Pennsylvania

Abortion services and privacy are in danger in Pennsylvania

Published

3 years ago

April 29, 2022

Abortion services and privacy are in danger in Pennsylvania

So-called “disaster being pregnant facilities” are anti-abortion organizations that dissuade these with unintended pregnancies from contemplating abortion. In most states these are privately funded organizations, however Pennsylvania funds them with our tax {dollars}. Lately, public funding has elevated.

It’s outrageous that Pennsylvania has poured hundreds of thousands of {dollars} into disaster being pregnant facilities (CPCs) for many years regardless of their lack of oversight and accountability. Worse, a few of these organizations are actually amassing detailed private information on those that go to their facilities — information that state authorities may use to surveil and prosecute in a post-Roe world. We may turn out to be like Texas the place residents can sue anybody who assists a lady in getting an abortion.

Research repeatedly present most CPCs systemically unfold false and deceptive data to advance their agenda of dissuading ladies from selecting abortion. Pennsylvania has despatched greater than $100 million of public cash into them through the years, together with cash siphoned from TANF, a safety-net program supposed to assist low-income households.

Fortunately, the Ladies’s Legislation Challenge and the Alliance of State Advocates for Ladies’s Rights and Gender Equality have been finding out and exposing the reality about Disaster Being pregnant Facilities in PA. Right here, I’m sharing only a portion of what they’ve uncovered and shedding mild on what’s being completed about efforts to deceive individuals in a world of banned or severely restricted entry to abortion companies.

The Alliance report factors out that Disaster Being pregnant Facilities outnumber abortion care suppliers by 9:1 in Pennsylvania and 27 of the 156 CPCs are publicly funded with hundreds of thousands of {dollars} annually. Probably the most shameful and offensive facet of this funding stream is that, for a few years, the funding was straight associated to the quantity of public cash spent on household planning. Even worse, a watchdog group filed a grievance in Pennsylvania alleging intensive misuse of public funds by Actual Options, the umbrella group that oversees CPCs funded with public cash in our state, years after the previous auditor basic first accused the group of “skimming.”

Respected household planning suppliers similar to Deliberate Parenthood are appropriately topic to medical requirements and pointers, together with HIPAA privateness rules. Data they supply is factual and companies are topic to quite a few ranges of oversight.

Not like household planning suppliers, typical CPCs in our state provide no medical companies. They obtain no such oversight, and the service they most sometimes present is “counseling” to shoppers. In FY21, Pennsylvania allotted over $7 million to CPCs — they usually served a mere fraction of the variety of shoppers served by household planning suppliers.

Not solely do CPCs not provide medical companies, similar to prenatal care, they typically promote false details about being pregnant and abortion that undermines public well being and their web sites often provide deceptive and misleading claims. Research present that two in 5 individuals can’t establish a CPC from its web site, and it’s little surprise given they typically use phrases like “selection” or “choices.” Though they don’t provide unbiased data or referrals, they do attempt to dissuade an individual who could also be contemplating abortion. One other significantly disturbing discovering within the Alliance report is that state-funded CPCs promote “Abortion Tablet Reversal,” which the medical group asserts is a rogue and unproven follow primarily based on a fraudulent declare.

The shortage of obligatory oversight concerning personal and private data is what might allow these organizations to probably misuse private medical data, which may have dire penalties if abortion is criminalized or banned. They typically share consumer medical and sexual historical past data with the main anti-abortion organizations. It’s been revealed that a few of the data they gather from individuals who contact these organizations is being saved in an anti-abortion motion mega-database that “serves the entire motion.” To battle again, leaders of the Ladies’s Well being Caucus are in search of to defund Actual Options. State Consultant Mary Jo Daley, D-Montgomery, will quickly introduce a invoice to ban organizations from sharing private data and information with out a particular person’s written consent.

The way forward for Roe v Wade is tenuous at finest. The U.S. Supreme Court docket is anticipated to rule on a Mississippi case this summer time. The bulk conservative Court docket is prone to overturn Roe fully or injury it so severely that abortion entry might be curtailed in dozens of states. The truth is, the Guttmacher Institute initiatives that at the least 26 states are poised to definitely or seemingly ban abortion. In Pennsylvania, anti-abortion lawmakers are already introducing extra restrictive payments and even a invoice that might lead to a statewide referendum on a constitutional modification that might lay the groundwork for banning abortion on this state.

Not solely may we see abortion turn out to be inaccessible, with out protecting coverage we may see individuals being topic to surveillance and harassment.

We should act now to do all we will to guard reproductive rights in Pennsylvania! Inform our legislators that we’re watching to see how they are going to account for the way state funds are allotted to CPCs and the way they are going to work to guard entry to abortion companies. Urge them to oppose the anti-abortion constitutional modification and cross Rep. Daley’s invoice to guard privateness.

Maggie Leigh Groff follows reproductive well being points for the Bucks County Ladies’s Advocacy Coalition, BCWAC.org. Extra details about the Alliance Report and CPCs can be found on the Ladies’s Legislation Challenge web site. https://www.womenslawproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Alliance_CPC_Report_Pennsylvania.pdf

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Pennsylvania

ALERT Monday: Widespread accumulating snow across south-central Pennsylvania

Published

7 hours ago

January 5, 2025

Press Room

ALERT Monday: Widespread accumulating snow across south-central Pennsylvania

A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for Franklin and Adams County from midnight tonight until midnight Monday Night. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon, York, and Lancaster Counites from midnight tonight until midnight Monday night. The storm will bring snow overnight Sunday and through the day Monday.

