WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly been criticized as slow to respond to a widely expected U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended the nationwide right to an abortion, signed an executive order Friday that could preserve some access to abortion in states where the procedure remains legal.
Biden in a White House speech also brought up the case of a 10-year-old rape survivor from Ohio who was forced to travel out of state to access abortion care in Indiana, questioning if that’s actually the will of a majority of the state’s residents.
“Does anyone believe that it’s Ohio’s majority view that that should not be able to be dealt with? Or in any other state in the nation? A 10-year-old girl should be forced to give birth to a rapist’s child?” Biden said. “I can tell you that I don’t. I can’t think of anything that’s much more extreme.”
Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine declined to comment on the state law’s impact in the case this week, saying he had read about it in the paper. He did say he found it “gut-wrenching” that a man raped a child.
Biden, who began his speech from the White House’s Roosevelt Room more than 30 minutes late by talking about the morning’s jobs report, said the fastest way to reestablish nationwide protections for abortion is by voting in November’s midterm election.
“Based on the reasoning of the court, there is no constitutional right to choose — the only way to fulfill and restore that right from women in this country is by voting,” Biden said. “We need two additional pro-choice senators and a pro-choice House to codify Roe at federal law.”
Biden acknowledged the frustration and anger many abortion rights advocates and Democrats expressed after he gave a speech the day of the Supreme Court decision, calling on Americans to vote on the issue in November.
He doubled down on that message during his remarks Friday, saying the Supreme Court opinion in the case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, “made clear it will not protect the rights of women.”
“It’s my hope and strong belief that women will in fact turn out in record numbers to reclaim the rights that have taken from them by the court,” Biden said, opting not to call on men, who are needed for pregnancy to take place, to turn out at the ballot box.
Executive order
Biden’s executive order would direct the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary to make sure abortion medication “is as widely accessible as possible,” according to a White House fact sheet.
The president has also “asked the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission to consider taking steps to protect consumers’ privacy” when seeking information about abortion services and will request HHS “consider additional actions” to protect “sensitive information related to reproductive health care.”
As part of those efforts, the administration has posted websites to try to help patients protect information their cell phones may store about reproductive health care and about the type of health care records that are protected under the federal law known as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA.
The White House is hoping to combat misinformation that has become more common since the Supreme Court’s ruling, with Biden directing the HHS secretary, the attorney general and chair of the Federal Trade Commission “to consider options to address deceptive or fraudulent practices, including online, and protect access to accurate information.”
The executive order, Biden said, would direct the federal government to look into tech privacy.
“Now when you use a search engine, or the app on your phone, companies collect your data, they sell it to other companies and even share it with law enforcement,” Biden said. “There’s an increasing concern that extremist governors and others will try to get that data off of your phone, which is out there in the ether, to find what you’re seeking, where you’re going and what you’re doing with regard to health care.”
House to vote on abortion access
The Democratic-controlled U.S. House is set to vote on two bills next week addressing abortion access, though it’s unlikely either will get past the U.S. Senate’s legislative filibuster.
The first bill, the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022, would reestablish a nationwide right to an abortion. The second bill, the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act of 2022, would block state governments from making abortion travel illegal and protect health care providers in states where the procedure remains legal.
Congress is also slated to have a series of hearings on the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, including next week in the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee as well as the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions panel.
Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, chair of the HELP panel, said in a written statement Friday following Biden’s speech that while the executive order is an important step, the “fight is far from over.”
“The reality is that the President’s executive authority is limited — so the surest way to protect every woman’s right to abortion is electing two more pro-choice Democratic senators and protecting our pro-choice majority in the House so that we can codify Roe,” Murray said.
A federal judge in Akron has refused to dismiss a lawsuit between FirstEnergy Corp. — which has admitted that it bribed two top Ohio politicians with $64 million — and some of its shareholders.
