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Vice President Joe Biden penned a heartfelt letter to the victim of the Stanford rape case — a story that has left the country stunned, outraged, and heartbroken. The case's convicted perpetrator, Brock Turner, was given just six months behind bars, despite sentencing guidelines that could have resulted in him facing up to 14 years. Why? Jail could have a " severe impact " on the 20-year-old criminal, Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky had determined. The injustice doesn't stop there.  It appears Turner — a former swimmer at Stanford University, whose athleticism somehow seemed  disturbingly pertinent  throughout the trial — will likely only spend  half  that time behind bars for good behavior,  The Chicago Tribune reports : just three months. Along with the rest of the country, Biden is both outraged over the injustice and saddened for the survivor. Biden — who led the charge in passing the Violence Against Women Act in 1994 and ha...

If you've tried antidepressants to treat your depression, you probably already know this, but finding the right one can be a trial. How a simple blood test could improve life for more than half of depression patients. JUNE 10 ,   2016 By   James Gaines Share Tweet If you've tried antidepressants to treat your depression, you probably already know this, but finding the right one can be a trial. SHARE There are many different antidepressants out there today, and each works differently. Photo from Joe Raedle/Getty Images. About  1 in 5  Americans will experience major depression during their lifetime. Antidepressant medication, either alone or in combination with things like  cognitive behavior therapy  or exercise, can be a powerful tool to help people live with depression — if it works. Unfortunately, the go-to antidepressants don't work for more than half of the people who try them. And about a third of a...

To the Parents of U.S. Teenagers, (An open letter.) Remember that intimate conversation you had with your son? The one where you said, “I love you and I need you to know that no matter how a woman dresses or acts, it is not an invitation to cat call, taunt, harass or assault her”? Or when you told your son, “A woman’s virginity isn’t a prize and sleeping with a woman doesn’t earn you a point”? How about the heart-to-heart where you lovingly conferred the legal knowledge that “a woman doesn’t have to be fighting you and you don’t have to be pinning her down for it to be RAPE. Intoxication means she can’t legally consent, NOT that she’s an easy score.” Or maybe you recall sharing my personal favorite, “Your sexual experiences don’t dictate your worth just like a woman’s sexual experiences don’t dictate hers.” Last but not least, do you remember calling your son out when you discovered he was using the word “slut” liberally? Or when you overheard him talking ...

An open letter to my coworker: It’s a Monday morning and we’re making small-talk. Like, “How was your weekend?” “You see that fire out in Calabasas?” “It’s been so cloudy lately.” “So, how about that rape letter?” you say. Yeah, you saw I’d posted about it “like seven times.” Yeah, I tell you it makes me angry. Angrier than usual. “Listen,” you say, and you pause, like: “I’m trying to figure out how to phrase this.” That’s when I pull out the thick skin. You know, the kind women always keep tied around their waists like an extra flannel shirt, ready to throw on before meetings or rape trials, or walking down the street, or making small talk at the office, The thick skin that says, “I’ll try my best not to get offended by what you say because I know how offensive it is to have my own opinion.” “People are saying that it’s 100% his fault and 0% her fault,” you say hesitantly. You say it the way women are taught to speak, afraid of their own mouths...