麻豆影视

Health

    • Texas valedictorian scraps approved speech to call out abortion ban

    Share
    Dallas -

    A Dallas high school valedictorian scrapped a speech approved by her school administrators and delivered an abortion rights call in its place.

    Paxton Smith, the 2021 valedictorian at Lake Highlands High School, submitted to school officials an address on the effect of the media on young minds. But when she spoke at Sunday's graduation ceremony, she talked of what she called "a war on the rights" of her body and those of other girls and women by the "heartbeat bill" signed into law by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott a week and a half before.

    "I cannot give up this platform to promote complacency and peace when there is a war on my body and a war on my rights. A war on the rights of your mothers, a war on the rights of your sisters, a war on the rights of your daughters. We cannot stay silent," she told her class.

    The new law outlaws, without exception, any abortion after a first heartbeat can be detected. That could come as early as six weeks after conception when many women could be unaware that they are pregnant.

    The law also would allow anyone to sue a Texas abortion provider or anyone who helped someone get an abortion for as much as US$10,000.

    The law would take effect in September, but federal courts have mostly blocked states from enforcing similar measures.

    @paxtonsmith

    "I have dreams and hopes and ambition. Every girl graduating today does. We have spent our entire lives working towards our future, and without our input and without our consent, our control over that future has been stripped away from us. I am terrified that if my contraceptives fail, I am terrified that if I am raped, then my hopes and aspirations and dreams and efforts for my future will no longer matter. I hope that you can feel how gut-wrenching that is, I hope that you can feel how dehumanizing it is, to have the autonomy over your own body taken from you," she said.

    Smith, who plans to study the music business at the University of Texas at Austin, said Wednesday that she had already submitted her original speech to school officials and was trying to finish an end-of-year project in the school's music room when she decided to scrap that speech.

    "I couldn't keep my mind on the project. My mind kept wandering to the `heartbeat bill' and what it meant. So, I started making some notes," she told The Associated Press.

    Smith said she expected to have her microphone cut off (it wasn't) or to have her diploma withheld (it wasn't but she was told later it was considered). And she was stunned by the response to her message.

    "I thought it would die right there," she said. But she saw tears in her audience midway through the speech. In the days since, video of her address posted on social media and retweeted broadly has drawn kudos from comedian Sarah Silverman, who tweeted, "Brave," and former U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who tweeted: "This took guts. Thank you for not staying silent, Paxton."

    The Richardson Independent School District, of which Lake Highlands is part, was less enthusiastic. In a statement, it said it would review student speech protocols before next year's graduation ceremonies.

    "The content of each student speaker's message is the private, voluntary expression of the individual student and does not reflect the endorsement, sponsorship, position or expression of the District or its employees," it said.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    An organization that ranks the best universities across the globe says its latest report shows a concerning trend that several of Canada鈥檚 institutions are slipping down its list.

    A British Columbia provincial court judge says a Boston Bar man who shot a teacup Chihuahua named Bear claiming it was menacing his chickens was not justified in killing the animal.

    A man who showed up at a rental car company only to be told his online reservation would not be honoured is entitled to compensation, B.C.'s small claims tribunal has ruled.

    Emotions boiled over after a judge acquitted two out of three defendants in a manslaughter case, while the third accused has since died.

    On September 11, Madeleine Gervais was the victim of a theft in Ottawa's west end. It happened in the Loblaws parking lot in College Square, when she was approached by a man and a woman who insisted to help her load her groceries into her car.

    Canada

    • An organization that ranks the best universities across the globe says its latest report shows a concerning trend that several of Canada鈥檚 institutions are slipping down its list.

    • On September 11, Madeleine Gervais was the victim of a theft in Ottawa's west end. It happened in the Loblaws parking lot in College Square, when she was approached by a man and a woman who insisted to help her load her groceries into her car.

    • Vancouver police say they are conducting an investigation into a pro-Palestinian protest where they say speakers expressed "solidarity with terrorist groups."

