Latest news with #ChrisCarr
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Critics of Georgia's abortion ban push for clarity after another case makes international news
Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes speaks at against Georgia's abortion law at the state Capitol. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder Georgia Democrats are calling for clarity in the state's abortion law as the case of Adriana Smith continues to grab headlines worldwide. Undiagnosed blood clots in Smith's brain left the 30-year-old nurse brain dead months ago, but doctors have kept her organs functioning through medical devices. Family members told media outlets Smith's body was being kept alive despite no chance for her to recover because she is pregnant and removing her from life support could violate the state's ban on most abortions after six weeks. Georgia's top lawyer disagrees with that interpretation of the law. 'There is nothing in the LIFE Act that requires medical professionals to keep a woman on life support after brain death,' Attorney General Chris Carr said in a statement. 'Removing life support is not an action 'with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy.'' But a public statement does not come with the force of law, said Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes, a Duluth Democrat, and when it comes to the practice of medicine, legal gray areas can lead to tragic outcomes. Speaking at a press conference Thursday at the state Capitol, Islam Parkes called on Carr to issue a legally binding opinion to answer a series of questions she said would spell out when doctors could treat a pregnant woman in a way that could harm or kill the fetus: Is a hospital legally required to maintain a brain dead pregnant woman on life support? What precisely constitutes a medical emergency under the law? Under what conditions does a pregnancy meet the threshold of incompatibility with life? How does the law affect legal standing of advanced directives and end-of-life planning for pregnant Georgians? 'These questions are not theoretical,' Islam Parkes said. 'They're urgent, because as long as this law remains vague, we will continue to see families traumatized, providers criminalized and patients left behind. Doctors are being forced to make impossible choices, families are trapped in grief and fear and women are dying.' Islam Parkes was referencing two high-profile deaths, Georgians Amber Thurman and Candi Miller, who both died in 2022 after suffering complications from taking abortion pills. Thurman died in a hospital after doctors waited nearly a day to perform a routine procedure to remove fetal tissue from her uterus; Miller died after family members said she was afraid to seek medical care because of the recently enacted law. Democrats said there are likely more cases that do not end in death. of Gwinnett said she had already picked out a name for her unborn daughter, Sawyer Nicole Christian, but in March, a day after Maruscak held a gender reveal party, she discovered her daughter's heart had stopped beating. 'In a matter of seconds, we went from preparing to welcome her into our lives to trying to figure out how to say goodbye,' she said at the Capitol press conference. 'My doctor was sympathetic, but because of the restrictive abortion laws, my care was limited to a list of abortion clinics. No follow-up plan, no guidance and no support. Over the next two days, I called clinic after clinic, continuously having to repeat and relive that Sawyer did not have a heartbeat. My insurance recommended me to go to the emergency department because of increasing septic symptoms, so I did. I spent seven hours there in pain, in grief, and in shock, only to be discharged with no treatment, no resolution and no care.' Maruscak said she spent more than a week carrying her daughter's remains. 'What happened to me is not rare. It is not an outlier. It's happening every day,' she said. 'One in four women experience a miscarriage. Over half of them need medical intervention to complete it safely. This is not just a political issue, it's a medical one.' Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones made no bones about the party's ultimate goal of repealing the six-week abortion ban, which went into effect in 2022 after the United States Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion and left the matter to states. 'As that fight continues, we must stand with and demand clarification from our governor and attorney general,' Jones said. 'What rights do women have under this law? Georgians have been asking this question. We as legislators have been asking this question and the people standing here today have been asking this question, yet Georgia's leadership has stayed silent.' The author of Georgia's abortion bill, Acworth Republican Sen. Ed Setzler, accused Democrats of playing politics in an attempt to drum up headlines. 'My heart goes out to Adriana, her family, and the young son inside of her who is struggling for his life,' Setzler said. 'Nabilah Islam Parkes and the Democrats are sickening at the depths they will go to drag Adriana's hurting family, who is trying to save the life of their grandson, through a sick political debate about expanding abortion.' 