News roundup for January 2005
A round up of recent news, compiled by Sara Vali.
The news section has now been replaced by The F-Word blog
MSPs back breastfeeding and ban porn
It was all go in the Scottish Parliament in late 2004. A widely supported bill to make it illegal to ban women from breastfeeding in public was passed. MSPs praised the strong political message that said "breastfeeding isn't something shameful."
An Equal Ops committee of MSPs have backed a call to ban adult pornography. They support a petition from Scottish Women Against Pornography that claims a link between porn and sexual crimes. While acknowledging the difficulties and controversy in the plan, one MSP said the "big business" of pornography can be ignored no longer.
'Men only' branch for church?
The Anglican church has considered starting a male-clergy only branch to solve the row over whether women can become bishops. The C of E report also contemplated continuing to allow women to become priests but preventing them being ordained as bishops. The church first ordained women priests ten years ago but opponents believe that as Jesus only had men as apostles, it is fundamentally wrong to allow women to lead the church.
Girl accused of having 'rape fantasies'
A girl who was allegedly gang-raped by footballers has been accused of fantasising about being raped and wanting to leave home to become a 'whore.' The teenager told the court that poems with a rape theme were not about her and denied being a "fantasist with a vivid imagination." The defence for one footballer, Shane Sutherland, claimed that the 15-year-old consented to any sexual activity that took place.
Mum's the word
'Mother' is the most beautiful word in the English language, according to a survey of non-English speakers, while 'father' did not even make the list. The British Council, which carried out the poll, said: "All of us have a mother and have a reasonable idea of who that person is, it's one piece of certainty we can have and it's also a very powerful word in a variety of cultures." Other words on the list include peekaboo, oi, and zing.
More news headlines from this month...
- 40 schoolgirls suspended after threatening to kill a girl in row over a boy
- Women's prison conditions 'disturbing'
- UK pay gap 'wider than thought' (especially in Aberdeen)
- Pill may cut heart disease risk
- Vaccine against cervical cancer available soon
- Major study launched into why women do not progress in certain job areas
- Fall in bogus minicab driver sex assaults
- Stress linked to miscarriages
- Reforms launched to protect ethnic minority women from domestic abuse
- Atkins diet 'works better on men'
- Obese women 'lose brain tissue'
- HRT 'should only be used as a short-term measure'
- Fewer conceptions among under 16s
- Too few women have breast scans
- Routine domestic abuse checks for mothers-to-be
- More help needed with home births, say NCT
- Call for late abortion (20-24 weeks ) services
- More teenage girls than boys binge drink
- Mother carrying UK's first 'designer baby'
- 'Jekyll and Hyde' women binge drinkers targeted by new ads
- Boots considers selling sex toys
- Labour party women-only lists 'bar ethnic minorities'
