National Emergency Medical Services...
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Abortion opponents fought passage of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul to the bitter end, and now that it’s the law, they’re using it to limit coverage by private insurers. An obscure part of the law allows states to restrict abortion coverage by private plans operat- ing in new insurance markets. Capitalizing on that language, abor- tion foes have succeeded in pass- ing bans that, in some cases, go beyond federal statutes. “We don’t consider elective abortion to be health care, so we don’t think it’s a bad thing for fewer private insurance companies to cover it,” said Mary Harned, attorney for Americans United for Life, a national organization that wrote a model law for the states. Abortion rights supporters are dismayed. “Implementation of this reform should be about increasing access to health care and increasing choic- es, not taking them away,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a member of the Senate leadership. “Health care reform is not an excuse to take rights away from women.” Since Obama signed the legisla- tion law March 23, Arizona and Tennessee have enacted laws restricting abortion coverage by health plans in new insurance markets, called exchanges. About 30 million people will get their coverage through exchanges, which open in 2014 to serve indi- viduals and small businesses. In Florida, Mississippi and Missouri, lawmakers have passed bans and sent them to their gover- nors. Most of the states allow exceptions in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. Insurers still could offer separate policies to specifically cover abor- tion. Three other states may act this year — Louisiana, Ohio and Oklahoma. Overall, there are 29 states where lawmakers or public policy groups expressed serious interest, Harned said. Before the overhaul became law, five states had limits on pri- vate insurance coverage of abor- tion — Idaho, Kentucky, Missouri, North Dakota and Oklahoma. Abortion rights supporters are con- cerned that the list is growing as a result of the new federal law. Murray had joined in voting down a federal abortion coverage ban when the Senate debated health care last year. Now she and other abortion rights supporters worry the same sorts of restrictions could spread from state to state. Most private health insurance plans cover abortion as a legal medical procedure, but research indicates many women opt to pay directly. The federal law allows private insurance plans in the exchanges to cover abortion as long as they collect a separate premium. That money must remain apart from public subsidies available to help pay insurance premiums for most customers in the exchanges. Roger Renner, R. Ph. 218 W. 4th Yankton, SD 665-8042 PREMIUM BEST TRANSPORT 1501 Wek Road Yankton, SD 57078 605-665-9202 2601 Fox Run Pkwy Yankton • 665-5100 N. Hwy. 81, Yankton 665-6394 HOURS: Sun.-Thurs. 11am-9pm Fri. & Sat. 11am-10pm 319 Walnut Yankton, SD 665-7811 Y ANKTON R EDI -M IX 2300 West City Limits Road Yankton, SD 57078 Bus: 605-665-9695 Fax: 605-664-9695 Marv’s Bar & Grill Utica, SD 665-9008 FREE Truck & Driver With Move-In On-Site Manager • Security Gate Fenced Facility • Overhead Doors Lighted • 7 Different Sizes Available 605-665-4207 1501 West City Limits Rd • Yankton, SD Jim & Pam Cunningham, Owners 3013 N. Broadway • Yankton, SD (East of Walmart) • (605) 260-8888 All You Can Eat Buffet Served 10am-4pm Monday-Friday Served 4pm-Close Monday-Friday All Day Saturday & Sunday NO MSG Orthopaedic Surgery Sports Medicine Center for Orthopaedics 2007 Locust, Yankton (605) 689-6890 No referrals necessary Don D. Swift II, D.O., P.C. John A. 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Wednesday, May 19th: Yankton County EMS employees will be handing out treats to students, teachers and parents who come in to the Yankton High School parking lot before school begins. Yankton County EMS employees include: Steve Hawkins, Administrator Darla Edinger, Medical Director Daryl Michael Jamie Larson Randy Webert Bill Arens Kendra Krueger Troy Cowman Corey Briest Tina Monteith Joe Gill Maggie Kuehler Jill Kohl Mark Nickles Jean Scherschligt John Kraft Melisa Smith Mike Slowey Anita Weiland Cathy Cuka Daryl Madsen Teri Madsen Jill James Lloyd Hanes Tamara Pedersen Don Suing Adam Frick Arica Nickles Bonnie Peterson Shari Gustad Allison Rouillard Brian Blaalid Jared Drotzman Ryan Kaiser Kevin Guthmiller, Agency 413 W. 15th St. Yankton, SD (605) 665-4230 M.T. & R.C. SMITH INSURANCE Serving the area since 1949. Home, Auto, Business, Life, Bonds 204 W. 4th Yankton, SD 665-3611 WE SEE TO IT THAT COMMERCIAL • RESIDENTIAL NEW CONSTRUCTION OR REMODELING L&S L&S ELECTRIC ELECTRIC HARRY LANE Electrical Contractor 605-665-6612 or 661-1040 You’ve Got the Power! You’ve Got the Power! www.yankton.net PAGE 9 Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan ■ NATION/WORLD ■ Monday, May 17, 2010 NATION/WORLD DIGEST Thai Government To Continue Crackdown BANGKOK (AP) — Anti-government unrest boiling over in down- town Bangkok spread to other areas of the capital and Thailand Sunday as the military defended its use of force in a crackdown that has left 30 civilians dead in four days. Thai leaders flatly rejected pro- testers’ demands that the United Nations intercede to end the chaos. Towering plumes of black smoke hung over city streets where pro- testers set fire to tires, fired homemade rockets and threw gasoline bombs at soldiers who used rubber bullets and live ammunition to pick off rioters who approached their lines. Army sharpshooters crouched behind sandbags carefully taking aim and firing to keep attackers at bay. Leaders of the protesters, who have dubbed themselves Red Shirts, said they wanted talks mediated by the United Nations, provid- ed the government agreed to an immediate cease-fire and pulled its troops back. Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn, however, said a pause was unnecessary since troops were “not using weapons to crack down on civilians.” The government maintains it is targeting only armed “terrorists” among the demonstrators. Authorities insisted they would continue the crackdown aimed at choking off the Red Shirts, who have occupied a 1-square-mile (3- square-kilometer) protest zone — barricaded by tires and bamboo spikes — in one of Bangkok’s ritziest areas since early April. The pro- testers are demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva resign immediately, dissolve Parliament and call new elections. Iraq Recount Affirms Win For Sunni Bloc BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s electoral commission affirmed on Sunday the narrow victory of a Sunni-backed bloc in the March vote after a partial recount undercut the Shiite prime minister’s claims of fraud in the tally. The result was a setback for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who came in second to former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi by a small margin. But his alliance with another Shiite bloc still gives him a strong chance of holding on to power for another four years. “I hope that all political blocs are satisfied now that the electoral process was honest and all allegations of fraud and forgery were totally incorrect,” electoral commission spokesman Qassim al- Abboudi told reporters after the results of a recount of votes for the capital Baghdad were announced. Miss Michigan Takes Miss USA Crown LAS VEGAS (AP) — A 24-year-old brunette from Michigan recov- ered after nearly stumbling in her evening gown and beat out four blondes and 46 other women to take the 2010 Miss USA title on Sunday. Rima Fakih of Dearborn, Mich., won the pageant at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip after swimsuit, evening gown and interview competitions. When asked how she felt about winning the crown, she said, “Ask me after I’ve had a pizza.” Fakih nearly fell while finishing her walk in a long, strapless gown because of the length of its train, but she made it without a spill and went on to win. During the interview portion, Fakih was asked whether she thought birth control should be paid for by health insurance, and she said she believed it should because it’s costly. Fakih replaces Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton and won a spot rep- resenting the United States in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant. She also gets a one-year lease in a New York apartment with living expenses, an undisclosed salary, and various health, professional and beauty services. Miss Oklahoma USA Morgan Elizabeth Woolard was named first runner-up after handling a question about Arizona’s new immigration law. Woolard said she supports the law, which requires police enforc- ing another law to verify a person’s immigration status if there’s “rea- sonable suspicion” that the person is in the country illegally. She said she’s against illegal immigration but is also against racial profiling. Miss Nebraska USA Belinda Renee Wright won the Miss Congeniality award, roughly one week after her father was killed in a farm accident. Miss Alabama USA Audrey Moore won Miss Photogenic after an online fan vote. ■ Get Updates At Yankton Online (www.yankton.net) SUPREME COURT Kagan Unlikely To Face GOP Filibuster BY JESSE J. HOLLAND Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON — Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan is unlikely to face a GOP fili- buster but should expect difficult questions from lawmakers who will decide whether she deserves the lifetime appointment despite having no judicial experience, the Senate’s second-ranking Republican said Sunday. “The filibuster should be relegated to the extreme circumstances, and I don’t think Elena Kagan represents that,” said Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee chairman, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said he hoped to have Kagan on the bench this summer, succeeding retiring Justice John Paul Stevens well ahead of the new term that begins in October. GOP senators are placing great weight on her testimony in determining the fate of President Barack Obama’s second nominee for the high court. At issue is her lack of a judicial paper trail. Kagan is now solicitor general, the top government lawyer who argues the adminis- tration’s cases before the Supreme Court, and was dean of Harvard Law School. But she has never been a judge. “She has so little other record, this is going to be a big deal,” said Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the committee’s top Republican. “It’s so important how she testifies.” Republicans want to know “whether she will lay her political beliefs aside when she’s deciding cases and decide those cases strict- ly based upon the facts and the law of the case,” Kyl said. “That may be a little difficult in her case because she’s never had to do that before as a judge, and so it’s more diffi- cult to know whether she is actually able to set her views aside. But that will be the pri- mary issue.” Kyl also said he wants answers on her thoughts about the “enemy combatant” des- ignation used for terrorism suspects. The Senate’s Republican leader, Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell, said he wants to know about Kagan’s thoughts on campaign finance and free speech. