A House committee wants to require women in Florida to get an ultrasound before they can get an abortion. ...more

March 18, 2009

I have a project for Joseph Biden and Hillary Clinton to work on together: ending impunity for rape. ...more

January 11, 2009

Nylon rope, black electrical tape and a condom were among items seized during a search of an SUV linked to the rape and kidnapping of two Apollo Beach restaurant workers, according to documents released today by prosecutors in Hillsborough County. The evidence will likely be used in the case against Rigoberto Moron Martinez, Vicente Reyes-Carbajal and 13-year-old Jose Walle. The trio are charged with the Apollo Beach rapes on Aug. 15 as well as a similar attack at a St. Petersburg restaurant in July. The evidence was listed among 300 pages of discovery typically shared among lawyers prior to trial. The documents also reveal that one of the Apollo Beach rape victims had duct tape in her hair when deputies found her along I-75 in Manatee County just hours after the rape. The women were held for several hours against their will and repeatedly sexually assaulted, then dumped along the highway, where they used a roadside phone to call for help. ...more

November 13, 2008

Even in tough budget times, there are lines that cannot be crossed. So I was startled by this tidbit reported recently by the Associated Press: When Sarah Palin was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, the small town began billing sexual-assault victims for the cost of rape kits and forensic exams. ...more

September 30, 2008

Thank you, Melissa Dojka, for having the courage to tell this community about the rape you suffered at the hands of three marauding thugs who, if found guilty in a court of law, should be locked up for life. ...more

September 22, 2008

A 13-year-old who authorities say is connected to several rapes in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties will be charged as an adult, according to prosecutors. ...more

September 10, 2008

Starting next year across the country, rape victims too afraid or too ashamed to go to police can undergo an emergency-room forensic rape exam, and the evidence gathered will be kept on file in a sealed envelope in case they decide to press charges. ...more

May 18, 2008

Even though Florida voters just approved a referendum to lower property taxes for some homeowners, legislation has been introduced to raise the taxes elsewhere: on cigarettes. Rep. Jim Waldman, D-Coconut Creek, has introduced a bill to raise the tax on cigarettes by $1. Sen Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, plans to introduce a similar bill in the Senate. ...more

February 15, 2008

Christie Telebrico is scared. She's scared for herself. She's scared for her neighbors. But mostly, she's scared for her daughters – all five of them. ...more

January 18, 2008

The man once known as the "Hyde Park rapist" has been released again from a state treatment center. ...more

January 18, 2008