By WPRO News and the Associated Press
Abortion bills take center stage
Lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee heard testimony on a package of abortion bills from Tuesday night until around 3 am Wednesday morning, namely on the Reproductive Health Care Act. About 300 people had signed up to testify.
I believe that no one should get in the middle of a decision between a woman and her doctor and that no woman should have to chose between health care and making ends meet. #RHCA pic.twitter.com/IAuz8Y71de
— Gina Raimondo (@GovRaimondo) January 29, 2019
The Reproductive Privacy Act, similar to but less popular than the RHCA, was also up for discussion.Three anti abortion bills, including the Rhode Island “unborn child protection from dismemberment Act,” the Rhode Island Right to Life Act, and a “house resolution recognizing the fetus as a human life upon the existence of a heartbeat” were also on the agenda.
“We need to come together, both pro choice people and pro life people and come up with better solutions, better ideas on health care, how we can provide for an unwanted child or an unwanted pregnancy,” said Representative James McLaughlin, who sponsored two of the pro-life bills on being heard.
At the hearing, former legislator Linda Kushner shared her own story of nearly dying after getting an illegal abortion in 1960 in advocating for passage of the RHCA.
“We are dealing with the problem of young, not just young, any woman, dying from an illegal abortion, and I don’t want any woman to ever have to undergo what I went through and I don’t want any mother, or father for that matter, of any pregnant person to ever have to go through the anguish, and anxiety and fear that my parents, particularly my mother went through,” she said.
After the hearings, Bishop Thomas Tobin criticized Catholic pro-choice legislators, but told WPRO’s Matt Allen that excommunication of those legislators from the church wasn’t on the table.
Listen to “Bishop Thomas Tobin – Abortion Legislation in RI – 1-30-2019” on Spreaker.
One legislator also got State Police involved after feeling threatened by one testimony at the hearing, though the woman who gave it told Channel 12 it was meant to be satirical.
Raimondo gets national attention
A recent Boston Globe profile focused on Governor Gina Raimondo’s reelection and recent selection to chair the Democratic Governors Association in an article headlined: “She didn’t win big. But Raimondo’s reelection signals continuity amid rocky Rhode Island politics.” Soon after, a piece by New York Times opinion columnist Frank Bruni was entitled: “The Loneliness of the Moderate Democrat”, and was subtitled with a quote from Raimondo: ‘It takes a lot of spine to be a centrist in America today.”
Asked by WPRO News what’s afoot here, Raimondo responded, “I don’t think anything. They reached out to me and I granted the interview. Obviously, we had a big electoral victory in November and now I’m the chair of the DGA, so my profile is raised and they reached out.”
“A lot of them are reaching out saying, “Things seem to be going better in Rhode Island, you seem to be having a lot of economic success, what’s going on there?”
“To me, that’s heartening, because people are taking notice of our economic resurgence.”
She also maintained that she’s not aiming for a slot an any 2020 Democratic Presidential ticket.
Raimondo backs DCYF Director after no-confidence vote
The death of a 9-year-old girl living in squalid conditions sparked a no-confidence vote in DCYF Director Trista Piccola.
The governor’s press secretary, Josh Block, said the governor has “full confidence” in Piccola and called the girl’s death a “tragic and difficult situation.” He says the director is “taking appropriate action” in reviewing the case.
“This has been a very tragic and difficult situation for everyone, especially for the children involved and this little girl’s family. My priority is to complete the internal review and human resources investigation so that we can finalize next steps and better serve children and families,” Piccola said in a statement.
Piccola says she’s willing to talk with the union about the results of the review, get their feedback on the next steps, and listen to any other concerns. The union’s president says front line workers at DCYF are “wildly understaffed.”
Former lawmaker rejects plea, heads to trial
Former State Senator Nicholas Kettle, who resigned last year after facing video voyeurism and extortion charges, rejected a plea deal that would have spared him jail time. The Providence Journal reports he’ll head to trial instead.
Kettle could have faced expulsion from the Senate if he didn’t resign. He has denied the charges, which include taking secret nude photos of an ex girlfriend and extorting sex from an underage Senate page in 2011.
