Female CEOs Rising; Millions Have No Birth Control

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Jeers A major United Nations report has set out the challenges facing humanity a few days before the world's population is expected to reach seven billion, BBC News reported Oct. 26. The report points out that more than 200 million women still have no access to family planning advice and calls for better reproductive education for young women. More News to Jeer This Week: Two unlicensed workers pleaded guilty Oct. 27 to third-degree murder in deaths that occurred at a Philadelphia abortion clinic that were described as "macabre," reported The Washington Post. Dr. Kermit Gosnell, who ran the clinic, has been charged with performing illegal late-term abortions and is free on bail. The "personhood" amendment on the Mississippi ballot on Nov. 8 not only bans all abortions, it would also likely outlaw several types of birth control and possibly make all forms of hormonal contraception illegal in the state, reported Mother Jones Oct. 26. In Afghanistan, U.S female soldiers who serve as a bridge between the Army and Afghan women face more dangers as they serve on front lines, the Associated Press reported Oct. 25. At least 2,600 Kenyan women die in public hospitals each year after having botched backstreet abortions, Reuters reported Oct. 25. Many more die at home without seeking medical care and another 21,000 are admitted for treatment of abortion-related complications. Women make up a growing number of homeless veterans, The Los Angeles Times reported Oct. 23. Homelessness among female veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars has increased every year for the last six years — from 150 in 2006 to 1,700 this year — according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The plight of women in North Sudan is raising the concern of a coalition of civil society organizations and women' groups, The Sudan Tribune reported Oct. 24. Noted: The U.N. Security Council held an open debate on Oct. 28 on the theme of "Women' Participation and Role in Conflict Resolution and Mediation," according to an Oct. 28 press release from UN Women. In Minnesota, a female prisoner is on hunger strike in protest over the Shelburne County Jail's rule that she is not allowed to wear a Muslim head covering, reported TwinCities.com Oct. 27. The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) vice president announced that he will propose that FIFA agree on universal "general principles" for the use of Islamic headscarves, reported ESPN Oct. 25. Hundreds of Yemeni women have set fire to a pile of traditional female veils to protest the government's brutal crackdown against the country's popular uprising, ABC News reported Oct. 26. The National Women' Political Caucus is supporting Susan Bysiewicz in her bid to become Connecticut' next U.S. Senator, NWPC announced Oct. 24 in a press release. The announcement that Islamic Sharia will be the basis of legislation in newly liberated Libya has raised concerns, especially among women, despite Islamists insisting moderation will prevail, The National Post reported Oct. 24. European companies may soon be looking for hundreds of female directors to fill quotas, prompting American executives to send their resumes across the Atlantic, The San Francisco Chronicle reported Oct. 24. At least 10 European countries, including Norway, France and Spain, have approved quotas or corporate-governance codes for women representation on boards, or are considering them. That may require more than 1,000 new female directors in the next three to five years, based on a 2010 report from the executive recruiting firm Russell Reynolds Associates. Would you like to Comment but not sure how? Visit our help page at http://www.womensenews.org/help-making-comments-womens-enews-stories.