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Kagan’s time at Harvard, as well as a professor and Clinton White House adviser, should suffice. “She doesn’t have judicial experience. But she has a lot of experience, a lot of practical experience. She’s hardly a blank slate,” Schumer said. Leahy said he would meet this week with Sessions to decide when to begin the hear- ings for Kagan. Leahy noted that Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Sonia Sotomayor both were nominated in the spring and con- firmed long before October. “If we could fol- low a schedule roughly like that, we’ll be done this summer,” he said. Roberts was nominated by President George W. Bush. Sotomayor was Obama’s first nominee. Sessions and other Republicans said they planned to question Kagan about Harvard’s barring military recruiters over the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy while she was law dean. GOP senators have said the decision — which Sessions said came about because of Kagan’s “deep personal belief” that the ban on gays serving openly in the military was wrong — casts doubt on Kagan’s fitness for the bench. “This is no little-bitty matter,” Sessions said. “She would not let them come to the area that does the recruiting on the campus. ... This is not acceptable. It was a big error.” Former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich called Kagan “antimilitary” and urged Obama to withdraw the nomination. That drew a sharp response from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who batted the remarks away as “nonsense” and “Gingrich hyperbole.” “I would hope that no one would fall for that,” said Feinstein, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. To Leahy, the complaints are “sound and fury signifying nothing.” He said conservative interest groups are trying to come up with an issue that could possibly slow down Kagan’s confirmation. “I realize you have so many special inter- est groups on the far right or the far left who have points,” Leahy said. “Ignore those. We ought to make up our own mind. We should be bright enough to do it.” Sessions said senators should tread care- fully when it comes to questions about a nominee’s personal life. “I don’t believe that is a fundamental judgment call on whether a person can be a good judge or not,” he said. What’s important, Sessions said, is whether they can “restrain their personal political views and follow the law faithfully and serve under the Constitution? That’s the fundamental test in personal integrity. So those are questions that go to the heart of whether a person will be an able judge or not,” he said. Abortion Foes Now Capitalize On Health Reform
Transcript of National Emergency Medical Services...
WASHINGTON (AP) — Abortionopponents fought passage ofPresident Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul to the bitter end, andnow that it’s the law, they’re usingit to limit coverage by privateinsurers.
An obscure part of the lawallows states to restrict abortioncoverage by private plans operat-ing in new insurance markets.Capitalizing on that language, abor-tion foes have succeeded in pass-ing bans that, in some cases, gobeyond federal statutes.
“We don’t consider electiveabortion to be health care, so wedon’t think it’s a bad thing forfewer private insurance companiesto cover it,” said Mary Harned,attorney for Americans United forLife, a national organization thatwrote a model law for the states.
Abortion rights supporters aredismayed.
“Implementation of this reformshould be about increasing accessto health care and increasing choic-es, not taking them away,” said Sen.Patty Murray, D-Wash., a member
of the Senate leadership. “Healthcare reform is not an excuse totake rights away from women.”
Since Obama signed the legisla-tion law March 23, Arizona andTennessee have enacted lawsrestricting abortion coverage byhealth plans in new insurancemarkets, called exchanges. About30 million people will get theircoverage through exchanges,which open in 2014 to serve indi-viduals and small businesses.
In Florida, Mississippi andMissouri, lawmakers have passedbans and sent them to their gover-nors. Most of the states allowexceptions in cases of rape, incestor to save the life of the mother.Insurers still could offer separatepolicies to specifically cover abor-tion.
Three other states may act thisyear — Louisiana, Ohio andOklahoma. Overall, there are 29states where lawmakers or publicpolicy groups expressed seriousinterest, Harned said.
Before the overhaul became
law, five states had limits on pri-vate insurance coverage of abor-tion — Idaho, Kentucky, Missouri,North Dakota and Oklahoma.Abortion rights supporters are con-cerned that the list is growing as aresult of the new federal law.
