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☆ Gay male couples face more challenges, higher costs to start a family
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Courtney Reagan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

watch nowWhy gay male couples face higher costsAlon Rivel, left, with his family. Gay male couples typically face a more expensive journey, as surrogacy or adoption are their primary choices. Employer fertility benefits offer limited helpMore employers are starting to offer fertility benefits, often through a specialized fertility benefits manager like Kindbody, Carrot, Progyny or Maven. But while more companies are offering fertility benefits, many of these packages are limited when it comes to covering what's needed to build families with non-traditional methods. At Rivel's insistence, he asked his human resources department to look into including surrogacy benefits.

Persons: Alon Rivel, Alon Rivel Alon Rivel, Rivel, Betsy Campbell, Maven, Will Porteous, Doug, Walter ., Porteous, Progyny's, Pete Anevski, Tammy Sun, Taryn Branca, they'll, Anevski, it's, Resolve's Campbell, Hanna, Stephen Hanna, Bret Shuford, Maverick Organizations: International Foundation of Employee, Equality, Mercer, Maven, Beam Therapeutics, Child Welfare Locations: Arlington , Massachusetts, U.S, Wynnewood , Pennsylvania, West, Massachusetts

☆ The Supreme Court’s Racial Misfire
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Journal Editorial Report: GOP candidates, the press, and pretty much everyone reacts. Image: Mary Altaffer/Associated PressThe only good thing that can be said for the Supreme Court’s 7-2 decision last week upholding the Indian Child Welfare Act, or ICWA, is that a new challenge might come soon. The shame is that in the meantime federal law will continue to elevate tribal prerogatives and racial criteria above the welfare of vulnerable Native American children.

Persons: Mary Altaffer Organizations: GOP, Associated, Indian Child Welfare

☆ China fails to release cremation data from late 2022 when its Covid-19 outbreak raged
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

A review of the past 10 years of ministry data shows the annual figure of cremations was consistently included in the fourth quarter data report – until now. China has faced criticism of its data transparency throughout the pandemic, including how it counts Covid-19 deaths. In January, a top WHO official accused China of “under-representing” the severity of its Covid outbreak, and repeated the agency’s critique of Beijing’s “narrow” definition of what constitutes a Covid death. At that time, Chinese health officials only listed those Covid patients who succumbed with respiratory failure and pneumonia as having died of Covid. It’s not clear if China plans to release the national data on cremations at a later date.

Persons: cremations, Yanzhong Huang, Covid, ” Huang, Hector Retamal, China’s, “, bode, It’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, Council, Foreign Relations, Ministry, Civil Affairs, CNN, Getty, WHO, Covid, World Health Organization Locations: Hong Kong, China, New York, Shanghai, AFP, Wuhan, Communist, “

☆ The Supreme Court preserved the Indian Child Welfare Act, giving tribal families preference in Native American adoptions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Supreme Court issued a decision Thursday preserving the Indian Child Welfare Act. The law aims to keep Native American kids in tribal families in foster care and adoption cases. This was the third time the Supreme Court has taken up a case on the IWCA. In the not-so-distant past, Native children were stolen from the arms of the people who loved them," Biden said in a statement. Matthew McGill, who represented the Brackeens at the Supreme Court, said he would press a racial discrimination claim in state court.

Persons: —, Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Alito, Chuck Hoskin, Charles Martin, Tehassi Hill, Guy Capoeman, Joe Biden, Biden, Chad, Jennifer Brackeen, Fort Worth , Texas —, Brett Kavanaugh, Kavanaugh, Matthew McGill, McGill Organizations: Indian Child Welfare, Service, WASHINGTON, Republican, Child Welfare, Cherokee Nation, Morongo, Mission, Oneida, Quinault Indian Nation, Democratic, Navajo, Supreme Locations: Quinault, Delaware, Alaska, Texas, Fort Worth , Texas, American, Navajo, Southwest, Cherokee, Sur Pueblo

The justices found that the plaintiffs - the Republican-governed state of Texas and three non-Native American families - lacked the necessary legal standing to bring their challenge. They also rejected challenges to the law, known as the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, on other grounds. Congress passed it to end a longstanding practice in the United States of removing many Native American children from their families and placing them with non-Native Americans. At the time of the law's passage, between 25% and 35% of all Native American children were removed in states with large Native American populations, according to court papers. Interior Department and federal officials by Texas and the three families who sought to adopt or foster Native American children.

