LGBTQ families plan for what comes after Roe | Morning Newsletter
And Pa. lawmakers are moving to make public housing safer
The Morning Newsletter
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A sunny and hot day is ahead, with temperatures reaching into the low 90s today.
First up, Philly-area law firms said they’ve seen a steady increase in LGBTQ couples looking to draft powers of attorney, living wills, and estate planning documents in light of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade reversal.
And, legislation introduced in Congress by Philadelphia-area lawmakers would require affordable housing to have smoke detectors that can’t be removed or turned off by tenants.
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— Katie Krzaczek (@hashtagkatie, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
The Supreme Court’s ruling last week overturning nearly 50 years of abortion protections signaled to some communities that other long-settled cases may be in jeopardy as well. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his concurring opinion that the court “should reconsider” cases dealing with contraception, same-sex relationships, and marriage equality.
In Philly, LGBTQ families are seeking guidance on estate planning as they look to enshrine parental rights, as well as decision-making powers on health and financial matters.
Benjamin Jerner, with the Philadelphia firm Jerner Law Group PC, told my colleague Ximena Conde that he doesn’t believe families should panic but that “concern is warranted.”
He added: “The radical nature of the Dobbs decision should serve as a wake-up call that folks should put in place whatever legal protections they can, when they can.”
What you should know today
A consumer watchdog group is investigating the “unusually large” weather normalization charges that some PGW customers saw this month.
Since a draft of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe leaked in May, Google searches for “abortion pill” have skyrocketed.
A 21-year-old woman died after being hit with a stray bullet at a bar in the Northeast late Tuesday night.
New Jersey native Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to President Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows, became a star witness Tuesday in the Jan. 6 hearings. Many called her revelations “damning.”
Columnist Helen Ubiñas writes about mothers from Philadelphia to the Philippines connecting over losing kids to gun violence.
Local Coronavirus numbers: Here’s your daily look at the latest COVID-19 data.
Pennsylvania members of Congress have drafted a bill that would require all new or remodeled federally funded housing units to have hardwired smoke detectors. It would also require all existing units to have tamper-resistant sealed smoke alarms with 10-year batteries.
Lawmakers drafted the bill after a fire in a Fairmount home, a property operated by the Philadelphia Housing Authority, killed 12 people, including nine children, in January. Four days later, a fire killed eight children and nine adults in an affordable-housing building in the Bronx.
Disconnected or inoperable smoke detectors pose one of the top issues in federally funded housing, both the Department of Housing and Urban Development and PHA have said.
“Public-supported housing must be kept safe,” said Rep. Madeleine Dean (D., Montgomery), who introduced the bill last week, calling the Fairmount fire “an unthinkable tragedy.” Read more from my colleague Justine McDaniel.
🧠 Philly Trivia Time 🧠
James Harden just opted out of his contract with the Sixers, which would have made him eligible for a four-year, $233 million contract extension. Now the team is eyeing P.J. Tucker, one of Harden’s former teammates from which NBA franchise? Take a guess, and find the answer here.
a. Miami Heat
b. Brooklyn Nets
c. Houston Rockets
d. Oklahoma City Thunder
Photo of the day
That’s all for Thursday! Thanks for starting your morning with The Inquirer. ✨