    • A British Columbia provincial court judge says a Boston Bar man who shot a teacup Chihuahua named Bear claiming it was menacing his chickens was not justified in killing the animal.

    • More than two weeks have passed since Hassan Ali walked out of a Toronto courtroom a free man, after prosecutors decided not to move forward with a first-degree murder trial against the local rapper.

    • As the war in Gaza escalates, Nabila Manna watches from her home with feelings of fear and helplessness. Her mother, siblings, and extended family are all in Gaza.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    • Geoffrey Hinton, the British Canadian computer scientist whose machine learning discoveries have proved so profound he's known as the 'godfather of AI,' has won the Nobel Prize in physics.

    • A device used by researchers with Fisheries and Oceans Canada appears to have been the victim of an attack by a great white shark 300 metres under water off the coast of Nova Scotia.

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.

    • A woman in Greater Sudbury, Ont., said "It doesn't get more Canadian than this" when she spotted a black bear dumpster diving at a Tim Hortons last month.

    • A Winnipeg baker is hanging up his apron permanently because he won the lottery.

    Sports

    Autos

    • Mercedes-Benz has partnered up with the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) and the provincial government to launch a new 鈥渋ncubator program鈥. One of the first three locations is Windsor, with the other two going to Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo.

    Local Spotlight

    Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.

    Saskatchewan鈥檚 Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).

    A B.C. couple is getting desperate 鈥 and creative 鈥 in their search for their missing dog.

    Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.

    A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.

    Bernie Hicks, known as the 鈥楤atman of Amherst,鈥 always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.

    Bubi鈥檚 Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.

    Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.

    Manitobans are in cleanup mode after intense winds barreled through southern parts of the province this weekend.

    • LIVE

      LIVE

      The leaders of B.C.'s three main political parties are facing off for their first and only televised debate ahead of the Oct. 19 election.

    • UBC researchers are using artificial intelligence to determine the dangers of busy roads for pedestrians.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • More than two weeks have passed since Hassan Ali walked out of a Toronto courtroom a free man, after prosecutors decided not to move forward with a first-degree murder trial against the local rapper.

    • An organization that ranks the best universities across the globe says its latest report shows a concerning trend that several of Canada鈥檚 institutions are slipping down its list.

    • Calgary police are searching for a suspect or suspects in a stabbing that occurred in the city's southeast on Tuesday evening.

    • If you were outside and looked up Monday night, you likely witnessed one of Mother Nature's most spectacular displays.

    • A teen recording artist from Fernie, B.C., who made music with the Flaming Lips has died. Nell Smith's family confirmed her death in a social media post earlier this week.

    • On September 11, Madeleine Gervais was the victim of a theft in Ottawa's west end. It happened in the Loblaws parking lot in College Square, when she was approached by a man and a woman who insisted to help her load her groceries into her car.

    • OC Transpo officials are satisfied with the start of a critical testing period required before opening Ottawa's new north-south train, despite some technical issues being identified on three trains on Monday.

    • An Ottawa man who stabbed his estranged wife to death in an attack that also injured his daughter in Ottawa's west end has been found guilty of first-degree murder and attempted murder.

    • A 10-year-old boy in Longueuil is recovering after his neighbour allegedly poured boiling water on him. Longueuil Police (SPAL) said the woman was arrested and could face assault charges.

    • An 18-year-old man has died following a collision with an STM bus on Tuesday afternoon in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough.

    • A 38-year-old Beaumont resident is dead after a crash involving a motorcycle over the weekend.

    • Edmonton's transit system is seeing record usage, with six million trips taken in September.

    • One of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith鈥檚 key advisers and the driving force behind the province鈥檚 recovery-focused addiction treatment policy is leaving the job.

    • Police in New Brunswick are trying to track down a man they consider 鈥渁rmed and dangerous鈥 after he allegedly crashed a vehicle, waved a weapon at police, and fled in a stolen vehicle.

    • International award-winning editorial cartoonist Michael de Adder has been cut from the Halifax Chronicle Herald.

    • Concerns are being raised over a questionable PC campaign expense, after an invoice for a car rental was submitted by a company advertising sex and intimacy coaching.

