Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to name human rights activist Michael Posner to the position of assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor, Bloomberg News reports. Posner is currently the director of Human Rights First. Reports Bloomberg:
Posner’s organization works with activists in countries including Guatemala, Russia, Zimbabwe and Indonesia. He drafted and campaigned for a 1992 U.S. law called the Torture Victim Protection Act, designed to give victims of the most serious abuses a remedy in U.S. courts, according to the Human Rights First Web site.
In 1998, Posner led the group’s delegation to a Rome conference where the statute for the International Criminal Court was adopted, according to a short biography on the Web site. The Obama administration has signaled support for the ICC, a tribunal the Bush administration said didn’t offer adequate protections against politica
Friday, February 27, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Song Of The Day: 1/24/09
With my ex in town tonight (we won't be seeing each other, probably) it got me thinking about our breakup. The cheesy song listed below ended up being my break up song. Not because it best explained my emotions at all, or anything. I guess I just heard it at the right time.
So, oddly enough, the day after I post one of the most romantic songs ever, I post a break up song. A cheesy one. But sometimes we need a little fluff, don't ya think?
Allure - "All Cried Out"
So, oddly enough, the day after I post one of the most romantic songs ever, I post a break up song. A cheesy one. But sometimes we need a little fluff, don't ya think?
Allure - "All Cried Out"
Friday, January 23, 2009
Song Of The Day: 1/23/09
I already posted this song once before, but now that the video is out I had to bless you with it as a "song of the day" pick. I have been a Christina Milian fan since day one, even having talked to her a couple of times on her site when I was a freshmen in college. The video is classic in an Un-Break My Heart kinda way. This kind of song and video don't come around anymore.
Please make it successful everyone. And Christina, ya killed it lovely.
Christina Milian- "Us Against The World"
Please make it successful everyone. And Christina, ya killed it lovely.
Christina Milian- "Us Against The World"
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Song Of The Day: 1/16/09
Today would have been Aaliyah's 30th birthday. She was born and raised in Harlem, where I currently live.
R.I.P.
Aaliyah - "Are You That Somebody?"
R.I.P.
Aaliyah - "Are You That Somebody?"
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Song Of The Day
For my first blog entry of 2009, I decided to start doing a song of the day. Music is such a universal thing and can easier explain how one is feeling/doing than a blog entry can.
and yes, I totally stole the idea from Samantha Ronson
Anyway, for my first song of the "day" (I know I will forget to do this everyday) I chose a New York singer/songwriter who is the protege of Mark Ronson, the producer to the likes of Lily Allen, Solange and Amy Winehouse.
His name is Daniel Merriweather and this song is especially relevant considering its nearly inauguration day.
Daniel Merriweather featuring Wale - "Change"
and yes, I totally stole the idea from Samantha Ronson
Anyway, for my first song of the "day" (I know I will forget to do this everyday) I chose a New York singer/songwriter who is the protege of Mark Ronson, the producer to the likes of Lily Allen, Solange and Amy Winehouse.
His name is Daniel Merriweather and this song is especially relevant considering its nearly inauguration day.
Daniel Merriweather featuring Wale - "Change"
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Britney's Dancers Required To Take Drug Tests
Who knew that the first thing you would hear after being hired to dance for Britney Spears would be, “Fill this, please.”
A source tells E! News that, in an effort to keep the on-track pop star free from negative influences, her camp is requiring that all of her backup dancers submit to drug tests.
“They all had to be drug tested and, if they didn’t pass, they were fired,” the insider says.
“I think they only do it for her because she is under strict watch. I think they just want good influences around her,” the source adds, noting that drug testing is not common practice.
Considering Britney spends a hefty chunk of time with her fellow performers—and is going to be heading out on tour next year with a number of them—it’s understandable that those who look after the Circus star want to screen her stagemates ahead of time.
“It’s going to be a pretty big tour,” says Robert Baker, the studio director at Millennium Dance Complex in North Hollywood, where Spears frequently rehearses. “They’re going to have a three-ring circus with live animals, so it’s probably stricter liability.”
“I don’t think it’s a common practice, but each artist is different,” Baker tells E! News, referring to the drug-testing issue. “Everyone is just trying to safeguard against any foreseeable problems.”
A rep for Spears didn’t respond
A source tells E! News that, in an effort to keep the on-track pop star free from negative influences, her camp is requiring that all of her backup dancers submit to drug tests.
“They all had to be drug tested and, if they didn’t pass, they were fired,” the insider says.
“I think they only do it for her because she is under strict watch. I think they just want good influences around her,” the source adds, noting that drug testing is not common practice.
Considering Britney spends a hefty chunk of time with her fellow performers—and is going to be heading out on tour next year with a number of them—it’s understandable that those who look after the Circus star want to screen her stagemates ahead of time.
“It’s going to be a pretty big tour,” says Robert Baker, the studio director at Millennium Dance Complex in North Hollywood, where Spears frequently rehearses. “They’re going to have a three-ring circus with live animals, so it’s probably stricter liability.”
“I don’t think it’s a common practice, but each artist is different,” Baker tells E! News, referring to the drug-testing issue. “Everyone is just trying to safeguard against any foreseeable problems.”
A rep for Spears didn’t respond
Maine Women Lead Politics
Maine women to lead Legislature
Pingree elected House speaker, Mitchell Senate president
AP PHOTO BY PAT WELLENBACH
Hannah Pingree (left) is escorted into the House of Representatives at the State House in Augusta on Wednesday. Pingree was later elected to be Maine’s Speaker of the House.
By The Associated Press
By Glenn Adams
AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s glass ceiling developed a few more cracks Wednesday as women were sworn in as Senate president and House speaker. And in one of its first acts, the newly seated Legislature elected Maine’s first female attorney general.
“It’s so good to see things moving ahead,” said Janet Mills, a Democrat who won bipartisan support to become the state’s 55th attorney general. “Just because there are a lot of firsts doesn’t mean there can’t be a lot of seconds, thirds and fourths along the way. Maine men and women are sharing responsibilities more than in many other states, most other states.”
Also Wednesday after the formal swearing-in of the Democratic-controlled Legislature, Sen. Elizabeth “Libby” Mitchell of Vassalboro was elected the chamber’s president and Rep. Hannah Pingree of North Haven was elected House speaker.
Both were elected unanimously after minority Republicans, in a gesture of bipartisanship at the start of what’s expected to be a difficult session, threw their support behind the two Democrats. It’s the first time both of Maine’s legislative chambers are being headed by women at the same time.
And Mitchell is the first woman to have served as presiding officer in both the Maine House and Senate.
Maine has a history of electing and appointing women to lofty positions, although never a governor. The chief justice of the state supreme court, Leigh Ingalls Saufley, is a woman. Maine’s two U.S. senators, Republicans Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, soon will be joined in Washington by Democratic Rep.-elect Chellie Pingree, who was in Augusta Wednesday to see her daughter ascend to the House rostrum.
The 32-year-old Hannah Pingree noted that while she’s the second woman to serve as speaker, she’s not the youngest person to hold the title. In her acceptance speech, Pingree pointed to Hannibal Hamlin, who at age 27 wielded the Maine House gavel. Hamlin went on to serve as governor and in the U.S. House and Senate be-fore serving as Abraham Lincoln’s first vice president.
In her address to the Senate, Mitchell made reference to Maine’s record electing women.
“I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to reflect on how unremarkable an accomplishment it is to elect a woman president of the Senate,” Mitchell said. “I am proud that in Maine, this is not a big news story. In Maine a young woman can not only dream of becoming anything she wants to be, but she can actually achieve it.”
Mills, of Farmington, who was a western Maine district attorney for 15 years, must give up her House seat to which she was just re-elected in order to serve as attorney general. The mother of five stepdaughters, Mills is a former assistant attorney general who has practiced law for three decades.
