World Marks 101st International Women’s Day

On March 8, 2012, the world celebrated the 101st annual International Women’s Day, a day set aside to celebrate the social and economic progress of women around the world. But amid the celebrations lies the worry that some of the hard-fought gains women have made over the past 101 years are in jeopardy. Over the past year, the U.S. House of Representatives has threatened to eliminate Title X, which helps to provide low-income women with access to family planning services. The House attempted to expand the ban on abortion funding by narrowing the exception for rape, and actually passed a bill that would have allowed hospitals to refuse to provide an emergency abortion, even to a woman who would die without it. The Senate nearly passed a Blunt Amendment that would have allowed any employer or insurance company to refuse coverage for any activity to which they claim a religious or moral objection.   International family planning assistance has also come under attack, as Congressional opponents sought, unsuccessfully, to defund UNFPA, and reinstate the global ‘gag rule’.  Funding for international family planning assistance last year was cut by five percent.

http://blog.populationinstitute.org/2012/03/08/international-womens-day-hold-the-celebration/