U.S. District Judge John R. Adams denied a motion Tuesday, filed jointly by the company and its investors, asking him to dismiss the case in light of a proposed settlement preliminarily agreed to by another federal judge.
Adams accused the parties of “forum shopping,” or looking for a friendly judge given his previous skepticism of the settlement. He also implicitly accused FirstEnergy of protecting its former CEO’s riches, and the plaintiff’s lawyers of cashing in without properly investigating the company’s scheme.
The lawsuit traces back to the 2019 passage of state House Bill 6, which included several provisions favorable to FirstEnergy worth an estimated $1.3 billion to the company. This included a massive, ratepayer funded bailout for nuclear plants it owned at the time.
The agreement required the company to admit to a lengthy proffer of facts, cooperate with ongoing criminal probes, and pay a $230 million penalty to avoid a criminal charge of wire fraud.
Shareholders have brought three derivative suits against the company over their losses incurred by the scandal — one in state court and two in federal court. In March, FirstEnergy announced it reached a settlement with the shareholders. It called for the company to oust six board members and receive $180 million from company insurers.
U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley preliminarily approved the settlement in May but said he had no authority over other judges’ cases.
In Adams’ order Tuesday, he expressed incredulity at the lack of investigative efforts from the plaintiffs and the lack of consequences for some of the defendants.
The shareholders’ lawyers have claimed, defending the proposal, that this would be the largest settlement of its type in Ohio.
Big whoop, Adams said.
FirstEnergy already paid a $230 million penalty, he said. The case record indicates shareholders lost more than $1 billion in value when the news of the initial criminal arrests in the scandal broke and the company’s share price plummeted. The insurance payout is a fraction of these losses. He noted that the small army of plaintiffs’ lawyers on the case could take a sizable chunk of the proposed settlement.
“Given that counsel is permitted under the settlement to seek up to $48,600,000 in attorney fees, it is hardly surprising that the parties would seek out what they believe to be a more favorable forum,” he said.
He also noted a finding in a recent regulatory audit that found FirstEnergy could have reclaimed some of the $55 million it paid to then-CEO Chuck Jones during the roughly three-year span of the criminal allegations. Though the company fired Jones, it never invoked the contractual provision allowing it to reclaw the compensation, the audit found.
In his order, Adams also cited uncomplete exchange of evidence between parities, no testimony under oath from any defendants, and an incomplete forensic examination to identify “possible missing communications” from Jones’ phone.
While FirstEnergy as a company faces criminal consequences, its executives to date have not. The deferred prosecution agreement the company entered, meanwhile, doesn’t specifically identify who organized the bribery operation.
Earlier this year, Adams refused to allow any settlement — and at one point stormed off during a hearing — until someone in the case admitted who specifically orchestrated the bribery operation. Counsel representing plaintiffs identified both Jones and fellow executive Mike Dowling as the central operators. The two men are named defendants in the shareholder lawsuit.
John Camillus, an attorney and “liaison counsel” for some of the plaintiffs, declined to comment.
Goshen and Miami Township (Clermont County), Ohio – A EF2 tornado with winds at 135 mph touched down along a 4.5 mile path in Goshen Township and a EF1 tornado touched down in the Bell Meade Farms neighborhood in Miami Township on Thursday, July 6 leaving physical scars and trauma that will last lifetimes.
Goshen Township Administrator Steve Pegram said he doesn’t believe the outdoor warning sirens sounded and a tornado watch had not been declared. It was the alert he received on his smart phone that first indicated trouble was brewing. He said in a news conference that the outdoor siren at the township fire station did not “go off”. He said they activate the siren after receiving a weather alert and that the storm hit about 30-seconds after receiving an alert on his phone. He continued, “So, there probably wasn’t even time to push the button” which would activate the siren. The station and administration building almost immediately took a direct hit from the storm, resulting in extensive damage and it could not be used for emergency operations. “The building the siren was on was destroyed, and I can’t speak to any other sirens”
Pegram said. He began coordinating emergency responsesusing using only his smart phone to coordinate emergency responses until the Hamilton County fire chiefs provided them with a portable command vehicle, an RV, to operate from. In the early hours of the storm, Pegram used the Township FaceBook page to give regular updates to residents and the media. It’s all he had.
