04Jul 2022 by Charles E. Price
The history of abortion access on Prince Edward Island

The history of abortion access on Prince Edward Island

LAW
The US Supreme Court last week voted 6-3 to overturn the Roe v. Wade interpretation of the constitution, finding it does not protect abortion rights and opening the way for states to restrict or outright ban the medical procedure.Prince Edward Island was long considered Canada's most pro-life province, and the Island's abortion politics have a long and fraught history.Here's a look back at the evolution of abortion rights on PEIDecriminalizationAbortion in Canada was formally banned in 1869 and remained illegal until 1969, when the Criminal Law Amendment Act decriminalized therapeutic abortions, as long as a committee of doctors certified that the pregnancy endangered the pregnant person's life or health.On PEI, the last legal abortion was performed in 1982 when the Protestant and Catholic hospitals merged, shortly before the opening of…
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04Jul 2022 by Charles E. Price
Oklahoma spent millions on a legal and PR campaign to paint reservations as ‘lawless dystopias’ and convince the Supreme Court to weaken tribal sovereignty,

Oklahoma spent millions on a legal and PR campaign to paint reservations as ‘lawless dystopias’ and convince the Supreme Court to weaken tribal sovereignty,

LEGAL
Indigenous and environmental activists protest in front of the White House in Washington, Oct. 11, 2021.Sue Ogrocki, File/Associated PressThe Supreme Court ruled last week the state of Oklahoma has some jurisdiction over tribal lands.Native law experts told Insider the ruling ran counter to decades of Native law.They said the court bought into Oklahoma's dubious narrative of reservations as "lawless dystopias."Oklahoma engaged in a coordinated effort to disparage Native American tribes and convince the Supreme Court to weaken tribal sovereignty — and it worked, according to Native law experts.On Wednesday, the Supreme Court sided with the state in Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta in a 5-4 opinionholding that the state of Oklahoma had concurrent jurisdiction with the federal government to prosecute some crimes committed on reservations.But Native law experts said the decision ran…
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04Jul 2022 by Charles E. Price
Arizona attorney general: Pre-state abortion ban enforceable

Arizona attorney general: Pre-state abortion ban enforceable

ATTORNEY
“Our office has concluded the Legislature has made its intentions clear with regards to abortion laws,” Brmovich said on Twitter. “ARS 13-3603 (the pre-statehood law) is back in effect and will not be repealed” when the new law takes effect in late September. The old law says anyone who helps a pregnant woman obtain an abortion can be sentenced to two to five years in prison. The only exception is if the life of the woman is in jeopardy. Abortion clinics across Arizona had stopped providing the procedures within hours of last Friday's Supreme Court ruling. They cited concerns that the old law could be enforced.Explaining the halt in procedures, Planned Parenthood Arizona President and CEO Brittany Forteno said the possibility of prosecutions was just too risky to continue providing…
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04Jul 2022 by Charles E. Price
Courts backlog worsens as junior barristers quit over pay

Courts backlog worsens as junior barristers quit over pay

LAW
As a newly qualified barrister Alejandra Llorente Tascon, 29, once found herself struggling to afford travel to get to her cases. Now a barrister for six years, she estimates she still has about £60,000 in student debt. “A couple of years ago I had to go into the clerks' room in my old chambers and say I did not have the money to go to court. What do I do?” said Tascon, who grew up on a Battersea council estate with her mother, a single parent who works as a cleaner. Tascon is one of thousands of barristers in England and Wales who have gone on strike over cuts to their pay, with a second wave of walkouts starting this week. Criminal barristers are lawyers who represent criminal cases in…
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04Jul 2022 by Charles E. Price

Short-term rental legal battle continues in Oro-Medente

LEGAL
A group of Oro-Medonte residents held a fundraiser on Saturday to raise money for the ongoing battle against short-term rentals in the area. The Oro-Medente Good Neighbors Alliance organized a yard sale and silent auction to raise money for the planned legal battle. While organizers say short-term rentals are prohibited under the township's bylaws, they're calling on the municipality to do more to enforce them. Peter Lavoie, director of the Oro-Medonte Good Neighbors Alliance, says it's difficult to know which short-term rental will become disruptive. "We'd like to see more action from the township in terms of enforcing those rights that they've given residential properties to the peace and quiet enjoyment to, in a lot of cases, people's permanent homes," Lavoie says. Liz Kirk, organizer of the yard sale, was…
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