Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Los Angeles Ordered To Offer Shelter To All Homeless People On Skid Row
Los Angeles Times: Judge Orders L.A. City And County To Offer Shelter To Everyone On Skid Row By Fall
A federal judge overseeing a sprawling lawsuit about homelessness in Los Angeles ordered the city and county Tuesday to offer some form of shelter or housing to the entire homeless population of skid row by October. Judge David O. Carter granted a preliminary injunction sought by the plaintiffs in the case last week and now is telling the city and county that they must offer single women and unaccompanied children on skid row a place to stay within 90 days, help families within 120 days and finally, by Oct. 18, offer every homeless person on skid row housing or shelter. (Oreskes, Alpert Reyes and Smith, 4/20)
In other news from the states —
Oklahoman: Blood Donations In Oklahoma At Lowest Level Since COVID Pandemic Began
Oklahoma urgently needs blood donations, officials with the Oklahoma Blood Institute said Tuesday. Donations have fallen to their lowest levels since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the local blood supply is being "pushed to its limits" by increased blood usage from hospitals, the blood center said in a news release. (Branham, 4/20)
AP: New Version Of Idaho 'Fetal Heartbeat' Abortion Ban Advances
A Senate panel on Tuesday advanced a measure that would outlaw nearly all abortions in conservative Idaho by banning them once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. The legislation makes providing an abortion to a woman whose embryo has detectible cardiac activity punishable by up to five years in prison, and it would allow the woman who receives the abortion to sue the provider. (Ridler, 4/21)
AP: Arizona Governor Vetoes Strict Sex Education Legislation
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Tuesday vetoed legislation that would have made the state’s sex education laws some of the strictest in the nation when it comes to teaching about LGBTQ issues. The governor called the legislation overly broad and vague and said it would lead to unintended consequences. He also said he was concerned a ban on sex education before 5th grade could put vulnerable children at risk by limiting sexual abuse prevention education. (Christie, 4/21)
AP: Montana Blocks Bill To Ban Gender Affirming Surgery In Youth
The Montana Senate voted Tuesday to indefinitely postpone a bill that would have banned gender affirming surgery for transgender minors, effectively killing the proposal. The measure had faced significant opposition from medical experts, transgender people and human rights advocates, who testified earlier this year that gender affirming surgery is rarely undertaken by minors, but medical decisions should be left up to families. (Hanson and Samuels, 4/21)
AP: Families, Doctors Urge Alabama To Reject Trans Treatment Ban
Transgender youth, parents and advocates on Tuesday urged the Alabama House of Representatives, as well as the state’s governor, to reject legislation that would ban the use of puberty-blockers or hormones to treat transgender minors. Arkansas earlier this month became the first state to approve such legislation. Alabama could be the second if House members approve the Senate-passed bill. Parents, medical providers and a transgender teenager spoke out against the Alabama bill during a virtual press conference hosted by the Human Rights Campaign. (Chandler, 4/20)
Politico: Florida’s Transgender Sports Ban Headed For Defeat In GOP-Controlled State Senate
The Republican-controlled Florida Senate appears to be abandoning a controversial transgender sports ban, a development that would hand LGBTQ activists and Democrats a huge victory. The bill, which specifies that K-12 and college sports teams must be designated based on “biological” sex while charging state agencies with crafting policies to hash out gender disputes, was condemned by the LGBTQ community and lawmakers who viewed the measure as discriminatory toward transgender students. (Atterbury, 4/20)
