Lest we forget-
Zack Morris Is Trash
Iago – Season 4 Episode 7
Double Dipper – Season 4 Episode 8
A Sting – Season 4 Episode 9
Speak hands, for me. – Season 4 Episode 10
Jun 10 2019
The Breakfast Club (Calm Before The Storm)
Welcome to The Breakfast Club! We’re a disorganized group of rebel lefties who hang out and chat if and when we’re not too hungover we’ve been bailed out we’re not too exhausted from last night’s (CENSORED) the caffeine kicks in. Join us every weekday morning at 9am (ET) and weekend morning at 10:00am (ET) (or whenever we get around to it) to talk about current news and our boring lives and to make fun of LaEscapee! If we are ever running late, it’s PhilJD’s fault.
This Day in History
The Six-Day War ends in the Mideast; Yugoslav troops leave Kosovo after NATO’s campaign of airstrikes; Alcoholics Anonymous founded; Actress and singer Judy Garland born; Singer Ray Charles dies.
Breakfast Tunes
Something to Think about over Coffee Prozac
Can any of you seriously say the Bill of Rights could get through Congress today? It wouldn’t even get out of committee.
Jun 10 2019
Six In The Morning Monday 10 June 2019
Hong Kong protests: Carrie Lam vows to push ahead with extradition bill
Leader of government refuses to withdraw the bill, which critics fear could lead to abuse by Beijing
The leader of Hong Kong’s government has said she remains determined to pass a controversial extradition bill, despite an estimated one million people marching against the legislation on Sunday.
The huge march, which stretched for more than two miles, was peaceful until midnight, when police and demonstrators clashed after attempts to disperse some remaining protesters from the area outside the legislative offices.
Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, a key target of the rally, said the size of the rally showed there we’re “clearly still concerns“ over the bill, but the fact so many people took part in the rally showed claims that the rights and freedoms of Hong Kongers, journalists and others were not being eroded.
Russian dailies publish same front page over reporter’s arrest
Three top Russian dailies on Monday published the same front page in an unprecedented act of solidarity over the arrest of an investigative reporter on drugs charges.
“I am/we are Ivan Golunov,” the Kommersant, Vedomosti and RBK newspapers declared in giant letters on their front pages.
Golunov, a 36-year-old investigative reporter with Meduza, an independent Russian-language media outlet, was detained last week over allegations that he manufactured and dealt drugs.
His arrest sparked outrage among Russian journalists and supporters who say the charges against him are a punishment for his reporting.
Golunov faces between 10 and 20 years in prison if convicted.
These North Korean defectors were sold into China as cybersex slaves. Then they escaped
Updated 0409 GMT (1209 HKT) June 10, 2019
Wearing big black headphones and sitting on a blue floral bedspread, North Korean defector Lee Yumi was video chatting with yet another stranger online, dark rings shading the pale skin under her eyes.
For five years, Lee — whose name has been changed for her safety — says she had been imprisoned with a handful of other girls in a tiny apartment in northeast China, after the broker she trusted to plan her escape from North Korea sold her to a cybersex operator. Her captor allowed her to leave the apartment once every six months. Attempts to escape had failed.
Sudan: ‘Several killed’ on first day of civil disobedience
Group of doctors linked with protesters says four people killed in capital Khartoum and neighbouring Omdurman city.
At least four people were killed as Sudanese security forces moved to quell a civil disobedience campaign launched on Sunday that left streets in the capital Khartoum largely deserted.
Public transport was barely functioning and most commercial banks, private companies and markets were shut, though some state banks and public utility offices were open.
Opposition and protest groups had called for workers to stay at home after security forces stormed a protest camp on Monday, killing dozens and dealing a blow to hopes of a peaceful transition after the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April.
Kathua child rape and murder: India court finds six guilty
Six of eight men accused of the rape, torture and murder of an eight-year-old Muslim girl in Indian-administered Kashmir have been found guilty in a specially convened fast-track court.
The victim, who belonged to a Muslim nomadic tribe, was found in a forest near Kathua city in January 2018.
The case made headlines when Hindu right-wing groups and lawyers protested over the arrest of the eight men.
All of them had pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
One of them – the son of one of those convicted – has been acquitted. The eight accused include a retired government official, four police officers and a minor.
