skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Defending Abortion Bill Would Cost WV

play audio
Play

Thursday, March 20, 2014   

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Defending the anti-abortion bill now on the governor's desk could cost West Virginia a lot of money.

Lawmakers just passed a bill that originated with a national political group connected to Republican operative Karl Rove.

It's a bill that critics say would almost certainly be overturned in court, if the governor signs it.

But the cost of doing that would be high, according to Margaret Chapman Pomponio, executive director of WV FREE.

"It's upwards of a million dollars,” she says. “Too much money. Any amount is too much money for the state of West Virginia to be experimenting with unconstitutional legislation."

Anti-abortion groups here say the cost is justified, given what they call a clear moral issue.

But others argue political operatives in Washington such as Karl Rove have been pushing unconstitutional legislation to create an election issue.

According to Sharona Coutts, director of investigations and research at RH Reality Check, the flood of anti-abortion legislation coming out of these groups is costing the states a lot in legal fees.

She says South Dakota has budgeted $4 million, Kansas has spent more than $1 million and other states are seeing similar costs.

"One of the Republicans that we spoke to said, 'We are anti-big spending. Why is it that we are pushing forward with laws when we know it is going to saddle taxpayers?'" Coutts points out.

For West Virginia, the cost could come as added work for the Attorney General's office or as fees for outside lawyers.

Chapman Pomponio says the money would be better spent on efforts such as preventing sudden infant death syndrome.

"It would be so much better spent putting this money toward pre-natal care, education for expectant mothers and fathers,” she stresses. “There are very real infant and child needs in West Virginia."





get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021