COVID-19 & Healthcare

AZ House approves unlawful CAP bill for harassment and intimidation at abortion clinics

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TalibanThe Center for Arizona Policy (CAP) bill for surprise inspections of abortion clinics, HB 2284 (.pdf) was approved by Tea-Publicans in the Arizona House on a party-line vote on Tuesday, demonstrating that Cathi Herrod’s influence over Tea-Publicans has not been diminished following the public relations debacle over her Religious Bigotry bill vetoed by Governor Brewer. House approves warrantless abortion clinic inspections.

This bill is really about harassing and intimidating abortion services providers and invading the constitutional medical privacy rights of their clients. The bill is sponsored by a CAP water-carrier and Arizona state chairman of ALEC, Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Peoria.

Democrats and Planned Parenthood opposed the bill. The federal courts have previously ruled that snap inspections of abortion clinics are unlawful because women’s medical privacy rights are at risk.

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Cathi Herrod education bill SB1237 killed?

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Cross posted from the Arizona Eagletarian

Last Monday, after SB1062 had already hit the fan, the Arizona Senate passed SB1237, a bill to greatly expand the number of students eligible for taxpayer funds to pay private school tuition (Yarbrough’s STOs).

This is one of the bills 12News reporter Brahm Resnik asked Public School Superintendent John Huppenthal about the week before the SB1062 firestorm. Huppenthal acknowledged that the expanded eligibility would be extended to possibly 50 to 65 percent of students now attending public schools in Arizona.

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CAP is at it again with a heinous anti-choice bill

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Fresh on the heels of their embarrassing defeat with SB1062, comes the Center for Arizona Policy with HB2284, which would allow surprise inspections of abortion clinics and impose criminal penalties on anyone who is not the parent or guardian of a minor who assists her in getting an abortion.

Democrats and progressive orgs plan a response, similar to the SB1062 one:

As long as the legislature is still in session, none of us are safe from Cathi Herrod, the Center for Arizona Policy, and other aligned organizations. Fresh from losing the battle against legalized discrimination, they now want the government to meddle in women’s healthcare with surprise inspections of clinics that provide healthcare and abortion services. This law is intended to frighten women out of utilizing these healthcare resources–as well as frighten clinicians & doctors out of offering these services. This bill, if passed into law, would be unconstitutional, illegal, and drastically misaligned with the priorities of Arizonans.

We must keep fighting for what is right: our dignity, privacy–and our freedom.

ACTION:

1) Share this event with ALL of your contacts.
2) Join the presser on the Capitol lawn at 1 PM.
3) Call Speaker Tobin at (602) 926-5172 or email him at atobin@azleg.gov to voice your opposition to this bill.
4) Fire up Brewer’s phone lines again at: (602) 542-4331.

#NotYourWomb

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Post SB1062: Arizona’s Christian Extremists Make Headlines with More Legislation

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cross27-colored-sig-sm72Arizona’s anti-gay “religious freedom” bill (SB1062) met with a swift and forceful negative response in the streets, on social media, and on national television. Responding to pressure by business interests and worried about losing Super Bowl 2015, Governor Jan Brewer vetoed the bill.

Now that the tide of religious extremism has been thwarted, everyone can relax, right? Not hardly. SB1062 was only one of several bills designed to take away someone’s rights and backed by the fundamentalist ChristianCenter for Arizona Policy (CAP). 

The Huffington Post published a brief but comprehensive report (excerpted below) detailing the scurrilous collection of bills backed by the CAP and founder Cathi Herrod.

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Healthcare enrollment for AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders)

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Posted by Carolyn Sugiyama Classen

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As an Asian American born in raised in the State of Hawaii, this is important to me and my community here in Tucson. Press release info:
“Get your health insurance questions answered and help with enrollment during Enroll AAPI(Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders) on Saturday, March 1st from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center (1288 W River Rd).

Certified Navigators will be on hand to help people enroll in a healthcare plan. Information on the new healthcare laws and how to sign up to get healthcare coverage will be presented in English and selected Asian languages (Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Vietnamese). Representatives from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will also be on hand.

Free health screenings for asthma, cholesterol, diabetes, blood pressure, and osteoporosis will also be available. The diabetes test requires fasting 8 hours prior to the screening.

This event is made possible thanks to a coalition of partners that includes the Center for Rural Health at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, College of Pharmacy, College of Medicine, the Southern Arizona & Pacific Islander Health Coalition, Pima County Health Department, Health hand other community organizations.

For more information, please contact Kim Tham or Sujana Vinjamuri at (520) 300-0627”.

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