Poland’s Left-Liberal Government Hits Hospital with Hefty Fine for Refusing to Perform Abortions
Polish Health Minister Izabela Leszczyna announced during a Monday press conference that a medical facility in Pabianice near Łódź has been fined due to non-compliance with new abortion regulations implemented by the left-liberal government.
The National Health Fund’s (NFZ) control department has been actively conducting audits related to abortion denials under the recently introduced regulation specifying the general conditions for refusal.
“On June 13, the audit at the Pabianice Medical Center was concluded, resulting in a penalty of 550,000 zlotys (approximately €125,000) levied against the provider,” Leszczyna stated. She also mentioned that the final stages of inspections concerning two additional entities are underway, and she fears penalties will also be justified there.
The amendment to the regulation on the general conditions of healthcare service contracts came into effect at the end of May. It mandates that hospitals organize their services so that at least one doctor is available to perform procedures that save the life or health of a woman. The Ministry of Health argued that because some doctors excessively invoke the conscience clause, women are repeatedly denied their legal right to undergo an abortion.
The government’s regulation has introduced a contractual penalty of up to 2 percent of the contract’s value for each verified violation of the new requirements. It also allows for partial or complete termination of contracts without notice in cases of non-compliance.
These changes follow the controversial 2020 Constitutional Court ruling that altered the longstanding abortion laws in Poland, which previously permitted abortions also in cases of severe and irreversible fetal impairment or incurable illness threatening the fetus’s life. Currently, there are four legislative proposals concerning abortion law in the parliament, introduced by various political groups including the Left, Civic Coalition and Third Way Alliance – PSL and Poland 2050.
400,000 More Canadians Live in Poverty Now Compared to 2020: Gov’t Report
OTTAWA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) –– Decades of progress in lowering the poverty rate in Canada has been wiped out in the last few years under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government, one of his own federal departments has reported.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, a recently released report dated December 11, 2023 by the Department of Social Development “estimates” that “9.9 percent of Canadians, some four million people, live in poverty compared to 6.4 percent in 2020, the equivalent of ‘approximately 400,000 more Canadians,’” and that “[f]uture increases in the rate of poverty could stall progress towards reaching the 2030 poverty reduction target of a 50 percent reduction in poverty versus 2015 levels.”
The report observed that high inflation in Canada combined with “lagging household incomes” has led to “affordability pressures among many households.”
While the uptick in the poverty rate is certainly concerning for many Canadians, it may come as little surprise as this is not the first time one of Trudeau’s own departments has warned of such a trend.
In January, the National Advisory Council on Poverty (NACP) observed to Parliament that fast-rising food costs have led to many people feeling a sense of “hopelessness and desperation.”
“Persons with lived expertise of poverty and service providers alike told us things seem worse now than they were before and during the first years of the pandemic,” read the NACP report.
“We heard that people are worried about the rising cost of living and inflation,” it continued, adding, “More people are in crisis and these crises are more visible in our communities.”
The damning figures comes as critics, including the nation’s leading taxpayer watchdog, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, have warned that the Trudeau government’s deficit spending and oft-increasing tax regime has been putting undue strain on the pocketbooks of its citizens.
Previously speaking to LifeSiteNews, CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano urged the Trudeau government to cut spending, balance the budget and “completely scrap” the “carbon tax.”
“More debt means more money wasted on interest charges and less room to cut taxes,” Terrazzano stated, warning that “[i]n a handful of years, every penny collected from the GST (Goods and Service Tax) will go toward paying interest on the debt.”
Under Trudeau, Canadians have seen their overall tax rate go up thanks to the punitive carbon tax that affects all goods and services in the nation.
Even the Bank of Canada, the nation’s central bank, has taken issue with Trudeau government policy, acknowledging last year that some of its federal “climate change” programs, which have been deemed “extreme” by provincial leaders, are helping to fuel inflation.
Atlanta Speed Cameras Illegally Collected up to $500K in Fines From Unfairly Ticketed Drivers
Speeding cameras in Atlanta have improperly fined drivers in the city, with the total amount of improper citations ranging from $350,000 to $500,000.
One investigation by Fox 5’s I-Team revealed that automatic traffic cameras have been improperly ticketing drivers for allegedly speeding in a 25-mile-per-hour school zone during times when the school zone’s lights were not flashing. Without the orange lights, drivers assumed the speed limit was 35 miles per hour.
Atlanta Public Schools (APS) confirmed the discrepancy and announced that affected drivers would receive refunds. A spokesperson acknowledged that the school system had been aware of the issue since late November but did not explain why the cameras, which photograph license plates and issue tickets, were not adjusted or turned off.
The I-Team analyzed citation data obtained through a Georgia Open Records Act request, finding that over seven months, 4,460 citations were issued during times when the flashers were not operating, potentially confusing drivers. The total amount in fines improperly collected likely ranges from $350,000 to $500,000.
Atlanta’s traffic cameras notorious for improperly fining drivers
This is the third instance the I-Team has uncovered of school zone cameras issuing incorrect tickets in metro Atlanta, following similar issues in Jonesboro and Riverdale last school year. The latest investigation began after drivers reported receiving tickets despite not speeding.