HIDDEN PLOT
Exclusive: Brazil’s Top Prosecutors Who Indicted Lula Schemed in Secret Messages to Prevent His Party From Winning 2018 Election
AN ENORMOUS TROVE of secret documents reveals that Brazil’s most powerful prosecutors, who have spent years insisting they are apolitical, instead plotted to prevent the Workers’ Party (PT) from winning the 2018 presidential election by blocking or weakening a pre-election interview with former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva with the explicit purpose of affecting the outcome of the election.
The massive archive, provided exclusively to The Intercept, shows multiple examples of politicized abuse of prosecutorial powers by those who led the country’s sweeping Operation Car Wash corruption probe since 2014. It also reveals a long-denied political and ideological agenda. One glaring example occurred 10 days before the first round of presidential voting last year, when a Supreme Court justice granted a petition from the country’s largest newspaper, Folha de São Paulo, to interview Lula, who was in prison on corruption charges brought by the Car Wash task force.
Japan’s resident Koreans endure a climate of hate
BY PHILIP BRASOR
SPECIAL TO THE JAPAN TIMES
Later this month, the Diet’s Upper House will pass a bill submitted by the ruling coalition addressing the problem of hate speech, specifically directed at non-Japanese. As sociologist Takehiro Akedo explains in his article for the Web magazine Synodos, the Liberal Democratic Party isn’t enthusiastic about the bill, but when the Democratic Party of Japan was in power it drafted its own, so the LDP feels it has to follow through, especially since the U.N. has told Japan it needs such a law. Akedo pointed out the bill’s flaws: The definition of victims is too narrow and — a flaw in the DPJ draft, as well — there are no enforceable punishments. The main opposition party complained that the LDP bill doesn’t even “prohibit” hate speech.
In order to appreciate how pointless the bill is, it’s important to know that the main target of Japanese hate speech is resident Koreans, most of whom were born and raised here. Since they don’t have Japanese nationality, they are technically foreigners, though many have never stepped outside of Japan. The government has always insisted they can become Japanese nationals, and each year about 7,000 do, but in any case, many want to keep their Korean identity.
Jun 09 2019
Formula One: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
As the tastefully diffused for maximum visibility but pitiless and relentless LEDs glinted off the stark and spotless Epoxy of Maranello, Scuderia Marlboro was worried.
Manufacturers’ Standings
| Rank | Team | Points |
| 1 | Mercedes | 257 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 139 |
| 3 | Red Bull Racing Honda | 110 |
| 4 | McLaren Renault | 30 |
| 5 | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 17 |
| 6 | Haas Ferrari | 16 |
| 7 | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 16 |
| 8 | Renault | 14 |
| 9 | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 13 |
Of the 6 races of 21 total this season they have wone exactly…
None.
Drivers’ Standings
| Rank | Driver | Team | Points | Rank | Driver | Team | Points |
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 137 | 2 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 120 |
| 3 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 82 | 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda | 78 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 57 | 6 | Pierre Gasly | Red Bull Racing Honda | 32 |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren Renault | 18 | 8 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 14 |
| 9 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 13 | 10 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 13 |
| 11 | Lando Norris | McLaren Renault | 12 | 12 | Daniil Kvyat | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 9 |
| 13 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 8 | 14 | Alexander Albon | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 7 |
| 15 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 6 | 16 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 4 |
| 17 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | 2 |
Before yesterday they only had one Pole, LeClerc. Now they have Vettel.
It is Race 7 of 21.
Starting Grid
| Grid | Driver | Team | Time | Grid | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:10.240 | 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:10.446 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:10.920 | 4 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 1:11.071 |
| 5 | Pierre Gasly | Red Bull Racing Honda | 1:11.079 | 6 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:11.101 |
| 7 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 1:11.324 | 8 | Lando Norris | McLaren Renault | 1:11.863 |
| 9 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda | 1:11.800 | 10 | Daniil Kvyat | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 1:11.921 |
| 11 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren Renault | 1:13.981 | 12 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 1:12.136 |
| 13 | Alexander Albon | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 1:12.193 | 14 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | |
| 15 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 1:12.197 | 16 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 1:12.230 |
| 17 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 1:12.266 | 18 | George Russell | Williams Mercedes | 1:13.617 |
| 19 | Robert Kubica | Williams Mercedes | 1:14.393 |
Sainz takes a three places hit for impeding. Magnussen starts from the Pits following a change of chassis after qualifying.
