Today on AirTalk, we hear about how frontline healthcare workers are doing as hospitalizations rise in California. Also on the show, we learn more about a controversial letter in Harper's magazine; hear the latest on two Supreme Court decisions; and more.
Supreme Court Issues Two Big Religious Liberties Rulings On Fair Employment, ACA Contraceptive Mandate
The Supreme Court ruled that more employers who cite religious or moral grounds can decline to offer cost-free birth control coverage to their workers, upholding Trump administration rules that could leave more than 70,000 women without free contraception.
The high court ruled 7-2 for the administration, which had made a policy change to allow some employers to opt out of providing the no-cost birth control required by the Obama-era health care law. Lower courts had previously blocked the Trump administration's changes.
The ruling is a big election-year win for President Donald Trump, who counts on heavy support from evangelicals and other Christian groups for votes and policy backing. The administration has the statutory authority to craft the rules, including “the contemporaneously issued moral exemption,” Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for a majority of the court. The government had previously estimated that the rule changes would cause about 70,000 women, and at most 126,000 women, to lose contraception coverage in one year. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg cited those numbers in dissenting. "Today, for the first time, the Court casts totally aside countervailing rights and interests in its zeal to secure religious rights to the nth degree,” she wrote.
Separately on Wednesday, the Supreme Court sided with two Catholic schools in California in a decision underscoring that certain employees of religious schools, hospitals and social service centers can’t sue for employment discrimination. That ruling, too, was by 7-2, with Ginsburg and Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented in both cases. The court had ruled unanimously in 2012 that the Constitution prevents ministers from suing their churches for employment discrimination, but at that time the justices didn’t specifically define who counts as a minister. The case decided on Wednesday involved lay teachers whose contracts had not been renewed.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Douglas Laycock, professor of law and religious studies at the University of Virginia; he co-authored amicus briefs to the Supreme Court in support of the petitioners in both cases
Michele Goodwin, chancellor’s professor of law and director of the Center for Biotechnology and Global Health Policy at the University of California, Irvine and author of multiple books, her latest is “Policing The Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood” (Cambridge, February 2020) she tweets
COVID-19: U.S. Coronavirus Cases Hit Daily Record
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry speaks with Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center. We also want to hear from listeners. Are you or a loved one working in the healthcare industry? How is your mental health? How are you coping? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
Today’s topics include:
U.S. coronavirus cases hit daily record
Update on coronavirus testing
Should we implement national face mask requirements?
Syringe suppliers and how they impact vaccine delivery
Families and U.S. officials struggle to agree on reopening protocols
Are you a frontline healthcare worker? How are you holding up?
Guest:
Peter Chin-Hong, M.D., infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center; he tweets
How Are Frontline Healthcare Workers Holding Up?
Nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers have been on the front line of the global battle against the coronavirus. With cases ticking back up in Southern California, how are these everyday heroes holding up physically and emotionally? How do they manage the stress of the job? Is the supply of personal protective equipment adequate at the medical facilities they work in?
AirTalk opens up the phone to talk to healthcare workers during the pandemic and their family members to check in from the front line of the pandemic. Call us at 866-893-5722.
Letter Signed By Prominent Figures Encouraging Open Debate And Free Speech Receives Backlash
More than 150 prominent writers, artists and academics signed a letter released this week warning against stifling free speech and encouraging tolerance for open debate and ideas. The letter, which includes signatories like Gloria Steinem and jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, has received mixed reviews and backlash.
According to the Washington Post, some criticised signatories included in the letter like author J.K. Rowling, who’s been condemned for seemingly anti-transgender comments. And some who signed the letter are now trying to retract their signature. Those in favor of the letter’s message argue censoring free speech and debate will only harm societal progress. Today on AirTalk, we discuss the letter, how people are responding and how to move forward. Do you have thoughts about the letter? Share them by calling 866-893-5722.
We’ve reached out to various critics of the letter, as well as signatories who’ve revoked their support. No one was available to join us by air time.
Guest:
Nadine Strossen, former president of the American Civil Liberties Union and professor emriti at New York Law School, she’s the author of “HATE: Why We Should Resist It With Free Speech, Not Censorship” (Oxford University Press, 2018)
How Do You Help Your Loved Ones Living With A Mental Illness?
Former Dodgers player Andrew Toles was arrested in Florida a couple weeks ago after police found him sleeping behind an airport, the L.A. Times reports.
According to Toles’ sister and a USA Today piece, Toles, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, has been in and out of numerous mental health facilities and is now homeless.
Morgan Toles, his sister, is now expressing the family’s relief to see her brother alive. She says the former player is in desperate need of help and that the family is attempting to gain legal guardianship of Toles, but that requires Toles’ consent. She questioned, how do you help someone who doesn’t want to be helped? It’s a problem many families struggle with, and during times of COVID-19 it may be even more of a challenge.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll discuss the issue with a psychiatry expert. Do you have questions or would you like to share your experience? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Steven Siegel, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the Keck School of Medicine of USC