Persons: Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Joe Biden, Biden, Jennifer, Chad Brackeen, Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, Kavanaugh, Andrew Chung, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Constitution's, Republican, Indian Child Welfare, Tribal Nations, Indian Child Welfare Association, National Congress of American, Child Welfare, U.S . Interior Department, Circuit, Thomson Locations: Texas, United States, Navajo, New Orleans, New York

☆ Justice Neil Gorsuch Is a Committed Defender of Tribal Rights
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Adam Liptak | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Where this court once stood firm,” he wrote, “today it wilts.”In November, when the Supreme Court heard arguments in the Indian Child Welfare Act case, Justice Gorsuch questioned lawyers for the challengers vigorously, with flashes of anger and frustration. “That’s simply not true,” he said to one. To another, who had argued that there were sound reasons for doubting the wisdom of the law, he said, “the policy arguments might be better addressed across the street,” referring to Congress. His concurring opinion on Thursday recounted in ugly detail the cruel mistreatment of Native American children over the centuries. “In all its many forms, the dissolution of the Indian family has had devastating effects on children and parents alike,” he wrote.

Persons: ”, Gorsuch, “ That’s Organizations: Indian Child Welfare Locations: wilts, ”

☆ A major lawsuit challenging Biden's student-loan forgiveness might have just been undermined by a new ruling from conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Justice Amy Comey Barrett may have signaled how the Supreme Court might rule on student-loan forgiveness. In a Thursday ruling, Barrett said Texas did not have standing to sue the federal government on behalf of its citizens. The Supreme Court majority opinion, authored by Barrett, ruled 7-2 that none of Texas' challenges had any merit, upholding the ICWA. He also noted that in addition to proving parens patriae standing, states must also prove they meet the basic requirements of constitutional standing. Still, the states may have a stronger case for standing in the student-debt case than Texas did.

Persons: Amy Comey Barrett, Barrett, Biden, —, Joe Biden's, Amy Coney Barrett, David Nahmias, Barrett —, MOHELA, James Campbell, Campbell, Nahmias Organizations: GOP, Service, Indian Child Welfare, Biden, ., UC Berkeley Center, Federal Government, Republican, MOHELA Locations: Texas, There's, . Nebraska, , Texas, State, Nebraska

☆ Eldest of rescued Colombian children pulled sister from plane wreckage
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, June 12 (Reuters) - The eldest of the four Indigenous children who were missing for more than five weeks in Colombia's southern jungle after a plane crash pulled her youngest sibling from the wreckage, the children's grandfather said on Monday. The oldest sister, Lesly, whose courage has been hailed by authorities as key to the children's survival, pulled the youngest child, Cristin, from the plane, grandfather Narciso Mucutuy said in videos posted by the defense ministry. The children spent four days near the wreckage, he said, eating flour that had been onboard, before wandering from the site. Colombian Air Force/Handout via REUTERSLesly was exhausted by the time they were rescued, Mucutuy added. The father of the two youngest siblings has said the children will tell their own story about the ordeal.

Persons: Lesly, Narciso Mucutuy, Mucutuy, San Jose del, REUTERS Lesly, Wilson, Adriana Velasquez, Rescuers, Julia Symmes Cobb, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Cessna, Colombian Air Force, REUTERS, Twitter, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Caqueta province, Bogota, San Jose, San Jose del Guaviare, Colombia

☆ Casey DeSantis' mission on the 2024 campaign trail is to bring suburban women back to the GOP after Trump lost them
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Ron DeSantis' wife, Casey DeSantis, is a chief confidant key to his political rise. He finished boasting about his "Florida Blueprint," and then his wife, Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, glided onstage. In the geography was Casey DeSantis' autobiography: raised in Troy, Ohio, and college-educated at the University of Charleston. As Florida's first lady, Casey DeSantis' initiatives included childhood emotional resiliency, child welfare, and — as a breast-cancer survivor herself — cancer research. "They did not want woke ideology shoved down the throats of their five years olds while they were in school," Casey DeSantis said.