(Related: Police department in Pennsylvania using drone tech to crack down on theft and other petty crimes.)
Ivan DeQuesada, a resident of east Atlanta, received a $75 citation for going 39 in a 25-mile-per-hour zone at 4:52 p.m. on a Friday in March.
“I remembered what I was doing and realized the school zone light wasn’t on,” DeQuesada said. He discovered that several neighbors had received similar unexpected tickets.
James Murphy, another neighbor, received two tickets, and his wife received another. “They shouldn’t be making money from cars driving when there’s no light blinking,” Murphy said. “It feels like a money grab rather than a safety measure.”
According to an APS schedule, the school zone lights outside Drew Charter School at the very eastern edge of Atlanta should activate from 7:15 to 8:30 a.m. and from 3:45 to 5 p.m. However, the lights have been turning off around 8:15 a.m. and 4:45 p.m., creating two 15-minute windows where drivers were wrongly ticketed.
Murphy challenged his tickets in Atlanta Municipal Court, where other drivers shared similar experiences. “The sign wasn’t flashing,” said Takeviuas Kelly of Ellenwood. Chief Judge Christopher T. Portis dismissed their citations.
The accountability for this issue is unclear. A private camera company, Verra Mobility, contracts with APS. The school zone speed safety program is run by APS alongside the Atlanta government, with the flashing lights managed by Atlanta’s Department of Transportation (Atlanta DOT) under the purview of the Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT).
In response to questions, APS stated that they, along with Atlanta DOT and Verra Mobility, worked to correct the discrepancy. APS began requesting the correction in late November. Atlanta DOT sought authorization to adjust the flasher times from Georgia DOT on November 26, but approval came on April 29, with adjustments made by May 2.
APS and Verra Mobility did not explain why the cameras continued issuing tickets during the five months before the flasher times were corrected. APS stated that the program aims to ensure the safety of students and improve driver behavior in school zones, though no one from APS was available for an on-camera interview.
APS indicated that around 2,000 citations will be refunded, although it is unclear why this number is less than half of the 4,460 tickets issued. Some refunds have already been processed, and the exact number of drivers who successfully contested their tickets in court is unknown.
GOP State Rep. Charles Cannon plans to reintroduce a bill to ban automated school zone speed cameras, citing concerns over whether they prioritize safety or revenue. He asked: “I think that’s the underlying question: Are these cameras really for safety or are they for revenue?”
With the I-Team uncovering a third instance of unfair fines, Cannon commented, “I think in this case, it kind of leans more towards … it’s about revenue.”
Watch this video explaining how speed cameras are a road safety scam promoted by the United Nations.
Learn Why Chucky Schumer Serves Uncooked Burgers With Cheese
Alex Jones breaks down the bizarre Father’s Day social media posts by leftist politicians:
Learn Why Chucky Schumer Serves Uncooked Burgers With Cheesehttps://t.co/H1uLn5JrJc pic.twitter.com/PrJnvwpq2s
— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) June 17, 2024
Doctor Could Face up to 10 Years in Prison for Exposing Transgender Child Mutilation at Texas Hospital
(LifeSiteNews) — The Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) has unsealed its indictment against a small-town surgeon who revealed that ghastly transgender surgeries were being secretly committed on minors at Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) after the hospital had purportedly discontinued its transgender program.
Dr. Eithan Haim – who identified himself earlier this year as the anonymous whistleblower who provided evidence of the ongoing so-called “sex change procedures” for children as young as 11 to Manhattan Institute journalist Christopher Rufo last year – had U.S. Marshals show up at his home earlier this month, summoning him to court to face four felony counts of alleged HIPAA violations.
The now-revealed multiple count indictment alleges that Haim obtained protected individual health information for patients who were not under his care and without authorization.
Haim will appear before U.S. Magistrate Yvonne Y. Ho in Houston at 2 p.m. on Monday.
Rufo broke news of the DOJ’s indictment on X:
BREAKING: The Biden Administration has unsealed the indictment against Dr. @EithanHaim, who blew the whistle on the child sex-change program at Texas Children’s Hospital.
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) June 17, 2024
He is now facing up to 10 years in prison for telling the truth about a practice that is now illegal. pic.twitter.com/l0isJJPKJd
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas, said in a statement:
The four-count indictment alleges Haim obtained personal information including patient names, treatment codes and the attending physician from Texas Children’s Hospital’s (TCH) electronic system without authorization. He allegedly obtained this information under false pretenses and with intent to cause malicious harm to TCH.
According to the indictment, Haim was a resident at Baylor College of Medicine and had previous rotations at TCH as part of his residency.
In April 2023, Haim allegedly requested to re-activate his login access at TCH to access pediatric patients not under his care. The indictment alleges he obtained unauthorized access to personal information of pediatric patients under false pretenses and later disclosed it to a media contact.
If convicted, Haim faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 maximum possible fine.
FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S Attorney Tina Ansari is prosecuting the case.
