Page 4 - aruba-today-20221004

A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 4 OcTOber 2022
Planned Parenthood plans mobile abortion clinic in Illinois

By JIM SALTER woman for the National
Associated Press Right to Life Committee,
Planned Parenthood of- which opposes abortions,
ficials on Monday an- called the mobile abortion
nounced plans for a mobile clinic “another grotesque
abortion clinic a 37-foot RV demeaning of human life.”
that will stay in Illinois but “Chemical abortions can
travel close to the borders lead to life-threatening
of adjoining states that complications,” Echevar-
have banned the proce- ria said in a statement.
dure since the Supreme “Will women recognize
Court overturned Roe v. those complications ear-
Wade earlier this year. ly enough to seek treat-
The announcement came ment?”
100 days after the Supreme Other efforts have begun
Court ruling that stripped around the country to in-
away constitutional pro- crease abortion access.
tections for abortions, al- The nonprofit Just The Pill
lowing states to ban the operates a mobile clinic
procedure. Illinois didn’t in- in Colorado that provides
stitute an abortion ban, but medication abortions.
neighboring Missouri, Ken- Spokeswoman Kat Maven-
tucky and Tennessee did, gere said that early next
along with several other Dr. Colleen McNicholas, chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and year, also in Colorado, Just
states in the South and Mid- Southwest Missouri, sits in a surgical room on April 11, 2022, at the Planned Parenthood clinic in The Pill will operate a mo-
west. Fairview Heights, Ill. bile clinic for procedural
As a result, both abortion Associated Press abortion. The organization
clinics on the Illinois side more than 340%. der to meet patients at the end of the year. also plans to expand to
of the St. Louis region, in- The onslaught of patients the Illinois border,” said Dr. The clinic will include two other areas, starting with
cluding one operated means longer waits. Yamel- Colleen McNicholas, chief exam rooms, a lab and a a mobile clinic in Illinois in
by Planned Parenthood sie Rodriguez, president medical officer for Planned waiting room. Initially, it will 2023.
in Fairview Heights, have and CEO of Planned Par- Parenthood’s St. Louis of- provide medication abor- In July, a California doctor
been inundated with pa- enthood of the St. Louis fice. “This will make a dra- tions up to 11 weeks of proposed a floating abor-
tients. Leaders of the St. Region and Southwest matic impact on their ac- gestation. Planned Parent- tion clinic in the Gulf of
Louis Planned Parenthood Missouri, said abortion ap- cess.” hood will aim to start pro- Mexico as a way to main-
office said that since June, pointment wait times have The mobile clinic will trav- viding surgical abortions at tain access for people
the Fairview Heights clinic gone from an average of el near to the borders of the clinic after the first few in southern states where
has seen a 30% increase in four days prior to the Su- southeastern Missouri, west- months. abortion bans have been
abortion patients a rate of- preme Court ruling to two- ern Kentucky and north- McNicholas and Rodriguez enacted. Dr. Meg Autry
ficials said was even higher and-a-half weeks. eastern Tennessee. Rodri- declined to discuss safety said the idea was to pro-
than they anticipated. Pa- “The mobile abortion clinic guez said the RV is expect- and security measures for vide a clinic aboard a ship
tients from outside Missouri is a way to reduce travel ed to arrive this month and the mobile clinic. in federal waters, and out
and Illinois increased by times and distances in or- should be operational by Laura Echevarria, spokes- of reach of state laws.q

California braces for dry winter as Western drought drags on

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Karla Nemeth, director of marks Monday by state months are recorded to- cording to the U.S. Drought
Associated Press the state Department of water officials about what gether. Monitor. The worst condi-
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Water Resources, said in a to expect in the months Snow that falls in Califor- tions are throughout the
The past three years have statement. ahead. The water year nia’s mountains typically Central Valley, the state’s
been California’s driest on Her comments came runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, provides one-third of the agricultural heartland
record, a streak unlikely to ahead of expected re- so that the rainiest winter state’s annual water sup- where many of the nation’s
break this winter, state offi- ply, but last year snow lev- fruits, vegetables and nuts
cials said Monday. els were far below average are grown.
The official water year con- by the end of the winter. Another dry year would
cluded Friday, marking an The Colorado River, anoth- mean little to no water
end to a period that saw er major source of water for deliveries from state sup-
both record rainfall in Oc- Southern California, is also plies to farmers and cities in
tober and the driest Janu- beset by drought, threat- central and Southern Cali-
ary-to-March period in at ening its ability to supply fornia. State and local offi-
least a century. Scientists farmers and cities around cials, meanwhile, continue
say such weather whiplash the U.S. West. to urge California’s 39 mil-
is likely to become more Precipitation was 76% of lion residents to save water
common as the planet average for the year that wherever possible by rip-
warms. It will take more just ended, and the state’s ping out grass lawns or let-
than a few winter storms reservoirs are at 69% of their ting them go brown, taking
to help the state dig out of historical levels, state offi- shorter showers and gener-
drought. A sign about saving water is posted on browning grass outside cials said. ally being more conscious
“This is our new climate re- the state Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., on Monday, July 11, 2022. Most of the state is in severe about water use.q
ality, and we must adapt,” Associated Press or extreme drought, ac-