The Scuderia could and should take this one maybe. There’s no question they need to. Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is well suited to Maranello’s supposed strengths with a long front and back straights on which they can show off that Barcelona Engine Power. Meanwhile Mercedes is finally rolling out their first set of upgrades. Why fix what ain’t broke? Hamilton wasn’t far off Vettel’s pace and it was do to a driving error (to the extent sub-optimal performance is an error). Over the course of the race the advantage might easily disappear.
Pirelli is bringing the 3 softest compounds it has- C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), and C5 (Soft). They’ll go off much faster than in Monaco because the speeds are higher and the track is blazing hot.
Jun 09 2019
House
Never Really Over – Katy Perry
Ok. That was a really horrible video and I’d suggest that you close your eyes and listen on your headphones but then you’d focus on the questionable lyrics instead of hearing that wonderful driving Bass line. You can push a lot of Vinyl with less Lionel Richie would say and it has over 39 Million views in the 10 days since its release on May, 30th.
In a way it’s a perfect Summertime Beach Party thing, the kind you’ll hear twice an hour on the Radio (do they still have those?) during the Day and then dance to in the Clubs at Night, waking in damp and sandy sheets of disappointment.
I predict it will be a HUGE hit (if isn’t already) and vanish forgotten to the K-Tel Vault of History.
This next stuff is better.
Trampoline – SHAED
3.7 Million views since December 5th, 2018. Yes, you did just hear that Sopranos ending (that is sooo funny on a musical meta level. She’s an Alto.).
Telephone – Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé
322,869,894 since published on March 15th, 2010 can you believe it? Now I can sort of understand an amount of skepticism about Lady Gaga (not really, she’s amazing) but…
Beyoncé?!
Jun 09 2019
The Breakfast Club (Salad)
Welcome to The Breakfast Club! We’re a disorganized group of rebel lefties who hang out and chat if and when we’re not too hungover we’ve been bailed out we’re not too exhausted from last night’s (CENSORED) the caffeine kicks in. Join us every weekday morning at 9am (ET) and weekend morning at 10:30am (ET) to talk about current news and our boring lives and to make fun of LaEscapee! If we are ever running late, it’s PhilJD’s fault.
AP’s Today in History for June 9th
Sen. Joseph McCarthy confronted over his anti-communist tactics; Author Charles Dickens dies; Comedian Richard Pryor suffers burns; Secretariat wins Triple Crown; Electric guitar pioneer Les Paul born.
Breakfast Tune Bye Bye Blues
Something to think about, Breakfast News & Blogs below
An Insurer Just Squashed the Effort to Create a Public Option in Connecticut
JORDAN WEISSMANN, SLATE
Just last week, it seemed as if Connecticut might follow Washington’s footsteps and become the next state to pass some version of a public health insurance option. Gov. Ned Lamont and a group of Democrats lined up behind a bill that would create a new, government-backed insurance plan and offer subsidies to some families that don’t currently qualify for help under Obamacare. “This is a bill that gives us the best opportunity in a long time to expand access to people who don’t have access to affordable health care and to bring down the cost of health care,” Lamont said.
Now, following a swift and fierce pushback from the state’s powerful insurance industry, the effort appears to have collapsed. Connecticut Comptroller Kevin Lembo, whose office would have played a key roll in implementing the legislation, told the Hartford Courant Tuesday that the legislation was effectively dead after the CEO of Cigna, which is based in the state, suggested he would move the company elsewhere if the bill passed. According to Lembo, the insurance giant’s chief “threatened to send a public letter to Lamont that if the public option bill moves forward, ‘they would reconsider where they’re domiciled.’” Cigna’s spokesman “said the insurer lobbied hard against the bill, but denied that any threat was made.”
