women's rights

(Newser) - Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is at the center of an unlikely sex scandal today, after being caught on camera kissing the hand—even if it was gloved—of a retired schoolteacher. Ahmadinejad's sexy faux pas, at a ceremony honoring the country's teachers, is a violation of Shariah law, hard-liners say.

(Newser) - The "abortion ship" is returning to international waters after a three-year hiatus, offering early-term procedures to women whose countries ban them. The Dutch nonprofit Women on Waves will distribute abortion pills to women up to seven weeks pregnant on the ship, which was prevented from docking in Lisbon in...

(Newser) - A new human rights report suggests that self-immolation is on the rise among Afghan women, who believe setting themselves on fire is the only sure way to end their agonized lives. The study interviewed the family members of 800 such women, who reported that rape, domestic violence, and accusations against...