The judge orders the law requiring the burial or cremation of aborted fetuses. Ohio cannot begin enforcing a mandate that fetal remains must be buried or cremated, a court ruled on Monday. The law was to come into force today.

Now Hamilton County Judge Alison Hatheway has temporarily blocked the application of the Fetal Remains measure (Senate Bill 27), which was enacted by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, late December. Under the law, women in Ohio who have had surgical abortions would be asked to choose whether fetal remains are buried or cremated; if they chose not to make a decision, it would go to the abortion clinics.

Abortion clinics and their staff who circumvent the rule could face penalties, including license suspension, fines, or being charged with a first-degree misdemeanor.

But the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Planned Parenthood have challenged the new abortion warrant in a lawsuit against the Ohio Department of Health and state officials on behalf of several. abortion providers. The lawsuit called for an end to penalties for suppliers because “compliance is impossible due to the failure of the Ohio Department of Health to establish or publish the necessary rules and regulations. The law comes into force on April 6, but the state is not responsible for issuing rules until July 5. “

“The lack of regulation leaves Ohio abortion providers in an impossible situation,” the groups and their allies said in a statement. “Despite the fact that we are in the midst of a global pandemic and there are vast and numerous public health tasks ahead of the Ohio Department of Health, the state has passed this frivolous and medically unnecessary law. . We just want to be reassured that we will not be punished for our failure to comply with a directive that does not exist. “

The fetal remains law is just the latest attempt by Ohio Republicans to add more restrictions on access to abortion, points out The inspector:

These have included bans on telemedicine abortions; on dilation and evacuation, or D&E, abortions; on abortions in cases where a diagnosis of fetal Down syndrome is a factor; and on all abortions after the first fetal heartbeat is detected, which can occur as early as six weeks pregnant before many women know they are pregnant. Courts have blocked the last three laws as constitutional challenges continue.

The ban on the remote prescription of abortion medication is also challenged by Planned Parenthood. “With law set to come into effect on April 12, the organization has sought immediate relief from the Hamilton County Common Plea Court in a lawsuit filed [last Thursday] against the Ohio Department of Health, the State Medical Council and prosecutors for the three largest counties in the state, ”the Associated Press notes.

FREE SPIRITS

Copyright case a win for Google and fair use. In a Supreme Court ruling on Monday, judges ruled that using Oracle’s code in its Android operating system was not a violation of federal copyright law. “In a 6-2 decision, the judges overturned a lower court ruling that Google’s inclusion of Oracle’s software code in Android did not constitute fair use under US copyright law. ‘author,’ reports Reuters.

“This decision is a major victory for competition and consumer choice in the information technology market”, noted Charles Duan, senior researcher in technology and innovation policy at the R Street Institute,

Following:

Judge Stephen Breyer, writing for the majority, said allowing Oracle to enforce copyright in its code would hurt the public by making it a “lock limiting the future creativity of new programs.” Oracle alone will hold the key. “…

The Oracle lawsuit accused Google of plagiarizing its Java software by copying 11,330 lines of computer code, along with the way it is organized, to create Android and rake in billions of dollars in revenue. Android, for which developers have created millions of apps, now powers more than 70% of the world’s mobile devices.

Google said it did not copy a computer program, but instead used elements of Java software code necessary for a computer program or platform to function. Federal copyright law does not protect simple “methods of operation”. The companies also contested that Google made fair use of Oracle’s software code, making it licensed under the Copyright Act of 1976.

FREE MARKETS

Strict zoning laws are a drag on the economy:

Remember that document from Moretti and Hsieh saying that if NYC, SF and SJ relaxed their zoning laws to a normal level, US GDP would be 3-9% higher?@bryan_caplan found an arithmetic error – the real number should be that the GDP would be ** 14-36% ** higher! https: //t.co/58BtFXOUb4

– Neoliberal ???? (@ ne0liberal) April 5, 2021

QUICK CUT

• California is considering repealing its “loitering with intent to prostitute” law. The repeal is supported by advocacy groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California and the Los Angeles Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP):

Criminalization does not make us safer.

We’re co-sponsoring SB 357, a measure that will repeal California law that criminalizes loitering with intent to prostitute and allows those convicted of loitering with intent to seal their records.

– SWOP Los Angeles (@SwopLosAngeles) April 6, 2021

• Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, vetoed a bill that would have banned a range of medical treatments, including puberty blockers, for transgender people under the age of 18.

• Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz responds to recent allegations against him.

• A professor at the Lake Washington Institute of Technology opposed “white fragility” training for faculty and staff. The school investigated her for nine months.

• The Clubhouse audio chat room app launches a tip program:

Clubhouse has launched a tip program for creators called “Clubhouse Payments” where creators can accept $$ from fans / subscribers. Stripe only charges its fees to people who send money, so it won’t help Clubhouse monetize https://t.co/O9eJhmb8ox pic.twitter.com/bmZ7HFiOBI

– Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) April 5, 2021