Pegram was in his office when the storm hit and windows had already started blowing out as he and staff were on the steps leading to the basement.
Pegram encourages people to install a weather alert app on their smart-phone and to check with the county Homeland Security websites for more information about alert systems.
In the end, about one-third of the administration and police building was on the ground and had a gas leak that lasted for about five hours, according to Pegram.
Goshen Police parking lot surveillance video
On July 6, Goshen Township reported only 2 confirmed injuries. A state of emergency was declared at 5:43 PM. It has since been reported there were three injuries, two residents hit by falling debris and one firefighter injured while using a chainsaw. There were no fatalities, either in Goshen or Miami Township. Between 150 to 200 structures were damaged in Goshen Township.
A Red Cross emergency shelter was established at Goshen High School at 6707 Goshen Road where emergency oxygen equipment was also available for people’s medical needs. Shelter, bottled water, and food were available. Food donations can also be delivered to the high school.
“There was a lot of food at Goshen High School yesterday – Pizza, BBQ, and more were free.” (Photo by Goshen Township)
An emergency hotline has been established – 513-735-8500. The non-emergency number is 513-732-2231. Call 911 in an emergency.
Pegram said that each and every structure with damage was being inspected by the Township as well as the Clermont County Building Department and the County Emergency Management Agency. He said that perhaps 25% of the homes in the township had significant damage. He said the Duke Energy estimated that more than one-hundred “power poles” would need to be replaced before they could begin stringing new wires and it will, “take days”.
In a news conference Pegram spoke about Goshen being a tight-knit community and said that by the time he made it home to check on his own house, neighbors had already cleared his street of tree limbs.
There are two, 40 Yard Rumpke dumpsters provided by Clermont County Solid Waste available at the old Green School property on Goshen Road across from McDonald’s and available for residents to dump trash and debris.
“Woody” debris should not go in the trash, tree limbs, brush, etc should be pulled to the curb for pick up which will start Monday morning and continue most of the week.
The Township asks, “Please cut tree debris into small manageable pieces – 4’ is preferred”.
Township Service Director Chad Meadows looked out his office window to see the tornado already on the ground.
“Administrative personnel made it halfway down the stairs as windows exploded,” said Chief of Police, Bob Rose on FaceBook. “Officers in the police department didn’t have time to get to the basement, taking cover in rooms with no windows and a closet. Firefighter/medics at Station 18 took cover in a bathroom as a portion of their firehouse collapsed.” Rose continued, “I put out ‘an all’ call on the radio for any available unit to respond and officers came from everywhere, racing to the many different streets and neighborhoods affected. All of our neighbors that were not dealing with their own storm-related calls responded as well as agencies from much further away. I heard or saw police officers from as far away as Bethel, Batavia, Amberly Village, and many more. The Ohio State Highway Patrol sent troopers from all surrounding counties. The story is the same for fire departments. Engines and ambulances from all over responded.”
From the Goshen Township FaceBook page, “We have a lot of clean up activities scheduled for Saturday including hundreds of volunteers and dozens of Police, Fire, Public Works and Utility companies. The basic message is if you don’t live in Goshen, work here or have ‘official’ business, please stay away.” It is a rural community with an urban traffic problem. A lot of roads will be closed either temporarily or most of the day to help facilitate clean-up and recovery efforts.
WAYS TO HELP
• Donations can be taken to Goshen High School at 6707 Goshen Road.
• Stay away: Emergency services, road crews, Duke Energy, the many tree companies, and more respectfully request sightseers avoid the area. Traffic congestion is slowing work and causing gridlock at times. The basic message is if you don’t live there, work there or have “official” business please stay away.
