1y ago

White House bolsters transgender health protections, rolls back Trump admin rule

thehill.com

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The final rule comes at a time when GOP-led states are curtailing access to gender-affirming medical care. According to health research group KFF, 24 states have enacted laws or policies to restrict or ban gender-affirming care for children.
The previous administration’s policy kept protections against discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. But the then-update narrowed the definition of sex to only mean “biological sex,” cutting out transgender people from the protections.
Advocates were concerned that the previous policies would have made it easier for doctors, hospitals and insurance companies to deny care or coverage to transgender and nonbinary patients, as well as women who have had abortions.
Yup. Both sides are the same.
- It’s crazy that there even are “categories” for discrimination that are disallowed. Why not disallow all discrimination, hm ?
  
  Discrimination law is based on “protected groups,” and can be very difficult to enforce if not specific enough.
  
  Because discrimination based on certain things is pretty reasonable. Not allowing convicted sex offenders to work in schools is a type of discrimination. Not wanting kkk members to hang out in your bar is a type of discrimination. Even "no shirts, no shoes, no service" is discrimination.
In a wide-ranging final rule released Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) strengthened the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) rules that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, including on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, in certain health programs and activities.
So...
The White House gets credit for this, and when Trump was president he rolled it back...
This really makes it seem like a president has authority over federal agencies like HHS on stuff. But that can't be true, because the only reason Biden hasn't decriminalized cannabis is because he's not a dictator and has no control over government agencies like HHS.
- Biden addressed HHS two years ago, who recommended descheduling to class 3. The DEA has been stalling the approval ever since, regardless of pressure from Biden and Harris. Decriminalization requires Congressional approval prior to getting to the president for approval. The only way Biden could override would be with an Executive Order, a temporary form of legislation that’s designed to address a crisis while allowing time for proper legislation. A temporary decriminalization that would expire would be far more disruptive to the industry than using the current system.
  
  The DEA has been stalling the approval ever since, regardless of pressure from Biden and Harris.
  So the head of the DEA doesn't serve at the pleasure of the president?
  And the president can't just replace the head of the DEA with someone willing to do the job?
  The only way Biden could override would be with an Executive Order,
  No, because he could just replace the head of the DEA.
  Like, your logic is a kid that won't stop playing a videogame for supper. You keep saying you can't stop playing the game because it's not over, but mom can just walk up and turn it off. Then the games over and your not playing.
  Biden can tell the head of the DEA to decriminalize or pack his desk.
  But he won't.
  Now you can make aaaaallllll the excuses in the world for why he won't and why that's good.
  But you can't say he can't fucking do it when he obviously can.
  You don't even have to take my word for it:
  Although the President may not unilaterally deschedule or reschedule a controlled substance, he does possess a large degree of indirect influence over scheduling decisions. The President could pursue the appointment of agency officials who favor descheduling, or use executive orders to direct DEA, HHS, and FDA to consider administrative descheduling of marijuana. The notice-and-comment rulemaking process would take time, and would be subject to judicial review if challenged, but could be done consistently with the CSA’s procedural requirements. In the alternative, the President could work with Congress to pursue descheduling through an amendment to the CSA.
  https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/LSB/LSB10655
  That's from the people whose job is literally to research if and how our government can do stuff.
- the only reason Biden hasn't decriminalized cannabis is because he's not a dictator and has no control over government agencies like HHS.
  The only reason Biden hasn't decriminalized cannabis is because it keeps (mostly ethnic minority) people in jails, and having full jails is very profitable.
  Fixed that for ya.
  
  Uhhhh...
  The White House just said Biden wasn't banning menthols because he's polling bad with Black voters.
  And lots of people assured me that means he's the opposite of racist
  
  Neither the president, nor HHS, nor the DEA can decriminalize a drug. They can only deschedule. Congress must pass a decriminalization measure before the president can sign it.
  Descheduling has no effect on criminal charges. That would require decriminalization.
- Sure, why not? Let's whine about pot in the comments of an article about a good thing the government did.
  
  If you give a president credit for every good thing, and never blame for the bad things...
  How are you better than a Republican?
- Tell me you don't understand the byzantine federal bureaucracy without telling me you don't understand the byzantine federal bureaucracy.

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