Latest news with #MSJ
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lawsuit aims to stop enforcement of West Virginia's vaccine exemption order
CHARLESTON, (WBOY) — The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia (ACLU-WV) and Mountain State Justice (MSJ) have filed a lawsuit of behalf of parents to stop Gov. Patrick Morrisey's executive order allowing vaccine exemptions in schools. The order, which was signed in January, directed health officials to stop enforcing 'compulsory school immunization requirements,' for students who request a religious exemption. A bill to codify religious exemptions failed in the state legislature. The lawsuit filed in Kanawha County Circuit Court claims that Morrisey does not have the authority to enforce his order since the state legislature did not pass the bill. 'Governors do not rule by decree,' ACLU-WV Legal Director Aubrey Sparks said in a press release. 'At the center of this lawsuit is who gets to make these decisions for our students. On this question, the state Constitution is clear that the authority lies with the Legislature, not the governor.' Bridge Sports Complex opens all-inclusive playground The parents behind the lawsuit include those with children who are particularly susceptible to illness. Previously, students had to receive a medical exemption to attend school without being vaccinated for chickenpox, Hepatitis-B, measles, meningitis, mumps, diphtheria, polio, rubella, tetanus and whooping cough. 'Parents should be able to know their child will be safe when they send them off to school,' Sarah Brown, MSJ Executive Director, said in the press release. 'We are seeing the devastating effects of loosening vaccine requirements across the country, and that's why the Legislature wisely declined to loosen the restrictions here in West Virginia. It's vital that their decision not be undermined by the executive branch.' The lawsuit asks for a judge to block the enforcement of Morrisey's order. Morrisey said earlier this month that his stance on the order wasn't changed by the bill's failure or the several lawsuits that had been filed against it. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
British surrogacy firm pays poverty-stricken Mexican women £12k to have babies
A British surrogacy firm is paying poverty-stricken Mexican women £12,000 to have a Surrogacy Journey (MSJ) has been accused of cashing in on the practice in a country where mothers can be recruited for a fraction of the rate charged are calling on the Government to bring an end to the trade, which has seen the British agency become the first to set up an overseas office to arrange has become increasingly popular for surrogacy because it allows pre-birth arrangements that see mothers sign away their rights to a child before it is Mexican mothers are paid just £12,000, compared with the £250,000 American surrogates receive. Surrogacy Concern founder Helen Gibson told the Daily Mail: 'We believe My Surrogacy Journey's treatment of Mexican women is profoundly unethical.'It also goes against what British surrogacy agencies are supposed to be: not-for-profit.'Watching a British surrogacy agency set up a commercial outpost in a developing country is appalling. The Government should shut down this pipeline between Mexico and London.'Mexican women on average earn less than the equivalent of £300 per month.'How is offering low-income women money to become surrogate mothers for wealthy Western couples and single men safe or ethical?'Advertisements show MSJ offers Mexican women 310,000 pesos, equating to roughly £12,000, to be surrogates and there are also additional payments available of £1,450 for a caesarean and £590 for an embryo transfer, according to the advert in Spanish features pictures of Big Ben and London's red buses, with MSJ telling potential Mexican surrogates that no other agency has as many would-be parents waiting in the its website, MSJ says Mexico has been chosen because of the 'unique' terms available to operate there.A pre-birth order is an agreement signed by the parents and surrogate before the child is born. Such an agreement means the hospital where the child is born is required to write the names of the intended parent or parents on to the birth certificate for the child rather than the says the process gives prospective parents a 'complete guarantee' that their parentage is 'fully settled in the eyes of the law in Mexico'.The typical wait time post birth is between two to three the UK, where surrogates are not allowed to be paid for the service, a surrogate mother is registered as the legal parent of the parents must then apply for a parental order to reassign parenthood through the courts.A British woman, who recently used MSJ's Mexico surrogacy scheme to have a baby but asked not to be named, told the Daily Mail it was 'such a special moment' when they met their MSJ spokesman told the Mail its adverts are 'not inducements, but rather fair compensation' for surrogates, adding: 'This is not payment for a baby, but rather an ethical recognition of the physical and emotional undertaking.'The company said it did not work with surrogates 'who are financially dependent on surrogacy' and is committed to ethical executive Michael Johnson-Ellis said: 'The assumption that we should mirror our UK not-for-profit model internationally, without consideration for local laws, reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how ethical surrogacy should be structured on a global scale.'MSJ was approached for comment.