READ: Biden DOJ indicts doctor who exposed transgender child mutilation at Texas hospital
Haim has always maintained that no medical privacy laws were broken when he provided evidence of TCH’s continued transgender program to Rufo. He and his legal team remain uncertain about the details of the charges and will have to wait until Monday, June 17.
“It’s my responsibility as a doctor, as a physician, to expose this to the public,” Haim told the Daily Wire. “If I don’t, then this abuse can continue. I knew that future generations, like my children, would never be able to forgive me if they knew I had the chance to do something and I decided to stay silent.”
“It requires average, everyday doctors to stand up and speak out against things like this,” said the 33-year-old general surgeon.
Part of a larger, troubling pattern by the Biden DOJ
The DOJ’s investigation, which began nearly a year ago, and the looming prosecution of Haim is largely seen as an intimidation tactic intended to enforce silence on those who would otherwise speak out against the favored policies of the Biden regime in general and against those who object to child-mutilating “gender transition” surgeries and chemical interventions in particular.
“This is not the first time that we’ve seen the Justice Department behave this way, wielding executive power to intimidate both political opponents and cultural enemies,” National Review’s Madeleine Kearns said in an interview. “We’ve seen this with pro-life Americans, traditionalist Catholics, even vaccine skeptics. And… it looks like they’re trying to bully their enemies into kind of going along.”
“With a staggering 99.6% success rate in court, some federal investigations under the Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) are drawing scrutiny for alleged partisan bias and the little-known problem of overcharging – fueling calls for urgent reform among experts,” Fox News journalist Jamie Joseph recently explained.
“We have just lost our damn minds when it comes to criminal prosecution,” healthcare defense attorney Ron Chapman told Fox News Digital in an interview. “Ninety-five percent of cases do not go to trial, because prosecutors can find fuzzy statutes to get such high maximums or even mandatory minimums at play, which force innocent people to plead guilty. And that’s what we’re dealing with – we’re dealing with tons of innocent people who may not be innocent of all the crimes, but they’re innocent of the ones that were overcharged against them.”
“It’s a bigger problem than people think,” FBI whistleblower Kyle Seraphin told Fox News Digital. “Most Americans don’t realize that there could be an active national security investigation on anyone. That’s the thing that should scare the bejesus out of Americans.”
Donald Trump’s Campaign is Attracting Increasing Numbers of Young Voters, Threatening to End Democratic Dominance Over This Demographic
A new poll has found that former President Donald Trump could end up winning the youth vote in the upcoming presidential election.
Former President George H.W. Bush was the last Republican to win the youth vote during a presidential election back in 1988. But a new New York Times/Siena poll believes Trump is very close to ending the 36-year reign of Democrat over this demographic.
The poll among prospective voters between the ages of 18 and 29 found Trump trailing Joe Biden by only two points at 47 percent to Biden’s 45 percent. Another poll conducted by the Quinnipiac Polling Institute found Trump leading with registered voters in the 18 to 34 age group by one point.
In 2020, exit polling showed that Biden won the 18 to 29-year-old vote by 24 percentage points. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won this same demographic by 19 points in 2016.
Trump offering policies that cater to preferences of younger American voters
Analysts are suggesting that Trump is offering policies that cater to the preferences of younger voters even if those proposals don’t map neatly to the conservative consensus within the Republican Party. Axios journalist Neal Rothschild is suggesting three key policy proposals that have made Trump stand out among his colleagues in the GOP: TikTok, cryptocurrency and tipping.
Firstly, after a proposal to ban TikTok received bipartisan support in Congress and got the approval of Biden’s White House, Trump baffled conservative China hawks by coming out against a unilateral ban.
The electoral upside of such a stance is clear given TikTok’s popularity among younger Americans, and support for a ban is lowest among the young voter demographic. Trump himself is attempting to appeal to young voters by going on TikTok himself and posting content on the platform.
Secondly, Trump has increasingly embraced the world of cryptocurrency. He has promoted Trump-themed NFTs (non-fungible tokens), vowed to end the federal government’s regulatory hostility to crypto and endorsed the possibility of the U.S. government mining bitcoin as a way to help America become “energy dominant.” This stance is in contrast with the Biden administration’s posture toward the industry.
Finally, Trump has recently vowed to get rid of tip taxation in comments made at a recent rally in Las Vegas.
“For those hotel workers and people that get tips, you’re going to be very happy. Because when I get to office, we are going to not charge taxes on tips,” said Trump.
“You do a great job of service. You take care of people. And I think it’s going to be something that really is deserved,” he added. “So those people that have jobs in restaurants, whatever the job may be, a tipping job, we’re not going after for taxes anymore.”
As much as 43 percent of all adults in the U.S. have personally worked in a job where their income relied on tipping. The allure of having a significant portion of their income not subject to taxation is a clear one, especially since service industry workers like those in hotels and restaurants skew young.
Learn the latest developments from Trump’s presidential campaign at VoteRepublican.news.
Watch this clip from Fox News reporting on how Trump may take back another demographic that the Democrats have dominated for decades – Black voters.