'The Democrats are making attacks as loudly as they can to try to seize media attention,' he added. Conservative radio host and Georgia Life Alliance board member Martha Zoller said tragic cases like Maruscak's are not the result of the state's abortion ban – sometimes referred to by supporters as the 'heartbeat bill' – but of hospitals misunderstanding or misapplying it. 'Once you've had a miscarriage or you're in the process of a miscarriage, there is no heartbeat, so there should be no reason for care to be withheld or anything like that,' she said. 'That's the over-legalization of the medical care business with not allowing providers to be providers and to do what's best for patients. And that has nothing to do with the heartbeat bill. That has to do with the structure at the hospital. The care for a miscarriage is not denoted as something that's a method of abortion in the heartbeat bill, and once you've had a miscarriage, there is no heartbeat, so the heartbeat bill doesn't come into play.' 'It's a travesty that the Democratic caucus continues to mislead women and scare them for their own political purposes,' she added. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
New York Times
5 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
How to Stay Safe While Enjoying the Backcountry This Summer
The outdoor boom that began during the pandemic has had staying power. Since 2020, the number of people visiting state and national parks has soared. Unfortunately, so too have the number of search-and-rescue efforts, as many people enter the backcountry woefully unprepared. With funding cuts at the national park and forest levels — and with volunteer response teams stretched thin — now is a good time to learn how to recreate safely in the wild. 'A lot of the call types we've had are people getting stuck in technical terrain that exceeds their ability,' said Chris Carr, a paramedic in Colorado, referring to environments that demand agility and skill to traverse. Gear that is more accessible to novices, social media posts from beautiful locales and a false sense of security carrying a cellphone creates may all be playing a role here. If you're planning a trip into the wilderness, here are some steps that can help you avoid becoming a statistic this summer. Before you leave home, get out your guidebooks, look at official websites and learn about any trails, mountains or terrain you plan to explore. Keep in mind that the terrain you're used to at home might be different from what you encounter on a new trail; the drier, dustier surfaces of the West are a different experience than the rocks, roots and mud you'll frequently encounter in the East. 'Wilderness areas can be vast and can get remote quickly. Start small and don't take on big chunks right out of the gate,' said Corenne Black, a forest ranger with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. In some areas, like New York's Adirondack Park, where Ms. Black works, it can be easy to make a wrong turn or get off trail if you're not paying close attention. While apps like 'All Trails' can be helpful, you shouldn't always depend on your electronics, either. Learning to use an old-fashioned map and compass — and bringing them with you — can mean the difference between a planned day hike and spending the night in the wilderness. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Georgia Supreme Court upholds law banning those under 21 carrying handgun in public
ATLANTA (WSAV) —The Georgia Supreme Court upheld the state law that prohibits those under 21 years old from carrying handguns in public Wednesday. Georgia's highest court rejected the appeal by a 20-year-old who wanted to carry a handgun 'beyond the limited ways he can under Georgia law.' Georgia law does not allow people under 21 from publicly carrying a handgun, except for members of the military. Georgians who are at least 18 years old are still allowed to possess and carry handguns on their own property, in their car and in their place of business. They also can use handguns and long guns for hunting, fishing or sport shooting with a license. Stephens and the Georgia 2nd Amendment group sued the state after a probate court denied him a weapons carry license. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr's office previously filed a motion to dismiss the suit, which was granted. Stephens and the group appealed, but the Georgia 2nd Amendment later withdrew their appeal. Stephens did not allege that this statute violates the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, but that it violated a portion of the Georgia Constitution of 1983, court documents reported. The Supreme Court said that the law doesn't violate Article I, Section I, Paragraph VIII of the Georgia Constitution. The justices quoted Paragraph VIII of Georgia's current Constitution which says, '[t]he right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, but the General Assembly shall have power to prescribe the manner in which arms may be borne.' Read the full decision here: 2025-s25a0334Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
20-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announces Georgia governor bid, slams Trump in campaign video
