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The Indiana doctor who recently provided an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim whose story has garnered national attention faced serious threats in the past and is named on an extreme anti-abortion website linked to Amy Coney Barrett before she was a supreme court justice.
Dr Caitlin Bernard testified last year, in a case involving abortion restrictions in Indiana, that she was forced to stop providing first-trimester abortions at a clinic in South Bend. She stopped the procedures after she was alerted by Planned Parenthood – who in turn had been alerted by the FBI – that a kidnapping threat had been made against her daughter.
The Guardian reported in January that the names of six abortion providers, as well as their educational backgrounds and places of work, were listed on the website of an extreme anti-abortion group called Right to Life Michiana, in a section of the website titled “Local Abortion Threat”. Bernard was among the list of doctors named on the extremist website.
Barrett, who voted to overturn Roe v Wade last month, signed a two-page advertisement published by the group in 2006, while she was working as a professor at Notre Dame. It stated that those who signed “oppose abortion on demand and defend the right to life from fertilization to natural death”. The second page of the ad called Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that legalized abortion, “barbaric”. The advertisement was published in the South Bend Tribune by St Joseph County Right to Life, which merged with Right to Life Michiana in 2020.
Bernard said in sworn testimony that she had started to travel to South Bend once a month – beginning in 2020 – in order to perform first trimester abortions, but stopped making the 2.5-hour trip once she learned of the threat against her daughter.
“I felt it would be best for me to limit my travel and exposure during that time,” she said. “I was concerned that there may be people who would be able to identify me during that travel, as well as it’s a very small clinic without any privacy for the people who are driving in and out, and so therefore, people could directly see me.”
Bernard is still listed on the Right to Life Michiana website. It is a common tactic employed by anti-abortion groups that supporters of abortion rights have said invites threats of violence and intimidation against abortion providers.
Neither Bernard nor her attorney could be immediately reached for comment.
She became the center of a media storm early this month when the Indianapolis Star reported an anecdote about how, three days after the supreme court issued its decision to overturn Roe v Wade, the Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist took a call from a colleague about a 10-year-old patient who was six weeks and three days pregnant and needed an abortion.
The girl received Bernard’s care after traveling from Ohio, where the state had outlawed any abortion after six weeks. The story was initially treated with skepticism by some conservative media outlets and Republican politicians.
Bernard’s lawyer, Kathleen DeLaney, issued a statement on Friday saying that her client had provided proper treatment and had not violated any patient privacy laws in discussing the unidentified girl’s case.
The Republican Indiana attorney general, Todd Rokita, has said he would investigate Bernard’s actions but did not suggest there was any specific wrongdoing.
A 27-year-old man was charged in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday with raping the girl.
Jackie Appleman, the executive director of Right to Life Michiana, has previously said in response to questions from the Guardian that the information on its website was “publicly available information”.
“Right to Life Michiana does not condone or encourage harm, threats or harassment towards anyone, including abortion doctors, abortion business employees and escorts. We encourage pro-choice groups to also accept our nonviolent approach when it comes to the unborn,” she said in a previous statement.
During her 2020 confirmation hearing, Barrett said she had signed the advertisement as a private citizen, while she was making her way out of church, and had not recalled signing it until it became public following a report in the Guardian.
“It was consistent with the views of my church,” she said, in response to senators’ questions about the statement. She later added: “I do see as distinct my personal, moral, religious views and my task of applying the law as a judge.”
Bernard’s testimony is included in the case Whole Woman’s Health v Rokita, a trial in federal district court in Indianapolis in June 2021.
Source Article from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jul/15/indiana-caitlin-bernard-doctor-abortion
WASHINGTON, March 8 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday imposed an immediate ban on Russian oil and other energy imports in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine, amid strong support from American voters and lawmakers, even though the move will drive up U.S. energy prices.
“We’re banning all imports of Russian oil and gas energy,” Biden told reporters at the White House. “That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable in U.S. ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s war machine.”