Telegraph
21-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
British surrogacy firm pays poverty-stricken Mexican women £12k to have babies
A British surrogacy firm is paying poverty-stricken Mexican women £12,000 to have a child. My Surrogacy Journey (MSJ) has been accused of cashing in on the practice in a country where mothers can be recruited for a fraction of the rate charged elsewhere. Campaigners are calling on the Government to bring an end to the trade, which has seen the British agency become the first to set up an overseas office to arrange surrogates. Mexico has become increasingly popular for surrogacy because it allows pre-birth arrangements that see mothers sign away their rights to a child before it is born. Additionally, Mexican mothers are paid just £12,000, compared with the £250,000 American surrogates receive. Surrogacy Concern founder Helen Gibson told the Daily Mail: 'We believe My Surrogacy Journey's treatment of Mexican women is profoundly unethical. 'It also goes against what British surrogacy agencies are supposed to be: not-for-profit. 'Watching a British surrogacy agency set up a commercial outpost in a developing country is appalling. The Government should shut down this pipeline between Mexico and London. 'Mexican women on average earn less than the equivalent of £300 per month. 'How is offering low-income women money to become surrogate mothers for wealthy Western couples and single men safe or ethical?' Advertisements show MSJ offers Mexican women 310,000 pesos, equating to roughly £12,000, to be surrogates and there are also additional payments available of £1,450 for a caesarean and £590 for an embryo transfer, according to the Mail. One advert in Spanish features pictures of Big Ben and London's red buses, with MSJ telling potential Mexican surrogates that no other agency has as many would-be parents waiting in the UK. On its website, MSJ says Mexico has been chosen because of the 'unique' terms available to operate there. A pre-birth order is an agreement signed by the parents and surrogate before the child is born. Such an agreement means the hospital where the child is born is required to write the names of the intended parent or parents on to the birth certificate for the child rather than the surrogate. MSJ says the process gives prospective parents a 'complete guarantee' that their parentage is 'fully settled in the eyes of the law in Mexico'. The typical wait time post birth is between two to three months. In the UK, where surrogates are not allowed to be paid for the service, a surrogate mother is registered as the legal parent of the child. Intended parents must then apply for a parental order to reassign parenthood through the courts. A British woman, who recently used MSJ's Mexico surrogacy scheme to have a baby but asked not to be named, told the Daily Mail it was 'such a special moment' when they met their surrogate. An MSJ spokesman told the Mail its adverts are 'not inducements, but rather fair compensation' for surrogates, adding: 'This is not payment for a baby, but rather an ethical recognition of the physical and emotional undertaking.' The company said it did not work with surrogates 'who are financially dependent on surrogacy' and is committed to ethical surrogacy. Co-chief executive Michael Johnson-Ellis said: 'The assumption that we should mirror our UK not-for-profit model internationally, without consideration for local laws, reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how ethical surrogacy should be structured on a global scale.'
The Independent
18-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Vietnam brands human rights organisation as terrorist group
The Vietnamese government has branded a US-based refugee aid group as a terrorist organisation. Vietnam 's ministry of public security added Boat People SOS to its list of terrorist groups and doxxed the private information of the group's president. The ministry said in a press release BPSOS "operates under the guise of 'refugee relief' but in fact, it uses this activity to connect with and assist organisations and individuals in carrying out anti-Vietnam activities". It claimed the group and its leadership assisted a "number of individuals participating in the organisation Montagnards [Stand] for Justice (MSJ)". The government has accused the MSJ – an organisation that advocates for the religious freedom of ethnic minorities – of carrying out terrorist attacks on two People's Commune headquarters in Vietnam's Central Highlands in June 2023. At least 10 defendants were sentenced to life in prison on terrorist charges and others were awarded jail between four years to 20 after 100 individuals were tried in the case. The government subsequently designated MSJ as a 'terrorist organisation' – a move that was criticised by UN experts for failing to "meet the requirements of due process and judicial protection under international human rights law". The Vietnamese government has escalated its clampdown on dissent by arresting activists, journalists, lawyers and critics with large followings on social media along with banning rights groups. Founded in the 198Os, BPSOS was set up to help so-called boat people flee Vietnam by sea and now aids victims of religious persecution and human trafficking in Vietnam, according to its website. Nguyen Dinh Thang, the executive director of BPSOS, said the terrorist designation was meant to intimidate those who spoke out against repression. 'The international community knows very well who has cooperated with the Boat People SOS committee for the past several decades, including the US government, more than 40 countries in the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance and the human rights institutions of the United Nations,' he told Radio Free Asia. He said by putting the terrorist designation, the Vietnamese government was hoping to frighten those who speak out to the international community to denounce religious repression in the country. 'They expected that people in the country would not dare to contact us or provide information about violations for us to transfer to the international community,' Nguyen Dinh Thang added. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a UK-based rights group, criticised the Vietnamese government's move to designate BPSOS as a terror group. Nguyen Dinh Thang is "a champion of human rights, in particular the right to freedom of religion or belief", said Mervyn Thomas, founder president of CSW. "The fact that he has been targeted like this is a sign that his voice is reaching the ears of the Vietnamese authorities, who are now attempting to silence and intimidate him."
