Valerie Richardson
Articles by Valerie Richardson
Abortion issue returns to Supreme Court as DOJ fights ruling on FDA’s pill approval
The Biden administration will ask the Supreme Court to lift newly imposed court restrictions on a popular abortion pill, sending the pregnancy-termination issue back to the high court less than a year after its historic decision overturning Roe v. Wade was supposed to return the issue to the states to regulate. Published April 13, 2023
No apology: University president praises students after Riley Gaines protest ambush
Stanford promptly apologized to U.S. District Judge Kyle Duncan after he was shouted down by a student mob, but Riley Gaines is still waiting for anything resembling an apology from San Francisco State University. Published April 11, 2023
Attacks on churches surged in first quarter of 2023, report finds
Attacks on churches escalated in the first quarter of 2023 consistent with a years-long trend of rising vandalism, arson and shootings, none worse this year than the deadly rampage at the Covenant School in Nashville. Published April 10, 2023
GOP Rep. Nancy Mace sides with Democrats urging Biden to ignore abortion pill ruling
A federal judge's hold on the abortion pill should be viewed as more of a suggestion than an order, as far as a growing number of lawmakers are concerned. Published April 10, 2023
Wyden, AOC urge Biden to ‘ignore’ judge’s order blocking abortion pill
Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for President Biden to ignore a federal judge's temporary hold on the abortion pill, raising alarm about the rule of law taking a back seat to the rule of man. Published April 8, 2023
Expulsion of Tennessee Democrats draws comparisons to expelled Oregon Republican
President Biden condemned the Tennessee House's vote to expel two Democratic legislators, calling it "without precedent," which prompted critics to ask: What about Mike Nearman? Published April 8, 2023
Judge blocks abortion pills nationwide while another judge exempts 17 blue states
The status of the abortion pill was thrown into doubt after a federal judge temporarily blocked the Food and Drug Administration's approval of mifepristone, only to have the order countered by another federal judge. Published April 7, 2023
Riley Gaines says she was hit by activist, ambushed by pro-trans mob at San Francisco State
Former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines said she was hit by an activist and forced to barricade in a room to escape an enraged pro-transgender mob after a speech advocating for single-sex women's sports at San Francisco State University. Published April 7, 2023
Biden Title IX proposal opposes categorical ban on male-born athletes in female sports
Schools would be allowed to bar male-born students who identify as female from girls' and women's sports over safety and fairness concerns, but not impose categorical bans such as those passed by Republican-led legislatures, under a rule that the Biden administration proposed Thursday. Published April 6, 2023
Supreme Court: Male-born student can run girls track in West Virginia
The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a 12-year-old transgender girl in West Virginia to continue competing on her middle school's girls sports teams while a lawsuit over a state ban continues. Published April 6, 2023
White House: Children, parents should decide what age is right for sex-change procedures
The White House isn't a fan of states' age restrictions on gender-transition drugs and surgeries. Published April 5, 2023
Kansas Legislature overrides Democratic governor to ban biological males from female sports
For Kansas Republican legislators, the third time was the charm when it came to overriding the governor's veto of the Fairness in Women's Sports Act. Published April 5, 2023
ACLU sues to stop Indiana’s ban on gender-transition treatment for minor children
No sooner had Indiana Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill barring gender-transition medical procedures for minors in the state than the American Civil Liberties Union sued to block it, arguing the measure "takes away critical health care from a group of Hoosiers." Published April 5, 2023
Idaho, Indiana join red states banning gender-transition medical procedures for minors
Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed a bill barring gender-transition procedures for those under 18, making his the 14th red state to enact age limits as the debate over transgender rights and medical consent rages in state legislatures. Published April 5, 2023
What is a woman? Kansas Legislature passes bill defining male, female
The Kansas Legislature became the first in the nation to give final passage to a bill that defines what it means to be a woman, setting the stage for a veto battle with Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. Published April 4, 2023
Parents felt pressure from gender clinics to transition children, study finds
A newly released study found that parents who took their adolescent children to gender clinics said they experienced pressure to agree to the transition process and that their children's well-being was worse, not better, afterward. Published April 4, 2023
Two judges extend boycott on Yale clerks to Stanford after students shout down conservative jurist
Two conservative federal judges who refuse to hire law clerks from Yale Law School over cancel-culture issues have extended their boycott to Stanford. Published April 3, 2023
Hamline University president to retire after outcry over Islamophobia, academic freedom
Hamline University President Fayneese Miller said she will retire effective next year, making the announcement a few months after the faculty called for her to resign over her handling of an uproar over Islamophobia and academic freedom. Published April 3, 2023
Women’s History Month wraps up with bevy of honors for transgender figures
Having XY chromosomes no longer disqualifies you from being celebrated during Women's History Month, and it may even give you a boost. Published April 2, 2023
Biden rips anti-transgender ‘attacks’ on Trans Day of Visibility with no mention of Nashville
President Biden marked Trans Day of Visibility by condemning "violence" and "attacks" against transgender people, sticking to the Democratic Party narrative without mentioning the recent deadly school shooting by a woman who identified as a man. Published March 31, 2023
