SDB Evening News Reads for 063011: Free Trade Abortions and Stupid Spectators

NARAL Pro-Choice America

Kansas Planned Parenthood Update below!

Anyone wonder if and when young women will realize just how bad these new PLUB laws are for their Reproductive Health.  Kansas no longer has on demand abortion services, I can’t believe it has come to this:  Kansas Denies Abortion License For Planned Parenthood : NPR

A Planned Parenthood clinic in Kansas has been denied a state license to allow it to continue performing abortions as of Friday.

That means Kansas will become the only state without a clinic or doctor’s office performing abortions, at least temporarily.

There is more info at this link below, but since it is an AP article, I won’t quote from it…just go and read it yourself.

The Associated Press: Planned Parenthood denied Kan. abortion license

***Updated AP article*** I have a link to Atlanta Journal Constitution here:

APNewsBreak: Kan.: Abortion clinic to get license  | ajc.com

The Kansas health department now says that one of its three abortion providers will receive a license to continue performing abortions.

Joseph Kroll, right, director of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment bureau that wrote new rules for abortion clinics, talks with Kathy Ostrowski, left, in white, the legislative director of Kansans for Life, Thursday, June 30, 2011, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. They are speaking after a state board allowed the rules to take effect, as of July 1, 2011. Planned Parenthood disclosed Thursday that its Kansas clinic had been denied a state license to continue performing abortions as the group filed its own lawsuit to block new state rules that will make Kansas the first state in the nation without an abortion provider. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

Kansas Secretary of Administration Dennis Taylor, left, and Secretary of State Kris Kobach, right, listen to a presentation on new regulations for abortion clinics, Thursday, June 30, 2011, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Taylor and Kobach are members of the State Rules and Regulations Board, which is allowing the regulations to take effect on Friday, July 1, 2011. Planned Parenthood disclosed Thursday that its Kansas clinic had been denied a state license to continue performing abortions as the group filed its own lawsuit to block new state rules that will make Kansas the first state in the nation without an abortion provider. (AP Photo/JohnThe Kansas Department of Health and Environment did not name the provider Thursday.

But Planned Parenthood officials said that state inspectors returned to its Kansas City area clinic for a second visit Thursday after denying it a license previously.

The state’s two other clinics have not been inspected for licensing under a new law taking effect Friday, along with health regulations for the providers. If none of the clinics were to receive a license, Kansas would become the first state in the country without an abortion provider.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

And hey, check out what Senator Orrin Hatch (R) is trying to pull now:  Hatch Aims To Tack Abortion Ban on to Trade Pact | Mother Jones

What does the Korean free trade agreement have to do with abortion? You got me. But Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) plans to offer an amendment in today’s markup of a handful of trade bills in the Senate Finance Committee that would bar Medicaid funding for abortions.

The amendment is described as seeking “to close the loophole that sends taxpayer dollars to fund operational costs for abortions.” It would block Medicaid dollars from being used at “any entity that performs abortions or maintains or operates a facility where abortions are performed.” It’s hard to begin on how bad this would be. Basically, any facility that offered abortion for any reason—even a hospital providing it as life-saving emergency care for a woman—would not be able to accept Medicaid payment. The effect would be that hospitals and clinics that currently offer abortion would likely stop doing so in order to be able to continue accepting Medicaid money, and the low-income women who rely on Medicaid would be effectively denied abortion coverage entirely.

The article goes on to say it will more than likely not pass, but what the hell? The fact that it was even put into this Korean free trade agreement is proof enough that these PLUBs will try anything to get their anti-woman agenda passed.

Whitey Bulger was assigned a defense attorney today, and not just any suit in the Public Defender’s office:  Judge taps high-profile defender for mob boss Bulger | Reuters

Former Boston mob boss and accused murderer James “Whitey” Bulger will have a high-profile criminal defense attorney, J. W. Carney, represent him at public expense, a federal judge ruled on Thursday.

Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler rejected the prosecution’s argument that Bulger should not get publicly funded counsel in his pending trial for racketeering, 19 counts of murder and other crimes.

There was no evidence that Bulger had the means to pay for his defense, Bowler said, setting his arraignment for July 6.

As far as the $800,000 in cash they found on Bulger when he was taken into custody last week:  Bulger victim wins lien freezing mobster’s $800k – CBS News

In other criminal news, the Defense rest in the Casey Anthony trial.  Not much more to say about the trial, this headline pretty much does it…

Casey Anthony Won’t Testify – The Daily Beast

Since the defense rested today, closing arguments will probably be heard on Saturday…then comes the media’s jury watch that may rival the one when OJ was on trial. Back when the jury was deliberating whether OJ did it or not, social networks were not as prevalent or ingrained into our society as it is now.

I will end with this nugget of stupidity that was seen at the end of court today.  Matthew Bartlett, a 28-year-old waiter at TGIFriday’s flipped a bird at Prosecutor Ashton while the jury was in court…fortunately they did not see it!

ABCAshleigh Ashleigh Banfield

Matthew Bartlett Guilty of direct criminal contempt. 6 days in jail $400 fine for flipping bird to prosecutor in #CaseyAnthony court

11 minutes ago

He has to also pay $223 court cost, so a total of $623 in fines and 6 days in the county jail…for this,

OSCaseyAnthony‎ Pix of spectator Matthew Bartlett busted for busting out middle finger to Ashton. #CaseyAnthony yfrog.com/hs3f8dbj

What a dumb ass…

Well, that is all I can say about that.

If you have any news links you want to post, please do so in the comment section below.