• Dear Loveland Community:
Yesterday, a community close to us experienced a devastating tornado. Goshen has been declared a state of emergency. We have family that lives in Goshen and luckily they are safe. We would love to have the neighborhood help the families of Goshen in this time of need. Please consider donating bottled water, nonperishable food items, gift cards, new blankets, new pillows, etc. Many of these families are displaced. We are providing our mom’s Venmo account if you are unable to go purchase items, but want to donate money. We will take the money to buy items needed for families.
Please drop off any donations to: 10100 Sleepy Ridge Drive (at the corner). We will take donations by the garage or on the porch. Please look for signs that we will put out. Also, Loveland Magazine will be helping us collect items. You can drop off items at their location at 243 Wall Street.
Venmo: @Amy-Burns-93
Thanks,
Brady and Connor Burns
Loveland High School Students
• Goshen Tornado Relief Fund
A Disaster Relief Fund has been established by Connect Clermont, an IRS-approved 501c3 nonprofit. All donations are to be used for Goshen area disaster relief from recent tornadoes.
Checks are the preferred means of donation. Please make checks out to “Connect Clermont” with Goshen area relief in the memo line, and mail to:
Connect Clermont
c/o Disaster Relief Fund
2400 Clermont Center Drive
Suite 100
Batavia, OH 45103
Cash or check donations can be brought to any Park National Bank location.
Venmo and Zelle deposit capabilities are being organized. Details will be forthcoming.
• Loveland Legacy Foundation is actively collecting tax-deductible donations in support of the victims of the recent tornado in our area. A matching grant has been offered for the first $2500 collected.
• The Wicked Pickle: To our neighbors in Goshen we will be accepting Donations starting tomorrow all weekend long to help support our sister community. Donations can be made at the tiki hut by cash or Credit card. 100% of all proceeds will be sent to the City of Goshen. Please share this post and hope to see you all this weekend at the Pickle.
If you experienced any damage from the storm, the Ohio Department of Insurance has a toolkit that can help you through the insurance claim filing process: http://insurance.ohio.gov/…/home…/severe-weather-toolkit. Have questions? Email consumer.complaint@insurance.ohio.gov OR call 1-800-686-1526.
Move2Loveland: To our Goshen Ohio neighbors, our office is just down the street!
Please feel free to stop in for some cool A/C, power to charge your devices, and internet as well
Our thoughts and prayers are with those that lost homes and any treasured possessions.
We are here M-F from 9-5.
Clermont County Board of DD: We are collecting items for those affected by the Goshen and Wayne Township tornado on July 6. If you have non-perishable food items you would like to donate, you can drop them off at the Wildey Center, Main Entrance Door A-1, at any time the gates are open. Just leave your items inside the door in the vestibule. THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS!
Here are some suggested items:
• bottled water or water in gallon jugs
• peanut butter
• jelly in plastic bottles
• Nutella
• crackers of all kinds
• canned meat (such as canned chicken that requires no cooking)
• canned soups (water can be heated on a camp stove or grill to make this a hot meal)
• tea bags
• lemonade
• canned pasta (such as Spaghetti O’s or ravioli)
• canned fruit
• cereal
• oatmeal
• powdered milk
• juice boxes
• granola bars
• fruit snacks
• cereal bars
LIFE FOOD PANTRY
RESIDENTS AFFECTED BY POWER OUTAGES—Loveland, Goshen, Milford and outlying areas
LOVELAND LIFE FOOD PANTRY 541 Loveland Madeira Rd. will be open Thursday 10-noon and 4-6:30, Friday and Saturday 10-noon. Please come and let us assist you with food, personal care, diapers, household products. We want to help!
