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Early voting underway for Ohio’s November 7 vote on reproductive rights amendment and legal marijuana law
By Karen Kelser On October 13, 2023 COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Ohio’s month of early voting is underway before the Nov. 7 election. Voters will decide on Issue 1, an amendment guaranteeing abortion and reproductive rights, and Issue 2, a law legalizing recreational marijuana. Few lines were reported for the first day of early…
Ohio voters will decide a constitutional amendment on reproductive rights. Here’s what you need to know
By: Jo Ingles On October 19, 2023 COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Issue 1 would enshrine abortion and reproductive rights into the Ohio Constitution. Its opponents and supporters are making claims about what it would or wouldn’t do, and some of those claims are questionable. Voters on the reproductive rights amendment could be easily confused The…
“Partial-birth abortions” are banned in the US. Why is it a hot topic in fight over Ohio’s abortion amendment?
By Julie Carr Smyth On October 23, 2023 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — With Election Day closing in, anti-abortion groups seeking to build opposition to a reproductive rights measure in Ohio are messaging heavily around a term for an abortion procedure that was once used later in pregnancy but that hasn’t been legal in the U.S. for over 15 years.…
How new House Speaker Mike Johnson spent years fighting against gay rights
The staunch social conservative previously called gays “destructive.” By Will Steakin On October 25, 2023 In the wake of an unprecedented three-week void without a House speaker, Republicans on Wednesday elected Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson. While he is recognized within some Washington circles for his deeply conservative stances, Johnson, who was most recently the House GOP conference’s…
Judge temporarily blocks Tennessee city from enforcing ban on drag performances on public property
On October 16, 2023 MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked city officials in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, from enforcing an ordinance designed to ban drag performances from taking place on public property. An order issued Friday by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw Jr. bars the city from enforcing the ordinance during…
First it was Covid. Now abortion bans and anti-LGBTQ laws are complicating business travel.
Some corporate travel planners and HR leaders are quietly working to address a growing set of risks to employees as post-pandemic business trips pick up. By Harriet Baskas On October 22, 2023 Business travel is clawing its way back to 2019 levels as Covid-19 concerns largely recede. But as tighter abortion restrictions and anti-LGBTQ laws proliferate, some…
Georgia agrees to pay for gender-affirming care for public employees, settling a lawsuit
By Jeff Amy On October 19, 2023 ATLANTA (AP) — The state of Georgia will start paying for gender-affirming health care for state employees, public school teachers and former employees covered by a state health insurance plan, settling another in a string of lawsuits against Georgia agencies aiming to force them to pay for gender-confirmation…
Mental health among Afghan women deteriorating across the country, UN report finds
By Rahim Faiez On September 19, 2023 ISLAMABAD (AP) — The mental health of Afghan women, who have suffered under harsh measures imposed by the Taliban since taking power two years ago, has deteriorated across the country, according to a joint report from three U.N. agencies released Tuesday. Nearly 70% reported that feelings of anxiety, isolation and…
A Chinese #MeToo journalist and an activist spent 2 years in detention. Their trial starts this week
By Ken Moritsugu On September 19, 2023 BEIJING (AP) — After two years in detention, a Chinese journalist active in the #MeToo movement will go on trial this week, along with a labor rights activist who was detained with her in 2021, one of their supporters said. China often silences activists by holding them incommunicado for a…