late-term abortion procedure erroneously referred to as "partial birth abortion," and make it impossible for any doctor who does not perform surgical abortions to prescribe RU-486. Then theyíll try to attach anti-abortion add-ons to unrelated spending bills in an attempt to make it a crime for any adult besides a parent to transport a minor across state lines to get an abortion. With the majority of the House voting anti-choice and a virulently anti-abortion President ready to support these measures, weíre counting on a divided Senate to prevent a huge miscarriage of justice, so you might want to let your representatives know that your uterus begins with U. As Joan Crawford was known to say, "No more wire hangers!"

Census: US Women Outnumber Men
Also Outsmart, Outpretty Them, Too
Thursday, March 15, 2001 Let the bullying begin! The latest census numbers reveal that there are nearly 8 million more women than men in the US, and that weíre still making about 72 cents for every dollar earned by a guy. The numbers indicate that there are more teenaged boys than girls, with 105 males under the age of 20 for every 100 girls under that age. But as age increases, the ratio of men to women decreases ñ for the age group 20-44, there are only 98 men for every 100 women, and by age 85, there are twice as many women as men. But even with the few good men syndrome in effect, weíre a relationshippy bunch ó approximately half of the 106.7 million women in the US aged 15 and older are married, about a quarter have never married, 13 percent are divorced or separated, and 10 percent are widowed. Some younger women, meanwhile, are better educated than their male counterparts: in the somewhat narrow age group of 25 to 29, 30 percent of women hold a bachelorís degree or better, while only 28 percent of men do. So what are we going to do with this 8 million woman majority? Letís go rough the guys up and get our pay differential!

Few Chicks in Charge at High-Tech Companies
Welcome to the Silicon Ceiling
Wednesday, March 14, 2001 High-tech, telecom, and media companies may be hyping the future, but theyíre living in the past ñ only 13 percent of top executives at these companies are female, and women make up only 9 percent of board members in these fields. According to a report from the Annenberg Public Policy Center, the top-level gender disparity exists even at "new economy" firms like AOL Time Warner, Yahoo, and Amazon, as well as old media firms like TV and cable companies, which means that most important programming and strategy decisions are made by men. So if you were wondering why women are so poorly represented in the media, itís probably because theyíre so poorly represented in media companies.

Indian Women Risk Unsafe Abortions
Wow, They Have Clinic Bombers Too?
Tuesday, March 13, 2001 Lack of access to safe and confidential health care services causes many women in India to seek unsafe abortions, leading to a high rate of mortality and morbidity. The Bangalore Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology states that out of an estimated 6.7 million abortions that take place in India each year, more than 80 percent are unsafe, and 20 percent of the 80,000 yearly abortion-related deaths that occur worldwide take place in India. Most of the women who seek abortion are married, and many must keep their identity secret, which leads them to use shady, unproven doctors. And now that President Bushís administration has killed funding for all family planning groups that even counsel foreign women on abortion, we can expect even more women in developing countries to face deadly botched abortions. Which is why we now refer to him as President Twat.

Colombian Women Enjoy "Night Without Men"
City Faces Shortage of Ice Cream, Batteries
Monday, March 12, 2001 Thousands of Colombian women partied until dawn last Friday night after the mayor of the capital city of Bogota declared it a "Night Without Men," with a voluntary curfew encouraging men to stay home with their children. While some women took over male copsí and firefightersí duties, other women spent the night enjoying female-only concerts, bike rides, and dances. Men who ventured out were asked to carry "safe-conduct" passes that stated their excuse for being out; many of them faced catcalls and jeers, and some women pounded on cars driven by men. The mayor said that the segregated festivities were meant to encourage men to take on more care of their children, to cut down on street crime and domestic abuse, and to get all those chicks who totally forgot they had girlfriends once they got into a relationship to get the hell out for a girlsí night, already.

UN Awards First Women's Peace Prize
What, No Crown? No Clairol Spokesgig?
Friday, March 9, 2001 The UN's Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and a UK-based human rights group have awarded their first Women's Peace Prizes to women who have been active in working for the causes of peace and social justice. Flora Brovina of Kosovo received the prize for her work in founding The League of Albanian Women, an organization that provided care for women, children, and the elderly. Asma Jahangir and her sister Hina Jilani accepted their award for their work with womenís activist groups in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. A posthumous award was bestowed upon Veneranda Nzambazamariya, a Rwandan woman who led a collective of over thirty womenís organizations. Since women and womenís groups often go unrecognized for their efforts, and the Nobel Peace Prize has only been awarded to 10 women in the last 100 years, the UN went ahead and created a separate award just for chicks ó kind of like a booby prize.