NEWS FROM MIAMI TOWNSHIP
Due to the significant storm event that occurred in parts of Miami Township on July 6th, the Township Service Department will begin limited curbside brush pickup. Due to the large volume involved and the time required to get back to normal, the weekly duties of the Service Department, the curbside pickup will occur in those neighborhoods that had the storm damage and are not intended for general pruning of trees that residents may take advantage of in other parts of the Township. The areas of the Township that will receive the brush pickup will be the neighborhoods along the Branch Hill-Guinea Pike corridor as far north as approximately the Belle Meade neighborhood, to the east as far as the State Route 48/Smith Road area and extending down to SR 28. The areas impacted that will have curbside brush pickup are shown approximately in the area in red on the map, below.
The items will be limited to only tree limbs and brush, not construction materials or trash. Property owners will need to have the brush placed along the edge of the road or back of the curb outside of any lanes of travel.
As always, all Township residents may also utilize the Township’s brush voucher program by picking up free brush vouchers at the Miami Township Civic Center or the Miami Township Police Department and then drop off tree limbs and brush at the Bzak Landscaping located at 931 Round Bottom Road.
For additional information, please contact the Service Department at 513-248-3728 or the Township Administration at 513-248-3725.
CIVIC CENTER OPEN
Reminder to residents that the Township Civic Center is open and has power and public WiFi. Feel free to come up to charge phones or cool off. Please stay safe!
Loveland, Ohio – If you were in the parade you’ll probably see yourself! Here are the video and still photos of Loveland’s 4th of July Parade from the vantage point along West Loveland Avenue in the West Loveland Historic District.
All still photos were taken by Loveland Magazine photographer Sean Behling.
Here are additional photos that were taken by Sean Behing in Nisbet Park in the Downtown Historic District earlier in the day.
Goshen and Miami Township, Ohio – Loveland Magazine relied on our FaceBook presence last night into this evening to keep readers updated about the tornado that did extensive damage in Goshen and Miami Townships yesterday.
You can read about road closures and openings, how you can help, and the regular updates from township and county officials. Loveland Magazine on FaceBook.
CVC member Joe Lauber (left) and CVC President, and Loveland resident, Daniel Cobb (right) receiving Winemaker Magazine’s Club of the Year award in San Luis Obispo, California.
by David Miller
Loveland, Ohio – The Cincinnati Vintners Club, including several Loveland residents, won Winemaker Magazine’s Club of the Year for 2022; tops in North America.
2019 CVC Christmas Party. The club gathers each December to celebrate the season and winemaking accomplishments of the previous year. (Provided Photo)
At a June 5th ceremony in San Luis Obispo, California, Winemaker Magazine, announced the Cincinnati Vintner’s Club (CVC) as its 2022 Winemaking Club of the Year.
The award, which recognizes excellence in amateur winemaking, considers the number of medals won annually by club members in 50 categories. The 2022 international competition, the largest of its kind in the world, evaluated entries from across the United States and Canada and as far away as Sweden.
Mike Grimshaw (left) and Jake Russell (right) loading 1,000 pounds of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes into the CVC’s crusher-destemmer at Bob Vogt’s home in Loveland. (Provided Photo)
In 2022, Cincinnati Vintner Club members won 11 gold, 12 silver, and 13 bronze medals among 1,772 entries as well as recognition as Best in Show in one category.
This is the first top honor garnered by the club and a recognition of the vibrant, historical wine culture in Cincinnati. Club president and Loveland resident, Daniel Cobb, further explained, “this is a great honor, not only recognizing the skill of Cincinnati hobby vintners but given the small size of our club, the ability to compete with larger clubs in more established wine regions.”
The Cincinnati Vintner’s Club was formally established in 1980 among local, amateur winemakers who seek to promote better winemaking through education, experience, and exchange. The club’s 25 active members meet monthly to further individual winemaking skills and to promote their expertise in the craft.
The CVC works with other local wine clubs to exchange best practices and to source California, Washington, and Ohio grapes for local winemakers. These grapes are crushed and distributed in Loveland. Members compete actively in support of international, national, and local winemaking competitions including those of the Clermont County, Butler County, and Hamilton County Fairs.