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Pennsylvania

What to know about bird flu in Pennsylvania

Published

15 hours ago

January 5, 2025

Press Room

What to know about bird flu in Pennsylvania

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

As more cases of bird flu are reported across species and locations, states across the country are taking precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

Hundreds of thousands of people will gather at the Pennsylvania Farm Show beginning later this week—a potential breeding ground for virus transmission, which the state Department of Agriculture has taken extra steps to try to prevent.

Here’s a look at how Pennsylvania and Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration are responding to the bird flu and trying to prevent a widespread outbreak among cattle and humans.

What is the status of the avian flu outbreak in Pennsylvania and across the United States?

As of Dec. 31, there have been no reported cases of bird flu in cattle or humans in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania has been fighting the avian flu outbreak since 2022. To date, 32 commercial flocks, 39 backyard flocks, and a total of more than 4.7 million birds in Pennsylvania have been affected by the outbreak—mostly in early 2023—resulting in one of the worst outbreaks of bird flu among commercial flocks across the country.

But Pennsylvania has largely been able to quell the outbreak among poultry since then, spending more than $30 million last year on testing and reimbursement for farmers. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, there have been no cases of bird flu in commercial poultry since February.

The last confirmed infection was in October in Venango County, in a backyard flock of 20 birds that did not produce eggs or other products, Department of Agriculture spokesperson Shannon Powers said in an email.

Nationally, farmers have been forced to slaughter more than 100 million chickens and turkeys since 2022 to prevent an outbreak. However, those efforts have largely failed, now that the virus has mutated to infect cows and make it more likely to spread to humans; 875 herds of cattle in 16 states have tested positive for the virus, and more than 60 people have been infected.

Are Pennsylvania residents at risk of contracting the virus?

Risk to humans remains low in Pennsylvania and nationally. Approximately 34 California residents have been infected since March, and symptoms remain mostly mild—although two individuals in Louisiana and Canada experienced severe symptoms. Most of the documented human cases so far are in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency last month.

What is Pennsylvania’s government doing to prevent spread of the virus?

Pennsylvania has taken “aggressive precautions to protect Pennsylvania’s dairy and poultry industries,” Powers said. Since November, the state has required milk processors and shippers to collect and test milk samples from bulk milk tank trucks. This is at no cost to dairy farmers.

Poultry continues to be tested on poultry farms and at live bird markets, Powers added.

Will the bird flu affect the Pennsylvania Farm Show?

The Pennsylvania Farm Show—the nation’s largest indoor agricultural exhibition—starts this weekend to celebrate the state’s agricultural industries. The Farm Show, which runs Saturday through Jan. 11 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, usually attracts more than 500,000 people each year—making it a potential hot spot for virus transmission.

But the Department of Agriculture has taken several precautions to prevent the spread: Live bird exhibits are limited to birds headed to slaughter to stop transmission back to farms, and Farm Show attendees won’t be allowed to handle or pet the birds.

Any live animal at the Farm Show must have a veterinary inspection signed by an accredited veterinarian within 30 days of arrival.

Veterinarians will also check animals for physical signs of disease once they arrive at the Farm Show Complex. The animals will be checked again during daily rounds during the weeklong exhibition.

Are eggs safe to eat, and is milk safe to drink in Pennsylvania?

Yes, egg and pasteurized milk supplies from reputable suppliers that follow state food-safety laws remain safe to consume.

Consumers of raw milk are at a greater risk of contracting the bird flu or other viruses, because raw milk has not been heated and cooled to kill active viruses.

How is Pennsylvania’s medical industry responding?

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are working on a vaccine to protect humans and animals from the H5N1, or avian flu, virus. The vaccine, which is in clinical trials among cattle, uses the same messenger RNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.

2025 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Lottery Powerball, Pick 2 Day results for Jan. 4, 2025

Published

23 hours ago

January 5, 2025

Press Room

The Pennsylvania Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025 results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

26-32-43-54-56, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 2 numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

Day: 3-8, Wild: 1

Evening: 1-7, Wild: 4

Check Pick 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

Day: 0-6-9, Wild: 1

Evening: 0-7-4, Wild: 4

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

Day: 3-8-5-7, Wild: 1

Evening: 2-3-9-9, Wild: 4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

Day: 3-4-2-6-0, Wild: 1

Evening: 4-5-5-2-8, Wild: 4

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

01-21-24-32-46, Cash Ball: 01

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 5 numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

02-08-29-39-41

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Treasure Hunt numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

04-06-07-28-29

Check Treasure Hunt payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Match 6 Lotto numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

14-24-25-37-38-47

Check Match 6 Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from Jan. 4 drawing

12-25-63-65-66, Powerball: 14

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Sign the Ticket: Ensure your ticket has your signature, name, address and phone number on the back.
Prizes up to $600: Claim at any PA Lottery retailer or by mail: Pennsylvania Lottery, ATTN: CLAIMS, PO BOX 8671, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
Prizes from $600 to $2,500: Use a Claim Form to claim at a retailer or by mail: Pennsylvania Lottery, ATTN: CLAIMS, PO BOX 8671, Harrisburg, PA 17105.
Prizes over $2,500: Mail your signed ticket with a Claim Form or in person at a Lottery Area Office (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

Lottery Headquarters is currently not open to the public. Visit the PA Lottery website for other office locations near you.

When are the Pennsylvania Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 2, 3, 4, 5: 1:35 p.m. and 6:59 p.m. daily.
Cash4Life: 9 p.m. daily.
Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. daily.
Treasure Hunt: 1:35 p.m. daily.
Match 6 Lotto: 6:59 p.m. Monday and Thursday.
Powerball Double Play: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Pennsylvania editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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