Tag: dewine

Drug Companies Seek Gag Order Against Republican Gov.-Elect Mike DeWine for Speaking Out on Opioid Crisis

Andrew Shirley

Friday, lawyers representing some of the nation’s largest drug manufacturers began an attempt to sanction and silence Governor-elect Mike DeWine, stemming from his involvement in a lawsuit he initiated as Ohio Attorney General. The motion, filed by an amalgamation Big Pharma attorneys, accuse DeWine, along with lawyers Mike Moore and Burton LeBlanc of engaging in “a concerted campaign to taint potential jury polls in this district-and across the country-through misleading, inflammatory, and improper public statements.” According to the motion, the attempt came as a direct result of an explosive 60 Minutes episode that aired on December 16th featuring attorney Moore. The program detailed the massive lawsuit DeWitt and others are pursuing against the opioid industry. The 13-minute segment that aired on CBS focused primarily on Moore’s association with the case. The veteran lawyer was directly involved in two of the largest legal settlements in history. On May 1994, while serving as Attorney General of Mississippi, the Magnolia state became the first state to officially file suit against the tobacco industry. Forty-six other states eventually joined the suit. The Tobacco Master Settlement was agreed to in November 1998. Among many concessions, the tobacco industry would be required to pay over $200 billion dollars to the states…

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Opioid Abuse Estimated to Leave Over 20,000 Children in Foster Care by 2020

Andrew Shirley

While the rampant opioid epidemic that has overtaken much of the country is finally getting the attention it deserves, some of the most vulnerable to its effects have been tragically overlooked. A startling report from the Public Children’s Services Association of Ohio estimates that, should current trends continue, over 20,000 children will be in foster care by 2020. From July 2017 to July 2018 alone, the total number of children entering foster care jumped from over 13,700 children to over 15,000. The main reason for this acceleration appears to be severe drug abuse throughout the state. In 2015, half of the children taken into foster care had come from families with some form of drug abuse. 28 percent were actively taking opioids when their children were removed. 67 percent of these children were under the age of 12 and over a quarter of them are three or younger. While the number of children in need continues to rise, support services are more strained than ever. The report also reveals that Ohio’s State Share for children services spending is currently dead last in the nation. Further, “even if the State’s Share…doubled, Ohio would still be 50th in the nation.” The majority of child…

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Ohio Senate Fails to Override Outgoing Gov. Kasich’s ‘Heartbeat Bill’ Veto

Andrew Shirley

Ohio state Republican legislators were unable to override Gov. John Kasich’s (R-OH) veto of the “heartbeat” abortion bill Thursday. House Bill 258 (HB 258), first introduced on June 6, 2017, would have made it illegal for a doctor to perform an abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected. In most pregnancies, the heartbeat begins at three weeks but, with current technology, can only be reliably detected at six weeks. This would have made the bill one of the most comprehensive abortion limitations in the country. Kasich vetoed the bill on December 22, citing a high probability that it would be ruled unconstitutional and Ohioans would be left to pay the legal costs. Many Republican lawmakers disagreed and welcomed a court challenge. This was the second time Gov. Kasich has vetoed the bill. While the Ohio House was able to pass the override measure by a vote of 61-28, the Ohio Senate vote came up short at 19-13, one vote shy of passage. State Sen. Bill Beagle (R-Tipp City) cast the deciding vote that led to the override failure. Beagle did vote to initially advance the bill out of committee and voted for its passage when it came to the floor. Following…

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