    • There鈥檚 a new starting line-up at Canada Life Centre, which hockey fans and concertgoers will notice as soon as they walk in.

    • Manitoba RCMP and the Winnipeg Police Service are launching Manitoba's Most Wanted website.

    • Erin Folk and her family are dealing with a nightmare of a situation, after their pet dogs were shot last week.

    • The John Howard Society of Saskatchewan (JHSS) appeared in the Supreme Court of Canada Tuesday challenging a regulation that it says lets provincial correctional workers discipline inmates without sufficient proof.

    • A memo from the Saskatchewan Government Employees Union (SGEU) has painted a picture of healthcare workers on the brink 鈥 with under-staffing and burnout directly impacting quality of patient care within the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency (SCA).

    • Fire crews were called to respond to Mohawk Plaza shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday.

    • The future of a hybrid shelter in Waterloo is up for discussion.

    • An app developed at the University of Guelph is aimed at making accessible doors more accessible.

    • The province鈥檚 consumer watchdog is investigating a Saskatoon company selling luxury vacation condos in Mexico.

    • In the wake of a near-fatal overdose at the doorstep of Saskatoon鈥檚 safe consumption site last week, the province鈥檚 political leaders are weighing in with their strategies to help those struggling with drug addiction.

    • A Saskatoon mom is desperately fighting eviction after she discovered mould in her suite and reported it to her landlord.

    • A crash Tuesday afternoon on Highway 144 has closed the road north of Sudbury.

    • Police in Huntsville are investigating a deadly single-vehicle collision that happened Tuesday morning.

    • Speaking in front of the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee, London Police Services (LPS) Chief Thai Truong gave an update on policing Tuesday.

    • Drivers and businesses along Wellington Street in London鈥檚 downtown area continue to feel the pain as the city works on the downtown loop for the bus rapid transit project (BRT).

    • A 20-year-old man who was behind the wheel of a speeding car that struck and killed an international student in Barrie last summer pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death on Tuesday but will not spend any time behind bars.

    • Police in Huntsville are investigating a deadly single-vehicle collision that happened Tuesday morning.

    • Police arrested a man accused of setting an animal on fire in Orillia, Ont. last month.

    • A Toronto couple pleaded guilty to involvement in a $13-million drug investigation that started in Windsor.

    • The Windsor Police Service is investigating two break-ins that took place at schools in the city last week.

    • The busiest international crossing in North America is about to get busier 鈥 and it鈥檚 put the City of Windsor in a position to prepare for potential worst-case scenarios.

    • A retrial date has been set for a man accused of fatally shooting a rival gang member and an innocent teen passerby in Vancouver in 2018.

    • The Sooke School District has acquired a 7.2-acre plot of land in North Langford to build a middle school, as enrollment within the district continues to grow.

    • Over the summer, Victoria software engineer Vedran Budimcic watched his wife spend a week trying to get a coveted BC Ferries reservation, refreshing the website hundreds of times a day hoping for a cancellation on sold out sailings.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • NDP Leader David Eby is promising to offer a $75-million loan forgiveness program to entice doctors, nurses and heath professionals to expand health-care services in rural British Columbia.

    • Charges have been laid against a 44-year-old man following a traffic stop in Brocket, Piikani Nation RCMP said Tuesday.

    • A metal fabrication company west of Medicine Hat has been fined by Alberta Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) following a workplace fatality in 2023.

    • A Lethbridge police officer involved in a scandal involving former Lethbridge New Democrat MLA Shannon Phillips has been reprimanded.

    • A woman in Greater Sudbury, Ont., said "It doesn't get more Canadian than this" when she spotted a black bear dumpster diving at a Tim Hortons last month.

    • The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) is the latest organization to call on the Doug Ford government to re-open dialogue with an airline service that transports lower-income Canadians to crucial medical care far from home.

    • For decades, Mississauga First Nation has known that human remains from their land were at the Canadian Museum of History.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 麻豆影视. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 麻豆影视