Of note: This week we highlight a two-story package by Wisconsin Watch’s Phoebe Petrovic examining Wisconsin’s “fetal protection” law, which gives authorities the power to detain pregnant people if they suspect drug or alcohol use. Like other similar laws, Wisconsin’s was passed in the 1990s amid public hysteria over so-called “cocaine moms.” Later research found that in utero drug use had no measurable long-term effect on children’s development — despite warnings that these “crack babies” were destined to become a “bio-underclass.”
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Policing pregnancy: Wisconsin law, one of the most punitive in the nation, forces women into treatment – or jail
Wisconsin Watch — December 1, 2022
Pregnant and despondent, Tamara Loertscher arrived at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on Aug. 1, 2014. But while she had checked herself in, she could not check herself out. The county had put a “hold” on her under suspicion that Loertscher was using drugs — an allegation she denied.
Related story from Wisconsin Watch: Wisconsin’s law on substance use in pregnancy is wrong, leading doctors say
Minors in Wisconsin need approval for physical, mental care. What if their parents refuse?
Green Bay Press-Gazette — December 1, 2022
Under Wisconsin law, minors do not have the right to physical or mental health care, with the exception of limited substance abuse treatment and reproductive health care, without the signature of a parent or guardian. They can’t get prescriptions. There is no legal process governing emancipation, the equivalent of divorce from parents.
What should I do about PFAS in my water?
Wisconsin Watch — November 21, 2022
What can you do if you have PFAS in your water? The answer is complicated. Here’s what to know about navigating threats from so-called forever chemicals.
Related story from the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk and Wisconsin Watch: Midwest river towns seek answers after 3M factory taints water with PFAS
Confused about health insurance during open enrollment? A navigator can help.
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service — November 30, 2022
Meet Quentella Perry, who helps people plow through the complexities while working for Covering Wisconsin, a nonprofit based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that educates people about health insurance and helps them choose a plan under the Affordable Care Act.
No longer the fringe: Small-town voters fear for America
Associated Press — November 30, 2022
For some people in rural Wisconsin, America is a dark and dangerous place where freedom is under attack by a tyrannical government, few officials can be trusted and clans of neighbors might someday have to band together to protect one another.
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