She comes from a family with a history of political activism, including a brother, Peter Mills, serving as a Republican senator from Cornville and a sister, Dr. Dora Anne Mills, who is director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Three other prominent state offices also were filled Wednesday as Democrats were joined by Republicans in re-electing Matthew Dunlap as secretary of state, David Lemoine as treasurer and Neria Douglass as auditor. The secretary and treasurer serve two-year terms, and the auditor serves a four-year term.
Republican Rep. Kenneth Fletcher of Winslow said his party considers each of the Democratic candidates qualified and saw no gain in placing token candidates’ names in nomination.
“Don’t pick a fight that serves no purpose,” said Fletcher. “Why be contrary just to be contrary?”
Lawmakers were sworn in by Gov. John Baldacci, who had a sobering but optimistic message a day after he and the nation’s other governors met with President-elect Barack Obama in Philadelphia. In the State House, Baldacci reiterated Obama’s message that government must adopt the best ideas regardless of which side of the political aisle they come from.
“These are very difficult times facing our state and the nation,” said Baldacci. “In Maine, we put people above politics. We will need all our talents combined to ensure that Maine successfully weathers this economic storm and comes out stronger.”
Pingree elected House speaker, Mitchell Senate president
AP PHOTO BY PAT WELLENBACH
Hannah Pingree (left) is escorted into the House of Representatives at the State House in Augusta on Wednesday. Pingree was later elected to be Maine’s Speaker of the House.
By The Associated Press
By Glenn Adams
AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s glass ceiling developed a few more cracks Wednesday as women were sworn in as Senate president and House speaker. And in one of its first acts, the newly seated Legislature elected Maine’s first female attorney general.
“It’s so good to see things moving ahead,” said Janet Mills, a Democrat who won bipartisan support to become the state’s 55th attorney general. “Just because there are a lot of firsts doesn’t mean there can’t be a lot of seconds, thirds and fourths along the way. Maine men and women are sharing responsibilities more than in many other states, most other states.”
Also Wednesday after the formal swearing-in of the Democratic-controlled Legislature, Sen. Elizabeth “Libby” Mitchell of Vassalboro was elected the chamber’s president and Rep. Hannah Pingree of North Haven was elected House speaker.
Both were elected unanimously after minority Republicans, in a gesture of bipartisanship at the start of what’s expected to be a difficult session, threw their support behind the two Democrats. It’s the first time both of Maine’s legislative chambers are being headed by women at the same time.
And Mitchell is the first woman to have served as presiding officer in both the Maine House and Senate.
Maine has a history of electing and appointing women to lofty positions, although never a governor. The chief justice of the state supreme court, Leigh Ingalls Saufley, is a woman. Maine’s two U.S. senators, Republicans Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, soon will be joined in Washington by Democratic Rep.-elect Chellie Pingree, who was in Augusta Wednesday to see her daughter ascend to the House rostrum.
The 32-year-old Hannah Pingree noted that while she’s the second woman to serve as speaker, she’s not the youngest person to hold the title. In her acceptance speech, Pingree pointed to Hannibal Hamlin, who at age 27 wielded the Maine House gavel. Hamlin went on to serve as governor and in the U.S. House and Senate be-fore serving as Abraham Lincoln’s first vice president.
In her address to the Senate, Mitchell made reference to Maine’s record electing women.
“I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to reflect on how unremarkable an accomplishment it is to elect a woman president of the Senate,” Mitchell said. “I am proud that in Maine, this is not a big news story. In Maine a young woman can not only dream of becoming anything she wants to be, but she can actually achieve it.”
Mills, of Farmington, who was a western Maine district attorney for 15 years, must give up her House seat to which she was just re-elected in order to serve as attorney general. The mother of five stepdaughters, Mills is a former assistant attorney general who has practiced law for three decades.
She comes from a family with a history of political activism, including a brother, Peter Mills, serving as a Republican senator from Cornville and a sister, Dr. Dora Anne Mills, who is director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Three other prominent state offices also were filled Wednesday as Democrats were joined by Republicans in re-electing Matthew Dunlap as secretary of state, David Lemoine as treasurer and Neria Douglass as auditor. The secretary and treasurer serve two-year terms, and the auditor serves a four-year term.
Republican Rep. Kenneth Fletcher of Winslow said his party considers each of the Democratic candidates qualified and saw no gain in placing token candidates’ names in nomination.
“Don’t pick a fight that serves no purpose,” said Fletcher. “Why be contrary just to be contrary?”
Lawmakers were sworn in by Gov. John Baldacci, who had a sobering but optimistic message a day after he and the nation’s other governors met with President-elect Barack Obama in Philadelphia. In the State House, Baldacci reiterated Obama’s message that government must adopt the best ideas regardless of which side of the political aisle they come from.
“These are very difficult times facing our state and the nation,” said Baldacci. “In Maine, we put people above politics. We will need all our talents combined to ensure that Maine successfully weathers this economic storm and comes out stronger.”
Vatican Thinks LGBTQ Are Criminals
Vatican criticized for opposing UN decriminaliztion of homosexuality.»
The Vatican is drawing criticism from gay rights groups and newspapers editorials after Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations, told a French Catholic news service that the Vatican opposes “a proposed U.N. resolution calling on governments worldwide to de-criminalise homosexuality.” Migliore claimed that the resolution “would create new and implacable discriminations” against opponents of same-sex marriage. Critics call that position “grotesque“:
A strongly worded editorial in Italy’s mainstream La Stampa newspaper said the Vatican’s reasoning was “grotesque”.
Pointing out that homosexuality was still punishable by death in some Islamic countries, the editorial said what the Vatican really feared was a “chain reaction in favour of legally recognised homosexual unions in countries, like Italy, where there is currently no legislation”.
Franco Grillini, founder and honorary president of Arcigay, Italy’s leading gay rights group, said the Vatican’s reasoning smacked of “total idiocy and madness”.
Every single country in the European Union has signed the resolution, which was written by France. France is due to submit the draft declaration at the UN General Assembly on Dec. 10, the sixtieth anniver
The Vatican is drawing criticism from gay rights groups and newspapers editorials after Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations, told a French Catholic news service that the Vatican opposes “a proposed U.N. resolution calling on governments worldwide to de-criminalise homosexuality.” Migliore claimed that the resolution “would create new and implacable discriminations” against opponents of same-sex marriage. Critics call that position “grotesque“:
A strongly worded editorial in Italy’s mainstream La Stampa newspaper said the Vatican’s reasoning was “grotesque”.
Pointing out that homosexuality was still punishable by death in some Islamic countries, the editorial said what the Vatican really feared was a “chain reaction in favour of legally recognised homosexual unions in countries, like Italy, where there is currently no legislation”.
Franco Grillini, founder and honorary president of Arcigay, Italy’s leading gay rights group, said the Vatican’s reasoning smacked of “total idiocy and madness”.
Every single country in the European Union has signed the resolution, which was written by France. France is due to submit the draft declaration at the UN General Assembly on Dec. 10, the sixtieth anniver
Monday, December 1, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Blast From The Past: Aaliyah featuring Timbaland - "We Need A Resolution"
This was my favorite song seven years ago...
http://www.aaliyah.com/aaliyah/fund.html
http://www.aaliyah.com/aaliyah/fund.html
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Obama Publishes Plans for GLBTQ Individuals on Change.Gov
President-Elect Barack Obama has posted his plan for LGBT Rights on the Change.gov website and it's pretty comprehensive. It is by far, the most far-ranging civil rights agenda for the gay community ever offered by a President. Because the page is swathed in a combination of hopey vagueness and legislation you may have never heard of, here's a translation of the plan from Obamican to English:
Expand Hate Crimes Legislation
Obama supports the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act
In a separate section of the site, Obama offers support for the Matthew Shepard Act, which would significantly expand the 1969 Hate Crime law, give $10 million to law enforcement to investigate hate crimes and direct the FBI to track crimes made against LGBT people. The bill passed the House and the Senate in 2007 and was attatched to a defense spending bill as an ammendment. When Bush threatened a veto, the bill was dropped. The bill has widespread support in Congress and at the state-level, so with Obama's support, this bill will most likely pass.