The insurance industry is a major employer in Connecticut and holds an enormous amount of political sway. But if Lembo’s description of what happened is true, it may be a preview of just how vicious any battle over federal health reform would be. I happened to be on the phone with a Connecticut state Sen. Matt Lesser to discuss the proposal when the news of its demise broke. As he explained it to me, the most recent version of the bill would have required insurers that sold any coverage on the state’s Obamacare exchanges to also offer a standard, state-designed health plan, called the Connecticut Option, structured to be 20 percent less expensive than other options on the market. The government would have assembled a network of providers willing to accept the new coverage, and provided some additional subsidies to households above and beyond what Obamacare offers. It was not a plan to push private carriers out of Connecticut’s individual insurance market, which is fairly small to begin with. We’re talking abut very incremental change.
Nonetheless, a group of carriers wrote to Lamont last week urging him to kill the bill. It might not have posed any kind of serious danger to their bottom lines, but judging by the comptroller’s comments to the Courant, Cigna’s CEO at least seems to have viewed the fight as an early skirmish in a bigger national battle over health reform:
Lembo accused Cordani of acting more from political impulse than to protect his business.
“This is not an existential threat to them,” he said. “It’s an ideological threat to the CEO of Cigna.”
…
- American History and the 2020 Election
RICHARD D. WOLFF
- Legacy Democrats: The Party Abandoned You and Itself a Long Time Ago
KATHY COPELAND PADDEN
- Joe Biden, Prince of Prisons
Glen Ford
- Want to defeat Trump? Attack Biden
Bhaskar Sunkara
- ‘Is white supremacy not a global issue?’ Ocasio-Cortez dissects FBI’s terrorism definition – video
The Guardian: C-Span
- REVENGE OF THE MACHINE: NEW YORK PARTY BOSSES RALLY TO MELINDA KATZ IN PIVOTAL PROSECUTOR RACE
Akela Lacy
Something to think about over coffee prozac
When Joe Biden Collaborated With Segregationists
Jonathan Kozol, The Nation
Continue reading
Jun 09 2019
Pondering the Pundits: Sunday Preview Edition
Pondering the Pundits: Sunday Preview Edition“Pondering the Pundits” is an Open Thread. It is a selection of editorials and opinions from around the news medium and the internet blogs. The intent is to provide a forum for your reactions and opinions, not just to the opinions presented, but to what ever you find important.
On Sunday mornings we present a preview of the guests on the morning talk shows so you can choose which ones to watch or some do something more worth your time on a Sunday morning.
Follow us on Twitter @StarsHollowGzt
The Sunday Talking Heads:
This Week with George Stephanopolis: The guests on Sunday’s “This Week” are: 2020 Democratic presidential candidate former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX)) and Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard.
The roundtable guests are: ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Mary Bruce; former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R); Obama White House Political Affairs Director Patrick Gaspard; and Politico White House Correspondent Eliana Johnson.
Face the Nation: Host Margaret Brennan’s guests are: Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO); Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN); and Gov. Steve Bullock (D-MT).
Her panel guests are: Karen Tumulty, Washington Post; David Nakamura, Washington Post; Mark Landler, New York Times; and Kelsey Snell, NPR.
Meet the Press with Chuck Todd: MTP is preempted for the Men’s final of the French Open.
State of the Union with Jake Tapper: Mr. Tapper’s only guest is 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT);
His panel guests are: Political strategist Aisha C. Moodie-Mills; former Obama communications chief, Jen Psaki; conservative commentator, Scott Jennings; and “Bloody” Bill Kristol.
Jun 09 2019
Six In The Morning Sunday 9 June 2019
The week that finally laid bare the Brexit myths
Updated 0403 GMT (1203 HKT) June 9, 2019
Three turbulent years after 17 million British people voted to leave the European Union, Brexit has grown from a quaint word to an ugly cloud hanging over the nation.
This week it claimed its second Prime Minister, Theresa May, who was forced to step down after trying, but failing, to grapple with its inconsistencies, the many lies and exaggerations told during the referendum campaign, and the deep divisions within her own party.
The Brexiteers claimed for instance that Britain would “hold all the cards” (David Davis), “getting out of the EU can be quick and easy” (John Redwood) and that a free trade deal with the EU would be the “easiest in history” (Liam Fox).
Sudan’s generals launch renewed crackdown to defeat general strike
Arrests of white-collar workers to discourage protest follow assault by regime’s paramilitaries
The military regime in Sudan has launched a new wave of arrests and violent intimidation in an effort to undermine opposition plans for a widespread campaign of civil disobedience.
