25 Oct 2023

Abortions in the US rose slightly overall after post-Roe restrictions were put in place, study finds

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By GEOFF MULVIHILL (Associated Press)

The total number of abortions provided in the U.S. rose slightly in the 12 months after states began implementing bans on them throughout pregnancy, a new survey finds.

The report out this week from the Society of Family Planning, which advocates for abortion access, shows the number fell to nearly zero in states with the strictest bans — but rose elsewhere, especially in states close to those with the bans. The monthly averages overall from July 2022 through June 2023 were about 200 higher than in May and June 2022.

The changes reflect major shifts after the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022 handed down its Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling, overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that had made abortion legal nationally. Since last year, most Republican-controlled states have enacted restrictions, while most Democrat-controlled states have extended protections for those from out of state seeking abortion.

“The Dobbs decision turned abortion access in this country upside down,” Alison Norris, a co-chair for the study, known as WeCount, and a professor at The Ohio State University’s College of Public Health, said in a statement. “The fact that abortions increased overall in the past year shows what happens when abortion access is improved, and some previously unmet need for abortion is met.” But she noted that bans make access harder — and sometimes impossible — for some people.

Meanwhile, an anti-abortion group celebrated that the number of abortions in states with the tightest restrictions declined by nearly 115,000. “WeCount’s report confirms pro-life protections in states are having a positive impact,” Tessa Longbons, a senior researcher for the Charlotte Lozier Institute, said in a statement.

Abortion bans and restrictions are consistently met with court challenges, and judges have put some of them on hold. Currently, laws are being enforced in 14 states that bar abortion throughout pregnancy, with limited exceptions, and two more that ban it after cardiac activity can be detected — usually around six weeks of gestational age and before many women realize they’re pregnant.

In all, abortions provided by clinics, hospitals, medical offices and virtual-only clinics rose by nearly 200 a month nationally from July 2022 through June 2023 compared with May and June 2022. The numbers do not reflect abortion obtained outside the medical system — such as by getting pills from a friend. The data also do not account for seasonal variation in abortion, which tends to happen most often in the spring.

The states with big increases include Illinois, California and New Mexico, where state government is controlled by Democrats. But also among them are Florida and North Carolina, where restrictions have been put into place since the Dobbs ruling. In Florida, abortions are banned after 15 weeks of pregnancy — and it could go to six weeks under a new law that won’t be enforced unless a judge’s ruling clears the way. And in North Carolina, a ban on abortion after 12 weeks kicked in in July. The states still have more legal access than most in the Southeast.

The researchers pointed to several factors for the numbers rising, including more funding and organization to help women in states with bans travel to those where abortion is legal, an increase in medication abortion through online-only clinics, more capacity in states where abortion remains legal later in pregnancy and possibly less stigma associated with ending pregnancies.

Nationally, the number of abortions has also been rising since 2017.

25 Oct 2023

Biden asks Congress for $56 billion for child care, disaster aid and other domestic issues

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The Biden administration is calling on Congress to pass roughly $56 billion in funding for a range of critical domestic priorities, including efforts to prop up the shaky child care industry and bolster natural disaster recovery work.

The supplemental request is the second major legislative package that the White House has sought within the last week, after the administration proposed nearly $106 billion in emergency aid primarily to support Israel and Ukraine. But it’s likely to face immediate political opposition from Republicans, who remain broadly skeptical of funding key elements of President Joe Biden’s domestic policy agenda.

The package includes $23.5 billion to bolster the government’s response to natural disasters in California, Florida and elsewhere across the country, renewing a request that the administration first made earlier this fall.

Another $16 billion is earmarked for the child care sector, amid warnings from lawmakers and advocates that the industry could suffer a wave of closures if pandemic-era subsidies are not replaced with new funding. The administration is also seeking $6 billion each to maintain initiatives that provide high-speed internet access and fortify the nation’s communications infrastructure. The package also includes several additional smaller priorities, such as nearly $1.6 billion to combat fentanyl and $220 million to prevent abrupt pay cuts for wildland firefighters.

The White House has argued that the funding is critical to avoiding disruptions to key elements of the economy, as well as continuing cleanup operations in areas devastated by wildfires and hurricanes over the last several months. The natural disaster funding would go toward specific disaster recovery efforts, like in Hawaii and Florida, as well as help replenish FEMA’s disaster relief fund and fund other repairs.

The package also represents an effort to demonstrate that Biden remains focused on major issues at home, even as much of his attention over the last few weeks has been pulled abroad by Israel’s war with Hamas and Ukraine’s ongoing defense against Russia.

Biden had faced particular criticism earlier this year for declining to prioritize child care funding as part of negotiations over a September stopgap budget proposal. The $16 billion sought in this new request is equal to the amount that advocates argue is necessary to stave off the collapse of thousands of facilities across the country.

“While we absolutely must deliver on key national security priorities as quickly as we are able to, we’ve also got to tackle the challenges facing families here at home,” said top Senate Appropriations Committee Democrat Patty Murray, who had personally pressed Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young and other top Biden officials to prioritize billions of dollars in funding for daycares and child care facilities. “We can stand with our allies around the world and solve problems for our families at the same time.”

Still, with less than a month before the government could shut down, those domestic priorities are likely to take a back seat — at least initially — to more urgent efforts to secure the White House’s foreign aid package and keep the government open.