Members compete in club competitions and regional, national, and international winemaking competitions to raise awareness of the hobby. They craft these wines for personal, non-commercial use, and for competitions. Their wines cannot be sold.
Members share their wines and the experiences of making them in monthly club meetings and at annual picnics and holiday banquets. Each fall, the club facilitates the purchase of premium wine grapes from California, Washington State, and Ohio on behalf of its members and affiliated amateur wine clubs throughout the tri-state area. They receive, crush, and distribute grapes at the home of Loveland resident, Mr. Bob Vogt; about 40,000 pounds per year.
CVC members crushing grapes at the Loveland home of Bob Vogt. The boxes hold 1,000 pounds of grapes and the maroon tubs hold 500 liters of crushed grapes, (Provided Photo)
Cincinnati Vinters Club does not yet have a social media presence. If members of the community are interested in the club, I encourage them to reach out to John Russell at jtrussellmaed@gmail.com.
Abortion foes celebrated victory in a 50-year fight on June 24, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade and allowed states to severely restrict — or even eliminate — women’s access to abortion. But for those who care for pregnant women, the ideological victory posed a swarm of burdensome questions they haven’t begun to answer.
Jason Sayat, a Central Ohio OB-GYN, said the Friday the decision came down started as any other. He and his colleagues juggled a full office load with duties in the labor-and-delivery ward.
“Then we were hit with the information that Roe v Wade was reversed,” he said, describing how through the rest of the day they dealt with not just patients’ medical conditions, but also their fears about what the cancellation of a constitutional right to abortion meant for them.
Within hours, the confusion increased when Attorney General Dave Yost filed a motion to lift an injunction against a 2019 Ohio law prohibiting abortions after six weeks of pregnancy — a point at which as many as a third of women don’t even know they’re pregnant.
Sayat said “it really put things dramatically and quickly into focus in terms of how these restrictions were well in place within hours.”
The six-week ban is far from the only abortion restriction that could be coming down the pike in Ohio. One lawmaker says she has the votes and support of Gov. Mike DeWine to ban almost all abortions, even in the case of rape or incest.
The flurry of anti-abortion laws and proposals has Ohio’s major health systems on their heels.
Individual practitioners such as Sayat, who declined to name his employer, are saying they need to know that Ohio health systems will have their backs in the months ahead. But he said that as of last week, “we’re still waiting for directives.”
He explained that while the political debate over abortion tends toward the simplistic, caring for pregnant women in the real world is anything but.
For example, Ohio’s six-week law allows later abortions if there’s a “medically diagnosed condition that so complicates the pregnancy of the woman as to directly or indirectly cause the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.” But who determines whether those conditions have been met? The Department of Health? The police?
“What this has all come down to is the violation or disruption of personal medical decision-making between the decisions of the patient and their trusted health care team or physician,” Sayat said. “It’s so individualized and complex that laws like this can’t apply to that. It’s not as black-and-white.”
And, he said, in situations where continuing a pregnancy is incompatible with the health of the mother, doctors and patients need to be able to make decisions “without fear of reprimand or imprisonment on felonious charges.”
The American Medical Association didn’t mince words in the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v Wade.
The organization “is deeply disturbed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn nearly a half century of precedent protecting patients’ right to critical reproductive health care — representing an egregious allowance of government intrusion into the medical examination room, a direct attack on the practice of medicine and the patient-physician relationship, and a brazen violation of patients’ rights to evidence-based reproductive health services,” AMA President Jack Resneck Jr. said the day of the decision. “States that end legal abortion will not end abortion—they will end safe abortion, risking devastating consequences, including patients’ lives.”
Ohio’s major hospital systems — operating in a state dominated by anti-abortion officeholders — have been much more cautious in their public statements.
The Capital Journal last week asked them four questions:
Will your organization provide out-of-state abortion care to your employees should they need it?
Will it defend practitioners making medically sound decisions — for example, terminating a pregnancy to protect the mother — to the fullest extent should they be accused of violating current or future restrictions on abortion in Ohio?
