ONI CENTRAL

I know I’m a broken record, but most wins really do come down to elections. Sometimes you don’t realize the kinds of things Dems can do in power. Hopefully these stories help!

Starting in California!

California

Wed, April 15 - John Eastman was finally disbarred. It show that there is justice coming for those who have helped destroy this country. The State Bar Court submitted their recommendation in March 2024, and two years later, the California Supreme Court disbarred him.

State Bar Chief Trial Counsel George Cardona said:

After extensive proceedings before the State Bar Court’s Hearing and Review Departments, both of which found Mr. Eastman culpable of serious ethical violations, the Court has imposed the discipline warranted by the clear and convincing evidence that he advanced false claims about the 2020 presidential election to mislead courts, public officials, and the American public. The Court’s order underscores that Mr. Eastman’s misconduct was incompatible with the standards of integrity required of every California attorney.

It’s a reminder that justice doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen. When this federal government is out of power, it’s gonna feel slow day to day, but that’s just because every “i” needs to be dotted and every “t” needs to be crossed.

This makes me feel less Doomed because it’s proof that in most, if not all cases, we WILL succeed in the end.

Eastman is a bad man and was a bad lawyer and now he can no longer do damage as a lawyer and that’s huge. It’s also a reminder of why voting for judges and in state legislative races is so important. Not every State Supreme Court would have ruled this way.

Pennsylvania

Mon, April 20 - The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania has ruled that the state cannot ban Medicaid funding from being used for abortions.

This law has been on the books since 1982. In 2019 15 abortion clinics filed a lawsuit against this decades old law.

The lawsuit argued that it’s sex based discrimination, and violated the state’s Equal Rights Amendment. This argument also worked in several other states. Forcing a person with a low income to carry an unwanted pregnancy could affect their ability to work or get the healthcare they need.

In 2024 the State Supreme Court ruled that it violated their ERA, and now the Commonweath Court has ruled the same. It took seven years, but the argument was successful in the end.

In a 4-3 decision Judge Matthew Wolf, writing for the majority said:

We conclude that the Commonwealth has failed to rebut the presumed unconstitutionality of the Coverage Exclusion—which is a sex-based classification—by showing it is the least intrusive means of pursuing compelling state interests. Accordingly, we hold that the Coverage Exclusion violates the Equal Rights Amendment and is unconstitutional.

The commonwealth had to prove that it wasn’t sex based discrimination, and they couldn’t. They also didn’t try very hard, as Governor Josh Shapiro wanted this law gone too.

In his statement, he said:

I’ve long opposed this unconstitutional ban, and as Governor, I did not defend it – because a woman’s ability to access reproductive care should never be determined by her income.

This is a reminder of how important the ERA is, at state, but also federal level, across the country. Also a reminder of the importance of a Democratic Governor. The outcome could have been different if the state had fought to defend the law.

Seeing a law like this go down in flames makes me feel less Doomed!

Australia

Mon, April 20 - Queer men can finally donate blood in Australia. Well not all queer men, but trans and gay men who have been in long monogamous relationships now can for the first time.

From now on, all people who want to donate blood will be asked the exact same questions. There will no longer be a separate discriminatory set of questions for queer men.

And for those who still aren’t eligible, they might be able to donate plasma instead.

Lifeblood Red Cross’ CEO Stephen Cornelissen said:

This is something we’ve been researching and working on for some time together with governments, LGBTQIA+ advocacy groups and the broader community, and we’re excited to be welcoming many more new donors into our centres to donate blood and platelets from today.

He continued:

We know previous rules have been difficult for people in the LGBTQIA+ community, so we’d like to thank them for their support during this journey towards a more inclusive donation experience.

These rules are some of the last remaining vestiges of AIDS fears from the 1980s and 90s.

This is long overdue, but it makes me feel less Doomed to finally see it happening now.

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So those are today’s stories to make you feel less Doomed. And I hope they are a reminder of why we need Democrats in office at all levels.

Make sure to join my voting group, Election Day is Every Tuesday, so you don’t miss a single election, so you can help get Dems elected!