Federal court blocks South Carolina’s ‘pulsating’ abortion law

NPR: Court Temporarily Blocks Heartbeat Abortion Ban in South Carolina

Just a day after a bill banning most abortions in South Carolina was sanctioned by Governor Henry McMaster, a federal court blocked the measure. U.S. District Court Judge Mary Geiger Lewis granted a two-week temporary restraining order on Friday, while the case, brought by Planned Parenthood, continues its way through the legal system. The “South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Abortion Protection Act” would prohibit abortion as soon as cardiac activity could be detected with an ultrasound. The only exceptions would be in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is in danger. (Romo, 02/19)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio’s ‘Heartbeat Bill’ has never had an effect; 1 in 10 Ohio women thought abortion was illegal anyway

Ohio’s “heartbeat bill”, one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bans, never came into effect. But 1 in 10 women in Ohio thought abortion was illegal in the state anyway, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. While the majority of women in Ohio, about 64%, understood that abortions are legal in Ohio, another 26.2% were unsure and 9.8% incorrectly believed that all abortions were illegal in the state, according to one eight-month review of the Ohio Women’s Survey led by Ohio State University professor of epidemiology, Maria Gallo. (Balmert, 2/18)

In other news from Maryland, Maine, Georgia, Nevada and California –

The Washington Post: Coronavirus outbreak inside Maryland detention center sparks collective action

Defenders of detainees inside the Chesapeake Detention Center in Maryland filed a federal lawsuit on Saturday, alleging that a series of unsanitary conditions led to a coronavirus outbreak that affected 234 inmates and officials. The class-action lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court in Baltimore, alleges, among other things, that guards at the pre-trial facilities of 400 detainees rarely wore masks and that healthy detainees were forced into contaminated cells which have been sanitized. (Olivo, 02/21)

Bangor Daily News: Health advocates condemn cuts to smokefree programs in Maine’s proposed budget

In Maine, smoking costs more than $ 800 million a year in health care costs and contributes to almost 30% of cancer deaths. Health advocates saw this as a serious problem and said that Governor Janet Mills is making a mistake by cutting $ 5 million a year from state smoking cessation programs. This year, Maine is spending nearly $ 14 million on smoking cessation programs, but Mills is proposing to cut $ 5 million a year over the two-year budget as part of his proposal to keep state revenues in line with spending. Hilary Schneider, from the Maine chapter of the American Lung Association, told the Legislature Appropriations Committee that this is not the time to reduce efforts to get people to resign. (Leary, 02/22)

KHN: New single payment bill intensifies Newsom’s political danger

A group of Democratic state legislators introduced legislation on Friday to create a single-payer health care system to cover all Californians, immediately setting the biggest health policy debate of the year and putting enormous political pressure on Governor Gavin Newsom. The Democratic governor faces the increasingly likely prospect of a Republican-led electoral recall later this year. The single payer account increases its political danger on the part of the left if it does not express support, and of the right if it does. (Hart and Bluth, 02/19)

Valdosta Daily Times: Duncan talks about the state of rural health

Recently, Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan came to attention as a Republican speaking out against allegations of electoral fraud in the national media. But as a freshman legislator and throughout his years in the General Assembly, he was known for his efforts to support Georgia’s tense rural health system. (Group, 2/21)

AP: Pandemia Makes Prostitution Taboo in Nevada’s Legal Brothels

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the state of Nevada, which was dependent on tourists, had a notable attraction: it was the only place in America where anyone could legally pay for sex. Today, even in the state known for sin, business is taboo. Legal brothels have been closed for almost a year, leaving sex workers to offer less lucrative alternatives, such as online dating or non-sexual escort services. Industry professionals say many of the licensed prostitutes, who work as independent contractors, have been struggling to qualify for unemployment insurance since the closings began last March and some have chosen to leave their job in the shadows, offering sex illegally. (Price, 2/20)