Pro-reform groups have warned of a “frenzied campaign launched by the military junta to arrest political activists and revolutionaries” this weekend ahead of a general strike set to start on Sunday.
Professionals, including bankers, doctors, air traffic control staff, pilots, electrical engineers and economists, have been targeted by intelligence services in what the Sudanese Professionals Association, one of the main opposition groups, said was an “obvious attempt” to break the strike.
How Green parties are on the march after big wins across Europe
The surge seen at the European elections represents a fundamental shift in politics, says Jon Stone
It was the surprise story of the European elections: across the continent, Greenparties surged. But it hasn’t stopped since then: buoyed by the momentum of their new MEPs, ecologists are making further gains.
In Germany, the latest poll shows the country’s Greens practically neck-and-neck with Angela Merkel’s conservatives, who have dominated the country’s politics for well over a decade. With the governing coalition facing a rough patch, there’s even talk that fresh early elections could put the ecologists in charge at the head of a centre-left alliance.
Other countries are also seeing ecologists get in on power. In Finland, the Greens are a key part of the new governing coalition, formed on Thursday, and have even taken over the country’s foreign ministry. There are gains in places like Ireland, France and Belgium too. In Britain, they are doing as well as they have ever done in the polls for Westminster, fresh from doubling their MEPs last month.
Sustainable Cruise Ships?A New Way Forward for a Dirty Industry
The cruise industry is booming — but it is incredibly damaging to the environment. Most companies rely on dirty heavy oil, but some lines are taking a different approach. Can cruise ships become sustainable?
The tallest flat screen display in modern-day seafaring will tower to a height of 17 meters stretching for seven floors from top-to-bottom, all visible to passengers from glass elevators as they travel between decks. The mega-display will often show travelers exactly what they can see out the windows or from the deck: The natural beauty of the Arctic and the Antarctic.
The Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten has focused its efforts on well-educated, environmentally aware explorers who are interested in the polar regions. And the company’s new flagship, an explorer cruise ship with an ice-strengthened hull and room for over 500 passengers, is designed to take the next step toward the goal of sustainable ocean cruises. Its most significant technical innovation isn’t the giant screen. Rather, it is the vast collection of battery packs shelved in two dark stowage areas below deck.
Tens of thousands rally in Hong Kong against China extradition bill
Tens of thousands of people took to Hong Kong’s streets on Sunday in a last bid to block a proposed extradition law that would allow suspects to be sent to China to face trial, with police bracing for the biggest march in the city in 15 years.
Police chiefs called for public restraint, government-funded broadcaster RTHK reported, as they mobilised more than 2,000 officers for a march in Honk Kong that organisers expect to draw more than 500,000 people.
This would make it the biggest rally since a similar number turned out in 2003 to challenge government plans for tighter national security laws, which were later shelved.
Venezuela crisis: Border with Colombia reopens after four months
Tens of thousands of people crossed the border with Venezuela and Colombia after it reopened for the first time in four months on Saturday, officials say.
The crossing was closed in February at President Nicolás Maduro’s request as opposition leader Juan Guaidó prepared to bring in US-backed humanitarian aid.
The country has faced shortages of basic supplies as a result of a severe years-long economic crisis.
More than four million people have fled Venezuela since 2015, UN agencies say.
According to Colombia’s foreign ministry, more than 30,000 Venezuelans arrived on Saturday, with almost 37,000 leaving by the end of the day.
Jun 08 2019
The Jewel Of The Triple Crown
The Belmont Stakes are perhaps the most democratic of the Triple Crown Races, held in Elmont right next to Queens (yes, you read that correctly. It’s an unincorporated Census designated place with no ‘B’ in it at all). Indications of that are they can’t settle on a song or a drink. The song has ranged from Sidewalks of New York, a charming Tin Pan Alley tune better known as East Side, West Side, to the Theme from New York, New York (as performed by Frank Sinatra and appropriated as the Yankees anthem and not the original Liza Minelli rendition), to 2010’s Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z.
Likewise the drink has changed from the absolutely un-potable White Carnation to the refined trashcan punch that is the Belmont Breeze.
I suggest instead the classic Cosmopolitan.