☆ The DeSantis campaign will test whether Casey DeSantis can bring suburban women back to the GOP after Trump lost them
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

☆ Her son said his stepdad was sexually abusive. A judge gave the stepdad custody anyway. Then she found the photographs.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Olivia Gentile | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +58 min

Robert confronted Winenger with the allegations that November, and within weeks Winenger denied the claims in family court. In a family court hearing in Vista, California, on October 28, 2021, Commissioner Patti Ratekin chastised Jill Montes for allegedly alienating her kids from her ex-husband. From a list provided by the Delaware Family Court, Kelly chose a psychologist, William Northey. Their father cited the report in asking a Delaware family court judge to order the boys to change schools. Family Court of the State of Delaware, New Castle CountyCiting the email and a subsequent report, Michael pressed Ostroski to order the transfer.

Persons: he'd, Robert, stepdad, Thomas Winenger, Winenger, Robert's, Jill Montes, Montes, Patti Ratekin, she'd, Ratekin, Richard Gardner, Gardner, Lynn Steinberg, she's, Maya, shrieks, Joan Meier, They'd, —, Meier, Tom Brenner, Paige, Maggie Shannon, Claire, Eden, Weeks, Hester Prynne, Mitra Sarkhosh, Sarkhosh, San Diego Robert, Tom Winenger, Tamatha Clemens, Miguel Alvarez, Alvarez, overreact, Alvarez didn't, Bridges, Janell Ostroski, Linda Gottlieb, Ostroski, Michael D, Ashton, Alfield Reeves, Michael, Kelly D, Kelly, who've, Randy Rand, Chris, Rand, he's, Rand isn't, Jane Shatz of, Joann Murphey, Murphey, Steinberg, Ally Toyos, Kit R, Toyos, Emily, Richard Warshak, Elizabeth Loftus, Harvey Weinstein's, Loftus, Hannah Rodriguez, Linda Gottlieb's, Gottlieb, Rodriguez, Yvonne Parnell, Brian Ludmer, Ludmer, Parnell, aren't, Daniel Barrozo, Mom, Jean Mercer, Mercer, who'd, Michael Saini, Saini, Hannah Yoon, — Ashton, Judge Ostroski, William Northey, Northey, O, Addie Asay, mistreating Ashton, Rachel Brandenburg, Brandenburg, I've, Michael's, Gardner's, Gardner dosed, Dr, Paul Fink, Fink, Warshak, William Bernet, Patrick Clancy, doesn't, She'd, Brian Fitzpatrick, Sen, Susan Rubio, Meier's, Rebecca Connolly, didn't, Connolly, Heidi Simonson, Rubio, Theresa Manzella Organizations: Investigations, San, Business, Child Welfare, of, American Psychiatric Association, World Health Organization, American Professional Society, George Washington University, Violence Law, George Washington University Law School, Columbia University, PAS, Sarkhosh, San Diego County Sheriff's Department, California Health, Welfare Agency, Psychology, Bridges, Texas, Roane, Stockton University, University of Toronto, Families, Delaware Family Court, Family, Delaware Family, Association of Family, Conciliation, Newsday, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, HarperCollins, Family Bridges, Vanderbilt University, Disorders, The Justice Department, WHO, of Social Welfare, Family Law, Winenger, Montes, Superior Locations: San Diego County, Vista , California, of California, Family Bridges, United States, Santa Cruz , California, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, toddlerhood, Ratekin, San, California, Eden, New Castle County , Delaware, New York, Ashton, Delaware, Jane Shatz of California, Seattle, Southern California, Texas, Kansas, Toyos, Bozeman , Montana, Family, Tampa , Florida, New, Hudson Valley, Chino , California, Wilmington , Delaware, of Delaware, New Castle County, Denver, Washington, Pennsylvania, Susan Rubio of Los Angeles County, statehouses, Watsonville , California, Santa Cruz, Michigan , Kansas, Utah, Colorado, Montana

☆ The Brutal Past and Uncertain Future of Native Adoptions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Gabrielle Glaser | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“This law has helped us return home,” said Ms. White Hawk, who is also the author of “A Child of the Indian Race,” a memoir. “It has helped us to reclaim our spiritual wealth as Indian people.”For Mr. Stearns, the road to connect with his Navajo self was long and uneven. “His long hair made my mom suspicious,” Mr. Stearns said. Mr. Stearns said that his parents, who are both dead, never hid his adoption, and were proud that he was Navajo. “They were in it to show the love they had to a kid.” But Mr. Stearns could never breach a more personal chasm.

