Utah Becomes First State to Ban Fluoride in Public Drinking Water

Utah became the first state to ban the addition of fluoride to public drinking water after Gov. Spencer Cox [pictured right] signed the law late Thursday night. The ban will take effect on May 7.

Rep. Stephanie Gricius, who sponsored the bill, said in an email to The Defender that she was thrilled the governor signed it. She said:

“The proper role of government is to provide safe, clean drinking water, not mass medicate the public. While we have banned it from being added to our water systems, we have also increased access to fluoride tablets through the pharmacies so any Utahn who wishes to take it may. But it will now be a decision each individual can make for themselves.”

The new law bans water fluoridation, but also gives pharmacists new authority to prescribe fluoride supplement pills. Typically, such pills can be prescribed only by a dentist or physician.  

“What Utah has accomplished is historic, a huge step forward,” said Rick North, board member of the Fluoride Action Network (FAN), which won a landmark ruling in a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the agency’s failure to appropriately regulate the chemical.

What About Providing Aid in Living?

Yesterday, the New York State Assembly voted to pass legislation (A136/S138), the Medical Aid in Dying Act, to legalize state-sanctioned suicide [and euthanasia] for those diagnosed with a terminal illness. We strongly urge the New York State Senate to reject this legislation and we urge you to contact your state senators and ask them to vote against this legislation. Click here to contact your state senator.  

Proceeding down this path would be both a moral and practical failure, violating the sanctity of life and leading to a further erosion in the health and well-being of society’s most vulnerable.

At a time that New York State is struggling to address the spiraling numbers of “deaths of despair” resulting from alcoholism, substance abuse, and suicides, this legislation is a giant step in the wrong direction. 

New York Talking Points, Including Commentary by Dawn Eskew & Margaret Dore

Dear Angela & Senator Palumbo, 

In attachments are the talking points I referred to you in our conversation this morning. I can not stress enough to urge everyone on our side to stay clear away from bringing up religion, moral theology, prolife, and things like that.

The problem is the proposed Bill is a Bad Policy Bill, and the reasons pointed out should be our mantra.

One can be for the concept, but not these bills. (2025 #A136 & #S138).

I will be dropping off to your office , as discussed, our brochure which contains all of the short bullet points.

Most Sincerely, 

Dawn C . Eskew1.631.487.7578

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My friend Margaret Dore [pictured above], who is copied here, provided me with four publications, which may be of help.  Please see below.

1)

Margaret Dore Featured by Hope Australia

Vote No! on S. 136: New York Should Not Be Considering Assisted Suicide When So Many People Struggle to Live.

By Lisa Blumberg (pictured right)  and Not Dead Yet.

It is disturbing that at a time when the healthcare system is so broken and so many people struggle to get the care and practical support, they need that New York would want to try repeatedly pass legislation which would legalize doctor assisted suicide. The state has shown good judgment in rejecting the idea before and should reject it now.

The pandemic has made evident the deadly health care disparities that people of color, older people and persons with disabilities have always been subjected to. Any law which enables doctors to write lethal prescriptions at the request of people deemed to have six months or less to live, as this bill would, increases risk for devalued patients.

Despite common misconceptions, uncontrollable pain is not a primary reason that people turn to assisted suicide. Data indicates that people often request lethal prescriptions due to perceived lessening of autonomy, or feelings of being burden. As Cliff Perez, a disability rights activist, states, “these reasons are… existential or disability related and ought to be addressed with quality, multidisciplinary care, not death.” It is not so much how individuals view living with limitations caused by illness or disability, but society’s stigma and failure to provide practical supports to address such limitations.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

https://www.dailywire.com/news/dont-need-dei-in-our-state-republicans-move-to-close-government-university-dei-offices  

By Leif Le Mahieu 

The Tennessee General Assembly sent two bills cracking down on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to Republican Governor Bill Lee’s desk on Tuesday as the legislative session came to a close.

One bill would ban publicly funded universities and state and local governments from maintaining DEI offices, while the other bill would prohibit those same entities from making hiring decisions based on race. Both bills passed with overwhelming Republican support.

“DEI violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson said on Tuesday. “We don’t need DEI in our state, Mr. Speaker. We need to hire people and promote people based on their merit. Diversity is a wonderful thing and it will happen. But we’re not going to make diversity the number one objective when we’re trying to serve our constituents and hire good people to take care of our constituents. It will be based on qualifications and merit.”

Nevada Governor Will Not Sign Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia Bill

https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/live-updates-nevada-legislatures-first-committee-passage-deadline-2 

Today marks the Nevada Legislature’s first committee house passage deadline, which typically marks the largest round of bill deaths in the 120-day legislative session.

By the time lawmakers wrap up today, any bills not voted out of their first committee or granted an exemption from legislative deadlines end up in the legislative graveyard....

Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo [pictured above] vetoed a whopping 75 bills last session, but a handful of the same concepts are making their way through the Legislature again....

AB346, the medical-aid-in-dying bill [allowing assisted suicide and euthanasia], passed unanimously [in committee] on Thursday and would allow terminally ill patients to request a self-administered medication to end their life. 

Though it breezed its way through committee, Lombardo encouraged the 2025 Legislature to disregard the bill because he would not sign it...