Fight Workplace Discrimination
Obama wants to sign The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) comes in two flavors: Transgender and Transgender-Free. After watching ENDA fail, Congressman Barney Frank introduced a version of the bill into the House that did not provide protect against discrimination based on gender identity. It passed 235-184 and set off a small war within the gay community. Obama says he supports the version of ENDA that includes gender identity. With the new composition of the House, Frank would be inviting a firestorm if he chooses to introduce a version of the law that doesn't include transgender protection.
Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples
Obama wants to repeal DOMA and create federal recognition for civil unions.
In the wake of Prop. 8, Obama's position will please some in the gay community and anger others. Anyone who supports marriage equality will want to see the Defense of Marriage Act repealed. Not only does it prevent states from recognizing same-sex marriages in other states, it prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages anywhere. It set off a wave of mini-DOMA's which were enacted in states across the country. It may not be Constitutional. It's really bad, see?
The question of civil unions is a thorny one. Many (including Queerty) feel that creating a special class that confers the same rights as another institution for the sole purpose of excluding a group of people is both unconstitutional and immoral. That is, some of us will only accept equal rights under marriage.
Anti-marriage-equality advocates are also aware of this and with the Supreme Court composition likely to drift back to the center over the next several years, the fear is that civil unions are just a step on the way to legally recognizing gay marriages. With both the gay community split on the issue and conservatives looking to kill anything which would confer rights to gay Americans, the battle for federally recognized civil unions would be an uphill one.
Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage
Obama won't support the Federal Marriage Amendment.
Politically, this position is only slightly harder than kissing a baby and offering "change". The Federal Marriage Amendment exists for one reason only– to help conservative Republicans get elected. The measure has limited support, would never pass Congress and would never get the votes from U.S. state legislatures needed to enact it.
Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell
Obama might appeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell if military commanders okay it.
The key phrase here is that Obama "will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy." Obama is unlikely to make a decision without support from the Pentagon, which is not keen on the idea of repealing Don't Ask-Don't Tell. This is smart. Bill Clinton tried to get gays in the military without getting military support and Don't Ask-Don't Tell was the compromise that resulted after commanders accused Clinton of putting the troops in danger.
The policy has been a disaster: Over 11,000 soldiers have been discharged from the military for disclosing their sexuality, with 'disclosure' being a term that includes things like writing a letter to your partner. Whether or not Obama moves quickly on the issue, he is promising to change the policy, which counts for something. If 2012 rolls around and it's still in place, the gay community should hold him accountable.
Expand Adoption Rights
Obama offers no promises.
Obama's position is that gay parents deserve the same rights as straight parents, but offers up no new ideas or support for existing legislation.
Promote AIDS Prevention
Obama will direct his administration to develop a comprehensive national strategy to deal with HIV/AIDS. He supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange programs and intends to speak publicly about HIV/AIDS related issues.
The only real meat to this position is Obama's support in lifting the ban on needle exchanges. That said, the vague "national AIDS strategy" could be something really large and extensive, or it could be three cubicles on Constitution Ave. He offers a laundry-list of things he seeks to promote: better safe sex education, education and contraception availability and there's no reason for him to lie. George Bush spent over $48 billion to combat AIDS in Africa and only a stupid politician would stand in the way of HIV/AIDS-related policies.
Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS
Obama supports the Microbicide Development Act
This is a pet project of Senate Democratic leaders like Obama, Clinton, and Dodd. The number of women who are infected with HIV has quadrupled in the last decade. The bill mentions that "In Sub-Saharan Africa, 76 percent of the young people (between ages 15 and 24) with HIV are girls under 20."
The bill would directed the National Institute of Health to set up a research arm focused on microbiocides, which could be administered as a cream, vaginal ring or other easy-to-apply method and prevent the spread of HIV among women, who are often at risk from infection by their own husbands. This bill would benefit women in the U.S. as well, but it is focused specifically as a way to address AIDS in Africa– a reminder that AIDS is not a gay issue, but a human issue.
Expand Hate Crimes Legislation
Obama supports the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act
In a separate section of the site, Obama offers support for the Matthew Shepard Act, which would significantly expand the 1969 Hate Crime law, give $10 million to law enforcement to investigate hate crimes and direct the FBI to track crimes made against LGBT people. The bill passed the House and the Senate in 2007 and was attatched to a defense spending bill as an ammendment. When Bush threatened a veto, the bill was dropped. The bill has widespread support in Congress and at the state-level, so with Obama's support, this bill will most likely pass.
Fight Workplace Discrimination
Obama wants to sign The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) comes in two flavors: Transgender and Transgender-Free. After watching ENDA fail, Congressman Barney Frank introduced a version of the bill into the House that did not provide protect against discrimination based on gender identity. It passed 235-184 and set off a small war within the gay community. Obama says he supports the version of ENDA that includes gender identity. With the new composition of the House, Frank would be inviting a firestorm if he chooses to introduce a version of the law that doesn't include transgender protection.
Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples
Obama wants to repeal DOMA and create federal recognition for civil unions.
In the wake of Prop. 8, Obama's position will please some in the gay community and anger others. Anyone who supports marriage equality will want to see the Defense of Marriage Act repealed. Not only does it prevent states from recognizing same-sex marriages in other states, it prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages anywhere. It set off a wave of mini-DOMA's which were enacted in states across the country. It may not be Constitutional. It's really bad, see?
The question of civil unions is a thorny one. Many (including Queerty) feel that creating a special class that confers the same rights as another institution for the sole purpose of excluding a group of people is both unconstitutional and immoral. That is, some of us will only accept equal rights under marriage.
Anti-marriage-equality advocates are also aware of this and with the Supreme Court composition likely to drift back to the center over the next several years, the fear is that civil unions are just a step on the way to legally recognizing gay marriages. With both the gay community split on the issue and conservatives looking to kill anything which would confer rights to gay Americans, the battle for federally recognized civil unions would be an uphill one.
Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage
Obama won't support the Federal Marriage Amendment.
Politically, this position is only slightly harder than kissing a baby and offering "change". The Federal Marriage Amendment exists for one reason only– to help conservative Republicans get elected. The measure has limited support, would never pass Congress and would never get the votes from U.S. state legislatures needed to enact it.
Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell
Obama might appeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell if military commanders okay it.
The key phrase here is that Obama "will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy." Obama is unlikely to make a decision without support from the Pentagon, which is not keen on the idea of repealing Don't Ask-Don't Tell. This is smart. Bill Clinton tried to get gays in the military without getting military support and Don't Ask-Don't Tell was the compromise that resulted after commanders accused Clinton of putting the troops in danger.
The policy has been a disaster: Over 11,000 soldiers have been discharged from the military for disclosing their sexuality, with 'disclosure' being a term that includes things like writing a letter to your partner. Whether or not Obama moves quickly on the issue, he is promising to change the policy, which counts for something. If 2012 rolls around and it's still in place, the gay community should hold him accountable.
Expand Adoption Rights
Obama offers no promises.
Obama's position is that gay parents deserve the same rights as straight parents, but offers up no new ideas or support for existing legislation.
Promote AIDS Prevention
Obama will direct his administration to develop a comprehensive national strategy to deal with HIV/AIDS. He supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange programs and intends to speak publicly about HIV/AIDS related issues.
The only real meat to this position is Obama's support in lifting the ban on needle exchanges. That said, the vague "national AIDS strategy" could be something really large and extensive, or it could be three cubicles on Constitution Ave. He offers a laundry-list of things he seeks to promote: better safe sex education, education and contraception availability and there's no reason for him to lie. George Bush spent over $48 billion to combat AIDS in Africa and only a stupid politician would stand in the way of HIV/AIDS-related policies.
Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS
Obama supports the Microbicide Development Act
This is a pet project of Senate Democratic leaders like Obama, Clinton, and Dodd. The number of women who are infected with HIV has quadrupled in the last decade. The bill mentions that "In Sub-Saharan Africa, 76 percent of the young people (between ages 15 and 24) with HIV are girls under 20."
