Latest news with #Abortion
Al Jazeera
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
James Dobson, controversial evangelical who advised US presidents, dies
James Dobson, a controversial and deeply influential Christian activist who advised several presidents, including US President Donald Trump and campaigned against abortion and LGBTQ rights has died. Dobson died on Thursday at the age of 89, according to the Dr James Dobson Family Institute, which highlighted his role in 'creating one of the largest faith-based organizations in the world'. No cause was given for his death. Born in 1936 in Shreveport, Louisiana, Dobson, who was a child psychologist, started a radio show counselling Christians on how to be good parents and in 1977 founded Focus on the Family. At the height of his influence in the 1980s, Dobson was viewed as one of the most powerful figures in the so-called 'religious right' or 'Christian right'. Critics viewed him as an agent of intolerance, but he had broad support in the US heartland, where his folksy style and love for hunting went down well. His organisation at its peak had more than 1,000 employees and gave Dobson a platform to weigh in on legislation and serve as an adviser to five presidents. Dobson successfully pushed for conservative Christian ideals in US politics alongside fundamentalist giants, such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, campaigning for bringing religious conservatives into the political mainstream. With his daily radio broadcasts heard on more than 3,000 radio stations in North America, he promoted his conservative agenda and encourage like-minded people to vote for candidates who reflected their views. This usually meant Republicans, although Focus on the Family's tax-exempt status prevented it from explicitly endorsing parties or candidates. Decades later, Dobson served on a board of evangelical leaders that advised Trump in 2016. He supported Trump in all three of his presidential campaigns. Dobson was a ferocious opponent of abortion rights and gay marriage, viewing both as attacks on the 'traditional family' and, by extension, his vision of a functioning society. But he denied charges from opponents that he was a bigot. 'It is primarily the homosexual activist community that has an agenda and sees me as a threat to it, and so they mischaracterise me as hateful and vicious. I've been on the radio for 30 years and you will not find one single comment [like that],' he told Reuters in an interview in 2007. He celebrated the 2022 overturning of Roe v Wade – including Trump's conservative appointments to the US Supreme Court credited with the landmark decision that allowed states to ban abortion. 'Whether you like Donald Trump or not, whether you supported or voted for him or not, if you are supportive of this Dobbs decision that struck down Roe v Wade, you have to mention in the same breath the man who made it possible,' he said in a ministry broadcast. On social media, while some mourned his loss, many highlighted the trauma they had endured as a result of his work. Dobson had encouraged corporal punishment of children and was a fierce advocate for so-called conversion therapy, a pseudoscientific practice aimed at forcibly changing the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBTQ youth. 'I know we'll have to contend with James Dobson's legacy for a long time, but I felt such relief this morning,' Sarah Jones, a New York Magazine writer, posted on X. 'He committed his entire life to violence and cruelty and now he's gone. I've been waiting to write his epitaph since I was a child.' Zach Lambert, a Texan pastor, wrote on X: 'It's genuinely hard to quantify the pain he and his organization are responsible for. I've walked with hundreds and hundreds of people who experienced severe trauma (spiritual, emotional, physical, etc.) because of his teachings.' James Dobson's legacy isn't 'family values' — it's intolerance. He blamed mass shootings on LGBTQ rights & abortion and reduced marriage to a sexist bargain. FFRF will keep fighting the Christian nationalism he — FFRF (@FFRF) August 21, 2025
Miami Herald
04-07-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Abortions can resume in Kansas City after Missouri ruling, Planned Parenthood says
Abortion services are poised to resume in Kansas City and across Missouri after a Jackson County judge on Thursday blocked a series of restrictions that temporarily banned access. Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Jerri Zhang, in an order issued late Thursday afternoon, halted requirements that abortion providers must obtain state licenses, among other restrictions. The licenses included rules that providers called unethical, including mandatory pelvic exams for women. The order marks a key moment for abortion rights supporters, effectively restoring access after a procedural ruling from the Missouri Supreme Court temporarily banned the procedure in late May. Planned Parenthood's clinic in Kansas City immediately planned to restore access on Monday, the organization confirmed to The Star. 'Abortion is legal again in Missouri because voters demanded it and we fought for it,' Emily Wales, the president and CEO of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, said in a statement. 