Daily Brew: What are the abortion laws in your state

May 10, 2018

North Korea releases three U.S. prisoners + Hamilton County, Ohio, approves taxes for Cincinnati zoo and library   What are the abortion laws in your state? On May 4, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R) signed SF359 into law. The legislation, scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2018, will restrict abortions beginning at the point that a fetal heartbeat can be detected (approximately six weeks from conception). Iowa's law will establish the earliest threshold for abortion restriction in the country. 43 states restrict abortions beginning at specific stages of pregnancy. 17 restrict abortions beginning at the stage of fetal viability, defined in Roe v. Wade as the point at which a fetus is "potentially able to live outside the mother's womb, albeit with artificial aid." 15 restrict abortions beginning at 20 weeks post-fertilization (i.e., the time of conception). The remaining 11 use other thresholds, including time since the mother's last menstrual period and time since implantation (the time at which a fertilized egg adheres to the lining of the uterus). Learn more         North Korea releases three U.S. prisoners President Donald Trump announced that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo secured the release of three Americans held as prisoners in North Korea. Trump wrote on Twitter, "I am pleased to inform you that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in the air and on his way back from North Korea with the 3 wonderful gentlemen that everyone is looking so forward to meeting. They seem to be in good health. Also, good meeting with Kim Jong Un. Date & Place set. Secretary Pompeo and his 'guests' will be landing at Andrews Air Force Base at 2:00 A.M. in the morning. I will be there to greet them. Very exciting!" The three men released were Kim Dong-chul, Tony Kim, and Kim Hak-song. They were imprisoned on charges of espionage or other anti-state activities against North Korea. Pompeo was on his second visit to North Korea to prepare for the meeting between Trump and Kim Jong Un. Learn more→ Hamilton County, Ohio, approves taxes for Cincinnati zoo and library Hamilton County, Ohio, voters approved two local tax measures Tuesday—Issue 2, a five-year renewal of a property tax to fund the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, and Issue 3, a new property tax to fund the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Issue 2 was designed to renew the property tax funding the zoo at a rate of .46 mill per dollar (or $0.046 per $100 of assessed property value). While zoo administrators requested that a tax increase appear on the ballot, the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners approved only the renewal, which passed with 78 percent of the vote. Issue 3 was designed to levy a 10-year property tax to fund library operations and services at a rate of one mill per dollar (or $0.10 per $100 of assessed property value). The tax under Issue 3 is in addition to an existing property tax funding the library at the same rate, for a total of $0.20 per $100 of value benefitting the library. Issue 3 received approval at a lower rate than Issue 2, passing with 63 percent of the vote on election night. Learn more→