The bill would directed the National Institute of Health to set up a research arm focused on microbiocides, which could be administered as a cream, vaginal ring or other easy-to-apply method and prevent the spread of HIV among women, who are often at risk from infection by their own husbands. This bill would benefit women in the U.S. as well, but it is focused specifically as a way to address AIDS in Africa– a reminder that AIDS is not a gay issue, but a human issue.
Military Leaders Call For Repeal Of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
100+ Military Leaders Call for Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
104 of the U.S. military's retired generals and admirals have called for repeal of the nation's discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in a document released Monday.
DadtSays the document: "We – the undersigned -- respectfully call for the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Those of us endorsing this letter have dedicated our lives to defending the rights of our citizens to believe whatever they wish. Scholarly data shows there are approximately one million gay and lesbian veterans in the United States today as well as 65,000 gays and lesbians currently serving in our armed forces. They have served our nation honorably. We support the recent comments of former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General John Shalikashvili, who has concluded that repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy would not harm and would indeed help our armed forces. As is the case with Great Britain, Israel, and other nations that allow gays and lesbians to serve openly, our service members are professionals who are able to work together effectively despite differences in race, gender, religion, and sexuality. Such collaboration reflects the strength and the best traditions of our democracy."
The AP reports: "While Obama has expressed support for repeal, he said during the presidential campaign that he would not do so on his own — an indication that he would tread carefully to prevent the issue from becoming a drag on his agenda. Obama said he would instead work with military leaders to build consensus on removing the ban on openly gay service members. 'Although I have consistently said I would repeal 'don't ask, don't tell,' I believe that the way to do it is make sure that we are working through a process, getting the Joint Chiefs of Staff clear in terms of what our priorities are going to be,' Obama said in a September interview with the Philadelphia Gay News."
See the list of military leaders who signed the document, AFTER THE JUMP...
Former Secretary of the Army Clifford Alexander
Admiral Charles Larson, USN (ret.)
Lieutenant General Quinn Becker, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Henry Emerson, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Robert Flowers, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Robert Gard, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Jerry Hilmes, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Donald Kerrick, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Ira Owens, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Thomas Rienzi, USA (ret.)
Vice Admiral Harold Koenig, USN (ret.)
Vice Admiral Jack Shanahan, USN (ret.)
Vice Admiral James Zimble, USN (ret.)
Major General Anders Aadland, USA (ret.)
Major General Floyd Baker, USA (ret.)
Major General Harry Brooks Jr., USA (ret.)
Major General Leslie Burger, USA (ret.)
Major General Alexander Burgin, USANG (ret.)
Major General Rosetta Burke, AUS (ret.)*
Major General William Burke, USA (ret.)
Major General Michael Conrad, USA (ret.)
Major General Eugene Cromartie, USA (ret.)
Major General James Delk, AUS (ret.)
Major General Oliver Dillard, USA (ret.)
Major General John Faith, USA (ret.)
Major General Jack Farris, USAF (ret.)
Major General Fred Forster, USANG (ret.)
Major General Robert Gamrath, AUS (ret.)
Major General Albert Genetti Jr., USA (ret.)
Major General Luis Gonzales-Vales, AUS (ret.)
Major General David Hale, USA (ret.)
Major General Randy Jayne, USANG (ret.)
Major General Lawrence Johnson, AUS (ret.)
Major General Dennis Laich, USA (ret.)
Major General Frederick Lawson, AUS (ret.)
Major General Thomas Lynch, USA (ret.)
Major General Dennis Malcor, USA (ret.)
Major General John Roth, AUS (ret.)
Major General Henry Rasmussen, USA (ret.)
Major General Alan Salisbury, USA (ret.)
Major General Michael Scotti Jr., USA (ret.)**
Major General Harry Sieben, USANG (ret.)
Major General Paul Smith, USA (ret.)
Major General Robert B. Smith, USA (ret.)
Major General Charles Starr Jr., USA (ret.)
Major General Story Stevens, USA (ret.)
Major General Joseph E. Turner, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General John C. Adams, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Clara Adams-Ender, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Hugh Aitken, USMC (ret.)
Brigadier General John "Joe" Allen, USAF (ret.)
Brigadier General Patricia Anderson, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Dale Barber, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General George Baxter, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Robert Baxter, USAF (ret.)
Brigadier General George Blysak, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Harold Bowman, USANG (ret.)
Brigadier General Douglas Bradley, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Jack Capps, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Richard Carter, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Steve Chapplis, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General BG David Cole, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General William Colvin, USANG (ret.)
Brigadier General Joseph Cutrona, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Tom Daniels, USAF (ret.)
Brigadier General Von DeLoatch, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Robert Dilworth, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General George Eggers Jr., USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Evelyn Foote, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Robert Giffen, USAF (ret.)
Brigadier General Robert Hardy Jr., USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Carlos Hayden, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Edwin Heffelfinger, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General James Hunt, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General John H. Johns, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General J.D Johnson, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Keith H. Kerr, CSMR (ret.)
Brigadier General Douglas Kinnard, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Dean Mann, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General James Martin, USAF (ret.)
Brigadier General William Meehan II, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Harold Miller, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Kenneth Newbold, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General I.R. Obenchain Jr., USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Phil Peay, USANG (ret.)
Brigadier General Dorothy Pocklington, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Robert Poirot, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Philip Pushkin, USANG (ret.)
Brigadier General Virgil Richard, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General William Richter, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Kenneth Rieth, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Ernst Roberts, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Murray Sagsveen, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Norman Salisbury, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Donald Schenk, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Bettye Simmons, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Theodore Vander Els, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Daniel Wardrop, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Robert Watling, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General John Weinzettle, USA (ret.)
Rear Admiral James Barnett, USN (ret.)
Rear Admiral Robert Krasner, USN (ret.)
Rear Admiral Charles Rauch, USN (ret.)
Rear Admiral Alan Steinman, USPHS (ret.)
* AUS is the Army of the United States.
**General Scotti passed away in September, 2007. His widow asked that his name remain on this statement.
104 of the U.S. military's retired generals and admirals have called for repeal of the nation's discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in a document released Monday.
DadtSays the document: "We – the undersigned -- respectfully call for the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Those of us endorsing this letter have dedicated our lives to defending the rights of our citizens to believe whatever they wish. Scholarly data shows there are approximately one million gay and lesbian veterans in the United States today as well as 65,000 gays and lesbians currently serving in our armed forces. They have served our nation honorably. We support the recent comments of former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General John Shalikashvili, who has concluded that repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy would not harm and would indeed help our armed forces. As is the case with Great Britain, Israel, and other nations that allow gays and lesbians to serve openly, our service members are professionals who are able to work together effectively despite differences in race, gender, religion, and sexuality. Such collaboration reflects the strength and the best traditions of our democracy."
The AP reports: "While Obama has expressed support for repeal, he said during the presidential campaign that he would not do so on his own — an indication that he would tread carefully to prevent the issue from becoming a drag on his agenda. Obama said he would instead work with military leaders to build consensus on removing the ban on openly gay service members. 'Although I have consistently said I would repeal 'don't ask, don't tell,' I believe that the way to do it is make sure that we are working through a process, getting the Joint Chiefs of Staff clear in terms of what our priorities are going to be,' Obama said in a September interview with the Philadelphia Gay News."
See the list of military leaders who signed the document, AFTER THE JUMP...
Former Secretary of the Army Clifford Alexander
Admiral Charles Larson, USN (ret.)
Lieutenant General Quinn Becker, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Henry Emerson, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Robert Flowers, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Robert Gard, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Jerry Hilmes, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Donald Kerrick, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Ira Owens, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant General Thomas Rienzi, USA (ret.)
Vice Admiral Harold Koenig, USN (ret.)
Vice Admiral Jack Shanahan, USN (ret.)
Vice Admiral James Zimble, USN (ret.)
Major General Anders Aadland, USA (ret.)
Major General Floyd Baker, USA (ret.)
