Articles written by Zoey Palmer


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  • Assault by deadly disease may get expanded definition in state’s criminal laws

    Zoey Palmer, WNPA Olympia News Bureau|Updated Jan 31, 2013

    A Washington state law that criminalizes intentionally infecting other persons with HIV without their consent may be expanded to include any disease that is dangerous or deadly. House Bill 1018, sponsored by Rep. Jim Moeller (D-49th District, Vancouver), amends existing state laws defining assault, replacing the language singling out HIV with a more general definition of communicable disease. Moeller, who is the bill’s sole sponsor, says the original language of the law, which took effect in 1988, reflected attitudes about H...

  • Bills ignite debate on health insurance abortion requirement

    Zoey Palmer, Reporter|Updated Jan 24, 2013

    WNPA Olympia News Bureau Two bills introduced early in this legislative session would require any health-insurance plan in Washington state that covers maternal care to also cover abortions. HB 1044 and SB 5009, collectively known as the Reproductive Parity Act, would reinforce existing state law that requires insurance companies to cover abortion except in cases in which the insurance provider is explicitly religious. Rep. Eileen Cody (D-34th District, Seattle), one of the House bill’s primary sponsors, claims the l...