Stories
Missouri Governor Mike Parson is leaving office early next year. My colleague Harshawn Ratanpal and I sat down with him for a wide ranging interview on his legacy. He came into office on the heels of a disgraced predecessor. Parson, while navigating numerous crises, was able to gain the respect of both Democrats and Republicans. That being said, his highly conservative record, including signing a strict abortion ban, drew ire from many. Photo of Parson by Armond Feffer.
Missouri and Alabama have similar statutory language regarding abortion. Thus, when an Alabama Supreme Court ruling briefly shut down IVF in the state, there were concerns that the same could happen in Missouri. In my reporting, I discovered that in previous cases, Missouri courts protected IVF using Roe Vs. Wade as a precedent. Now that Roe doesn't exist it's possible Missouri courts could reach a similar conclusion as Alabama. I talked to patients, lawyers, doctors, and legislators to report a well-rounded account of the problem. Photo of Sen. Tracy McCreery speaking on the Missouri Senate floor by Ezra Bitterman. McCreery sponsored a bill to protect IVF.
While working at Euractiv in Brussels, I worked on social media stories and web reporting. I conceptualized, wrote, and edited an Instagram Reel on the Spitzenkandidaten. The Spitzenkandidaten is a controversial practice in EU politics, where political parties allow voters to choose who they want to run the European Commission. The EU member states traditionally choose the Commission President without a vote of the people. Photo of the European Commission by Ezra Bitterman.