Major General Harry Brooks Jr., USA (ret.)
Major General Leslie Burger, USA (ret.)
Major General Alexander Burgin, USANG (ret.)
Major General Rosetta Burke, AUS (ret.)*
Major General William Burke, USA (ret.)
Major General Michael Conrad, USA (ret.)
Major General Eugene Cromartie, USA (ret.)
Major General James Delk, AUS (ret.)
Major General Oliver Dillard, USA (ret.)
Major General John Faith, USA (ret.)
Major General Jack Farris, USAF (ret.)
Major General Fred Forster, USANG (ret.)
Major General Robert Gamrath, AUS (ret.)
Major General Albert Genetti Jr., USA (ret.)
Major General Luis Gonzales-Vales, AUS (ret.)
Major General David Hale, USA (ret.)
Major General Randy Jayne, USANG (ret.)
Major General Lawrence Johnson, AUS (ret.)
Major General Dennis Laich, USA (ret.)
Major General Frederick Lawson, AUS (ret.)
Major General Thomas Lynch, USA (ret.)
Major General Dennis Malcor, USA (ret.)
Major General John Roth, AUS (ret.)
Major General Henry Rasmussen, USA (ret.)
Major General Alan Salisbury, USA (ret.)
Major General Michael Scotti Jr., USA (ret.)**
Major General Harry Sieben, USANG (ret.)
Major General Paul Smith, USA (ret.)
Major General Robert B. Smith, USA (ret.)
Major General Charles Starr Jr., USA (ret.)
Major General Story Stevens, USA (ret.)
Major General Joseph E. Turner, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General John C. Adams, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Clara Adams-Ender, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Hugh Aitken, USMC (ret.)
Brigadier General John "Joe" Allen, USAF (ret.)
Brigadier General Patricia Anderson, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Dale Barber, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General George Baxter, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Robert Baxter, USAF (ret.)
Brigadier General George Blysak, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Harold Bowman, USANG (ret.)
Brigadier General Douglas Bradley, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Jack Capps, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Richard Carter, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Steve Chapplis, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General BG David Cole, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General William Colvin, USANG (ret.)
Brigadier General Joseph Cutrona, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Tom Daniels, USAF (ret.)
Brigadier General Von DeLoatch, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Robert Dilworth, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General George Eggers Jr., USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Evelyn Foote, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Robert Giffen, USAF (ret.)
Brigadier General Robert Hardy Jr., USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Carlos Hayden, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Edwin Heffelfinger, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General James Hunt, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General John H. Johns, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General J.D Johnson, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Keith H. Kerr, CSMR (ret.)
Brigadier General Douglas Kinnard, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Dean Mann, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General James Martin, USAF (ret.)
Brigadier General William Meehan II, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Harold Miller, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Kenneth Newbold, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General I.R. Obenchain Jr., USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Phil Peay, USANG (ret.)
Brigadier General Dorothy Pocklington, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Robert Poirot, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Philip Pushkin, USANG (ret.)
Brigadier General Virgil Richard, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General William Richter, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Kenneth Rieth, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Ernst Roberts, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Murray Sagsveen, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General Norman Salisbury, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Donald Schenk, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Bettye Simmons, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Theodore Vander Els, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Daniel Wardrop, USA (ret.)
Brigadier General Robert Watling, AUS (ret.)
Brigadier General John Weinzettle, USA (ret.)
Rear Admiral James Barnett, USN (ret.)
Rear Admiral Robert Krasner, USN (ret.)
Rear Admiral Charles Rauch, USN (ret.)
Rear Admiral Alan Steinman, USPHS (ret.)
* AUS is the Army of the United States.
**General Scotti passed away in September, 2007. His widow asked that his name remain on this statement.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Anti Immigrant Doctor Costs Inmate Her Baby
Arpaio’s Jail Staff Cost Ambrett Spencer Her Baby, and She’s Not the Only One
By John Dickerson
published: October 30, 2008
Ambrett Spencer sat up in bed. It was 2:40 a.m., and the pain in her stomach was not right. She was nine months pregnant, but this didn't feel like labor pains. She'd been pregnant before, and given birth to a healthy boy. This was different.
*
Ambrett Spencer with her baby, Ambria
Ambrett Spencer with her baby, Ambria
Subject(s):
Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County jail conditions, Correctional Health Services, pregnant inmates
So Spencer climbed out of her bed and called for medical help.
But she wasn't at home.
Spencer was sleeping in Bunk 69 at Maricopa County's Estrella Jail in west Phoenix. Months before she got pregnant, Spencer, 30, had been arrested for drunk driving and pleaded guilty. She was now serving her sentence. (When she became pregnant, she was in treatment and not drinking, she says.) Doctor visits had confirmed that she was pregnant with a healthy baby girl.
Spencer and her attorney declined interview requests, but the records in an ongoing lawsuit she's filed against Sheriff Joe Arpaio tell the story.
As one of Arpaio's inmates, Spencer had no way of calling a doctor that night, April 21, 2006. The best she could do was call for the detention officer working the graveyard shift.
In the month she'd been in the jail, Spencer had seen plenty of inmates turned away when requesting medical attention, so she was relieved when the guard called the infirmary at a little after 3 a.m. The infirmary nurse asked how bad the pain was.
On a scale of one to 10, Spencer said it was a 10.
The nurse told her to go immediately to the infirmary. So Spencer got ready for a trip to medical.
Then she waited. The sergeant on duty decided that Spencer was not top priority, he said later in a sheriff's report about the incident.
About an hour after she requested help, Spencer was escorted to the infirmary. The one healthcare professional on the premises, a nurse, took Spencer's blood pressure. She also detected the baby's heartbeat, around 4 a.m.
The nurse — who later admitted she had no prenatal training — told Spencer that she'd be going to the hospital, but she also decided that Spencer's pain was not an emergency.
Another hour later, Spencer passed out. The nurse took her blood pressure again; it was fatally low. The nurse called an ambulance and tried to get an IV into Spencer's arm. She couldn't.
When EMT Jarrid Ortiz arrived, Spencer, who is African-American, had lost so much color it was clear to him that it was an emergency. "If you are turning that color, you're not getting enough blood to your organs and skin," Ortiz later told a sheriff's detective.
By the time the ambulance arrived at the Maricopa County Hospital, Spencer had been in severe pain and without a doctor for almost four hours. Doctors delivered Ambria Renee Spencer, a 9-pound baby girl with a quarter-inch of thick hair on her head.
Ambria was dead. Spencer's pain had been caused by internal bleeding — a malady known as placental abruption. Babies often survive the condition, if their mothers go immediately to a hospital. The treatment is simple: immediate delivery. Otherwise, the baby dies from blood loss.
Inmates in Arpaio's jails aren't usually allowed to see their babies after birth. Despite protests from the jail guard, hospital employees brought baby Ambria to Spencer, so she could see her daughter before the funeral.
Spencer described the moment for attorneys in her deposition.
"I kept praying that she would just open her eyes because she looked like she was alive."
Ambrett Spencer was one of 1,578 pregnant women who passed through Arpaio's jails in 2006, county records show. Only 42 of those women gave birth while in custody.
Spencer pleaded guilty to two DUIs and served her time. Now she's out, and she's suing Joe Arpaio and the county's Correctional Health Services department. Spencer believes delayed medical care caused her baby's death.
She's not the only inmate to say so. Four other inmates or their family members have contacted New Times this year, describing miscarriages, stillbirths, or harsh conditions for pregnant women in Arpaio's jails.
They blame poor medical care or, at times, no medical care. They also say that rotten food, potentially contaminated water, a lack of prenatal vitamins, and careless detention officers contribute to the problems.
Records show the claims may not be groundless. For example, the water well in the facility where pregnant women are jailed has been infested with mice and mice feces since 2005, Maricopa County Environmental Health Services Records show.
Mice carry a parasite — toxoplasma — that can infect water and cause birth defects, according to the Centers for Disease Control. It's so dangerous that the CDC says pregnant women shouldn't even touch litter boxes — because cats eat mice and their feces can contain the parasite.