It's International Women's Day!
Celebrate the Many Ways It Sucks To Be You
Thursday, March 8, 2001 It's barely noon here at BUST HQ on International Women's Day, and already we're feeling a huge shift in the power dynamics of the new global socio-economy! Headlines from around the globe reflect the many triumphs, joys, and advantages of being female -- just take a tour with us of the day's news stories regarding women:

* Amnesty International releases "Broken Bodies, Shattered Minds," a report that indicates that 1 in 5 women are subject to physical or sexual assault, discusses atrocities like "honor" killings and sex slavery, and reminds us that women are often targeted for rape and torture during wars and conflicts;

* Population Action International releases a report showing that African women are denied reproductive health care, and die during childbirth at an astounding rate;

* The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that women are making up a higher percentage of AIDS cases, and the New England Journal of Medicine reports that women receive anti-HIV drugs later than men;

* John's Hopkins University's Protection Project documents an increase in the global sex slave trade, noting that 120,000 women and girls are currently forced into prostitution in Europe, 15,000 per year are smuggled into the US to work in brothels, 200,000 girls from Nepal are sex slaves in India, and many more are enslaved in similar situations around the world;

* The EU uses International Women's Day to discuss the sex slave trade, too; it's also noted that many African girls seeking asylum in the UK are kidnapped and sold into slavery...

Not exactly what Madonna meant when she sang, "We need a holiday." As such, we propose that we rename March 8th "International Women's Misery Day." Then, maybe, we can choose one of the other 364 available days to celebrate being female.

Kisses and hugs to all the ladies; donations and love to RAWA.

-- the BUST news staff

US Falls Prey to "Naked Wife" Virus
MAN, You Guys Are Easy Marks
Wednesday, March 7, 2001 So weíve figured out how to bring corporate America to its knees: Promise a naked picture of Britney Spears. Papers today report that the latest virus to cripple computer systems goes under the guise of an email with the subject "Fw: Naked Wife"óopen it, and she erases most of your system files. This virus follows hot on the heels of last monthís Anna Kournikova virus, which appealed to a similar core corporate audience of aging, disenchanted middle managers and young slacker techie fuck-offs. While we appreciate that wives can in fact be seen as sexy, as long as theyíre naked and married to someone else, weíre kind of hoping for some more equal opportunity viruses. A note to all you 13-year-old Singaporean hackers: Next time you create a virus, could you possibly call it "Brad Pittís hot, naked ass"?

Prison Rape:
Itís Not Just for Guys Any More!
Tuesday, March 6, 2001 A recent report from Amnesty International indicates that sexual assault at womenís prisons is a serious, ongoing problem, and that states are not doing their part to protect female prisoners from male staff. The UNís international human rights standards require that female prisoners be supervised by female personnel, yet men make up an estimated average of 59 percent of correctional staff in womenís prisons in the US. Certain states, including New York, were singled out as especially bad, with male guards permitted to pat frisk female prisoners, patrol showers, and perform strip searches in emergency situations. Some male staff members use their positions to intimidate or coerce female convicts into sex acts, while other use force, and many cases go unreported and unpunished. Amnesty International did not clarify its position on abuses perpetrated by female staff or by other inmates, but we hear Larry Flynt thinks itís just great.

Sex Offenders Opt for Castration
Fine Plan, But Does It Go Far Enough?
Monday, March 5, 2001 The Los Angeles Times reports that surgical castration is becoming increasingly popular among convicted sex offenders as an alternative to indefinite incarceration. Many convicts serve their court-imposed sentence, but pose too much of a risk to others to be released at the end of their term. The state of California mandates either surgical or chemical castration (hormone shots that lead to impotence) before it will release certain sex offenders; in other states, convicts may voluntarily request that their testicles be removed in order to hasten their release. Though an oft-cited German study has shown that only 3 percent of castrated offenders committed another sex crime, compared with 46 percent of non-castrated offenders, many groups are against castration. The ACLU calls it "cruel and unusual" punishment (unlike the "kind and ordinary" treatment the victims received), while some victimsí advocacy groups are concerned that the effects of castration can be mitigated with testosterone patches, pills, and injections. We support sex offenders who want to undergo surgery to make them less likely to repeat their offenses, but we think castration might not be the best solutionóhow about lobotomies, instead?