Ingredients-
Directions Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the vodka, Cointreau, and cranberry and lime juices. Cover and shake vigorously to combine and chill. Strain the cosmopolitan into a chilled martini glass. Twist the orange zest over the drink and serve. Note: The drink can also be stirred in a pitcher. |
This year is the 151st running as opposed to 145 for the Derby and 144 for the Preakness. At 1 1/2 miles the Belmont is the longest of the Triple Crown races. The Belmont track surface is looser, sandier, and harder to run on than most tracks in the country, also the NYRA is much stricter about “performance enhancement” than most racing associations, my stash of Furosemide will get me arrested and ejected.
Winning a Triple Crown is deliberately difficult. The Kentucky Derby at a One and a Quarter could be considered the “standard” distance while the Preakness at 1 and an Eight could be called a “sprinter’s” track. In Hyper-Modern practice any horse that finished out of the money (1st, 2nd, 3rd) at the Derby skips the Preakness for rest and relaxation and specialized “speed” horses are fielded instead to knock out the tired and weary Derby winner.
Should he win the first two legs they bring back their “tanned and ready” distance colts to crush him in the Belmont.
Horse Racing is kind of a dying sport, like Boxing (remember Muhammad Ali? He was The Greatest), and all The Belmont can muster this year to fill the Field is 10 Horses. Tacitus, Master Fencer, Spinoff, War of Will, and Tax appeared in the Derby with Tacitus finishing highest at 3rd after Maximum Security’s disqualification. Everfast finished 2nd at The Preakness where War of Wills was the winner. War of Will will be the only Horse to compete in all three legs of this year’s Triple Crown.
Joe Drape likes Tacitus, Intrepid Heart, and War of Will; Melissa Hoppert gives Tacitus, War of Will, and Sir Winston the nod.
Post time on NBC is around 6:30 ET
Jun 08 2019
That Meddling Kid- Mystery At The Theme Park
Jun 08 2019
Health and Fitness News
Welcome to the Stars Hollow Gazette‘s Health and Fitness News weekly diary. It will publish on Saturday afternoon and be open for discussion about health related issues including diet, exercise, health and health care issues, as well as, tips on what you can do when there is a medical emergency. Also an opportunity to share and exchange your favorite healthy recipes.
Questions are encouraged and I will answer to the best of my ability. If I can’t, I will try to steer you in the right direction. Naturally, I cannot give individual medical advice for personal health issues. I can give you information about medical conditions and the current treatments available.
You can now find past Health and Fitness News diaries here.
Follow us on Twitter @StarsHollowGzt
Missouri Orders Doctors To Sexual Assault Women
As the last Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Louis Missouri awaits the court’s decision on if it will remain open, state health official have cracked down on a rule for doctors before they can perform an abortion. Doctors are being forced by the state to perform an unnecessary pelvic exams on women prior to the procedure. This is tantamount to sexual assault since it is not medically required or needed.
Even before regulators moved to close the clinic, (Dr. Colleen) McNicholas says, the state had been adding burdensome regulations each year. One major example she gave was pelvic exam requirements. Last year, state legislatures began to require pelvic examinations as a requirement for medication abortions—a noninvasive procedure which normally occurs in the first-trimester. The clinic originally pushed back on this new regulation, but then ultimately decided to stop providing medication abortions all together. However, the following year, regulators claimed that the providers were violating the exact same statute by not giving pelvic exams to patients who required surgical abortions on the day they consented to the abortion, in addition to the day of surgery when pelvic exams are also performed.
“This demonstrates clearly from year to year they are just looking for yet another thing,” McNicholas says. “It ensures that no provider here is able to comply when we don’t know how this will be interpreted.”
The state agency is now claiming that the clinic violated laws and regulations, including a requirement that doctors give patients a pelvic exam at least 72 hours before an abortion and , again the day of the procedure, even if the patient is receiving a non-surgical medication abortion.
Pelvic exams are uncomfortable under any circumstance.
The invasive practice requires a doctor to insert a speculum into a patient’s vagina in order to examine her cervix, and to insert fingers into that patient’s vagina while pressing her abdomen to feel her reproductive organs. Even when it’s medically necessary, it is unpleasant. But when it’s not — when it’s instead performed only because of a state mandate — doctors say the examination can be traumatizing.
In Missouri, this issue — the subject of back-to-back episodes of Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC show — is at the center of the fight over the fate of the state’s last abortion clinic.