No problem, Gaylord is so close

I've mentioned before (though I can't find it now) that the Michigan legislature is considering a bill that allows health care professionals to refuse to treat a patient because of "religious beliefs, moral convictions, or ethical principles sincerely held by an individual or entity." That bill has now passed out of Senate committee. It may go before the full chamber when they return from Spring recess.

Crystal Proxmire of Between the Lines fills in the details of this bill. A caregiver or insurance company could deny such treatments as birth control prescriptions, HIV medication, hormones for transgender individuals, prenatal care for "morally objectionable family circumstances," or simply because a person is female, gay, Jewish, or of any other minority. The patient would not be able to sue. The caregiver could sue an employer if punished for refusing to provide care. This is amazingly draconian.

The caregiver who refuses care has to provide a referral. No problem, right? I did a bit of poking around in Google. If the hospital in Alpena refuses care, the next closest hospital is in Rogers City, 38 miles and 45 minutes away. And if they aren't accommodating, Alpena to Gaylord is 70 miles and 85 minutes. That becomes an onerous burden if care requires repeated visits, which HIV or transgender transition would require.

In addition to the burden and the risk of health and life, this bill promotes discrimination.



Back in November Michigan citizens voted to repeal the Emergency Manager law. It didn't take long for the legislature to vote in a replacement law. In terms of powers granted to the EM it is about the same as the law voters rejected. But there is one important difference. The new law contains a small spending provision (probably unrelated to the rest of the law) and the Michigan Constitution says that "the power of referendum does not extend to acts making appropriations…" That phrase is there to prevent citizens from overturning laws that enact the state budget. But the legislature is now abusing it. The new EM law with this provision is the GOP controlled legislature's way of saying, "Nyah, Nyah, Nyah!" Which it's been doing a lot of lately -- the act which made Michigan a Right to Work state also has a tiny spending provision.

All that has prompted citizen Bill Lucas to begin the process of getting a constitutional amendment to repeal that little phrase about spending. Look for "Voters for Fair Use of Ballot Referendum."



Braiden Neubecker, age 10-1/2, wrote an essay for school, which Between the Lines published. In her essay Braiden praises her two dads. Life in foster care for her and her younger brother Michael was tough, But now that her two dads have adopted the siblings life has been pretty great.