Health Care
Health and farmworker advocates urge ban of herbicide linked to Parkinson’s
WASHINGTON — Public health advocates and farmworkers called for a federal ban on a toxic herbicide they say led to their Parkinson’s disease during a Tuesday briefing for congressional staffers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will determine next year if the herbicide, paraquat dichloride, should have its license renewed for another 15 years. The herbicide […]
In vitro fertilization bills from both Democrats and GOP blocked in U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON — The closely divided U.S. Senate gridlocked Tuesday over the best way to provide nationwide protections for in vitro fertilization, despite lawmakers from both political parties maintaining they want to do so. Republicans voted against advancing a Democratic bill that could have prevented states from enacting “harmful or unwarranted limitations” on the procedure and […]
More than 800 Missouri medical professionals sign letter in support of abortion amendment
Dr. Betsy Wickstrom says she’s still lacking clarity on what constitutes a medical emergency under Missouri’s abortion ban, despite the law having been in place for more than two years. In Missouri, health care providers who perform abortions not deemed necessary emergencies can be charged with a class B felony, which means up to 15 […]
Missouri abortion-rights campaign doubles its fundraising total since qualifying for ballot
Missouri’s campaign to legalize abortion has more than doubled its fundraising totals since it was approved for the ballot in mid-August, despite — and perhaps fueled by — a lawsuit that threatened to knock it off the Nov. 5 ballot. Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the coalition behind what will appear on the ballot as Amendment […]
Support for access to in vitro fertilization to be voted on again in U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate will vote for a second time next week on legislation from Democrats that would bolster support for in vitro fertilization, though it’s unlikely GOP lawmakers will reverse course from their previous opposition. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the revote Thursday afternoon, saying he hopes that Republicans will join with […]
Federal officials say no sign bird flu is spreading among humans, despite Missouri case
WASHINGTON — Public health officials are still trying to determine how a Missouri resident contracted bird flu without having any contact with infected animals, but said Thursday there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission taking place in small enclaves or in a more widespread manner. The Missouri case marked the 14th person to contract highly […]
Democrats fall short in push to override Missouri governor veto of nursing home funds
House Democrats on Wednesday made an unsuccessful push to override Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s veto of $2.5 million in funding for oversight of the state’s nursing homes, with all but eight Republicans voting to sustain the governor’s action.
Missouri Supreme Court rules amendment legalizing abortion will remain on ballot
Missourians will have the opportunity to vote to enshrine abortion in the state constitution this November, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. In a decision published less than three hours before the constitutional deadline to remove a question from the ballot, the Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s ruling that recommended the measure be stripped […]
Missouri Supreme Court faces 5 p.m. deadline to decide if abortion remains on ballot
The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday morning over whether to allow an abortion-rights amendment to remain on the Nov. 5 ballot. The court will decide whether the campaign behind Amendment 3, which would legalize abortion up until the point of fetal viability and protect other reproductive rights, failed to comply with state law when […]
Jay Ashcroft seeks to pull abortion amendment off Missouri ballot weeks after approving it
Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft decertified a ballot measure that would legalize abortion, a move aimed at blocking it from appearing on the November ballot, according to a brief filed Monday with the state Supreme Court. Last month, Ashcroft announced the reproductive-rights proposal would appear on the ballot as Amendment 3. But a Cole […]
Fate of Missouri abortion-rights amendment in hands of state Supreme Court
The Missouri Supreme Court will decide whether abortion-rights will end up on the Nov. 5 ballot after a Cole County judge ruled the proposed amendment violated state law. The case bypassed the court of appeals over the weekend and headed straight to the state’s highest court, which scheduled oral arguments for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday — […]
Missouri judge rules abortion amendment is in ‘blatant violation’ of state requirements
A Missouri judge ruled Friday evening that a reproductive-rights amendment did not comply with state initiative petition requirements, leaving the door open to potentially withhold it from the November ballot. Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh ruled that the coalition behind the citizen-led ballot measure failed to meet the sufficiency requirement through a “failure to […]