by Elizabeth Troutman | Feb 13, 2024 | News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
Sarah Liguori will fill a vacancy in the Arizona House of Representatives in Legislative District 5, after the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors appointed her last week.
“Sarah Liguori’s previous legislative experience will allow her to hit the ground running. Since the legislature is currently in session, LD5 deserves a representative who can step right in,” District 3 Supervisor Bill Gates said. “I also appreciate her background in business and her openness to working across the aisle to get things done.”
The board appointed the Democrat by a unanimous vote. She fills the seat vacated last month by Rep. Jennifer Longdon.
The mother of two has a history of supporting left-wing bills. She sponsored a bill repealing Arizona statues making abortion a crime and another allowing terminally ill adults to choose to take medicine to end their lives.
In March 2022, two Arizona sisters traveled to Switzerland to take their lives by assisted suicide due to “medical frustrations” including back pain. Liguouri’s bill, which failed to pass, could have allowed such decisions in the Grand Canyon state.
Since 2016, doctors in Canada, where euthanasia is legal, have administered around 30,000 lethal injections, one-third of them in 2021 alone, at patients’ requests. The more than 10,000 cases of euthanasia in 2021 marks an increase of 34.7% from 7,446 in 2020, representing 3.3% of all deaths, according to the Washington Post.
Liguori previously worked as a financial advisor for an international bank and in commercial real estate. She represented Arizona’s former District 28 in the House of Representatives from 2021 to 2023.
The district Liguori will now represent comprises a large portion of Central and North Phoenix.
In accordance with Arizona law, board members selected Liguori from a list of three candidates submitted by the LD-5 precinct committeemen. All candidates were required to reside in the district and be a member of the same party as the person who vacated the office. In this case, a Democrat.
Liguori will serve until Nov. 5, when the position will be on the ballot.
Liguori sits on several community boards and volunteers with Local First Arizona, Phoenix Art Museum, Women’s Art Council, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Salvation Army Shelter. She received her bachelor’s degree in Economics with a minor in Business Administration from University of Arizona and studied International Studies in Business at Lorenzo de Medici University in Florence, Italy.
She has served as senior director of impact investing at the Arizona Community Foundation since October 2022.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
by Elizabeth Troutman | Feb 13, 2024 | Education, News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
Former Pennsylvania Senate Candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz spoke about health and wellness at a public elementary school on Monday.
Oz was joined by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne and former NFL Players Eric Swann and Darryl Clack at Kenilworth School near downtown Phoenix on Monday morning at 11 a.m.
The group discussed initiatives to improve school health and wellness.
Oz is a TV personality, physician, and professor emeritus of cardiothoracic surgery at Columbia University. The son of Turkish immigrants, Oz ran as the Republican candidate for one of Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seats, losing to John Fetterman.
“This generation of teens is facing unprecedented challenges in their physical health, behavioral health, and social needs,” Oz said. “Left unaddressed, this leads to an increased risk for mental illness, substance abuse, chronic diseases like diabetes and cancer, and a lower life expectancy. Combating these stats, we provide teens with the tools to become more physically and mentally resilient.”
Oz is the founder of HealthCorps, a non-profit foundation dedicated to improving student wellness. The Arizona Education Department will make resources from HealthCorps available on its online platform for educators soon.
“HealthCorps is the glue between the private sector and public agencies like the Arizona Department of Education,” the television star said. “I am grateful to Superintendent Horne for joining me in this effort.”
Oz and Horne are both Harvard University graduates.
Horne has served in every branch of the Arizona government. He served in the legislature and was chairman of the academic accountability committee. He was State Superintendent of Schools from 2003 to 2011, and then was elected State Attorney General.
“Dr. Oz and I share a passion for having health and wellness; and we need to do as much as possible to teach and encourage healthy eating habits, exercise, and other lifestyle choices that promote the physical and mental well-being of students,” Horne said at the event. “Healthy students also perform better academically. HealthCorps shares my focus on that mission as well as the value of giving students opportunities to explore careers in the healthcare field, where workers are badly needed.”
Horne served 24 years in the state’s third-largest school district board, 10 years as president.
Eric Swann was a defensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals and the Carolina Panthers. He played in the NFL from 1991-2000.
Darryl Clack played college football for Arizona State University before being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys as a running back. He also played in the Canadian Football League for the Toronto Argonauts. In 1992, he signed with the Orlando Thunder of the World League of American Football.
Clack is the president and co-founder of SportMetric which emphasizes youth education, community involvement, and athletics.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
by Elizabeth Troutman | Feb 12, 2024 | News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes commended LGBT youth organization one•n•ten, which provides LGBT programs to minors as young as 11 years old.
