Alabama Obstetrician Turned Lawmaker Withdraws Controversial Bill
Republican State Senator Larry Stutts got into some hot water this week after an unsettling connection between his past and a bill he proposed came to light. Stutts said Tuesday that he will no longer push legislation to repeal “Rose’s Law.” The 1999 law requires a minimum postpartum hospital stay— unless the woman gives written consent — and certain bloodwork before a woman is discharged from the hospital.
Unbeknownst to Stutts’s cosponsors of the bill, “Rose’s Law” is named for Stutts’ patient Rose Church, who died of a heart attack 10 days after giving birth in 1998. Her widower lobbied for the new care requirements in 1999.
Kyle Whitmire of al.com and the Alabama Media Group joins WBHM’s Rachel Osier Lindley to discuss what happened after this connection was revealed earlier this week.
Alabama lawmakers approve a ban on devices that convert semi-automatic weapons into machine guns
A bipartisan coalition pushed the Alabama legislation after several multiple mass shootings last year, including the shooting deaths of four people outside a Birmingham nightclub in September. The devices are already banned under federal law, but there’s currently no state law that bans them.
After historic indictment, doctors will keep mailing abortion pills over state lines
Doctors who mail abortion medication pills across state lines have been on alert ever since Louisiana, which bans abortion, indicted a New York doctor for mailing the pills to a woman there.
Stargazing, poetry and meditation: What connects NPR readers to their spirituality
NPR readers of different belief systems share the poignant rituals that make them feel close to their spirituality. For some, it's poetry and gardening, for others, it's meditation and community.
Family of U.S. student missing in the Dominican Republic believes she drowned
Sudiksha Konanki remains missing after she disappeared during a spring break trip with friends.
Trump’s handling of Ukraine and tariffs has NATO rethinking the U.S.-made F-35 fighter
The F-35 was meant as a one-size-fits-all fighter that could be used across NATO. But strained U.S.-Europe relations are giving some member countries second thoughts about the U.S.-built plane.
Professional players’ group likens tennis organizers to a ‘cartel’ in its lawsuit
The antitrust lawsuit filed by the Professional Tennis Players' Association says the organizations that run the sport hold "complete control over the players' pay and working conditions."