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms launched a Georgia gubernatorial bid on Tuesday, slamming President Donald Trump in a campaign video. "Donald Trump is a disaster for our economy and our country. From his failure to address rising prices to giving an un-elected billionaire the power to cut Medicare and Social Security. It's one terrible thing after another," she asserts in the video, later declaring, "Georgia families deserve far better than what Donald Trump and Republicans are giving us." Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately receive a response. Bottoms said in the video that "expanding Medicaid" would be her "top priority" as the state's governor, and that she would "work to eliminate state income taxes for teachers." She worked for President Joe Biden during a portion of his White House tenure. In 2022 she was announced as Senior Advisor to the President for Public Engagement, and then in 2023 Bottoms was selected to serve on the President's Export Council. Current Peach State Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican who is now serving his second consecutive term, is not eligible to seek re-election in 2026. In addition to Bottoms, Republican state Attorney General Chris Carr and Democratic state Sen. Jason Esteves, are both also running for the job. Olu Brown — who previously "served as the Founding and Lead Pastor of Impact United Methodist Church," according to — is also seeking the governorship.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Disturbing new development in case of brain-dead Georgia mom being kept on life support until she gives birth
The Georgia Attorney General claimed that the state's abortion ban is not forcing the hospital to keep a brain-dead pregnant woman alive. Adriana Smith, 30, was hospitalized in early February for intense headaches when she was nine weeks pregnant, and doctors found multiple blood clots in her brain, according to her family. Doctors attempted surgery to relieve the pressure, but Smith was left brain-dead after the operation. Her mother, April Newkirk, told WXIA that the hospital said they could not take her off life support because the state law prevents it. Georgia passed the Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act in 2019, and Governor Brian Kemp signed it into law, saying medical professionals can't perform an abortion if a heartbeat is detected. However, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr's office told the local news station that Smith's case does not apply. 'There is nothing in the LIFE Act that requires medical professionals to keep a woman on life support after brain death. Removing life support is not an action with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy,' Carr's spokeswoman Kara Murray said. Supporters of the LIFE Act have also insisted that Smith's case does not fall under the circumstances that are protected by the bill. 'Our reading of the situation is that this particular circumstance was not intended, nor does it apply, with the heartbeat bill,' said Mack Parnell, of the Faith and Freedom Coalition. 'Trying to paint the "heartbeat" bill as doing something that it doesn't is a disservice to our state. 'It was not the intention. We will leave those decisions to the family. And I will be very empathetic to the family whatever circumstance they find themselves in.' However, State Senator Ed Setzler, who introduced the bill, praised the hospital's decision. 'I'm thankful for the hospital recognizing the full value of this small human life that's living inside of this tragically dying young mother; mindful of the agony of this young mother's family,' he told the local news station. The law has two exceptions in the case of a medical emergency or if the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest. A medical emergency is defined in the law as an event where the abortion was necessary to save a mother's life or 'the substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.' Abortions can also be performed if a medical professional believes that the child would be born with a 'chromosomal anomaly' where the baby would die after birth. Smith was nearly nine weeks pregnant when she was admitted to the hospital, and her family says doctors are keeping her alive until the baby can survive outside the womb, which is around 32 weeks. 'She's been breathing through machines for more than 90 days. It's torture for me,' Newkirk said. 'I see my daughter breathing, but she's not there. And her son—I bring him to see her.' Newkirk said Smith initially went to Northside Hospital in Atlanta, but she was released without a CT scan and was only prescribed medication. 'If they had done that or kept her overnight, they would have caught it. It could have been prevented,' she said. Smith's mother told the outlet that she went back home, and her boyfriend then called 911 when she began struggling to breathe. Smith was transferred to Emory University Hospital, where she had worked as a nurse, and was recently moved to a center where she is receiving obstetric care. Newkirk is riddled with grief and believes the family should have had the choice to terminate Smith's pregnancy. 'She's pregnant with my grandson. But he may be blind, may not be able to walk, may not survive once he's born,' she said. 'This decision should've been left to us. Now we're left wondering what kind of life he'll have—and we're going to be the ones raising him.' Newkirk also said she was worried about paying the mounting hospital bills, telling the outlet, 'Every day that goes by, it's more cost, more trauma, more questions.'
