New York State

Bloomberg & Guns

Box A Rox — Sun, 5 Feb 2012 16:02:35

The "Morning After Pill" Under 17 Yrs. Old

Admin — Sun, 5 Feb 2012 07:52:16

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CAPITOL
‘Morning-after’ pill age restrictions Legislature’s baby
Availability for under-17 girls promises to be difficult topic
BY SARA FOSS Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Sara Foss at 395-3193 or sfoss@dailygazette. net.

    A bill in the New York state Legislature would expand access to the controversial emergency contraception pill known as “Plan B One-Step” by making it easier for women younger than 17 to obtain it.
    Right now, Plan B is available without a prescription from pharmacies and health clinics to women 17 or older, while women 16 and younger must make an appointment with a doctor for an individual prescription to be filled by a pharmacist. The bill would change that, allowing nurses and pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception using non-patient specifi c prescriptions written by licensed physicians, certified nurse practitioners or licensed midwives.
    Late last year, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled a Food and Drug Administration decision that would have made emergency contraceptives available over the counter to all women, including women under 17.
    Supporters and opponents of the state bill say that it would circumvent Sebelius’ controversial decision, if passed.
    In a memo outlining its opposition to the bill, the New York State Catholic Conference writes that the legislation would “eliminate the patient-specifi c physician requirement for the ‘morning after pill’ for girls under age 17, enabling them to purchase the drugs at any drugstore or obtain them from a school nurse, without any parental knowledge or doctor’s supervision. The legislation ... is an attempt to circumvent this federal ruling by providing girls under age 17 with easy access to Plan B.”
    Donna Montalto, executive director of the New York state chapter of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, agreed that the bill circumvents Sebelius’ decision. But she viewed that as a good thing. “It will provide more access to Plan B, and that’s a way to prevent teenage pregnancies.”
PLANNED PARENTHOOD
    One place that provides Plan B, and also supports the proposed bill, is Planned Parenthood.
    Blue Carreker, a spokeswoman for Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood in Albany, said the organization only provides Plan B to those 17 and older, and that underage patients are told to get a prescription. She said the proposed legislation is designed to help people access emergency contraception when health care facilities and providers are closed.
    “Women should have easy access to emergency contraception,” Carreker said. “It’s safe and effective.” The bill “is motivated by a broad concern that young women should be able to prevent unintended pregnancies.”
    Ronnie Pawelko, the general counsel for Family Planning Advocates of New York State, said that Plan B is a time-sensitive drug that should be taken as soon after unprotected sex as possible.
    Plan B One-Step can cut the chances of becoming pregnant in half if taken soon after unprotected sex. Experts say that it should not be used as a primary form of birth control, and that it should be taken within five days to be effective.
    According to the FDA, Plan B works like other birth control pills to prevent pregnancy, usually by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary, although it might also prevent fertilization. If fertilization does occur, Plan B might prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb, a process known as implantation.
    Much of the controversy over Plan B stems from whether it prevents implantation. ...........................>>>>..........................>>>>....................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01300&AppName=1

NY's AG Sues Banks For Mortgage Fraud

Admin — Sat, 4 Feb 2012 07:45:09

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Eric Schneiderman Sues BofA, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase Over Electronic Mortgage Fraud
First Posted: 02/ 3/2012 11:59 am Updated: 02/ 3/2012 5:45 pm

Three big banks were hit on Friday with yet another lawsuit related to wrongful foreclosures. Democratic New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed suit against Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo for deceptive and fraudulent use of a private database used to register mortgages, according to a Friday press release from his office.

Schneiderman has been outspoken in urging the Obama administration to hold the nation's largest financial institutions accountable for their role in the foreclosure crisis, notably hesitating to join a larger nationwide case against the country's five largest banks for mortgage fraud. States now have until Monday, according to the Iowa attorney general's office, to decide to join that deal.

The New York attorney general has yet to announce whether New York will participate in the deal because of concerns that joining the settlement would make it impossible for him to file his own, state-based lawsuits against the banks, said sources close to the negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The decision to bring this lawsuit on Friday indicates that the larger nationwide settlement is now more to Schneiderman's pleasing, said a source familiar with the discussions.

"If the deal terms had been decided six months ago, a state couldn't have pursued this kind of lawsuit," said the source. "The fact that Schneiderman has filed this case suggests that the terms of the deal have changed since then."...........................>>>>.....................>>>>.........................http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....ronic_n_1252793.html

58,000 Jobs Could Go To China

Admin — Thu, 2 Feb 2012 05:50:48

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New York could lose 58,000 jobs to China in next decade
The Business Review
Date: Wednesday, February 1, 2012, 1:30pm EST

New York could lose tens of thousands of supply chain jobs in the auto parts industry to China in the next 10 years, according to a new report from the Economic Policy Institute and the Stewart and Stewart law firm, both based in Washington, D.C.
New York is among the 10 most vulnerable states, according to the report, with potential loss of 58,429 jobs over the next decade. Michigan stands to be hurt the hardest with about 250,000 jobs........................>>>>...................>>>>.........................http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/news/2012/02/01/new-york-could-lose-58000-jobs-to.html

Let All Voters Vote In Presidential Primaries

Admin — Thu, 2 Feb 2012 05:28:55

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Let all voters participate in presidential primaries

    The primary season is only four states old and the field has been whittled down to four choices. Less than 20 percent of the delegates have been chosen and the results are becoming preordained. Where are the choices? Where are the leaders? Where has true representation gone?
    The New York primary is April 24; the results will be insignificant when it is held. The travesty of New York’s primary is nearly 40 percent of eligible voters can’t participate. Some would term this disgraceful, others discriminatory, and still others collusion. How can there be true representation of the people with a minute number of candidates and the voice of nearly half the people silent? It’s no wonder things keep getting worse in Washington. The American people have lost faith in the election process and their government.
    But change is in the air. There is a way for all registered voters to participate in the presidential nomination process. As we speak, Americans Elect is knocking down the barriers to ballot access across the country. Presently, we are on the ballot in 15 states and pending certifi cation in 15 more. The process in New York can’t start until after our online convention in June, when we will nominate our own presidential candidate. Those are New York’s election laws. But all are encouraged to participate in our nomination process.
    Americans Elect does not discriminate against or disqualify any registered voter. We don’t even ask you to change your party affiliation, because we are not a party. We are a process that has been recognized by the National Election Committee. All are welcome. To participate, go to our website, www.americanselect. org, — 2.4 million members nationwide can’t be wrong.

RIC WELLS
Wilton
The writer is captain of Americans Elect in New York state.

http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00904&AppName=1