Signal Chat: The Actual Scandal
There's been much reporting in the US about the messaging thread on US airstrikes in Yemen that mistakenly included a journalist. An aspect of the story getting less attention within the US is that those strikes reportedly killed multiple civilians, including children.
Medicaid Helps
Much of the media has been abuzz about the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study: US Abortion Bans and Fertility (February 13, 2025). In states banning abortion:
There was an estimated 2.41% increase in births above expectation among those with low incomes who would qualify for Medicaid coverage during pregnancy . . .
This contrasts with those whose births would not be paid for by Medicaid, who on average experienced no estimated change.
If low-income women are giving birth, perhaps many of the pressures to abort are removed by the ban. This shows the importance of Medicaid funding. Bans apparently prevent abortions among Medicaid recipients. Taking that support away could undo part of the progress in stopping abortions.
For the higher income, many travel out of state or sneak in pills. But many take more care about getting pregnant at all – so no baby is killed, and the ban is effective.
Medicaid SCOTUS Case
On April 2, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic. The question: can states disqualify Planned Parenthood from their Medicaid programs? States can already disqualify abortions from being covered by Medicaid, but can they also disqualify the largest abortion chain when it provides covered medical care?
News from the Fairy Tale World
The theory behind the effectiveness of nonviolent action – an alternative to war as a way of opposing tyranny – is that power comes not from the sword but from the cooperation of the people. Tyrants use fear to get that cooperation, as did the Evil Queen in Disney’s live-action version of Snow White (now in theaters). But people see authority as more legitimate when it takes a kind approach.
In this version, after the true-love kiss had aroused Snow White from the poisoned apple, the queen went back to the palace and Snow White went there to confront her. She elicited the support of the people before the face-to-face contact. When the queen ordered guards to kill her on the spot, Snow White called the men by name and reminded them of their former occupations and families. Noncooperation ensued.
This is reminiscent of the scene in the live-action version of Disney’s Aladdin when Jasmine also courageously appealed to the guards to not carry out the usurper’s demands.
The Latest on the Blog
Fr. Jim Hewes considers The Uniqueness of the Fetal Body: A Distinct Human Life.
The Trumpian disruption of U.S. foreign aid is a major news topic now. Rachel MacNair goes into some of the complexities in U.S.A.I.D. – The Good and the Bad
Quote of the Week
Republican News, Ohio House of Representatives,
House Committee Begins Hearings on Legislation to Prohibit State Funding of Death in Ohio, March 7, 2025
The bill will abolish the death penalty in Ohio, prohibit the use of state funds for assisted suicide, and clarify the state’s existing prohibition against the use of state funds for abortion . . .
“Our state should focus its taxpayer spending on upholding a consistent ethic of life,” said [State Representative Adam] Mathews. “By prohibiting public funds from being used with the intention to terminate human life, this legislation sends a clear and uncompromising message: Ohio will not fund death.”
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