Vt. lawmakers to hold public hearing on abortion rights amendment this week
A proposed Constitutional amendment guaranteeing that every Vermonter is "afforded personal reproductive liberty," is a top priority for House lawmakers this session.
Advocates say passing the amendment has become more urgent because the U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing a case that could overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion ruling.
Deputy Solicitor General Eleanor Spottswood told a House committee this week that the proposal has an impact on both women and men.
"Proposal Five encompasses more than just abortion,” Spottswood said. “It protects both women and men protecting the rights to choose or refuse contraception, to choose or refuse sterilization, the right to become pregnant and the right to choose abortion."
Lawmakers will hold a public hearing on Proposal Five this week.
Vt. Senate gives strong support to legislation updating medical aid-in-dying law
The Vermont Senate on Friday gave strong support to legislation that updates Vermont's medical aid-in-dying law.
The existing law requires terminally ill patients to meet with a doctor in person before they can prescribe life-ending drugs.
Addison Sen. Ruth Hardy says patients will now be able to use telemedicine when appropriate.
"Clinical practice has determined when telemedicine is and is not appropriate,” Hardy said. “Thus, S.74 allows for the use of telemedicine using both audio and visual when clinically appropriate to request medication to aid in dying."
Hardy says 116 Vermonters have chosen to use end-of-life services since the law first went into effect in 2013.
State lawmakers support proposal to clarify constitutional language on slavery
A House committee on Friday advanced a proposed constitutional amendment that "clarifies that slavery and indentured servitude in any form are prohibited."
Amendment backers say it's needed because Article One of the Vermont Constitution bans slavery for people "after arriving at the age of 21."
St. Albans Rep. Michael McCarthy says it's critical to change the language.
"Because I want people who read the first article of our Constitution to not see exceptions to the prohibition on slavery, and just to have our values be really clear,” he said.
Lawmakers say the proposed amendment will be considered by the full House in the next week or two.
How is slavery to be defined? If it involves a person being owned by someone else, then all juveniles are effectively enslaved. There has been an effort to define slavery as a "peculiar institution," but if it means that humans are owned as if they were cattle, then the ownership of Africans was only peculiar in that it went from birth to death and beyond. If there is an age of emancipation, then there is a status of unfreedom.
I heartily disagree. Children are not "owned" by their parents, they are related. The ones who are bound to service are the parents whose responsibility it is to clothe, feed, care for and educate them. They are not little slaves. Just try getting them to clean a toy room or pick up their laundry. LOL!
No one in Vermont is enslaved under the law. Vermont was the first state to outlaw slavery. Our legislature is just ensuring that no one can in the future squeeze the law to enslave someone. I'm sure it's not been a big consideration until the likes of the DT supporters began to wield power in the nation. Better safe than sorry.
When I lived in China with my youngest (12), he did more than his fair share of shopping because his Chinese was so much better than mine After one such request he shouted out--I'M NOT YOUR SLAVE!!!! I said, Oh, I know. If you were, I'd sell you and get a good one. After a good long mutual laugh, he did go shopping.
I'm so grateful to our current Vermont legislature for anticipating near-future issues and taking pro-active steps to mitigate problems before they start.
Fresno area hospitals fill again with Covid patients [Click] While significant numbers of staff members are out due to coronavirus infection, exposure, or exhaustion. Seventy percent of admissions unvaccinated.
Linked headlines: “Fresno hospitals delay some surgeries again, due to COVID patients and infected staff” “Runaway COVID-19 infections reach record-breaking pandemic highs in Fresno, Valley region”
It figures; lots of poorly educated people, lots of politically right-wing people around here.
It is my sense that medical disabulity had become sore of a fail-safe for people who felt otheerwise ignored or deprived. The emergency room, from whith they could not be turned away, became a doorway through which other services could be accessed. In the 1980s emergency rooms provided refuge when the heatless house got too cold. Then, recognizing that emergency rooms were being used for non-emergencies, these facilities were closed and accident victims were routinely transported by air to regional facilities which were very inconvenient for famulies to access. Not to mention that people taking to the highways to visit hospitals were risking even more accidents. We could call it a vicious system, if it were intentional. But, it was all done in the interest of efficiency and practicality and cost shifting.
Vermont has had over 100 people in the hospital with Covid for 12 days straight (we have never had so many before!), and 43 deaths so far this month. All this with nearly 90% of the population vaccinated.
The hopeful news is that wastewater is now showing less Covid than before. Wastewater levels are the earliest sign of what's to come. Hospital numbers and deaths are the last to show changes.
I am inclined to think that iron-air batteries are a better solution for grid-scale energy storage; they take up more room, but cost far less, last longer, and do not contain notably toxic materials [e.g. cadmium].
Vermont is updating, ahead of SCOTUS…
ReplyDeleteVt. lawmakers to hold public hearing on abortion rights amendment this week
A proposed Constitutional amendment guaranteeing that every Vermonter is "afforded personal reproductive liberty," is a top priority for House lawmakers this session.