'Care starts again on Monday in Kansas City. We're not stopping until every Missourian can get the care they need, close to home.' Thursday's ruling came roughly a month after the state Supreme Court ordered Zhang to vacate two preliminary injunctions that had allowed abortions to resume in the state. The Supreme Court order temporarily halted all abortions in what providers called a 'de facto ban.' The court had ordered Zhang to reevaluate her rulings based on a different legal standard. After a series of legal fights between abortion providers and attorneys for the state of Missouri, Zhang's order on Thursday blocked the same restrictions and effectively restored access. Zhang's order on Thursday was mixed and did not block all restrictions sought by abortion providers, including a ban on medication abortions. But the ruling halted enough of the regulations for Planned Parenthood to begin offering procedural abortions again. The order states the regulations should be blocked after voters in November approved an abortion rights amendment, called Amendment 3, that enshrined reproductive rights in the state constitution. The restrictions, often called TRAP laws or Targeted Restrictions on Abortion Providers, included a 72-hour waiting period before receiving an abortion and clinic licensing rules. The regulations effectively caused the number of abortions in Missouri to drop from 6,163 in 2010 to 150 in 2021 before the state's former ban was enacted in 2022. Abortion rights supporters quickly celebrated the ruling as a victory in the fight for restored access. 'Missourians voted to end the abortion ban and establish the right to reproductive freedom in the constitution, and today, a Missouri court once again ruled to uphold the will of the people,' said Mallory Schwarz, the executive director of Abortion Action Missouri. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican who fought against restored access, said in a statement that would he would immediately appeal the decision. 'I will always fight to make Missouri the safest state in the nation for women and children,' Bailey said. While Thursday's ruling marked a win for abortion rights supporters, it also comes as a new fight at the ballot box looms. Republican lawmakers in May voted to put a new abortion ban on the 2026 statewide ballot. If approved by voters, the proposed constitutional amendment, which will also be called Amendment 3, would strike down the November vote that legalized access and ban nearly all abortions in the state. Schwarz nodded at the upcoming ballot fight in a statement on Thursday, saying, 'attacking Missourians' freedom will always be a losing strategy.' 'We will defeat abortion bans as many times as we have to, and we know that the majority of Missourians are with us,' Schwarz said.
Khaleej Times
01-06-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Poland holds tight presidential polls with EU role at stake
Voters in Poland began casting ballots on Sunday in a tight presidential election with major implications for the country's role in Europe, and for abortion and LGBTQ rights. Warsaw's pro-EU mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, 53, an ally of the centrist government, was facing off against nationalist historian Karol Nawrocki, 42. Opinion polls suggest the race was too tight to call. Polls close at 9:00 pm (1900 GMT) in the country, a member of the EU and Nato that borders Ukraine and has been a key supporter of its neighbour in the war against Russia. An exit poll was expected as soon as ballots close and election officials predicted that the final result will be known on Monday. "I'm voting for Trzaskowski. He's educated, speaks many languages, is intelligent, just all round great," said Agnieszka Lewinska, a 56-year-old cleaner in the town of Halinow just outside the capital. Warsaw pensioner Lila Chojecka, 60, said she cast her ballot for Nawrocki. "Catholic values are important to me. I know he shares them," she told AFP, calling the candidate "hope for Poland". A victory for Trzaskowski would be a major boost for the progressive agenda of the government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a former European Council president. It could mean significant social changes such as the introduction of civil partnerships for same-sex couples and an easing of a near-total ban on abortion. Presidents in Poland, a fast-growing economy of 38 million people, have the power to veto legislation and are also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. A victory for Nawrocki would embolden the populist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which ruled Poland between 2015 and 2023, and could lead to fresh parliamentary elections. Many Nawrocki supporters want stricter curbs on immigration and advocate for conservative values and more sovereignty for the country within the European Union. "We should not give in to European pressure," 40-year-old Agnieszka Prokopiuk, a homemaker, said ahead of the vote. "We need to make our own way... and not succumb to trends from the West," she told AFP in the city of Biala Podlaska in eastern Poland near the Belarus border. Anna Materska-Sosnowska, a politics expert, called the election "a real clash of civilisations" because of the wide policy differences between the candidates. Many Trzaskowski voters support greater integration within the EU and an acceleration of social reforms. Malgorzata Wojciechowska, a tour guide and teacher in her fifties, said Polish women "unfortunately do not have the same rights as our European friends". "I hope that Rafal Trzaskowski will relaunch the debate on abortion so that we can finally live in a free country where we can have our own opinion," she told AFP. The election is also being watched closely in Ukraine, which is seeking to bolster international support in its negotiations with Russia as Moscow's invasion grinds on. Nawrocki, an admirer of US President Donald Trump, opposes Nato membership for Kyiv and has called for curbs on benefits for the estimated one million Ukrainian refugees in Poland. He used his last campaign hours on Friday to leave flowers at a monument to Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II. "It was a genocide against the Polish people," he said. The election's final result is expected to hinge on whether Trzaskowski can mobilise enough supporters and whether far-right voters will cast their ballots for Nawrocki. Far-right candidates secured more than 21 per cent of the vote in the election's first round, which Trzaskowski won by a razor-thin margin of 31 percent against 30 per cent for Nawrocki.