Biden has cast approving Ukraine funding as a defining moment in the war, warning that cutting off aid now would allow Russia to quickly retake territory. Lawmakers are also eager to send help to Israel, efforts that have been stalled for weeks amid House Republicans’ inability to elect a speaker.

On Wednesday, the GOP-led House approved Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) as its next leader, elevating a conservative lawmaker who has opposed many of Biden’s top priorities — including sending more funds to Ukraine. The administration will now have less than a month to find a path for both their foreign and domestic funding requests, as well as strike a deal to keep the government running.

25 Oct 2023

Former Orioles manager and second baseman Davey Johnson, GM Hank Peters on Baseball Hall of Fame committee ballot

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The general manager who built the Orioles’ most recent World Series roster and the manager who brought them the closest they have come to a pennant since are both candidates for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Former Orioles general manager Hank Peters and former Baltimore manager and second baseman Davey Johnson are among the eight candidates on the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee’s Manager/Executive/Umpires ballot, which recognizes those whose contributions to the sport came in 1980 or later. To be elected into the Hall of Fame, nominees must be voted in by 12 of the committee’s 16 members; results will be announced Dec. 3.

Among his 42 years as a front office executive, Peters served as the Orioles’ general manager from 1976 to 1987, a stretch in which Baltimore was the American League champion in 1979 and won the World Series in 1983. The Orioles have not won a title since.

After serving in World War II, Peters worked in the St. Louis Browns’ scouting department and followed the franchise to Baltimore in 1954. He also served as the GM of the Kansas City Athletics and Cleveland Indians during his career. Peters died in 2015.

Johnson, 80, spent seven of his 13 major league seasons as a player with Baltimore, earning three All-Star nominations and three Gold Glove Awards. Two of his 17 years as a manager were with the Orioles, guiding the team to the AL Championship Series in both 1996 and 1997. The same day he was named the AL Manager of the Year for the latter season, Johnson resigned as Baltimore’s manager because of a feud with majority owner Peter Angelos.

Johnson managed the New York Mets to the 1986 World Series title and was National League Manager of the Year with Washington in 2012, making him one of eight to win the award in both leagues.

The other candidates up for election are former managers Cito Gaston, who infamously did not bring in then-Oriole Mike Mussina to pitch in the 1993 All-Star Game at Camden Yards, Jim Leyland and Lou Piniella, who made his MLB debut with the Orioles in 1964; former umpires Ed Montague and Joe West; and former NL president Bill White.

Zimmermann undergoes surgery

Orioles left-hander Bruce Zimmermann underwent core surgery Thursday in Philadelphia and is expected to be ready for spring training, the team said.

An Ellicott City native, Zimmermann, 28, is on Baltimore’s 40-man roster and had a 4.73 ERA in seven relief appearances for the Orioles this year. In 38 major league outings (27 starts) in parts of four seasons, Zimmermann has a 5.57 ERA in 158 1/3 innings.

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25 Oct 2023

U.S. Appeals Court rules student acquitted in Yale sex assault case can proceed with defamation suit against accuser, school

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A federal appeals court said Wednesday that a former Yale University student expelled as the result of a since dismissed rape accusation can proceed with suits for defamation and other claims against his accuser and the school based on an analysis by the state Supreme Court.

In a decision released Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed a district court decision dismissing expelled student Saifullah Khan’s defamation suit against his accuser, a former schoolmate identified as Jane Doe, and related claims against the university based on his expulsion.

Khan denied the rape allegation but was suspended and ultimately expelled after the charge was upheld by Yale’s University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct.

Khan also was charged with four sexual assault crimes in state court based on the accusation. Two and one-half years after the alleged attack, a state jury acquitted him of all charges after less than a day of deliberation.

Based on the acquittals, Khan sued his accuser and Yale for defamation and equal protection violations. District Judge Kari Dooley dismissed the cases, concluding, among other things, that the accuser was entitled to immunity from such claims because Yale’s sexual misconduct committee operated what amounted to a “quasi-judicial” proceeding, entitling her to the same protections and immunities provided by courts of law.

When Khan appealed the dismissal, the federal appeals court asked the state Supreme Court for an opinion on whether immunity can be conferred by Yale’s private, sexual assault  disciplinary process.

The Supreme Court said the committee could not confer immunity because the Yale disciplinary process “lacked a significant number of procedural safeguards… that in judicial proceedings ensure reliability and promote fundamental fairness.” The Supreme Court said Kahn effectively was denied the right to defend himself because the Yale process did not require sworn testimony and he was denied the right to counsel, the right to cross examine witnesses and the right to call witnesses in his defense.

An email seeking comment was sent to Yale.

Khan’s case has been followed closely because of questions it raises generally about the new model for discipline in sexual misconduct cases that many schools adopted based on direction by the U.S. Department of Education. In one of several such cases moving through the U.S. courts, UConn settled with a student who denied being involved in sexual misconduct, but was not permitted to defend himself before a school committee, which judged him guilty and suspended him.

Like Khan, the UConn student later prevailed in federal court.

Similar complaints have become increasingly common around the country, as schools — in a time of increased sensitivity to sexual coercion — investigate, arbitrate and impose discipline on claims of sexual misconduct among students. In many cases, those who are accused complain that institutional definitions of misconduct are too broad and the accused are denied opportunities to defend themselves.