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
Mountain State Justice responds to bodycam video shared online
Feb. 10—MORGANTOWN — Lydia C. Milnes, deputy director of the legal advocacy nonprofit Mountain State Justice, told The Dominion Post nobody at the organization has advised clients to break the law. Her comments come days after footage of Morgantown Police Officer Matt Starsick's Oct. 23, 2024 interaction with Anthony Rowand showed up on a Morgantown Facebook group page. Rowand is the named plaintiff in a class action First Amendment lawsuit brought against the city by Mountain State Justice in April 2024. In the video, Starsick writes Rowand a disorderly conduct citation for being in the road at the intersection of U.S. 119 (Grafton Road) and 4-H Camp Road. Rowand tells Starsick he's been waiting to receive a citation. When questioned further, Rowand explains "My lawyer said I've got to get a couple of them." His lawyer, he later confirms, is Lesley Nash with Mountain State Justice. When asked if he and Nash are conspiring to break the law, Rowand said, "No, she just doesn't think it's right for you guys to be targeting us." The Dominion Post reached out to MSJ about the video. "We can't disclose attorney, client privileged conversations, but what I can say is that neither Lesley nor anyone at Mountain State Justice has ever directed a client to engage in unlawful activity, " Milnes said. "We have provided advice to clients about what is lawful, what is unlawful and what we think is going on. I don't know why Mr. Rowand phrased things the way he did, but we have not directed a client to engage in unlawful activity." A little over a month after MSJ filed suit against the city, Morgantown City Council repealed its panhandling ordinance prohibiting solicitation of persons traveling in vehicles on public rights of way. Even so, Milnes said, the city continues to target panhandling. "What we saw was the Morgantown police officers began issuing tickets for the same conduct using other means. So, instead of ticketing specifically for panhandling, they're ticketing for crossing a roadway outside of a crosswalk, or disorderly conduct, " she said. "Our concern is that this is basically pretextual ; the use of other ordinances in order to continue to prevent people from engaging in constitutionally protected speech." She also noted the city's disorderly conduct code exempts constitutionally protected activities from falling under the law. In the video, Starsick tells Rowand the issue is not with panhandling, but the fact that he's standing in the roadway. "I would target anybody who's standing out in the middle of a five-lane intersection for any reason, " Starsick said, later adding, "If you want to go over there to the side of the road, or to that side of the road, I don't care. You're off of the road." Starsick later walks Rowand to the shoulder. "I know you don't make the money over here, but man, I'd rather you make a little bit less and be safer, Ok ?" he says before leaving. Starsick urges Rowand to question whether his attorney would care if he was struck by a vehicle and insinuates "a fu —ing payday " may be the real motive. Milnes said that is not the case. "I know there's a sort of allegation that Lesley or MSJ is in it for the money or something. We're a nonprofit. Our attorneys are not paid based on what cases they bring or what recovery they get in a case or anything like that, " she said. "I think that's completely unfounded." As for Rowand's lawsuit, filings indicate the parties are directed to provide the details of a proposed settlement to the court on or before Feb. 21. The Dominion Post reached out to the moderator of the Facebook group to ask who submitted the video but did not receive a response in time for this report. The city confirmed that three individuals submitted requests for bodycam footage — Nash, Mike Nolting with WAJR and Todd Stainbrook.