Murray had joined in votingdown a federal abortion coverageban when the Senate debatedhealth care last year. Now she andother abortion rights supportersworry the same sorts of restrictionscould spread from state to state.
Most private health insuranceplans cover abortion as a legalmedical procedure, but researchindicates many women opt to paydirectly.
The federal law allows privateinsurance plans in the exchangesto cover abortion as long as theycollect a separate premium. Thatmoney must remain apart frompublic subsidies available to helppay insurance premiums for mostcustomers in the exchanges.
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Wednesday, May 19th: Yankton County EMS employees will be handing out treats to students, teachers and parents who come in to the Yankton High School parking lot before school begins.
Yankton County EMS employees include:Steve Hawkins, Administrator Darla Edinger, Medical DirectorDaryl Michael Jamie Larson Randy WebertBill Arens Kendra Krueger Troy CowmanCorey Briest Tina Monteith Joe GillMaggie Kuehler Jill Kohl Mark NicklesJean Scherschligt John Kraft Melisa SmithMike Slowey Anita Weiland Cathy CukaDaryl Madsen Teri Madsen Jill JamesLloyd Hanes Tamara Pedersen Don SuingAdam Frick Arica Nickles Bonnie PetersonShari Gustad Allison Rouillard Brian BlaalidJared Drotzman Ryan Kaiser
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www.yankton.net PAGE 9Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan ■ NATION/WORLD ■ Monday, May 17, 2010
NATION/WORLD DIGEST
Thai Government To Continue CrackdownBANGKOK (AP) — Anti-government unrest boiling over in down-
town Bangkok spread to other areas of the capital and ThailandSunday as the military defended its use of force in a crackdown thathas left 30 civilians dead in four days. Thai leaders flatly rejected pro-testers’ demands that the United Nations intercede to end the chaos.
Towering plumes of black smoke hung over city streets where pro-testers set fire to tires, fired homemade rockets and threw gasolinebombs at soldiers who used rubber bullets and live ammunition topick off rioters who approached their lines. Army sharpshooterscrouched behind sandbags carefully taking aim and firing to keepattackers at bay.
Leaders of the protesters, who have dubbed themselves RedShirts, said they wanted talks mediated by the United Nations, provid-ed the government agreed to an immediate cease-fire and pulled itstroops back.
Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn, however, said apause was unnecessary since troops were “not using weapons tocrack down on civilians.” The government maintains it is targetingonly armed “terrorists” among the demonstrators.
Authorities insisted they would continue the crackdown aimed atchoking off the Red Shirts, who have occupied a 1-square-mile (3-square-kilometer) protest zone — barricaded by tires and bamboospikes — in one of Bangkok’s ritziest areas since early April. The pro-testers are demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva resignimmediately, dissolve Parliament and call new elections.
Iraq Recount Affirms Win For Sunni BlocBAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s electoral commission affirmed on Sunday
the narrow victory of a Sunni-backed bloc in the March vote after apartial recount undercut the Shiite prime minister’s claims of fraud inthe tally.
The result was a setback for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whocame in second to former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi by a smallmargin. But his alliance with another Shiite bloc still gives him astrong chance of holding on to power for another four years.
“I hope that all political blocs are satisfied now that the electoralprocess was honest and all allegations of fraud and forgery weretotally incorrect,” electoral commission spokesman Qassim al-Abboudi told reporters after the results of a recount of votes for thecapital Baghdad were announced.
Miss Michigan Takes Miss USA CrownLAS VEGAS (AP) — A 24-year-old brunette from Michigan recov-
ered after nearly stumbling in her evening gown and beat out fourblondes and 46 other women to take the 2010 Miss USA title onSunday.
Rima Fakih of Dearborn, Mich., won the pageant at the PlanetHollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip after swimsuit,evening gown and interview competitions.
When asked how she felt about winning the crown, she said, “Askme after I’ve had a pizza.”
Fakih nearly fell while finishing her walk in a long, strapless gownbecause of the length of its train, but she made it without a spill andwent on to win.
During the interview portion, Fakih was asked whether she thoughtbirth control should be paid for by health insurance, and she said shebelieved it should because it’s costly.
Fakih replaces Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton and won a spot rep-resenting the United States in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant. Shealso gets a one-year lease in a New York apartment with livingexpenses, an undisclosed salary, and various health, professionaland beauty services.
Miss Oklahoma USA Morgan Elizabeth Woolard was named firstrunner-up after handling a question about Arizona’s new immigrationlaw. Woolard said she supports the law, which requires police enforc-ing another law to verify a person’s immigration status if there’s “rea-sonable suspicion” that the person is in the country illegally.