The Journal
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Over 1.2 million people sign petition to EU calling for financial support for abortions
MORE THAN 1.2 million signatures have been collected by a pro-choice campaign calling on the European Commission (EC) to propose financing 'safe and legal abortion'. The My Voice, My Choice campaign started collecting signatures exactly a year ago and today is the last day that people can add their support. This is a European Citizens' Initiative, which, if over one million are collected, requires the EC to officially reply to the petition, outlining its legal and political conclusions as well as any actions it will take in response. The campaign aims to 'make women's lives freer, safer, and better; wherever they live in our union'. Veronika Povž, communication director of the campaign said that 'those with enough money can travel for an abortion — there's always a way for them'. But it's the marginalised groups and those who can't afford it who suffer the most. Instead of interfering with laws and regulations of Member States, the initiative instead asks the Commission: 'To submit a proposal for financial support to Member States that would be able to perform safe termination of pregnancies, in accordance with their domestic law, for anyone in Europe who still lacks access to safe and legal abortion.' It proposes that this would be a voluntary 'opt-in mechanism' for each country. Effectively, that means that support would be provided in countries with more liberal abortion access to enable them to provide care for women travelling from areas with more restrictive laws. Advertisement Thousands of women continue to travel to access care, as reported by The Journal Investigates earlier this month in our Exporting Abortion investigation. We revealed that over 5,000 women in Europe travel from their home countries across borders for abortions each year. Few successful citizens' campaigns More than a decade after the creation of the European Citizens' Initiative, the EU's common petitioning system, it is clear that gathering a million signatures for or against a cause is a major challenge. Even among the 27 million inhabitants of the EU, to reach this high bar requires a lot of campaigning and funding. Each country has set thresholds for signature number, dependent on population size, and campaigns must get support from at least seven EU countries to be considered. For this pro-choice initiative, 19 out of the 27 Member States were over their set threshold. That included over 12,500 people from Ireland, far more than the 9,165 threshold. The highest number of signatures per population came from Slovenia (over 65,000) where the campaign started. Over 200,000 signed the initiative in France, with over 150,000 from Germany and Italy. Bulgaria, Luxembourg and Lithuania had the lowest proportion of signatures. Significant funding was required to get over the line. My Voice, My Choice declared over €830,000 in sponsorship since February last year. However, though this particular campaign has successfully collected the required signatures, it is only the 11th European Citizens' Initiative to do so since it started 13 years ago. In that time, 95 initiatives have failed — 68 failed to obtain the required signatures and 27 were withdrawn by their initiators — out of a total of 119 accepted by the European Commission to collect signatures. Related Reads 'I'll never forgive my country': Women on the trauma of having to travel to UK for terminations 'The most vulnerable are still being exported': Why and how women have to travel for abortions Over 5,000 women in Europe have to travel abroad for abortions each year Signatures to be verified The pro-choice campaign is not done yet as the next step once the signature collection closes later today is verification. A Commission spokesperson told us that 'Member States will have 3 months to perform the verification' of the statements of support. Once that is done, and there are at least one million signatures remaining, then My Voice, My Choice can submit it to the EC for examination. The Commission then has six months to officially reply. The spokesperson said: 'Where the Commission intends to take action in response to the initiative, including, where appropriate, the adoption of one or more proposals for a legal act of the Union, the Communication shall also set out the envisaged timeline for these actions.' — Maria Delaney is the editor of The Journal Investigates . This article was produced in the framework of the PULSE cross-border journalistic cooperation project. It was developed with György Folk, Brussels (EUrologus) and Viktória Serdült (HVG) Budapest. Our investigative unit is dedicated to lifting the lid on how Ireland works. This takes time and it takes resources. Find out how you can help: Support The Journal Investigates Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Here's Where Trump's Cuts to Planned Parenthood Will Hurt Most
The Trump administration on Tuesday froze $35 million in family planning, sexual, and reproductive health funding. The 'Abortion, Every Day' newsletter reports that the move, which targets funding under Title X, will hit multiple nonprofit organizations, including conservatives' bogeyman Planned Parenthood. Several states will be impacted, with Maine, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Tennessee, and Utah having their Title X funds reduced to zero. Other states, such as Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Alaska will lose the majority of their funding, while Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia will lose part of their funding. Title X provides funds, mostly to uninsured and low-income Americans, for cancer screenings, birth control, and testing for sexually transmitted infections, as the country's only federal family planning program. Sixty percent of women benefit from publicly funded clinics as their usual source of health care, while for 40 percent, these clinics are their only health care option. The move comes after the White House froze $120 million in Title X program grants last week, half of the entire program, to make sure that recipients were complying with executive orders against diversity, equity, and inclusion. Conservatives have also wanted to defund Planned Parenthood and other organizations that advocate for abortion rights for a long time, despite federal law already prohibiting taxpayer funds being used for the procedure. Now it seems that the right is going even further in targeting family planning and reproductive health altogether. Millions of people will lose access to pregnancy testing, contraception, STI treatment, infertility evaluation and counseling, and numerous other health services. But, as was said in the first Trump administration, the cruelty is the point.