"Most infected infants do not have symptoms at birth but can develop serious symptoms later in life, such as blindness or mental disability," the CDC writes in its description. "Occasionally infected newborns have serious eye or brain damage at birth."
In addition to that parasite, Dr. Leslie Barton, a pediatrics professor at the University of Arizona School of Medicine, has found that mice feces and urine also carry a virus that can cause birth defects, including chromosomal defects.
It's not just the water. Last week a federal judge ruled that Arpaio's current jail conditions violate the U.S. Constitution, specifically when it comes to healthcare, overcrowding, and access to medication. U.S. District Court Judge Neil Wake issued a list of 15 changes — including diet, medical care, and medication — that Arpaio must make by December.
A month before that ruling, the jails also lost their national health accreditation, which is required by state law.
Arpaio does not deny that his jails are tough. He's actually built his career on claims that he doesn't coddle criminals.
Into the fray of Arpaio's "tough" jails come about 1,500 pregnant inmates each year. Some of them say their care hardly differs from what's given the other inmates. That is ironic, since Joe Arpaio claims to care about the unborn in his jails. In 2005, he refused to allow inmate abortions. Arpaio fought that battle all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where he lost.
A person like Ambrett Spencer — who admits she drove drunk more than once — deserves to be punished. But jail does not have to be a potentially unsafe place for an unborn child. Unlike Maricopa County, many other correctional facilities in the U.S. offer programs to care for pregnant women.
Dr. Mary Byrne, professor of clinical healthcare for the underserved at Columbia University, has studied prenatal care in jails and prisons for years. She points to the state of New York as a model. There, all pregnant inmates are sent to a maximum-security prison where they take birthing and parenting classes. It's worked so well that six other states have adopted similar programs.
In 2005, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department in California started its own program — after jail nurses and doctors realized that many pregnant inmates were getting depressed.
"Nurses and social workers at the jail and at the hospital noticed that inmates giving birth were usually scared, alone, unsure of their baby's fate and often ill-equipped to deal with the situations and decisions confronting them after giving birth," nursing director Debby Lucas wrote in a review of the program.
As a result, the San Bernardino jail started Lamaze childbirth classes, as well as parenting classes for pregnant inmates.
The Monroe County Jail in New York offers prenatal care as part of its rehabilitation for pregnant inmates. Mothers-to-be can also get tutoring about rape crisis, family planning, smoking cessation, and community resources.
In Seattle, the King County Jail brings in social workers and nurses every Wednesday to train pregnant inmates in prenatal care, examine their health, and answer questions. Some social workers even keep in touch with pregnant inmates after their release.
In Arpaio's jail, pregnant inmates say the only prenatal care they get is a bottom bunk, an extra blanket, a "snack" (which is sometimes inedible, they say), and prenatal vitamins — if the vitamins come that day.
In September, New Times asked to talk to the jail's healthcare director about prenatal care. Correctional Health Services has not yet scheduled an interview with its director, Betty Adams.
Former inmates have been far more willing to speak.
Michelle McCollum was in the first trimester of her pregnancy when she awaited trial in 2005 for possession of marijuana. She later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation.
McCollum blames unchecked violence and delayed medical care for the loss of her pregnancy. On August 21, 2005, she was attacked by two other inmates, she says in an affidavit filed in the lawsuit that recently found jail conditions unconstitutional.
Two inmates punched McCollum in the stomach repeatedly. After the attack, she and another inmate cried to guards for help. But McCollum writes that detention officers refused to bring her to the infirmary — even after she told them she was pregnant and injured.
Three days after the attack, McCollum's bleeding wouldn't stop. She was finally taken to the Maricopa County Hospital. There, doctors said she had miscarried and ordered that she return to the hospital for a checkup.
Despite her reminders, jail personnel did not take McCollum back to the hospital. On September 17, she began bleeding again. The bleeding wouldn't stop.
An ambulance finally rushed McCollum back to the hospital — where doctors gave her a blood transfusion because she had lost so much blood. Then they performed a procedure called a D&C, which removed the remains of the pregnancy.
Lilly Lee recently got out of the Estrella Jail. Upon her release, she called New Times to spread the word about pregnant inmates.
"The detention officers knew these women were undergoing miscarriages, and we were telling them," she says. "They just wouldn't do anything. There were a lot of things going on in there that I don't think a lot of people know."
Michael Bergman, an executive chef, agrees. His fiancée, Reyna Dziovecki, was in the jail for only two days, but it was enough to make him fear for the life of their baby. The charges against Dziovecki have since been dropped.
"She was eight months pregnant. She literally didn't eat anything from 5 p.m. one night to 6:45 a.m. two days later," he says. Bergman says he spent that time running from one downtown building to another, trying to bond his fiancée out. He finally did.
"You never really pay attention to this stuff until it happens to you. Then it does, and it's just scary how they treat people," he says.
Ambrett Spencer acknowledged in court that she deserved jail time for her actions. On May 21, 2005, she made a potentially deadly choice by driving drunk.
Instead of killing anyone, though, Spencer caused a minor fender-bender when she bumped into another car while stopping at an intersection. The other driver was not injured. When the cops arrived, Spencer confessed to driving under the influence. Not that she needed to. She blew a .204 B.A.C.
Spencer started alcohol treatment at Terros Rehab in west Phoenix. Months later, she got pregnant. Spencer was 30 and excited to have a second child. She hoped to marry her fiancé, Kenny, the baby's father.
In March 2006, Spencer pleaded guilty to two DUIs and received a 2 1/2-year sentence.
Spencer had been in the jail for about a month when the baby was born.
Spencer worked at hospitals for six years, registering pregnant mothers when they came in to give birth. Based on that experience, she says, she would have headed straight for a hospital had she not been in the jail that night.
Drug use plays a factor in many jail pregnancies, but Spencer's baby had no drugs in her system, nor did she show any symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome, a county autopsy reveals.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner concluded that Spencer's baby died from placental abruption — a malady that occurs naturally in about one in 100 near-term pregnancies.
Dr. Michael Foley, an OB/GYN at Scottsdale Healthcare, explains abruption as the separation of the placenta from the wall of the womb. That separation results in bleeding and a loss of blood to the baby.
The condition is not usually fatal, if the mother gets to a hospital, says Dr. Ingrid Haas, another OB/GYN. The treatment for abruption is simple, both doctors agreed: immediate delivery. The longer the delay, the less likely that the baby will survive. (Both doctors declined to speak about Spencer specifically, but spoke about abruption in general terms.)
Haas has never seen a placental abruption end in death — that is, when the mother went straight to the hospital. "Likelihood of survival is very good if the woman is full-term and goes straight to the hospital," she said.
She added that the fastest abruption she's ever seen wasn't complete until one hour after the severe pain started. That would explain why Spencer's baby still had a heartbeat around 4 a.m. — more than an hour after the pain began.
When Spencer's lawsuit goes to trial, possibly next year, medical experts will likely say that her baby would have survived — if Spencer had been taken straight to the hospital.
Ultimately, a judge or jury will decide whether Arpaio's guards and health staff were at fault. In the county's favor is the fact that placental abruption can be difficult to diagnose.
But Spencer's attorney, Joel Robbins, writes that the abruption would have been diagnosed — if Spencer had seen an actual doctor. "Despite Ambrett's obvious pain and distress, Defendants waited hours to obtain emergency treatment for Ambrett," he writes.
Arpaio and the county deny any wrongdoing, though they do acknowledge that Spencer complained of pain. Dennis Wilenchik, the county's contract attorney, wrote in a court brief that staff took Spencer's vitals, documented the fetal heart rate, and then called for an ambulance at 4:44 a.m.
The county blames Southwest Ambulance — for not transporting Spencer to the hospital quickly enough. Wilenchik writes that Southwest took nearly an hour to get Spencer to the hospital. By the county's own records, however, Southwest Ambulance was not called until almost two hours after jail staff knew about Spencer's pain.
