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.

Reproductive Rights Advocates to Gather at FL Supreme Court

play audio
Play

Thursday, July 12, 2018   

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Abortion rights advocates hold a news conference and demonstration in front of Florida's Supreme Court on Thursday to call on U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson to reject President Donald Trump's nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

The groups argue that since Trump has promised to find judges to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide, they believe Kavanugh will be able to do just that if he gets Senate confirmation.

Laura Goodhue, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, says there was no coincidence in their decision to rally supporters at Florida's Supreme Court.

"This is where a lot of those decisions start,” she points out. “We've had a tax on reproductive health care every year in the Florida Legislature. Some of those have been stopped at the Supreme Court level in Florida, and we just hope that we can continue to defeat these attacks."

So far, many conservatives have embraced Trump's pick, including Rubio, who said he was pleased. However, Nelson, a Democrat, said he expects to vote against Kavanaugh, but looks forward to hearing his views on women's rights and guaranteeing health care access to all.

The news conference begins at 11:30 a.m. on the court's front sidewalk.

Kavanaugh currently serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and was a White House counsel under former President George W. Bush.

Goodhue says Kavanaugh’s track record includes a decision to block a lower court's order that required the Trump administration to allow an undocumented woman entering the United States to get an abortion.

"So what we're hearing is a lot of disbelief but a lot of real concern for turning back the clocks on women's rights in this country," Goodhue states.

Given the makeup of the Senate, Kavanuagh's likely confirmation would give a 5-4 majority on the court to overturn Roe v. Wade.

However Goodhue says polls show there is little public support to overturn the landmark ruling, and other groups will join the call to oppose Kavanaugh, including Equality Florida on behalf of LGBT individuals.


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 …

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…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

 

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