Women News, Jan 10, 2010

Jane: Let's start off with some good news! Last Tuesday, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson signed an executive order directing agencies under his control to report annually and remedy any gender pay gaps among their workers, as well as establish a firm schedule and process for private contractors with the state to do the same. This directive begins July 1, and affects vendors and contractors of 10 or more.

“Eliminating the pay gap that all too often prevails between men and women is a top priority of mine,” Richardson said in the press release. “Our actions can serve as a national model. This is an important economic justice and civil rights issue and common sense requires it.”

Joan: Sadly, Mary Daly, a leader in feminist theology, died at 81 last Wednesday. Ms Daly, hailed as a central figure in 20th century feminism (Robin Morgan) was among the first American women to train as a Roman Catholic theologian. In 1968 she published “The Church and the Second Sex” (Harper & Row), in which she argued that the Catholic Church had systematically oppressed women for centuries. Her next book, “Beyond God the Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women’s Liberation” (Beacon, 1973), explored misogyny in religion in general.

Jane: Last Thursday, the New Jersery state Senate rejected a same-sex marriage bill/ The 20-14 vote defeating the measure followed an hour and a half of public debate inside the packed Senate chamber

Joan: Friday, President Obama announce his re-nomination of Dawn Johnsen as his choice for the head of the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel. Though Johnsen was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in March 2009, the full Senate never voted on her nomination, in part because of criticism from the GOP.

Marge Baker, executive vice president of People for the American Way, said, "President Obama made an excellent choice in Professor Johnsen to lead the OLC."

Obama also re-nominated Louis Butler and Edward Chen, two choices for U.S. district court judgeships (CQ Today, 1/7).

Jane: Friday, Sen. Vince Illuzzi (R), introduced a ‘fetal homicide’ bill in the Vermont Legislature that would establish stiff penalties for the death of a fetus caused by a car accident. The bill is a response to the death of Patricia Blair’s twin fetuses, which were killed in a car accident in August 2009. Vermont does not currently have laws relating to the demise of the fetuses because a fetus is not considered a person under Vermont law.

Critics of the legislation are concerned that it could reopen a debate over abortion rights in Vermont. The American Civil Liberties Union called the legislation is a "slippery slope." State Rep. Rachel Weston (D) said, "Violent crimes against pregnant women are a real problem, but I don't think fetal personhood put forth in this bill is the answer," adding, "There can be unintended consequences both for women's health and fetal health" (WPTZ, 1/6).

Joan: Last week, the Washington Post reported on a controversy over vaginal delivery of breech fetus (bottom down position) versus a C-Section delivery. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada have adopted guidelines approving of the vaginal method, in certain cases while the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists opposes vaginal delivery in breech cases. The Americans believe a vaginal deliver has dangers for the infant if delivered incorrectly. In France and Belgium, vaginal breech deliveries are "a common practice."

As the debate continues among experts, the "reality is that few doctors who graduated in the last decade have the skills to deliver a breech baby naturally," according to the Post. In the U.S. medical students rarely perform this procedure though might practice with computer simulations, there are few situations in which residents. Meanwhile, the The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada has issued a call to older physicians with experience delivering breech infants vaginally to train younger doctors on the skill. (Sutherland, Washington Post, 1/5).

Jane: Here is another controversy, this one regarding mammograms. Last week, the Journal of the American College of Radiology, published guidelines stating that women with an average risk of breast cancer should begin regular mammograms at age 40 and that those with an elevated risk should begin screenings at age 30. These guidelines differ from recommendations released last year by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which said that women with an average risk should begin screenings at age 50 because the benefits of earlier testing do not outweigh potential harms, such as false positives.

Carol Lee of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, an author of the new guidelines, said, "The significant decrease in breast cancer mortality, which amounts to nearly 30% since 1990, is a major medical success and is due largely to earlier detection of breast cancer through mammography screening."

Joan: Speaking of controversies, this one regards the Senate abortion language. According to The New York Times, the Catholic Health Association, which represents Catholic hospitals nationwide and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an umbrella group for nuns endorsed the Senate language while the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops staunchly opposes it.

Jane: EMILY's List has a new president, Stephanie Schriock, current chief of staff to Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.). The current president and founder of Emily's List, Ellen Malcolm will continue as chair of the organization's board.

Joan: Friday, Mr. Obama chose a new personal lawyer, Judith Corley to replace Robert Bauer, who began work as the new White House counsel this week. Ms. Corley will represent Mr. Obama in his non-official capacity, both in personal matters and in anything having to do with his political organization, Obama for America.

Jane: Sandra Bullock makes history: Last weekend the 'Blind Side' became the first female-led film to cross $200 million mark at domestic box offices.

Joan: Last Monday, according to the Washington Post, President Obama appointed Amanda Simpson, a transgender woman, to be the Senior Technical Adviser to the Commerce Department. She is the first Presidential appointee who is transgender. Simpson's most recent job was as the Deputy Director in Advanced Technology Development at Raytheon Missile Systems in Arizona.

Jane: A 10-year weight study published in the January issue of The American Journal of Preventive Medicine found evidence that even among childless women, those who live with a mate put on more pounds than those who live without one.

After adjusting for other variables, the 10-year weight gain for an average 140-pound woman was 20 pounds if she had a baby and a partner, 15 if she had a partner but no baby, and only 11 pounds if she was childless with no partner. Notably, there was a steady weight gain among all women over the 10 years of the study.

Interestingly, when the study started women were 18 to 23 years old. By the end of the study, more than half the women had college degrees, about three-quarters had partners and half had had at least one baby, there were fewer smokers and risky drinkers than at the beginning, more women exercised less and a large proportion were without paid employment.

Joan: According to scientists at King’s College London who surveyed more than 900 pairs of British female twins ages 23-83, there is no evidence for the existence of the G-spot — that illusive cluster of internal nerve endings that produce female sexual pleasure. According to Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology, who co-authored the research. “the idea of a G-spot is subjective.”
The quest for the G-spot will not be abandoned. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, which is publishing Burri’s and Spector’s work this week, is planning a debate, with publication of research from the pro and anti G-spot camps.
Meanwhile, David Matlock, a Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon, is credited with creating an artificial version of the G-spot. In some cases this has resulted in an over-sensitive zone which induces orgasms when, for example, women drive over bumps in the road.

Well, Jane, I thought cell phones were a distraction when driving….