Bush Administration Deletes Women’s Issues Information from Government Websites

Bush Administration Deletes Women’s Issues Information from Government Websites

The Bush Administration has quietly deleted and altered information on women’s issues from government agency websites, a research group has found. A report from the National Council for Research on Women (NCRW), released in mid-April, says the deletion of information on subjects including pay equity and childcare was "apparently [done] in pursuit of a political agenda." At least 25 publications were removed from the website of the Department of Labor's Women’s Bureau alone. Some items that were not deleted were reportedly altered: For example, information about the use of condoms to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases was changed to say that the effectiveness of condoms was "inconclusive." The National Cancer Institute's website was changed in 2002 to say studies linking abortion and breast cancer were inconsistent; an outcry from scientists resulted in an amendment to say abortion is not associated with an increased risk. The NCRW report also indicated that key government offices such as the Office of Women’s Initiatives and Outreach in the White House and the President's Interagency Council on Women have been disbanded, with attempts made at the Pentagon to disband the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. Finally, the report found that as of March 2004, Attorney General John Ashcroft had failed to conduct and publish a study required under the Violence Against Women Act to investigate discrimination against domestic violence victims in getting insurance.

Sources: "U.S. Deletes, Alters Gender Issue Web Data," Deborah Zabarenko, Reuters, April 28, 2004; "MISSING: Information About Women’s Lives," The National Council for Research on Women, March 2004.

Bush: Discrimination Against Women Not As Serious As Racial, Ethnic Discrimination

At a recent press conference, George W. Bush indicated through White House spokesperson Ari Fleischer that he does not consider discrimination against women to be an offense as serious as racial or ethnic discrimination. According to Fleischer, membership in a group that excludes women is not "a disqualifying factor" for candidates to Cabinet posts. However, when prodded, Fleischer stated that racial or ethnic discrimination is a "very different category for the President."

Sources: PR Newswire, "Press Briefing by Ari Fleischer," Dec. 11, 2002; Federal Document Clearing House, "Ari Fleischer Holds White House Briefing," Dec. 9, 2002

Bush’s Posturing on Sex Trade Meets Skepticism

The Associated Press reports that human rights groups were skeptical about President Bush demands that foreign nations crack down on the international sex trade, saying the problem can only be solved by addressing root causes like poverty and poor education. In his recent speech to the United General Counsel, Bush ended with warnings about the dangers of the trade in sex slaves. In a sleight of hand, Bush said that the U.S is committing $50 million to organizations that give shelter and medicine to exploited women and children, but did not say whether that money was new or already allocated. Jodi Jacobson, executive