She said she’s against illegal immigration but is also against racialprofiling.
Miss Nebraska USA Belinda Renee Wright won the MissCongeniality award, roughly one week after her father was killed in afarm accident. Miss Alabama USA Audrey Moore won Miss Photogenicafter an online fan vote.
■ Get Updates At Yankton Online (www.yankton.net)
SUPREME COURT
Kagan Unlikely To Face GOP FilibusterBY JESSE J. HOLLANDAssociated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court nomineeElena Kagan is unlikely to face a GOP fili-buster but should expect difficult questionsfrom lawmakers who will decide whether shedeserves the lifetime appointment despitehaving no judicial experience, the Senate’ssecond-ranking Republican said Sunday.
“The filibuster should be relegated to theextreme circumstances, and I don’t thinkElena Kagan represents that,” said ArizonaSen. Jon Kyl, a member of the SenateJudiciary Committee.
The committee chairman, Sen. PatrickLeahy, D-Vt., said he hoped to have Kagan onthe bench this summer, succeeding retiringJustice John Paul Stevens well ahead of thenew term that begins in October.
GOP senators are placing great weight onher testimony in determining the fate ofPresident Barack Obama’s second nomineefor the high court. At issue is her lack of ajudicial paper trail.
Kagan is now solicitor general, the topgovernment lawyer who argues the adminis-tration’s cases before the Supreme Court,and was dean of Harvard Law School. But shehas never been a judge.
“She has so little other record, this isgoing to be a big deal,” said Alabama Sen. JeffSessions, the committee’s top Republican.“It’s so important how she testifies.”
Republicans want to know “whether shewill lay her political beliefs aside when she’sdeciding cases and decide those cases strict-ly based upon the facts and the law of thecase,” Kyl said. “That may be a little difficult
in her case because she’s never had to dothat before as a judge, and so it’s more diffi-cult to know whether she is actually able toset her views aside. But that will be the pri-mary issue.”
Kyl also said he wants answers on herthoughts about the “enemy combatant” des-ignation used for terrorism suspects. TheSenate’s Republican leader, Kentucky’s MitchMcConnell, said he wants to know aboutKagan’s thoughts on campaign finance andfree speech.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Kagan’stime at Harvard, as well as a professor andClinton White House adviser, should suffice.“She doesn’t have judicial experience. Butshe has a lot of experience, a lot of practicalexperience. She’s hardly a blank slate,”Schumer said.
Leahy said he would meet this week withSessions to decide when to begin the hear-ings for Kagan. Leahy noted that Chief JusticeJohn Roberts and Justice Sonia Sotomayorboth were nominated in the spring and con-firmed long before October. “If we could fol-low a schedule roughly like that, we’ll bedone this summer,” he said.
Roberts was nominated by PresidentGeorge W. Bush. Sotomayor was Obama’sfirst nominee.
Sessions and other Republicans said theyplanned to question Kagan about Harvard’sbarring military recruiters over the military’s“don’t ask, don’t tell” policy while she waslaw dean.
GOP senators have said the decision —which Sessions said came about because ofKagan’s “deep personal belief” that the banon gays serving openly in the military was
wrong — casts doubt on Kagan’s fitness forthe bench.
“This is no little-bitty matter,” Sessionssaid. “She would not let them come to thearea that does the recruiting on the campus.... This is not acceptable. It was a big error.”
Former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrichcalled Kagan “antimilitary” and urged Obamato withdraw the nomination.
That drew a sharp response from Sen.Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who batted theremarks away as “nonsense” and “Gingrichhyperbole.”
“I would hope that no one would fall forthat,” said Feinstein, a member of the SenateJudiciary Committee.
To Leahy, the complaints are “sound andfury signifying nothing.” He said conservativeinterest groups are trying to come up with anissue that could possibly slow down Kagan’sconfirmation.
“I realize you have so many special inter-est groups on the far right or the far left whohave points,” Leahy said. “Ignore those. Weought to make up our own mind. We shouldbe bright enough to do it.”
Sessions said senators should tread care-fully when it comes to questions about anominee’s personal life. “I don’t believe thatis a fundamental judgment call on whether aperson can be a good judge or not,” he said.
What’s important, Sessions said, iswhether they can “restrain their personalpolitical views and follow the law faithfullyand serve under the Constitution? That’s thefundamental test in personal integrity. Sothose are questions that go to the heart ofwhether a person will be an able judge ornot,” he said.
Abortion Foes Now Capitalize On Health Reform
