Women This Week: Texas Fails to Resolve Confusion over Abortion Bans
Supreme Court Set to Hear Case on Abortion Pill
A decision by the Texas Supreme Court to deny an abortion to a woman whose fetus was diagnosed with an often-fatal genetic condition has caused concern and confusion. After learning that her fetus had Trisomy 18, which almost always leads to death before birth or within the first year of life, Kate Cox requested permission from the courts to terminate her pregnancy. The district court initially ruled in her favor, but the Texas Supreme Court reversed the ruling, siding with the state, which argued that Cox’s health and life were not sufficiently threatened to warrant an exception to the law. Cox has since left the state for abortion as other cases, including Zurawski v. Texas, seek to clarify what exceptions are allowed under the state’s highly restrictive abortion laws. Also, this week, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case on access to the abortion pill mifepristone. The justices will hear oral arguments from both sides and will issue a ruling by the end of June.
Imprisoned Nobel Laureate Speaks from Jail
Imprisoned Iranian activist, Narges Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this week for her extensive history of activism, including campaigning against mandatory hijabs and the death penalty. Her children delivered her acceptance speech on her behalf. In remarks read by her seventeen-year-old twins, Mohammadi harshly criticized the regime, saying: “The Iranian people will dismantle obstruction and despotism through their persistence.” Mohammadi has been arrested and convicted numerous times for her advocacy work. Her children have been living in exile since 2015 and have not seen her in almost nine years. “Maybe I will see her in 30 or 40 years, but I think I won’t see her again,” her daughter said via a translator. “But that doesn’t matter because my mother will always live on in my heart and with my family.”
Violence Against Women in Italy Sparks Outrage
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Thousands of protestors took to the streets in Italy after the murder of 22-year-old college student Giulia Cecchettini. Giulia was brutally stabbed to death by her former boyfriend in November, shortly before she was set to receive her university degree. Italians are outraged by what they see as the normalization of violence against women, including femicides, in their country. Guilia’s father, Gino, said, “In this time of grief and sadness, we need to find the strength, to react and turn tragedy into a push for change.” According to the interior ministry, as of late November 2023, at least 107 women in Italy were murdered, with 88 being killed by a family member or current or past partner.
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