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Strict new abortion law in Texas

OC Tribune Staff

The Roman Catholic Church is a strong opponent of abortion. President Joe Biden, a life-long Catholic, supports abortion rights. Are the two in conflict? On Friday, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voted 168 to 55 in favor of drafting what’s called a “teaching document” which some feel is aimed at rebuking the president. According to the Associated Press, the voting and discussion took place virtually. Backers of the move say it is in response to Biden’s actions to protect access to abortion services. Critics say it could give the bishops the image of being a partisan political group. According to public opinion polls and party platforms, Republicans have supported restricting or banning abortions and the overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing the procedure based on a Fourth Amendment “right of privacy.” Democrats have generally been “pro-choice,” defending the right of women to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy. Biden has said he opposes abortion but did not want to impose his opinion on others. In the past, some bishops have advocated for banning Biden or any other political leader from receiving communion – a principal sacrament of the church – if they support abortions. The draft is expected to come back to the group in November for a final vote. 300 million shots, but not 70% Close, but not quite? President Joe Biden has announced a goal of having 70 percent of American adults receiving at least one shot of the coronavirus vaccine by July 4. So far the figure is only 65 percent. “What we’ve got is a truly American accomplishment,” said Biden on Friday, according to USA Today. “Sixty-five percent of American adults have gotten at least one shot, including 87 percent of adult Americans. Just five months ago we were at only 5 percent of adult Americans.” Resistance to or hesitancy about the vaccine has been especially concentrated in rural areas, especially among culturally or politically conservative people. WASHINGTON JUNE 27: Pro-life and pro-choice activists await the Supreme Courtâ??s ruling on abortion access in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, DC on June 27, 2016 (Shutterstock).

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PRO-LIFE and pro-choice demonstrators (Shutterstock).

The U.S. Supreme Court was silent as a new Texas law sharply limiting abortions went into effect today (Wednesday).

The law, passed by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in May makes abortion illegal when doctors can detect fetal heart activity, typically six weeks into a pregnancy, according to the Associated Press.

The Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion nationally in 1973 by the high court, which is initially unwilling to step in to adjudicate what’s already a controversial piece of legislation.

Under the new rules, private citizens can sue people who conduct abortions or “facilitate them,” and could receive $10,000. It’s considered the strictest anti-abortion law on the books in the U.S.

“Starting today, every unborn child with a heartbeat will be protected from the ravages of abortion,” Abbott said. “Texas will always defend the right to life.”

President Joe Biden replied that the law “blatantly violates the constitutional right established under Roe v. Wade and upheld as precedent for nearly half a century.”

Some power restored in Louisiana

POST-HURRICANE cyclone (Wikipedia/NWS)

Despite fears expressed Tuesday that electrical power might be knocked out for a month to wide areas of southern Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Ida, power has been restored to about 11,500 customers in New Orleans.

According to The New York Times, however, about 1 million people in the state are still suffering from the outages. Gasoline-powered generators now being widely used to provide electricity are being blamed for 12 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning, with three persons in critical condition.

Also affected is the water systems, leaving residents to hunt for supplies of bottled water.

Hiring slows … is COVID to blame?

SOME JOBS go wanting as the pandemic keeps from people from wanting to return to work.

An estimated 374,000 thousand new private sector jobs were added by the U.S. economy in August, but that’s less than expected.

According to United Press International, the estimate was from ADP and Moody’s Analytics, and “experts” predicted a rise of about 600,000 jobs.  The August total was nevertheless more than the increase that came the previous month.  “Job gains are still 7 million jobs short of pre-COVID-19 levels,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist for ADP.

“Job growth remains inextricably tied to the path of the pandemic,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s.

Dodgers pass Giants in NL West

The Los Angeles Dodgers moved into first place in the National League West Wednesday night with a 4-3 come-from-behind win over the Atlanta Braves. That victory, combined with the San Francisco Giants’ 5-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers gave the Blue Crew (85-49) a half-game lead on their Northern California rivals.

Two runs in the eighth turned the tide, with the winning run coming as A.J. Pollock’s single through the infield scored Justin Turner.

The struggle for the division pennant will really be joined Friday when the two teams start a three-game series in San Francisco through Sunday.

The Angels, however, were unable to achieve their goal of reaching .500 as they lost 4-1 to the New York Yankees and saw their record sink to 66-68, still fourth in the American League West.

The Halos will be home on Friday, starting a four-game series against the Texas Rangers (47-86), the last place team in the AL West.

Weather: Warm and getting warmer

The outlook for the West Orange County area calls for a high of 81 on Thursday and partly cloudy skies, giving way to warmer days over the weekend up to 92 on Sunday. Along the coastal areas in Huntington Beach, temperatures are expected to be seven degrees cooler, hitting 74 on Thursday and rising to 82 on Sunday.

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