Page 28 - Florida Sentinel 9-17-21

National
Texas Judge Blocks Anti-Abortion Group From Enforcing New Law
Amanda Gorman Named
A Texas state judge issued an injunction on Monday blocking anti-abortion group Texas Right for Life from en- forcing the state's new law against Planned Parenthood in Texas.
Why it matters: Texas' re- strictive new law, which bars abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, incentivizes peo- ple to sue anyone suspected of helping a pregnant person ob- tain an abortion — and awards at least $10,000 to plaintiffs who succeed.
• Theinjunction,whichap- plies only to Texas Right for Life and its affiliates, prevents them from suing Planned Par- enthood for possible viola- tions of the abortion ban.
• Issued in Austin by Texas District Court Judge Karin Crump, the order will stay in effect until at least April 2022, when a trial on the merits of the case is expected.
What they're saying: "We are relieved that ... our providers and health care workers will now have some protection from frivolous suits as litigation against this blatantly unconstitutional law continues," Helene Kras- noff, Planned Parenthood's vice president for public pol- icy litigation and law, said in a statement.
• "Desperate Texans are being forced to carry preg- nancies against their will or flee the state to seek constitu- tionally protected care, and brave health care providers and staff across the state are working hard to provide care within the law while facing surveillance, harassment, and threats."
• "This temporary injunc- tion is an important step, but it is not enough relief," Kras- noff added, emphasizing the group's plan to keep fighting.
Changemaker
An abortion rights activist holds a sign in support of Planned Parenthood at a rally at the Texas State Capitol on Sept. 11 in Austin, Texas.
• It replaces a temporary restraining order granted to Planned Parenthood affiliates last week and "is part of a larger — and piecemeal — ap- proach by abortion rights ad- vocates to try to blunt the effect of the law," CNN writes.
The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc. (NYSE:EL) and the Estée Lauder brand announced a three-year partnership with Amanda Gorman, activist, award-winning writer, and the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history.
This is the first such multi- year partnership for Amanda and the first integrated partner- ship by The Estée Lauder Com- panies and the Estée Lauder brand to acknowledge and cele- brate a new generation of lead- ers inspiring change.
As part of this unprecedented partnership, The Estée Lauder Companies will contribute US$3M over three years to sup- port WRITING CHANGE, a spe- cial initiative to advance literacy as a pathway to equality, access,
AMANDA GORMAN
and social change. In addition, Amanda will bring her voice of change to the Estée Lauder brand through campaigns de- buting in Spring 2022.
Estée Lauder Cos. Global
Amazon Offers To Cover College Tuition For 750,000 Workers
More Young People Among Those Lost As COVID-19 Deaths Rise Again
Amazon on Thursday said it will pay for full college tuition for its 750,000 U. S. hourly employees, expanding its edu- cation benefit at a time when employers are struggling to hire workers amid a tight labor market. The retailer said it will fund full college tuition for workers who have been at the company for more than 90 days.
The company said the offer makes all of the 400,000 workers that it has hired since the start of the pandemic eligi- ble for the benefit when it goes into effect in January. The new educational program will also pay for high school diplomas,
AMAZON WORKER
GEDs, and English as a Second Language (ESL) proficiency certifications, the company said.
While Amazon has been
buoyed by demand for online shopping during the pan- demic, and swiftly grown to become the nation's second- largest private employer, it's also battled allegations about worker conditions, such as a lawsuit filed by New York State alleging that the company failed to protect workers from COVID-19. Some workers have also claimed that warehouse conditions are driven by de- manding quotas and algo- rithms that make it difficult to find time to use a restroom, an issue that is now targeted by lawmakers in California who want to place limits on ware- house production quotas.
A young mother had just cel- ebrated her first wedding an- niversary and was one of six members of a Jacksonville church to die over a 10-day span.
Another Florida woman had just given birth to her first child but was only able to hold the newborn girl for a few moments before dying.
A California man died a few weeks shy of his 53rd birthday while his wife was on a ventila- tor at the same hospital in Oak- land, unaware of his passing on Aug. 4.
The COVID-19 death toll has started soaring again as the delta variant tears through the nation's unvaccinated popula- tion and fills up hospitals with patients, many of whom are younger than during earlier phases of the pandemic.
The U. S. is now averaging about 650 deaths a day, in- creasing more than 80% from two weeks ago and going past the 600 mark on Saturday for the first time in three months.
Data on the age and demo- graphics of victims during the delta surge is still limited, but hospitals in virus hotspots say they are clearly seeing more ad- missions and deaths among people under the age of 65.
Florida hospital officials are seeing an influx of young, healthy adults filling their wards across the state, many re- quiring oxygen. In the past week in Florida, 36% of the deaths occurred in the under-65 population, compared with 17% in the same week last year when the state was experiencing a similar COVID surge. Florida is the national leader in coron- avirus deaths, averaging more than 150 a day in the past week.
The younger patients mark a shift from the elderly and frail, many living in nursing homes, who succumbed to the virus a year ago before states made seniors a priority to get inocu- lated first. More than 90% of seniors have had at least one shot, compared to about 70% for Americans under 65.
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