InsaneJournal

New laws
July 1st marks the beginning of the fiscal year, which means a bunch of new laws are going into effect around the country. Here are some interesting ones:

HPV Vaccine: Indiana and North Carolina are both requiring schools to inform parents of middle schoolers about HPV and its connection to cervical cancer, as well as the existence of a vaccine. Nevada is requiring insurance carriers to cover the vaccine (yay!)

Sex ed: Colorado bans abstinence-only sex ed! Yay!

Sex offenders: Virginia is requiring sex offenders to list their e-mail addresses with the state...because it's so hard to get a different one. Nevada has placed new residence restrictions on sex offenders so they must live 1000 feet away from schools "and other places children gather" (so...malls? Movie theatres? Totally bad idea, Nevada. And you were doing so well!) Connecticut has created a new sentence for those who abuse children under the age of 13 (Finally a law that might actually do something)

Abortion: Women in Georgia must be given the opportunity to see an ultrasound and women in both Georgia and Mississippi must be given the opportunity to listen to the heartbeat. Now, if this is actually presented as an option, all will be well and good. If abortion providers start forcing these options on women, that would be bad, bad, bad.

Minimum wage: Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania are all increasing their minimum wages (Michigan is going up to $7.15. Yay my state!)

LGBT issues: Iowa's civil rights laws now cover gays and lesbians. Discrimination against transexuals (including those who are pre-op) is barred in Vermont.

So apparently, more good than harm is coming about this year, in terms of laws that affect feminism. Small steps in the right direction.