By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
A new feature with updates on issues and subjects we follow.
Arizona’s Abortion Law
On Monday, a federal judge in Arizona, David Bury, refused to block a terrible state law and became the latest to yield to the deceitful tactics of the anti-abortion forces. The law, among the strictest in the country, bans the use of certain abortion-inducing drugs, like RU-486, unless they are taken in certain doses by the seventh week of pregnancy, an old protocol (approved in 2000 by the Food and Drug Administration) that doctors now reject. Current practice finds the drugs effective at lower doses and safe through nine weeks of pregnancy.
The state provided no evidence that the new protocol is dangerous, while the law’s challengers, including local health care providers, presented clear evidence the current usage is safer.
The judge reasoned that women can still get a surgical abortion after seven weeks. The law makes no exceptions, even for women who cannot safely undergo surgery, and it forces many others to travel hundreds of miles for the procedure — yet more proof that the law has nothing to do with protecting women’s health. Courts have struck down similar laws in Oklahoma and North Dakota for placing an “undue burden” on a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion. Clearly, the Arizona ruling was wrong and should be overturned.
Enforcing Pay Rules
President Obama signed an executive order in February requiring federal contractors to pay employees at least $10.10 an hour, and, in March, he ordered the Labor Department to revamp inadequate federal rules on overtime pay. Both actions are intended to improve wages and counter inequality.
But in a recent letter to Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, three Democratic members of Congress noted that, without stronger labor-law enforcement, violators of the old rules would be likely to violate the new standards. The letter urges the department to resolve pending “wage theft” complaints by contract food-service employees at federal buildings in Washington, who say they have been denied overtime and paid subminimum wages. Swift investigations and, if warranted, serious consequences, including back pay, damages and penalties, would ensure justice and future compliance. The letter also calls for an annual public listing of wage theft violations by federal contractors, because exposure is a deterrent to wrongdoing.
Timidity on the ‘Doc Fix’
The Senate on Monday joined the House in approving a bill that allows Medicare to avoid making a 24 percent cut in doctors’ fees (which could cause some doctors to drop Medicare patients), otherwise required by a flawed payment formula. The “doc fix” bill postpones the cuts for a year.
Congress has been talking about a real solution for years. Alas, it lacked the courage to change the formula for good because that could cost $140 billion over 10 years by some estimates. It is time to stop talking and pass a permanent fix.
Original Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/02/opinion/keeping-track-april-2-2014.html?_r=0