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This Week In Commentary

The best opinion pieces of the week: a wide range of perspectives and ideas from across the States Newsroom network.

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Arizona women will die because yellow-bellied Republicans are afraid of political risk

Commentary on the 1864 abortion ban in Arizona, waste dumping in Nevada, the presidential ballot in Ohio, school shootings in Colorado, Jim Patterson in Alabama, the state GOP in Kansas, arming teachers in Tennessee, and child nutrition in Iowa.

The 1864 abortion ban is a feature, not a bug, of the GOP’s assault on reproductive rights

Commentary on the abortion ban in Arizona, the mass incarceration bill veto in Kentucky, corruption in Ohio, the school voucher program in Arkansas, the legacy of Rosa Parks in Alabama, sports wagering in Minnesota, public records law in New Jersey, and standardized testing in Louisiana.

Don’t look, kids! According to Kansas lawmakers, this is pornography.

Commentary on same-sex marriage in Kansas, the national anthem in Louisiana, cheap labor in Alabama, Indigenous tribes in Virginia, the primary election in Wisconsin, legislative term limits in Ohio, state lawmakers in West Virginia, and the state tax system in Nevada.

6 false claims in the debate to end Louisiana’s school COVID vaccine mandates

Commentary on the school vaccine mandate in Louisiana, Medicaid expansion in Kansas, transparency in New Jersey, Indiana, and Arkansas, abortion policy in Alabama, initiative petitions in Oklahoma, and the aftermath of a wildfire in New Mexico.

High suicide and bullying rates plague Oklahoma. Maybe our own actions are to blame.

Commentary on anti-bullying protections, the state delegation in Alabama, a replacement for Menendez in New Jersey, minimum wage for drivers in Minnesota, Trump supporters in Ohio, anti-trans legislation and sexual predators in Louisiana, gun violence legislation in Colorado, and school voucher program in Georgia.

Beware the twists of ‘transparency’ during Sunshine Week

Commentary on Sunshine Week in Louisiana, public records law in New Jersey, Katie Britt in Alabama, open records law in Oklahoma, state primaries in Tennessee, the GOP supermajority in West Virginia, the state legislature in Florida, and the state budget in Virginia.

Oklahoma Republicans condemning LGBTQ hate speech is nice. But prove you actually mean it.

Commentary on anti-LGBTQ rhetoric in Oklahoma, anti-abortion extremism in Kansas, the 2024 legislative session in West Virginia, women's rights in Florida, public records law in New Jersey, Super Tuesday in Minnesota, the 2024 general election in Wisconsin, state legislation in Alabama.

Nursing home residents’ cries are falling on deaf ears in the Capitol

Commentary on nursing homes in Iowa, anti-trans bills in Kansas, curbing human trafficking in Virginia, voting maps in Wisconsin, IVF policy in Alabama, disenfranchised voters in Idaho, constitutional comprehension in Tennessee, health leadership in Louisiana.

Contraception limits are foolhardy. Let’s not turn it into the next anti-abortion battleground.

Commentary in contraception limits in Oklahoma, Black history in Alabama, the immigration crisis in Arkansas, gun legislation in Kansas, Governor Jeff Landry's criminal justice policy in Louisiana, Eric Hovde's political campaign in Wisconsin, Donald Trump and Joe Biden's candidacy for the 2024 general election in Montana, and Republican lawmakers in Indiana.

Who earned the title of Donald Trump’s most special boy in the GOP governor’s debate?

Commentary on the GOP governor's race in West Virginia, public corruption in Ohio, tax cuts in Oklahoma, Mike Gallagher's departure in Wisconsin, transparency rules in Colorado, incarceration in Kentucky, gambling tax in Nevada, the Senate Committee in Alabama.

Border crisis hypocrisy and what’s missing from the immigration debate

Commentary on the border crisis in Wisconsin, the Ten Commandments statue at the State Capitol in Oklahoma, United Daughters of the Confederacy’s tax breaks in Virginia, Supreme Court Justices in Colorado, the Women Bill of Rights in West Virginia, the bipartisan immigration deal in Ohio, the automotive industry in Alabama, and Capitol security in Louisiana. 

Governor’s bill draft would put sex changes on Iowa driver’s licenses, birth certificates

Commentary on transgender law in Iowa, carcinogens in Louisiana, the execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith in Alabama, the status of journalism in Kansas, book bans in West Virginia, maternal care in Arkansas, the GOP supermajority in Kentucky, and freedom of press in New Jersey.