Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, has become a controversial issue as it is implemented in the US and around the world. Hydraulic fracturing is a process in which water, sand and chemicals are pumped into the ground to create fractures in rocks which allows trapped gas and oil to come to surface. Environmental and health concerns associated with hydraulic fracturing include contamination of ground water, migration of gases and hydraulic fracturing chemicals to the surface and the potential mishandling of waste.

Same-sex marriage continues to be a controversial and divisive issue through the US, although a recent poll [materials] suggests support for legalization is growing. Last month, a Montana judge dismissed a lawsuit [JURIST report] that had called for the state to provide legal status to same-sex relationships. Also in April, the Indiana Senate [official website] overwhelmingly approved [JURIST report] an amendment to the state constitution that would ban same-sex marriage or any "substantially similar" status, and the Wyoming Senate [official website] in February approved a bill that would void in Wyoming any same-sex marriages and civil unions [JURIST report] performed in other jurisdictions. Same-sex marriage is currently legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire and Washington, DC [JURIST reports].

US President Barack Obama signed the bill to repeal DADT [JURIST report] in December, but the process could still take months. Last month, US Undersecretary of Defense Clifford Stanley [official profile] testified that the repeal is on track to be complete midsummer [JURIST report]. The Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 [HR 2965 materials] was approved in the Senate in December after being passed [JURIST reports] by the House of Representatives the week before. Since the enactment of DADT in 1993, approximately 13,000 servicemen and women have been discharged from the armed forces as a result of the policy.

Issues surrounding same-sex civil unions and marriages continue to be debated throughout the US. In April, Washington Governor Chris Gregoire [official website] signed a bill [JURIST report] recognizing out-of-state same-sex marriages [JURIST news archive] as legal domestic partnerships. House Bill 1649 amends the current law, which acknowledges out-of-state domestic partnerships and civil unions, but excludes same-sex marriage. The Senate approved the bill by a 28-19 vote after the House of Representatives passed the bill [JURIST report] by a similar margin. The bill will become effective 90 days after the close of the current legislative session. Also in April, the Arkansas Supreme Court [official website] upheld [JURIST report] a lower court decision invalidating a state ban on adoptions by same-sex couples. The court affirmed the decision of the Pulaski County Circuit Court invalidating Act 1 [ACLU backgrounder], a state law which prohibits all unmarried couples from adopting or fostering children in the state. The original suit was filed after the law was criticized for effectively denying all gay couples the right to adopt or foster a child because Arkansas does not recognize gay marriage.

We are deeply disappointed that the judge decided not to stop this unconscionable law from impacting Hoosiers seeking preventive, reproductive health care. ... The ruling means that Hoosiers who rely on federal funding have lost access to their crucial and lifesaving preventive health care at Planned Parenthood of Indiana. ... [We] will continue to fight on behalf of thousands of patients at our 28 health centers around the state who count on PPIN for health care.

Tuesday's bill was approved [JURIST report] last month by the Indiana House of Representatives [official website] banning abortions performed after 20 weeks of pregnancy, citing the possibility that after that point the fetus may be able to feel pain. Under HB 1210 [text, PDF], a physician must "[d]etermine in accordance with accepted medical standards the post-fertilization age of the fetus and which trimester the pregnant woman receiving the abortion is in [and] determine whether the fetus is viable" prior to performing an abortion. If the fetus is determined to be beyond the 20 week fertilization period, the abortion is banned. The bill makes the performance of an abortion beyond 20 weeks a criminal act with the limited exception of a procedure deemed necessary to save the life of the mother. The House also passed legislation [HB 1127 materials] mandating that an ultrasound be performed, and that the resulting image be viewed by the pregnant woman, before she can seek an abortion.

the realization of de jure and de facto equality between women and men is a key element in the prevention of violence against women; ... that violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between women and men, which have led to domination over, and discrimination against, women by men and to the prevention of the full advancement of women; ... the structural nature of violence against women as gender-based violence, and that violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men; ... ongoing human rights violations during armed conflicts that affect the civilian population, especially women in the form of widespread or systematic rape and sexual violence and the potential for increased gender-based violence both during and after conflicts; ... that women and girls are exposed to a higher risk of gender-based violence than men; ... that domestic violence affects women disproportionately, and that men may also be victims of domestic violence; [and] ... that children are victims of domestic violence, including as witnesses of violence in the family.

Domestic violence continues to be a global problem. A 2010 Human Rights Watch report condemned [JURIST report] a United Arabic Emirates practice of a "husband['s] right to discipline his wife." The report noted that women in these countries still face many obstacles in achieving equality, and, despite the progress, women in the region still have little recourse for domestic violence and face discrimination in employment, education and politics. In 2009, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) [official website] ruled [JURIST report] that the Turkish government is responsible for the death of a woman at the hands of her ex-husband because it failed to investigate complaints. A few months earlier, the India Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) [official website] announced that it would review [JURIST report] the country's controversial anti-dowry act [BBC backgrounder] because increasing numbers of Indian women had issued complaints about misuse. Despite legislation controlling the cultural and religious practice, India's dowry system continues illegally, leaving many women subject to abuse without enforcement of legal protections from so-called "dowry deaths". In 2008, Pakistan [JURIST report] instituted the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act, 2008 [text, PDF], moving a step closer to outlawing domestic violence in the country by protecting women, children and domestic employees from mental, physical, and sexual abuse. In 2006, the COE released a report criticizing [JURIST report] France's human rights record and identifying impunity for domestic violence as a shortcoming in the French judicial system.

Demjanjuk's trial, which began [JURIST report] in November 2009, was marked by extensive delay. Last May, the court denied a motion to dismiss the charges [JURIST report] filed by the defense, which argued there was a lack of credible evidence. The court rejected the argument, saying they found the evidence against Demjanjuk to be strong. In October 2009, Demjanjuk was found fit to stand trial after the court rejected appeals relating to his health [JURIST reports], although the court limited hearings to no more than two 90-minute sessions per day. Demjanjuk fought a lengthy legal battle over his alleged involvement with Nazi death camps during World War II. He was deported to Germany after the US Supreme Court [official website] denied his stay of deportation [JURIST report].