Are you concerned that current or future restrictions might make it more difficult to attract and retain talented practitioners?
Does your organization believe that, in restricting abortion, lawmakers and the courts are inserting their religious beliefs into the doctor-patient relationship?
Many responded by saying they don’t have any answers yet. Tausha Moore of Toledo-based ProMedica gave a typical response.
“Regarding your inquiry, we are in the process of evaluating recent changes to better understand the impact they will have on health care in the communities we serve,” she said in an email.
Marti Leitch of Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center made a similar statement.
“Ohio State is closely examining the decision from the Supreme Court and changes in state law,” she said. “If necessary, the medical center and College of Medicine will make adjustments to be in compliance with the law.”
Dorsena Drakeford of Cleveland’s MetroHealth also said her system is also reviewing the situation.
Amanda Nageleisen of the University of Cincinnati Health System also said it was continuing to review the situation, but “We remain deeply committed to the sanctity of the patient-health care provider relationship and will balance patients’ and health care providers’ interests in accordance with all federal and state laws.”
It appears that a big question the state’s hospital systems are grappling with involves ending pregnancies when they’re deemed medically necessary.
“While OhioHealth hospitals and clinics have not and do not provide elective termination procedures, we acknowledge that there are times when the life and safety of a patient may be threatened by acute medical complications, even early in pregnancy,” spokeswoman Stephanie Stanavich said in an email. “We will continue to offer care to our patients within the confines of any new regulatory landscape and always within the best practice standards of care.”
As the big hospital systems formulate their policies, Sayat, the OB-GYN, said he hopes they keep practitioners in mind.
“I think that the biggest part is that we as providers need to feel supported and feel like we have the resources to navigate the complexity of scenarios we’re presented with,” he said.
I smiled and thanked him. “Not sure how long it will last this time,” I said, “but we’ll see.”
by Stefanie Badders Laufersweiler
“Patriotism” has taken on so many different and sometimes wildly varying meanings and interpretations that even the word itself feels divisive, a point of constant contention. A contest rather than a coming together. Who is truly a patriot and who isn’t? Are you patriotic enough, or at all? Do your views, does your existence, insult the very idea of patriotism?
I wish we could throw out the word and find another.
It feels loaded, weaponized, and as worn out as this flag that someone painted at the edge of our dock. A few flags have come and gone in that same spot over the years. Fresh paint from some well-meaning fellow lake-goer always gives way to waves and wind that batter the concrete over time. But, someone always repaints it, eventually.
Today is the 4th of July, and some (like me) woke up not really feeling it. For those reeling from recent events (take your pick), it feels disingenuous right now to celebrate independence, unity and democracy as they relate to America. For others, it feels more celebratory this year; for some, it may feel the same way it does pretty much every year. And we all manage to offend each other with our individual takes, long after the fireworks and barbecues are over.
I still love this country, even when it’s hard. Even when I believe we have endless work to do to make it a better place. Even when it doesn’t feel all that united. Even when the weight of our differences, our inequities and our struggles feels incredibly heavy. Because, perpetually, underneath all of that is hope.
I still love this country, even when it’s hard.
Hope is what powers and empowers us. To keep trying, and talking. To show up always, or anyway. To set boundaries, but still leave a door cracked. To appreciate what’s been done that we can be proud of, while acknowledging there’s still much more to do, because this country is, if anything, a work in progress.
Today I walked down to the dock with some brushes and got to work repainting that worn-out flag. I didn’t do it perfectly; the stars barely resemble stars, and the stripes run into each other in places. But each stripe and every star is there, messy as it is. It got me wondering who painted it in the first place, and who repainted it after that.
As I packed up my painting supplies, I wished a father and his son good luck as their fishing lines hung over rail.
“It looks great,” the dad told me, eyeing the fresh paint. “It’s needed to be done for a while.”
I smiled and thanked him. “Not sure how long it will last this time,” I said, “but we’ll see.”