Advocates say passing the amendment has become more urgent because the U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing a case that could overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion ruling.
Deputy Solicitor General Eleanor Spottswood told a House committee this week that the proposal has an impact on both women and men.
"Proposal Five encompasses more than just abortion,” Spottswood said. “It protects both women and men protecting the rights to choose or refuse contraception, to choose or refuse sterilization, the right to become pregnant and the right to choose abortion."
Lawmakers will hold a public hearing on Proposal Five this week.
- Bob Kinzel, VPR
Vt. Senate gives strong support to legislation updating medical aid-in-dying law
ReplyDeleteThe Vermont Senate on Friday gave strong support to legislation that updates Vermont's medical aid-in-dying law.
The existing law requires terminally ill patients to meet with a doctor in person before they can prescribe life-ending drugs.
Addison Sen. Ruth Hardy says patients will now be able to use telemedicine when appropriate.
"Clinical practice has determined when telemedicine is and is not appropriate,” Hardy said. “Thus, S.74 allows for the use of telemedicine using both audio and visual when clinically appropriate to request medication to aid in dying."
Hardy says 116 Vermonters have chosen to use end-of-life services since the law first went into effect in 2013.
- Bob Kinzel, VPR
State lawmakers support proposal to clarify constitutional language on slavery
ReplyDeleteA House committee on Friday advanced a proposed constitutional amendment that "clarifies that slavery and indentured servitude in any form are prohibited."
Amendment backers say it's needed because Article One of the Vermont Constitution bans slavery for people "after arriving at the age of 21."
St. Albans Rep. Michael McCarthy says it's critical to change the language.
"Because I want people who read the first article of our Constitution to not see exceptions to the prohibition on slavery, and just to have our values be really clear,” he said.
Lawmakers say the proposed amendment will be considered by the full House in the next week or two.
- Bob Kinzel, VPR
How is slavery to be defined? If it involves a person being owned by someone else, then all juveniles are effectively enslaved.
DeleteThere has been an effort to define slavery as a "peculiar institution," but if it means that humans are owned as if they were cattle, then the ownership of Africans was only peculiar in that it went from birth to death and beyond. If there is an age of emancipation, then there is a status of unfreedom.
I heartily disagree. Children are not "owned" by their parents, they are related. The ones who are bound to service are the parents whose responsibility it is to clothe, feed, care for and educate them. They are not little slaves. Just try getting them to clean a toy room or pick up their laundry. LOL!
DeleteNo one in Vermont is enslaved under the law. Vermont was the first state to outlaw slavery. Our legislature is just ensuring that no one can in the future squeeze the law to enslave someone. I'm sure it's not been a big consideration until the likes of the DT supporters began to wield power in the nation. Better safe than sorry.
When I lived in China with my youngest (12), he did more than his fair share of shopping because his Chinese was so much better than mine After one such request he shouted out--I'M NOT YOUR SLAVE!!!! I said, Oh, I know. If you were, I'd sell you and get a good one. After a good long mutual laugh, he did go shopping.
DeleteState lawmakers move to confront threats against election workers [Click]
ReplyDeleteYay! Well done Maine and Vermont and Washington!
DeleteI'm so grateful to our current Vermont legislature for anticipating near-future issues and taking pro-active steps to mitigate problems before they start.
Fresno area hospitals fill again with Covid patients [Click] While significant numbers of staff members are out due to coronavirus infection, exposure, or exhaustion. Seventy percent of admissions unvaccinated.
ReplyDeleteLinked headlines:
“Fresno hospitals delay some surgeries again, due to COVID patients and infected staff”
“Runaway COVID-19 infections reach record-breaking pandemic highs in Fresno, Valley region”
It figures; lots of poorly educated people, lots of politically right-wing people around here.
It is my sense that medical disabulity had become sore of a fail-safe for people who felt otheerwise ignored or deprived. The emergency room, from whith they could not be turned away, became a doorway through which other services could be accessed.
DeleteIn the 1980s emergency rooms provided refuge when the heatless house got too cold. Then, recognizing that emergency rooms were being used for non-emergencies, these facilities were closed and accident victims were routinely transported by air to regional facilities which were very inconvenient for famulies to access. Not to mention that people taking to the highways to visit hospitals were risking even more accidents.
We could call it a vicious system, if it were intentional. But, it was all done in the interest of efficiency and practicality and cost shifting.
That sounds plenty scary, Alan.
DeleteVermont has had over 100 people in the hospital with Covid for 12 days straight (we have never had so many before!), and 43 deaths so far this month. All this with nearly 90% of the population vaccinated.
The hopeful news is that wastewater is now showing less Covid than before. Wastewater levels are the earliest sign of what's to come. Hospital numbers and deaths are the last to show changes.
California has huge lithium reserves [Click] The state is facilitating development.
ReplyDeleteI am inclined to think that iron-air batteries are a better solution for grid-scale energy storage; they take up more room, but cost far less, last longer, and do not contain notably toxic materials [e.g. cadmium].
DeleteAny stores of gold-pressed latinum?
Delete(LOL...Star Trek reference.)