“Awesome work being done by one•n•ten for inclusivity and creating a safe space for LGBTQ youth,” Mayes said on Twitter. “Thanks for showing us around yesterday!”
One•n•ten’s website says that it “envisions a world where all LGBTQ youth and young adults are embraced for who they are, actively engaged in their communities, and empowered to lead.”
The organization claims to enhance the lives of youth and young adults ages 11-24.
In August, the youth organization hosted a dance show fundraiser featuring a number of men in drag including “Navi Ho,” “Sasha Bratz,” and “Trey.”
Phoenix Children’s Hospital, which offers sterilizing so-called gender affirming care to minors, provides referrals to one•n•ten.
For a girl desiring to become a boy, gender-affirming procedures may include a testosterone prescription, hysterectomy, mastectomy, and metoidioplasty. For a boy, transitioning may entail an estrogen prescription, breast mammoplasty, orchiectomy, and vaginoplasty. Prepubescent children may be given puberty blockers.
These procedures aren’t as irreversible as first thought, evidence shows, and appear to cause adverse health effects.
One•n•ten programs include “SexFYI!,” a monthly sexual health program for ages 14 – 17 yo and 18 – 24 “that is inclusive of their body, gender identity and sexual orientation, including fluidity therein.”
Another program, “TGNC (Trans and Gender Non-Conforming) Wellness,” meets once a month to discuss “gender affirming health topics” such as “Pronouns Support,” “Hormones 101,” “Gender Affirming Surgeries 101,” “Gender Dysphoria Tips/Tools,” “How to Bind Safely, How to Tuck Safely,” “How to Select a LGBTQ Affirming Provider/Counselor,” and “Supporting a Healthy Transition.”
2gether in Color meets twice a month to “provide a space for LGBTQ youth who are People of Color (POC) to build connections based on lived experiences.”
The one•n•ten outdoor adventure camp, Camp OUTdoors, is a youth retreat for trans and non-binary youth. The motto is “Out of the Closet, Into the Woods.”
One•n•ten partners with public online charter school Arizona Virtual School to provide a middle school for LGBT-identifying students.
Mayes is the first LGBT person elected as Arizona attorney general. She has been vocal about her support for the LGBT movement.
“With LGBTQ Americans – and particularly transgender Americans – increasingly targeted by extremist legislation designed to restrict their rights, I am reaffirming my office’s commitment to protecting the civil rights of all Arizonans,” she said in a June news release. “Federal and state civil rights laws protect the right of LGTBQ Arizonans to live, work, and freely access public accommodations without being subjected to discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or threats of violence because of who they are. My office is fully committed to enforcing these laws.”
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Feb 11, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
An Arizona lawmaker is taking action to protect women across the state.
This week, Senator Sine Kerr introduced SB 1628, the Arizona Women’s Bill of Rights, which would “bring clarity and uniformity to state laws governing sex discrimination and equality of the sexes.”
The bill would define “sex” as a “person’s biological sex, either male or female, for all purposes of state law.” The proposal would also “preserve single-sex spaces to ensure girls’ and women’s safety and privacy in those spaces, while not changing current law or creating new restrictions on anyone’s legal rights.”
In a statement that accompanied the announcement, Senator Kerr said, “Laws should be based in objective reality and uniform for all Arizonans. Men and boys have been encroaching on girls’ and women’s private spaces, like locker rooms and showers, as well as sports teams, robbing women from athletic opportunities and putting them in danger as they face physically stronger males in competition. SB 1628 supports women and girls in their rights to privacy, fairness, and safety on the playing field.”
Kerr hosted a press conference at the Arizona Capitol to highlight her efforts. Paula Scanlan, a former University of Pennsylvania swimmer and current Independent Women’s Voice Ambassador, was at the event to support Kerr’s legislation. During her time in collegiate athletics, Scanlan “was forced to share a locker room and compete with a trans-identifying male swimmer.”
Scanlan also released a statement to endorse the Arizona Women’s Bill of Rights, writing, “I am happy to support the introduction of the Women’s Bill of Rights in Arizona. With more than 3.5 million women living in the state, this bill would have an incredible impact in providing scientifically-sound protections for women and their personal spaces. Having experienced firsthand the injustices of inviting males into women’s private areas and allowing them to steal athletic accolades from young ladies dedicating their lives to their chosen sports, I know the incredible importance of having legislation that stops these reckless new norms.”
Joining Kerr as co-sponsors of the bill were Senators Bennett, Bolick, Borrelli, Carroll, Gowan, Kavanagh, Mesnard, Petersen, Shamp, and Shope.
