- Aretha Franklin, the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, passed away this morning in Detroit. She was 76. Rest in power, sister.
- A 24-year-old woman has died in Buenos Aires after her attempt to induce a miscarriage at home using parsley resulted in septic shock and infection. The death of the woman, known only as “Elizabeth,” comes less than a week after Argentina voted against legalizing abortion.
- In Victoria, BC, the police have received over 50 reports about a man making sexually harassing phone calls to female employees of local businesses.
- In the Netherlands, a criminal investigation into multiple reports of sexual abuse within the Jehovah’s Witnesses has been launched.
- Mexico City has banned the use of female models known as “edecanes” at events put on by the municipal government:
“At Mexico City government events, models have generally been hired to greet guests, pass microphones around for questions or simply smile onstage alongside mostly male speakers…Women’s rights advocates argue that the widespread use of models at political and corporate events commodifies women as ornaments and perpetuates macho attitudes that put women at risk for gender-based violence.”