rhodes and leona b. carpenter foundation and the charles a. frueauff foundation. >> this week on "to the contrary" first, a new strategy for prolife activists? then, involved dads get a boost but involved moms lag behind. behind the headlines: the fourth world conference on women twenty years later. hello, i'm bonnie erbe. welcome to "to the contrary", a discussion of news and social trends from diverse perspectives. up first, legal wrangling over abortion a federal appeals court heard arguments this week about a hotly contested texas law that could be the new frontier for the abortion rights debate. the law mandates a strict set of building codes for clinics requiring upgrades that could cost millions. pro-life proponents say they're necessary to ensure the safety of women. but pro-choice groups say the clinics do not need the upgrades, can't afford to comply and will close. abortion rights groups claim their opponents are using an underhanded strategy to close clinics and limit access by pretending they are concerned about women's health. fi

rhodes and leona b. carpenter foundation and the charles a. frueauff foundation. >> this week on "to the contrary" first, is the president paying his female staff fairly? then, new research finds microcredit is not the magic wand it's been touted as to reduce poverty. behind the headlines: are online hackers anonymous helping or hurting women's causes? >> hello, i'm bonnie erbe. welcome to "to the contrary," a discussion of news and social trends from diverse perspectives. up first, the white house pay gap. does president obama practice what he preaches? former hp president and republican presidential candidate carly fiorina reignited that pay equity debate this week. fiorina confronted obama senior adviser valerie jarrett charging that the president is "not paying women equally, by his own measures in his own white house." jarrett refuted the charge saying white house women staffers are paid equally. they're both sort of right. according to white house salary data released last july, the average male staffer earns just more than $88,000 per y

rhodes and leona b. carpenter foundation, and the charles a. frueauff foundation. >> it's been a fascinating career for me. i wouldn't change any part of it. i have had challenges. i'm often the only woman in the room. >> it is important for the world to see the face of america. they need to understand that we are a diverse society and that diversity is our strength. >> bonnie: diplomats in the foreign service are the face of america around the world. they're charged with promoting peace and prosperity, advancing the interests of the united states and protecting. americans abroad. in the past two decades three women and two african-americans have served as secretary of state, the top u.s. diplomat. butts diplomacy has not always been diverse about. >> lia miller: the chemistry and the makeup of the diplomatic corps did not represent the american people. it was predominantly male. it was predominantly white. it was predominantly middle and upper class. >> bonnie: to recast that image the department has created programs and launched initiatives d