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from the Arizona Center for Women’s Advancement, NARAL Pro-Choice America, National Council of Jewish Women for Arizona, Stonewall Democrats of Arizona, and the Human Rights Campaign registered their opposition to the legislation.
SB 1628 has been assigned to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and is expected to be heard next week.
“Girls and women deserve to be safe in the places where they are most vulnerable, and we have seen far too many examples of girls and women physically injured, relegated to the bench, and bumped off the winner’s podium by males competing as females,” added Senator Kerr.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Elizabeth Troutman | Feb 10, 2024 | News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
Arizona State Senator Janae Shamp is sponsoring a bill that would require insurers and providers of gender-altering drugs and surgeries to also provide and cover detransition procedures.
Shamp, a Republican, is inspired by 19-year-old Chloe Cole, a de-transitioner who was diagnosed with gender dysphoria and put on puberty blockers and testosterone therapy starting at age 13.
At age 15, Cole underwent a double mastectomy. Now, she says her “childhood was ruined” by the medical interventions. She regrets the permanent changes transitioning made to her body and the unknown harm to her fertility.
Cole said in a video with Shamp that she was “butchered by the institutions that we all thought we could trust.”
“The drugs and surgeries changed my body, but did not and could not change the undeniable reality that I am, and forever will be, a female,” Cole said.
Introduced Feb. 2, Senate Bill 1511 had its second Senate reading on Tuesday.
“My heart goes out to the growing number of people, especially children, like Chloe was, struggling with their identity, who were pushed toward physically altering their bodies as a solution, rather than receiving the mental health care they deserve,” Shamp said.
The state senator worked as an operating room nurse before running for office. She earned a B.S. in molecular biosciences and biotechnology from Arizona State University in 2002 and a B.S. in nursing from Grand Canyon University in 2012.
Shamp has fought for medical freedom and the right to informed healthcare decisions throughout her term as a state senator. Last year, she introduced a bill that would have required employers to allow employees that complete a religious exemption form to opt out of vaccination requirements.
The bill, which Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed, would have allowed those fired over vaccine mandates to file complaints with the attorney general if their employer didn’t offer or denied a religious exemption.
“I spent my entire career as a nurse, being an advocate for my patients and ensuring that their beliefs are respected and protected,” Shamp said in a news release after the veto. “The reason I’m here at the Senate is because I was fired from my job as a nurse after refusing to get the experimental COVID-19 vaccine.”
Shamp said her top priority as a senator was the vaccine bill because “Americans’ medical freedoms were taken from them, myself included,” during the pandemic.
After the veto, which Shamp said was “personal,” she pledged to continue to fight for Arizonans’ medical freedom.
The registered nurse turned politician also pledged to protect residents of the Grand Canyon state from mask mandates. She said wearing a mask should be a personal choice.
“As a registered nurse who has been detrimentally impacted by government infringement not based on scientific evidence, I want you to rest assured that I will fight tooth and nail to make sure you’re protected from this gross overreach,” Shamp said in a news release. “If you want to wear a mask, wear a mask. If you don’t want to wear a mask, don’t wear one.”
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Feb 10, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A bill to protect Arizonans from harms created by artificial intelligence technology is making its way through the state legislature.
This past week, State Senator Justine Wadsack announced that she had introduced SB 1599 “to prevent fraud (from artificial intelligence) from impacting the lives of her constituents. Wadsack’s proposal would “establish artificial intelligence as a weapon, so that there may be legal consequences when this technology is used to commit crimes.”
The bill would amend Section 13-701 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, which deals with “Sentence of imprisonment for felony; presentence report; aggravating and mitigating factors; consecutive terms of imprisonment.”
Under the amended statute, one of the aggravating circumstances for the court to consider, “use, threatened use or possession of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument,” would include artificial intelligence.
In a statement, Wadsack explained why this issue was a priority of hers this legislative session, saying, “Artificial Intelligence technology is becoming more sophisticated, and criminals are taking advantage of it. Scammers now have the ability to create realistic audio that sounds like the voices of unsuspecting victims’ loved ones. Scottsdale resident Jennifer DeStefano testified on Capitol Hill in D.C. last year, shining a light on her disturbing experience with scammers cloning her daughter’s voice and demanding $1 million in ransom.”
Wadsack added, “I can’t imagine getting a call from who I believe is my child that’s been kidnapped. That type of encounter has lasting traumatizing effects that impact your sense of security and safety. Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated incident. Having the legal tools to fight back is absolutely necessary.”
SB 1599 has been assigned to the Senate Committee on Transportation, Technology and Missing Children. The bill is expected to receive a hearing on Monday, February 12.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