The ban caps sweeping U.S. and European sanctions imposed on Moscow for launching the largest war in Europe since World War Two. Russian strikes have targeted Ukrainian cities and killed hundreds of civilians, some as they tried to flee their homes. read more
Biden, who has pledged that U.S. soldiers will not go to Ukraine to fight, voiced America’s support for the Ukrainian people, and predicted their ultimate victory.
“Russia may continue to grind out its advance at a horrible price, but this much is already clear: Ukraine will never be a victory for Putin. Putin may be able to take a city, but he’ll never be able to hold the country,” he said.
Oil prices jumped on the news, with Benchmark Brent crude LCOc1 for May climbing by 5.4% to $129.91 a barrel by 1345 GMT. read more
Retail gasoline prices in the United States surged to an all-time record on Tuesday, with the average cost of a retail gallon of gasoline hitting $4.173 early Tuesday, according to the American Automobile Association.
Biden signed an executive order on the ban soon after his remarks. The ban goes into effect immediately, but gives buyers 45 days to wind down existing contracts, a senior administration official told reporters.
The move also bans new U.S. investment in Russia’s energy sector, and prohibits Americans from participating in any foreign investments that flow into the Russian energy sector, the official said.
Biden has been working with allies in Europe, who are far more dependent on Russian oil, to isolate Russia’s energy-heavy economy and Putin. Britain announced shortly before Biden’s remarks that it would phase out the import of Russian oil and oil products by the end of 2022. read more
The United States consulted closely with allies on the ban, but did not ask them to join in, and did not expect that they would, the official said.
Biden said sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies had already caused the Russian economy to “crater” and vowed to continue ratcheting up pressure on Moscow to stop a war that forced more than 2 million people to flee the country.
PROFITEERING WARNING
Models of oil barrels and a pump jack are seen in front of displayed U.S. and Russia flag colours in this illustration taken March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
The United States imported more than 20.4 million barrels of crude and refined products a month on average from Russia in 2021, about 8% of U.S. liquid fuel imports, according to the Energy Information Administration. The United States also imports a negligible amount of coal from Russia.
Biden predicted prices would rise further as a result of “Putin’s war,” but pledged to do all he could to ease the pain for the American people. He also warned U.S. companies against profiteering or otherwise exploiting the situation.
“The decision today is not without costs here at home. Putin’s war is already hurting American families at the gas pump … I’m going to do everything I can to minimize Putin’s price hikes here at home,” Biden said.
“Russia’s aggression is costing us all. It is not time for profiteering,” said the Democratic president, who has repeatedly targeted big U.S. companies for unfairly jacking up prices.
In November, Biden had cited mounting evidence of anti-consumer behavior by oil and gas companies and asked the Federal Trade Commission to dig deeper into possible “illegal conduct” in the market. read more
ELECTION ISSUE
Biden’s Democrats face tough congressional midterm elections in November when Biden’s handling of the economy, and particularly rising prices, is expected to be a main issue with voters.
U.S. presidents are particularly vulnerable to criticism over high gasoline prices because of the country’s reliance on gas-guzzing vehicles and lack of public transporation. read more
Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel was among the Republicans on Tuesday to blame Biden’s policies for high gas prices, even though many supported banning Russian oil imports.
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi lauded the import ban and said the House would pass strong, bipartisan legislation to support the move on Tuesday, including taking steps to review Russia’s access to the World Trade Organization and paving the way for further sanctions.Biden rejected Republican claims that his administration’s policies were restraining U.S. energy production, noting that some 9,000 permits were not being used by oil and gas firms.
“We’re approaching a record (level) of oil and gas production in the United States and we’re on track to set a record level of production next year,” he said.
U.S. Senator Chris Coons said gasoline prices would rise in the United States and Europe. “That’s the cost of standing up for freedom and standing alongside the Ukrainian people, but it’s going to cost us,” Coons told CNN.
Biden said the crisis also highlighted the importance of transitioning to clean energy supplies.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Source Article from https://www.reuters.com/business/biden-bans-russia-oil-imports-us-warns-gasoline-prices-will-rise-further-2022-03-08/
Source Article from https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/jan-6-hearing-today-trump