Tag: Mississippi

CDC Warns Rare, Deadly Bacterial Illness Is Now in the US

Newsmax – July 28, 2022

A bacteria that causes a rare but serious disease has been discovered in soil and water samples in the Gulf Coast region of Mississippi after two people who live near each other fell ill.

In a notice issued Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Gulf Coast residents, particularly those with certain health conditions, to take precautions against Burkholderia pseudomallei and prevent a disease it causes called melioidosis.

Symptoms of melioidosis can include fever, joint pain and headaches. It can also cause pneumonia, abscesses and blood infections.

Melioidosis is fatal in about 10% to 50% of people who are infected worldwide, and it typically surfaces in tropical and subtropical areas, such as South and Southeast Asia, northern Australia, Puerto Rico and parts of Central and South America.

Unfortunately, the environmental conditions found in the Gulf Coast states are conducive to the growth of this bacteria, the CDC noted.

Though it is a serious illness, risk to the general population still remains low, the CDC added.

One of the two known cases happened in 2022. The other occurred two years earlier. That they lived in close geographic proximity but were unrelated to each other prompted state health officials and the CDC to test household products, soil and water in and around both patients’ homes, with their permission.

Three of the samples from soil and puddle water in 2022 tested positive for the bacteria. Public health officials now believe the bacteria has been present in the area since at least 2020.

People who live in that area and have health conditions such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease or consume excessive amounts of alcohol should avoid contact with soil or muddy water, especially after heavy rains, the agency said.

https://www.newsmax.com

Mississippi Officially Asks Supreme Court To Overturn Roe V. Wade

B911 – July 22, 2021

Today, in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch filed her brief with the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Lawmakers in Mississippi has been trying to implement a law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

“There are those who would like to believe that Roe v. Wade settled the issue of abortion once and for all,” said Attorney General Fitch. “But all it did was establish a special-rules regime for abortion jurisprudence that has left these cases out of step with other Court decisions and neutral principles of law applied by the Court. As a result, state legislatures, and the people they represent, have lacked clarity in passing laws to protect legitimate public interests, and artificial guideposts have stunted important public debate on how we, as a society, care for the dignity of women and their children. It is time for the Court to set this right and return this political debate to the political branches of government.”

As noted in the brief, rather than settle the discord established by Roe, Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey made matters worse. “Caseyrecognized that Roe’s disregard for state interests had to be abandoned…. Caseytried to improve upon Roe by replacing strict scrutiny with the undue-burden standard. But that standard too defeats important state interests rather than accounts for them.

”The brief continues, “The only workable approach to accommodating the competing interests here is to return the matter to ‘legislators, not judges.’…The national fever on abortion can break only when this Court returns abortion policy to the states – where agreement is more common, compromise is more possible, and disagreement can be resolved at the ballot box.”

“With this brief, we’re simply asking the Court to affirm the right of the people to protect their legitimate interests and to provide clarity on how they may do so,” said Fitch.

https://breaking911.com

Supreme Court Charts Next Move on Abortion Limits

Jeffrey Rodack – March 19, 2021

The Supreme Court will meet privately on Friday to consider if it should take up a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

As various states continue to adopt abortion prohibitions, many of the new laws are headed to the high court. As a result, the justices could opt to wait to take any action on abortion, CNN reported.

Mississippi officials had appealed a ruling by an appellate court that had invalidated the 15-week ban. The ruling found that the Supreme Court precedent prevents prohibitions when the fetus would be unable to live outside the womb.

The case stems from a Mississippi abortion clinic suing the state in 2018, shortly after then-Gov. Phil Bryant signed the 15-week ban. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ruled it was unconstitutional. A three-judge panel of the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Reeves had ruled correctly.

But in late 2019, Mississippi asked the entire appeals court to reconsider the case, and the full panel later denied the request.

If the Supreme Court justices do agree to take up the 15-week abortion ban it, would likely spark intense national debate. And even if they deny the Mississippi petition, individual justices could issue statements regarding the denial and elaborate on their arguments for future rollbacks on abortions, CNN noted.

Mississippi’s Attorney General Lynn Fitch is urging justices to hear the case. Fitch has asked the court to clarify its standard and to disallow clinic lawsuits on behalf of women.

https://www.newsmax.com

Mississippi Gov. Signs Bill Prohibiting Boys in Girls’ Sports: Girls Deserve a ‘Level Playing Field’

Michael Foust – March 11, 2021

Mississippi’s governor signed a bill into law on Thursday prohibiting biological males from competing in girls’ or women’s sports, making the state the first in 2021 to act on the issue.

More than 20 states are considering similar bills, which supporters say are needed in light of a push on the national and state levels to allow transgender girls and women to compete alongside biological females in sports.

Two high school athletes in Connecticut who are biologically male but who identify as female won a total of 15 state track championships. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has taken initial steps in requiring schools to allow transgender athletes to compete according to their gender identity.

The Mississippi bill passed in the state House 81-28 with bipartisan support, although a 34-9 vote in the Senate fell along partisan lines.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, signed the bill into law Thursday. Supporters call it the “Mississippi Fairness Act.”

“Athletic teams or sports designated for ‘females,’ ‘women’ or ‘girls’ shall not be open to students of the male sex,” the text of the bill says.

The new law, which takes effect July 1, also allows athletes to file suit if their school violates the law.

“This important piece of legislation will ensure that young girls in Mississippi have a fair, level playing field in public school sports,” Reeves said during a signing ceremony.

https://www.christianheadlines.com

Mississippi Passes Bill Banning Transgender Athletes in Girls’ Sports

Jay Greenberg – March 5, 2021

The Mississippi House of Representatives has passed a bill that bans transgender athletes from competing in female sports events.

The state’s House passed the bill 81-28 on Wednesday to ban transgenders from competing on sports teams based on the gender they “identify” with.

Seven representatives voted “present,” while six did not vote, which counts neither for nor against the bill.

The ban would apply to teams at all schools and universities across the state.

The bill now heads to the desk of Republican Gov. Tate Reeves.

Reeves has expressed support for the move and is expected to sign the legislation into Mississippi state law as soon as possible.

The Republican-controlled state Senate passed the bill 34-9 on Feb. 11, with five senators not voting, and four voting “present,” according to Fox News.

Mississippi is now one of more than 20 states where lawmakers have proposed restrictions on athletes playing on sports teams that don’t align with their sex assigned at birth or for gender-reassignment health care for minors.

https://neonnettle.com