The sponsor of legislation that would ban nearly all abortions in Ohio said babies conceived via rape or incest still have a right to life.
Rep. Jean Schmidt, a Loveland area Republican, said on conservative talk radio earlier this week that her bill is likely to pass in the legislative session after the November elections.
“I do believe we have the votes in both chambers, and we have the full support of the governor on this bill,” she said.
The bill also creates a new misdemeanor crime of “promoting” abortion, for those who make, sell or distribute drugs or devices used to perform illegal abortions. Schmidt said in the interview this could be used to target some of the companies (including in Ohio) that have announced they will cover costs of employee travel to seek an abortion as needed.
When pressed by 700WLW host Bill Cunningham on whether Ohio should pass legislation banning birth control pills or condoms, she said she’ll listen to both sides of the debate.
House Bill 598, which Schmidt introduced, would ban most abortion in Ohio. Current Ohio law allows for abortions up to six weeks after a woman’s last period. The proposed legislation does not provide exceptions for pregnancies conceived by rape or incest.
Providing any abortion under the bill could lead to a fourth degree felony charge. The law allows the accused to mount a defense, however, if they only did so to save the life of the mother. That physician would need to provide written certification of the woman’s medical need along with that of another physician from a separate practice.
Likewise, the legislation requires at least two physicians present during the abortion: one to perform the abortion in the manner that provides the “best opportunity for the unborn child to survive,” and another to care for the fetus.
Schmidt drew national attention in April when she referred to a hypothetical 13-year-old’s pregnancy spawned by rape as an “opportunity.” Her recent comments, however, come after the U.S. Supreme Court last week overturned a landmark 1973 ruling that established a constitutional right to abortion. That decision wiped out the federal protection and returned control over abortion to the states.
A spokesman for Gov. Mike DeWine did not dispute Schmidt’s characterization of DeWine’s support for her bill, and noted that the governor has previously expressed support for conceptually similar legislation. Senate President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said this week he expects an abortion ban of some sort to pass in late 2022.
Schmidt’s remarks indicate no signs of a softened position, and a sense of opportunity after the removal of a major roadblock to restrictive abortion laws. They, and Cunningham’s questions, have been edited here for length and clarity.
Cunningham: What about rape and incest [as a potential exception to a ban on abortion]?
Schmidt: “Rape and incest is an ugly, ugly, ugly act of violence, and that woman is truly harmed and scarred, and those wounds will never go away and we need to make sure that she has all of the love and help and support. But to end the pregnancy of the child is not going to erase those wounds or those scars. That child still has the right to life.”
So, as a leader in the House of Representatives, you would not vote to ban birth control pills in Ohio?
“You know, that’s another issue for another day, and I’m going to have to listen to both sides of that debate. But right now, what I’m really concerned about is the life of the child, and the fact that we have the opportunity in Ohio to protect it from its conception until its natural death. That’s what I’m most excited about.”
Would you vote against gay marriage in Ohio?
“You know, Bill, that’s another decision for another day. The issue right now is abortion, and that’s one I want to make sure sees its end in Ohio in a very quick fashion.”
[Cunningham for 90 seconds talks about various alternatives to surgical abortion, ending in a statement that companies are starting to “pay” their employees $4,000 to travel to more liberal states that allow them to obtain an abortion and other “workarounds”.]
Do you know what I’m saying?
“If those companies want to do that, they better make sure that they’re complying with the laws of the states that allow them to do that. Because in House Bill 598, it says anybody that promotes an abortion will be under the issues of criminal activity. They might have a problem with sending somebody outside the state with a paycheck in hand, because that would be – in some legal eyes – promoting abortion.”
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If your tires are in need of some help, stop into your local Tuffy shop and we’ll make sure you start the weekend off strong!
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Please feel free to stop in for some cool A/C, power to charge your devices, and internet as well 
Our thoughts and prayers are with those that lost homes and any treasured possessions.