CNN —Hundreds of jewels once owned by late Austrian billionaire Heidi Horten have fetched a combined 176 million Swiss francs ($196 million) to become the most expensive private jewelry collection ever to appear at auction. Heidi Horten pictured wearing the Briollete of India necklace, which sold for 6.3 million Swiss francs ($7 million). The most valuable lot, a ruby and diamond Cartier ring that is “pigeon blood” in color, fetched just over 13 million Swiss francs ($14.5 million), despite Christie’s expecting bids as high as 18 million Swiss francs ($20 million). A 90-carat “Briolette of India” diamond necklace by jeweler Harry Winston also came in below estimate, selling for 6.3 million Swiss francs ($7 million). courtesy Christie'sElsewhere, however, a Bulgari diamond ring more than doubled its high estimate to fetch 9.1 million Swiss francs ($10.1 million).

☆ 'Lilo & Stitch' live-action remake raises concerns about colorism
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Disney’s animated hit “Lilo & Stitch” is getting the live-action treatment, but a reported casting decision has set off a new conversation about colorism in Hollywood. Why some feel Nani’s skin color is relevantThe new “Lilo & Stitch” is based on an animated film and Nani is a fictional, animated character. But unlike “The Little Mermaid,” which is rooted in mythology despite receiving racist backlash over Halle Bailey’s casting in the live-action remake, “Lilo & Stitch” draws from a very real culture and people. The live-action “Lilo & Stitch” is only the latest in a long line of projects that have faced accusations of colorism. Though Connor is disappointed, she hopes the “Lilo & Stitch” remake will otherwise stay true to the original, which she loved so much growing up.

☆ Canada unveils revised C$23 bln compensation deal for Indigenous children
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The tribunal ruled in 2016 that the federal government allocated fewer funds for child and family services of Indigenous people than for others, pushing more Indigenous children into foster care. The federal government is responsible for funding child welfare services for children on First Nations reserves. Individual provinces fund child welfare services for non-native children and native children who do not live on reserves, creating a two-tiered system. Canada's Indigenous people have higher levels of poverty and a lower life expectancy than other Canadians, and are more often the victims of violent crime, addiction and incarceration. "This agreement represents real work towards Canada's commitment to First Nations children past, present and future," Canada's Justice Minister David Lametti said in the statement.

☆ Hope for jobs drives recruitment by militant groups in Africa - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Nellie Peyton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

While worldwide deaths from terrorism have declined in the last five years, deaths in sub-Saharan Africa have risen, making it now the global epicentre of attacks, the UNDP report said, citing an annual survey called the Global Terrorism Index. Countries from east to west Africa have seen Islamist militant groups take over large swathes of territory, displacing millions, eroding faith in democratic government and causing widespread hunger. The UNDP report found that 25% of voluntary recruits to such groups cited job opportunities as their primary reason for joining, while 22% cited wanting to join with family and friends and 17% cited religious ideas. An additional year of schooling reduced the likelihood of voluntary recruitment to extremist groups by 13%, it found. The Global Terrorism Index is produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace think-tank, which draws its data from the Terrorism Tracker database of Dragonfly, a private sector security and intelligence service.

☆ Final farewell: From Sidney Poitier to Pope Emeritus Benedict a look back at the influential figures who died in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +55 min

Other world leaders who died in 2022 include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died in August. The final days of 2022 saw the loss of some exceptionally notable figures, including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2022 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Dan Reeves, 77. A Cuban-born artist whose radiant color palette and geometric paintings were overlooked for decades before the art world took notice. A prolific character actor best known for playing villains and tough guys in “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Ocean’s Eleven” and other films.

Arizona Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs is taking the state’s child protective services agency in a radically different direction in the wake of a ProPublica-NBC News investigation into the racial disparities that have plagued the child welfare system here. This week, Hobbs, a Democrat, announced that she has selected Matthew Stewart, a Black community advocate, as the new head of Arizona’s Department of Child Safety. Arizona’s child welfare system has long disproportionately investigated Black families. After leaving DCS, Stewart formed the community organization Our Sister Our Brother, which has fought the department for more equitable treatment of Black and also low-income parents. Child welfare experts in the state and families affected by the system praised Stewart’s selection, though some wondered how much change he could bring about even in DCS’ top position.