Spencer blames the jail for keeping her from a hospital.
"I'm not blaming anyone for the placental abruption," she says in her deposition, but "they could have gotten me to the hospital sooner. They could have gotten me up to medical sooner . . . Why didn't I see the doctor? That's a question that I've gone over in my head a billion times. A doctor never came in there to see me."
If her baby had survived, today Ambria Spencer would be 2 years old.
By John Dickerson
published: October 30, 2008
Ambrett Spencer sat up in bed. It was 2:40 a.m., and the pain in her stomach was not right. She was nine months pregnant, but this didn't feel like labor pains. She'd been pregnant before, and given birth to a healthy boy. This was different.
*
Ambrett Spencer with her baby, Ambria
Ambrett Spencer with her baby, Ambria
Subject(s):
Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County jail conditions, Correctional Health Services, pregnant inmates
So Spencer climbed out of her bed and called for medical help.
But she wasn't at home.
Spencer was sleeping in Bunk 69 at Maricopa County's Estrella Jail in west Phoenix. Months before she got pregnant, Spencer, 30, had been arrested for drunk driving and pleaded guilty. She was now serving her sentence. (When she became pregnant, she was in treatment and not drinking, she says.) Doctor visits had confirmed that she was pregnant with a healthy baby girl.
Spencer and her attorney declined interview requests, but the records in an ongoing lawsuit she's filed against Sheriff Joe Arpaio tell the story.
As one of Arpaio's inmates, Spencer had no way of calling a doctor that night, April 21, 2006. The best she could do was call for the detention officer working the graveyard shift.
In the month she'd been in the jail, Spencer had seen plenty of inmates turned away when requesting medical attention, so she was relieved when the guard called the infirmary at a little after 3 a.m. The infirmary nurse asked how bad the pain was.
On a scale of one to 10, Spencer said it was a 10.
The nurse told her to go immediately to the infirmary. So Spencer got ready for a trip to medical.
Then she waited. The sergeant on duty decided that Spencer was not top priority, he said later in a sheriff's report about the incident.
About an hour after she requested help, Spencer was escorted to the infirmary. The one healthcare professional on the premises, a nurse, took Spencer's blood pressure. She also detected the baby's heartbeat, around 4 a.m.
The nurse — who later admitted she had no prenatal training — told Spencer that she'd be going to the hospital, but she also decided that Spencer's pain was not an emergency.
Another hour later, Spencer passed out. The nurse took her blood pressure again; it was fatally low. The nurse called an ambulance and tried to get an IV into Spencer's arm. She couldn't.
When EMT Jarrid Ortiz arrived, Spencer, who is African-American, had lost so much color it was clear to him that it was an emergency. "If you are turning that color, you're not getting enough blood to your organs and skin," Ortiz later told a sheriff's detective.
By the time the ambulance arrived at the Maricopa County Hospital, Spencer had been in severe pain and without a doctor for almost four hours. Doctors delivered Ambria Renee Spencer, a 9-pound baby girl with a quarter-inch of thick hair on her head.
Ambria was dead. Spencer's pain had been caused by internal bleeding — a malady known as placental abruption. Babies often survive the condition, if their mothers go immediately to a hospital. The treatment is simple: immediate delivery. Otherwise, the baby dies from blood loss.
Inmates in Arpaio's jails aren't usually allowed to see their babies after birth. Despite protests from the jail guard, hospital employees brought baby Ambria to Spencer, so she could see her daughter before the funeral.
Spencer described the moment for attorneys in her deposition.
"I kept praying that she would just open her eyes because she looked like she was alive."
Ambrett Spencer was one of 1,578 pregnant women who passed through Arpaio's jails in 2006, county records show. Only 42 of those women gave birth while in custody.
Spencer pleaded guilty to two DUIs and served her time. Now she's out, and she's suing Joe Arpaio and the county's Correctional Health Services department. Spencer believes delayed medical care caused her baby's death.
She's not the only inmate to say so. Four other inmates or their family members have contacted New Times this year, describing miscarriages, stillbirths, or harsh conditions for pregnant women in Arpaio's jails.
They blame poor medical care or, at times, no medical care. They also say that rotten food, potentially contaminated water, a lack of prenatal vitamins, and careless detention officers contribute to the problems.
Records show the claims may not be groundless. For example, the water well in the facility where pregnant women are jailed has been infested with mice and mice feces since 2005, Maricopa County Environmental Health Services Records show.
Mice carry a parasite — toxoplasma — that can infect water and cause birth defects, according to the Centers for Disease Control. It's so dangerous that the CDC says pregnant women shouldn't even touch litter boxes — because cats eat mice and their feces can contain the parasite.
"Most infected infants do not have symptoms at birth but can develop serious symptoms later in life, such as blindness or mental disability," the CDC writes in its description. "Occasionally infected newborns have serious eye or brain damage at birth."
In addition to that parasite, Dr. Leslie Barton, a pediatrics professor at the University of Arizona School of Medicine, has found that mice feces and urine also carry a virus that can cause birth defects, including chromosomal defects.
It's not just the water. Last week a federal judge ruled that Arpaio's current jail conditions violate the U.S. Constitution, specifically when it comes to healthcare, overcrowding, and access to medication. U.S. District Court Judge Neil Wake issued a list of 15 changes — including diet, medical care, and medication — that Arpaio must make by December.
A month before that ruling, the jails also lost their national health accreditation, which is required by state law.
Arpaio does not deny that his jails are tough. He's actually built his career on claims that he doesn't coddle criminals.
Into the fray of Arpaio's "tough" jails come about 1,500 pregnant inmates each year. Some of them say their care hardly differs from what's given the other inmates. That is ironic, since Joe Arpaio claims to care about the unborn in his jails. In 2005, he refused to allow inmate abortions. Arpaio fought that battle all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where he lost.
A person like Ambrett Spencer — who admits she drove drunk more than once — deserves to be punished. But jail does not have to be a potentially unsafe place for an unborn child. Unlike Maricopa County, many other correctional facilities in the U.S. offer programs to care for pregnant women.
Dr. Mary Byrne, professor of clinical healthcare for the underserved at Columbia University, has studied prenatal care in jails and prisons for years. She points to the state of New York as a model. There, all pregnant inmates are sent to a maximum-security prison where they take birthing and parenting classes. It's worked so well that six other states have adopted similar programs.
In 2005, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department in California started its own program — after jail nurses and doctors realized that many pregnant inmates were getting depressed.
"Nurses and social workers at the jail and at the hospital noticed that inmates giving birth were usually scared, alone, unsure of their baby's fate and often ill-equipped to deal with the situations and decisions confronting them after giving birth," nursing director Debby Lucas wrote in a review of the program.
As a result, the San Bernardino jail started Lamaze childbirth classes, as well as parenting classes for pregnant inmates.
The Monroe County Jail in New York offers prenatal care as part of its rehabilitation for pregnant inmates. Mothers-to-be can also get tutoring about rape crisis, family planning, smoking cessation, and community resources.
In Seattle, the King County Jail brings in social workers and nurses every Wednesday to train pregnant inmates in prenatal care, examine their health, and answer questions. Some social workers even keep in touch with pregnant inmates after their release.
In Arpaio's jail, pregnant inmates say the only prenatal care they get is a bottom bunk, an extra blanket, a "snack" (which is sometimes inedible, they say), and prenatal vitamins — if the vitamins come that day.
In September, New Times asked to talk to the jail's healthcare director about prenatal care. Correctional Health Services has not yet scheduled an interview with its director, Betty Adams.
Former inmates have been far more willing to speak.
Michelle McCollum was in the first trimester of her pregnancy when she awaited trial in 2005 for possession of marijuana. She later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation.
McCollum blames unchecked violence and delayed medical care for the loss of her pregnancy. On August 21, 2005, she was attacked by two other inmates, she says in an affidavit filed in the lawsuit that recently found jail conditions unconstitutional.
