Public Policy

On June 24th, 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned on a 5-4 vote, ending an almost 50-year federal protection over abortions in the first trimesters of a pregnancy. With the overturn causing an uproar of protests and social media activity, many are now asking what happens next and what it means to them. The decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked back in May, leading people to be unsure if a right given to them in 1973 would be taken away almost fifty years later. Now that it has, it is essential to understand what this looks like in each state and how it affects people everywhere. Is Abortion Illegal Everywhere in the U.S. Now? No, but is has [...]

In 1973, Roe v Wade changed the outlook of women’s rights to abortion throughout the country. The US Supreme Court took down the Texas statute banning abortion and made it legal for women to have the procedure in the United States. In the past, abortions were illegal throughout most states and would lead to women having an unwanted child, looking for unlawful abortion options, or seeking out medications that could help. This raised the rate of abortion medications being sold and doctors performing dangerous and illegal procedures. Soon, the medicines were also anointed illegal, and women’s right to abortions was cut in more ways than one. For many women and activists in the country, this caused outrage. Groups and people, [...]

On March 27 a gunman in Boulder, Colorado went on a shooting spree, killing 10 people at a grocery store. This was only days after a shooter in Atlanta went on a spree leaving 8 dead across three spas on March 16. The crescendo to what has been some of our most violent years in recent memory, the Biden administration released an executive order on April 7, 2021 that caught many people’s eye for its addressing of what it calls “ghost guns.” It became clear that many in the public were not sure what ghost guns were, or how a potential regulation of these guns would impact them. Furthermore, there seems to be a lot of panic around the executive [...]

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 was enacted to protect your private information while allowing the transfer of health information to ensure that each individual receives high-quality health care. What information is protected? HIPAA protects “all individually identifiable health information held or transmitted by a covered entity or its business associate, in any form of media, whether electronic, paper or oral.”   This information includes demographic data that relates to the individual’s past, present or future physical or mental health. Any information that can identify a patient is protected by law.   It can include   a patient’s name, social security number, or telephone number a medical record specific dates such as birth, admission, discharge or [...]

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was enacted in 1993 to promote work-life balance.   FMLA applies to all public agencies, public and private elementary and secondary schools and companies with 50 or more employees.   Eligibility An employee is eligible when he or she meets the following criteria: works at a company that employs 50 or more employees has worked for their employer for at least one year has worked at least 1,250 hours over the past year   Unpaid leave An employee can request unpaid leave for any of the following reasons: for the birth and care of the employee’s newborn child for the placement of an adopted or foster care child with the employee to care [...]