☆ Here are 22 of the top LGBTQ news stories of 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

Here are 22 of our top LGBTQ news stories of the year. Ron DeSantis signed the controversial Parental Rights in Education law — or what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill — on March 28. 'It’s already having an impact': LGBTQ people fear abortion rights reversalA supporter of gay marriage waves a flag in front of the Supreme Court on June 25, 2015. Nicola Goode / Prime VideoAmazon’s “A League of Their Own” series, which debuted Aug. 12 and was inspired by the 1992 cult classic by director Penny Marshall, brought much-needed representation to the screen for lesbians and other queer women, who celebrated how “gay, gay, gay” it was. Biden signs same-sex marriage bill at White House ceremonyPresident Joe Biden signs the Respect for Marriage Act on the South Lawn of the White House on Dec. 13.

Known in the legal world as the “death penalty” of child welfare, it can happen in a matter of months. One in 100 U.S. children — disproportionately Black and Native American — experience termination through the child welfare system before they turn 18, the study found. Still, longer timelines can also reflect a stronger focus on family reunification and a willingness to devote greater resources to meet that goal, child welfare experts say. And some child welfare advocates have criticized the law’s focus on narrow initiatives like parenting classes, which they say fail to address poverty and the other root causes of neglect that prompt most child welfare cases. Snodgrass said she never imagined when her child welfare case started that she could lose her rights to her children.

LANSING — State officials in Michigan announced changes this week to address administrative failures that have made it difficult for some of the state’s most vulnerable foster youth to earn a high school diploma. The actions came after NBC News reported on foster youth in Michigan who were denied credit for classes they took while living in state-funded, state-licensed residential facilities. He was one of five foster youth who addressed the board or had their statements read into the record on Tuesday. “The first thing we need to do is to get into the Legislature and make certain that there’s no such thing as noncredit-bearing courses in Michigan public education. The foster youth and their advocates said they’re hopeful that real change is coming.

☆ Dorothy Pitman Hughes, pioneering feminist who co-founded Ms. Magazine, dies at 84
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Dorothy Pitman Hughes, a pioneering Black feminist, child welfare advocate and activist who co-founded Ms. Magazine with Gloria Steinem, formed a powerful speaking partnership with her and appeared with her in one of the most iconic photos of the feminist movement, has died. Gloria Steinem, left, and Dorothy Pitman Hughes attend the Ms. Foundation for Women Gloria Awards in New York in 2014. Hughes, a pioneering voice in child care, organized the first shelter for battered women in New York City and co-founded the New York City Agency for Child Development. She met Steinem in 1968, according to a biography on the Ms. Magazine website, when Steinem, then a journalist, was writing a story for New York Magazine about Pitman Hughes’ child care center. Hughes was born Dorothy Jean Ridley on Oct. 2, 1938, in Lumpkin, Georgia, her family wrote in an obituary posted by the funeral home.

Put another way, more Black children in metro Phoenix will go through a child maltreatment investigation than won’t. Almost all described a system so omnipresent among Black families that it has created a kind of communitywide dread: of that next knock on the door, of that next warrantless search of their home. Many Black families first moved there as a result of redlining and racial covenants that blocked them from renting or owning property elsewhere. In Maricopa County, Black children experienced child welfare investigations at one of the highest rates among large counties nationally, and nearly three times the rate of their white peers, from 2015 to 2019. But throughout the country, investigations were more pervasive among Black families.

☆ Drug overdose deaths during pregnancy and postpartum rose sharply in recent years, study shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Drug overdose deaths reached record levels nationwide during the Covid-19 pandemic, and research published Tuesday suggests an outsized effect on pregnant and recently pregnant people. In 2020, there were about 12 pregnancy-associated overdose deaths for every 100,000 births – a 46% spike in one year and an 81% increase since 2017. The lack of reliable information on pregnancy-associated overdose deaths has made it challenging to delve into how and why trends might be different for this group compared with others, Bruzelius said. Mirroring national trends, the new study found a large increase in pregnancy-associated overdose deaths that involved fentanyl and other synthetic drugs and psychostimulants in recent years. And often the way our health care system deals with them is the focus really changes from the pregnant person to the baby.

☆ Do Humans Owe Animals Equal Rights? Martha Nussbaum Thinks So.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

Photo illustration by Bráulio Amado Talk Do Humans Owe Animals Equal Rights? But does it then follow that we think of animals’ lives as being equal in value to humans’? That would lead to redoubling our efforts to make sure animals don’t perish in the future. Just think: Women are often raped, and that has been so all throughout human history. Now, as an incrementalist I want to be cautious here because I don’t think that predatory animals are doing anything wrong.

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