South Carolina Bans Most Abortions As Governor Signs ‘Fetal Heartbeat’ Bill

The Hill: South Carolina Governor Signs Bill Banning Most Abortions 
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) on Thursday signed a bill into law that would ban most abortions in the state, the latest state to enact stringent abortion restrictions. The new law, dubbed the “South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act,” prohibits abortions if a fetal heartbeat can be detected and mandates that doctors conduct an ultrasound before performing an abortion to see if a heartbeat can be detected. The law contains exceptions for a fetus that is conceived by rape or incest, or if the mother’s life is in jeopardy. (Axelrod, 2/18)

CNN: South Carolina Governor Signs Bill Prohibiting Most Abortions When A Fetal Heartbeat Is Detected
"This is a great day. It's a happy day," the Republican said during a packed event at the state Capitol. "There a lot of happy hearts beating right now." The South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act states that a doctor must perform an ultrasound on a person seeking an abortion to determine if there is a fetal heartbeat. If a heartbeat is found, a doctor cannot perform an abortion unless the physician believes it is a medical emergency, the pregnancy is the result of a rape or incest or there is a fetal anomaly, the bill says. Abortion providers who provide the procedure outside those parameters could face fines and imprisonment. (Watts and Kelly, 2/18)

In pandemic updates from Indiana, Kentucky, Georgia and California —

Indianapolis Star: Indiana Gov. Holcomb Signs COVID Liability Bill, Lawsuit Protection
Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill Thursday that would provide businesses, including nursing homes, civil immunity from coronavirus-related lawsuits. The act goes into effect immediately. “The pandemic has affected Hoosier businesses, schools and others in ways no one could have foreseen just one year ago," Holcomb said in a statement. "To aid in the state’s recovery, I made providing assurances that they will not have to live and work in fear of frivolous lawsuits a part of my Next Level Agenda." Critics worried Senate Bill 1 could impact legal claims targeting nursing homes that have no connection to the pandemic and would provide unnecessary and unprecedented protections. (Lange, 2/18)

AP: Kentucky Relaxing COVID Rules At Some Long-Term Care Centers
Kentucky is relaxing coronavirus-related restrictions at some of its long-term care facilities. Indoor visitation will resume at non-Medicare-certified facilities that have been through the COVID-19 vaccination process, Gov. Andy Beshear said. Group activities, communal dining and visitations among vaccinated residents will resume, he said. Included in the updated protocols are assisted living facilities, personal care homes, intermediate care facilities for people with intellectual disabilities and independent living centers, Beshear said. (2/19)

Georgia Health News: Bill To Allow Visitors In Hospitals, Nursing Homes Is Pared Down, But Still Sparks Emotional Debate
Georgia House committee held a passionate debate Thursday over a pared-down bill to allow people to visit patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities during a public health emergency. The nation is currently in the midst of such an emergency — the COVID-19 pandemic. (Miller, 2/18)

The Washington Post: Oakley Union School Board On Hot Mic Disparages Parents Who ’Want Their Babysitters Back’ 
Thinking they were in a private forum where they could safely vent, a group of San Francisco Bay area school board members unleashed months of pent-up frustration with parents, dismissing them as marijuana users desperate for free babysitting almost a year into the pandemic. “Are we alone?” one member of the Oakley Union Elementary School District Board of Trustees asked this week before describing her attitude toward critics: “B----, if you’re going to call me out, I’m going to f--- you up.” (Farzan, 2/19)

In other news from Louisiana, Utah, California and Pennsylvania —

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Louisiana Saw Nation's Steepest Spike In Drug-Overdose Deaths Between 2019 And 2020
The number of drug-overdose deaths in Louisiana rose more rapidly than any other state in the U.S. during the 12 months that ended last July, a period that included the first months of the coronavirus pandemic, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control. About 1,720 Louisianans died from overdoses during that period, which saw what the CDC estimates to be a record 86,000 overdose deaths. Louisiana’s total is 53% more than the number that died during the same time period the year before, a spike twice as steep as the national average. (Adelson and DeRobertis, 2/19)

Salt Lake Tribune: Bill Requiring Fathers To Pay 50% Of Pregnancy Costs Clears The Senate
A bill that would require a biological father to pay half of the out-of-pocket pregnancy costs for the woman carrying their unborn child passed unanimously through the Utah Senate on Thursday. HB113, which requires a final procedural vote in the Senate before heading to the governor for his signature or veto, would apply to a pregnant mother’s health insurance premiums and all medical costs related to the pregnancy from conception to birth. Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, said the bill is an effort “to try and bring some equity to the funding of pregnancies and share in that burden and [to recognize] the important role that the mother and the father play in the pregnancy.” (Stevens, 2/18)

San Francisco Chronicle: Oakland Plan To Replace Police With Mental Health Workers In Disarray
As protests against police brutality swept Oakland in June, the City Council took a bold step toward rethinking public safety: It set aside $1.85 million for a new program to dispatch counselors and paramedics to mental health crises, instead of armed law enforcement officers. Eight months later, the Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland program has yet to get off the runway. And on Feb. 17, two community-based organizations that were vying for the contract bowed out. (Swan, 2/19)

Philadelphia Inquirer: The SPOT Period In Philadelphia Offers Free Menstrual Products To Those Experiencing Period Poverty
After years of running their nonprofit — No More Secrets: Mind Body Spirit, Inc. — out of Medley’s therapy office and the trunk of her car, on Saturday McGlone and Medley will open The SPOT Period in Germantown. It is believed to be the nation’s first menstrual hub. Entirely funded through community donations, The SPOT (which stands for Safety Programming for Optimal Transformation) offers an array of services including free menstrual and hygiene products, educational resources and seminars, access to clean water and toilets, a computer room, first period kits, and a Breonna Taylor safe room for “marginalized women to escape the dangers of the world.” (Farr, 2/19)