Two inmates punched McCollum in the stomach repeatedly. After the attack, she and another inmate cried to guards for help. But McCollum writes that detention officers refused to bring her to the infirmary — even after she told them she was pregnant and injured.
Three days after the attack, McCollum's bleeding wouldn't stop. She was finally taken to the Maricopa County Hospital. There, doctors said she had miscarried and ordered that she return to the hospital for a checkup.
Despite her reminders, jail personnel did not take McCollum back to the hospital. On September 17, she began bleeding again. The bleeding wouldn't stop.
An ambulance finally rushed McCollum back to the hospital — where doctors gave her a blood transfusion because she had lost so much blood. Then they performed a procedure called a D&C, which removed the remains of the pregnancy.
Lilly Lee recently got out of the Estrella Jail. Upon her release, she called New Times to spread the word about pregnant inmates.
"The detention officers knew these women were undergoing miscarriages, and we were telling them," she says. "They just wouldn't do anything. There were a lot of things going on in there that I don't think a lot of people know."
Michael Bergman, an executive chef, agrees. His fiancée, Reyna Dziovecki, was in the jail for only two days, but it was enough to make him fear for the life of their baby. The charges against Dziovecki have since been dropped.
"She was eight months pregnant. She literally didn't eat anything from 5 p.m. one night to 6:45 a.m. two days later," he says. Bergman says he spent that time running from one downtown building to another, trying to bond his fiancée out. He finally did.
"You never really pay attention to this stuff until it happens to you. Then it does, and it's just scary how they treat people," he says.
Ambrett Spencer acknowledged in court that she deserved jail time for her actions. On May 21, 2005, she made a potentially deadly choice by driving drunk.
Instead of killing anyone, though, Spencer caused a minor fender-bender when she bumped into another car while stopping at an intersection. The other driver was not injured. When the cops arrived, Spencer confessed to driving under the influence. Not that she needed to. She blew a .204 B.A.C.
Spencer started alcohol treatment at Terros Rehab in west Phoenix. Months later, she got pregnant. Spencer was 30 and excited to have a second child. She hoped to marry her fiancé, Kenny, the baby's father.
In March 2006, Spencer pleaded guilty to two DUIs and received a 2 1/2-year sentence.
Spencer had been in the jail for about a month when the baby was born.
Spencer worked at hospitals for six years, registering pregnant mothers when they came in to give birth. Based on that experience, she says, she would have headed straight for a hospital had she not been in the jail that night.
Drug use plays a factor in many jail pregnancies, but Spencer's baby had no drugs in her system, nor did she show any symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome, a county autopsy reveals.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner concluded that Spencer's baby died from placental abruption — a malady that occurs naturally in about one in 100 near-term pregnancies.
Dr. Michael Foley, an OB/GYN at Scottsdale Healthcare, explains abruption as the separation of the placenta from the wall of the womb. That separation results in bleeding and a loss of blood to the baby.
The condition is not usually fatal, if the mother gets to a hospital, says Dr. Ingrid Haas, another OB/GYN. The treatment for abruption is simple, both doctors agreed: immediate delivery. The longer the delay, the less likely that the baby will survive. (Both doctors declined to speak about Spencer specifically, but spoke about abruption in general terms.)
Haas has never seen a placental abruption end in death — that is, when the mother went straight to the hospital. "Likelihood of survival is very good if the woman is full-term and goes straight to the hospital," she said.
She added that the fastest abruption she's ever seen wasn't complete until one hour after the severe pain started. That would explain why Spencer's baby still had a heartbeat around 4 a.m. — more than an hour after the pain began.
When Spencer's lawsuit goes to trial, possibly next year, medical experts will likely say that her baby would have survived — if Spencer had been taken straight to the hospital.
Ultimately, a judge or jury will decide whether Arpaio's guards and health staff were at fault. In the county's favor is the fact that placental abruption can be difficult to diagnose.
But Spencer's attorney, Joel Robbins, writes that the abruption would have been diagnosed — if Spencer had seen an actual doctor. "Despite Ambrett's obvious pain and distress, Defendants waited hours to obtain emergency treatment for Ambrett," he writes.
Arpaio and the county deny any wrongdoing, though they do acknowledge that Spencer complained of pain. Dennis Wilenchik, the county's contract attorney, wrote in a court brief that staff took Spencer's vitals, documented the fetal heart rate, and then called for an ambulance at 4:44 a.m.
The county blames Southwest Ambulance — for not transporting Spencer to the hospital quickly enough. Wilenchik writes that Southwest took nearly an hour to get Spencer to the hospital. By the county's own records, however, Southwest Ambulance was not called until almost two hours after jail staff knew about Spencer's pain.
Spencer blames the jail for keeping her from a hospital.
"I'm not blaming anyone for the placental abruption," she says in her deposition, but "they could have gotten me to the hospital sooner. They could have gotten me up to medical sooner . . . Why didn't I see the doctor? That's a question that I've gone over in my head a billion times. A doctor never came in there to see me."
If her baby had survived, today Ambria Spencer would be 2 years old.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Sarah Palin Thinks Africa Is A Continent
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/05/palin-didnt-know-africa-i_n_141653.html
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Best Internship Quote Ever:
Supervisor: Hi(insert new client's name here), this is Eric. He is an intern from Columbia.
Client: Intern? That's impressive. Like Monica Lewinsky?
Client: Intern? That's impressive. Like Monica Lewinsky?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Good Vs. Bad
Things that I don't like about my life:
1) My crackberry I purchased off ebay, the brand new one...yeah apparently already registered to someone. The seller keeps swearing they already deactivated it. I keep begging them to call verizon.
2) My classes...pretty awful. I have never been so bored in my life. No electives leaves me with classes including evaluation, Advanced Generalist Practice and Programming and Health/Mental Health Policy.
3) Considering that my credit is awful (stepfather had a credit card in my name upon his death), I probably won't get a Gradplus loan next semester which means that I am dependent upon a Columbia loan....again. They jerked me around for a long time in the fall, what if I can't stay next semester?
4) I don't know what I am doing for Christmas.
5) My love life is nonexistant. Haven't had a date since the summer. Wah Wah.
Things I enjoy about my life:
1) Outside of school fees, I am fairly financially secure. I can go out for drinks and never worry that I can't afford it.
2) I got to see my loves this weekend. Socially, I am doing better and people now want to play with me sometimes.
3) Although my classes bite the big one, I am doing very well in them. Got an A on a paper and presentation that I spent an hour total on.
4) My fieldwork is incredible. I get to create programs from scratch and pretty much have full control over everything I do. They have hinted a few times that a job might be in line for me after graduation, and I have access to organic lunches which cost me, on average, a dollar.
5) I rarely get lost in the city anymore and feel less and less like an outsider every day.
1) My crackberry I purchased off ebay, the brand new one...yeah apparently already registered to someone. The seller keeps swearing they already deactivated it. I keep begging them to call verizon.
2) My classes...pretty awful. I have never been so bored in my life. No electives leaves me with classes including evaluation, Advanced Generalist Practice and Programming and Health/Mental Health Policy.
3) Considering that my credit is awful (stepfather had a credit card in my name upon his death), I probably won't get a Gradplus loan next semester which means that I am dependent upon a Columbia loan....again. They jerked me around for a long time in the fall, what if I can't stay next semester?
4) I don't know what I am doing for Christmas.
5) My love life is nonexistant. Haven't had a date since the summer. Wah Wah.
Things I enjoy about my life:
1) Outside of school fees, I am fairly financially secure. I can go out for drinks and never worry that I can't afford it.
2) I got to see my loves this weekend. Socially, I am doing better and people now want to play with me sometimes.
3) Although my classes bite the big one, I am doing very well in them. Got an A on a paper and presentation that I spent an hour total on.
4) My fieldwork is incredible. I get to create programs from scratch and pretty much have full control over everything I do. They have hinted a few times that a job might be in line for me after graduation, and I have access to organic lunches which cost me, on average, a dollar.
5) I rarely get lost in the city anymore and feel less and less like an outsider every day.
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