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Join get revising, already a member, essay 2: the causes of variation and its biological importance.

• Created by: bethanythomas101
• Created on: 09-04-18 15:22

The causes of variation and its biological importance:

• Interspecific variation vs. Intraspecific variation
• Natural Selection
• Mutations in DNA (and the effect on species and gene pools- immunity to dieases/ adaptions to environment)
• Antiobiotic resistance
• Prevent inbreeding
• Homozygous recessive disorders
• Allopatric speciation/ Sympatric speciation
• No variation and its …
• Whole Syllabus

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2.7 Spotlight on … Variations of English

Learning outcomes.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Identify situations and contexts calling for purposeful shifts in voice, diction, tone, level of formality, and structure.
• Identify linguistic structures, including American English dialects.
• Write a description in an authentic voice.

English and Its Dialects

Although English is the primary language of the United States, distinctive dialects , or forms of language specific to a particular region or social group, vary according to location, culture, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other factors. American dialects may have their own grammar, vocabulary, syntax, pronunciation, and common expressions. Many, mainly regional, differences in pronunciation are often marked by rhotic and non-rhotic accents. Speakers with rhotic accents pronounce the /r/ before consonants and at the end of a word. Those with non-rhotic accents do not pronounce the /r/; for example, think of the Boston accent pronunciation of park as pahk or the Coastal Southern (areas along the Gulf of Mexico) pronunciation of better as bettuh .

While the American Midwest has what might be considered the closest variation to General American English , the language spoken by most Americans, it has its own regional and cultural dialect variations. In characteristic Midwest American English words such as cot and caught are pronounced as homophones. As in rhotic dialects, /r/ sounds are pronounced, even in words that don’t contain the letter r : wash , for example, becomes warsh . And /s/ may be added to words as a grammatical construction: Alls we need is more ice cream.

Variations in pronunciation and dialect result from a host of factors. Dialects are formed when people are divided socially, geographically, or both. Despite the difficulties in categorizing such complex variations in language, most scholars agree that dialects can be classified on the basis of location and social groupings, despite the overlap between them. A regional dialect is a variation in language that occurs within a geographical region. A social dialect includes differences in speech associated with a social group or socioeconomic level.

Among the most common—and most debated—language variations is African American Vernacular English (AAVE) . AAVE , also referred to as Black English Vernacular or Ebonics , is a generalized term for a variety of dialects spoken by Black Americans. These dialects are influenced by American Southern dialects. With roots in the language patterns of people descended from enslaved Africans in the United States, AAVE has its own syntax, grammar, and tense system. Some common features include the absence of third-person singular and possessive pronouns and the use of double negatives.

AAVE has distinct grammar conventions. The speaker or writer will often omit forms of the verb to be from a sentence, as in these examples:

“What [omitted is ] he talking about?”

“She [omitted was ] the one who took it.”

While General American English requires verb and tense agreement, AAVE features more variations. For example, in AAVE, the word been is often placed before a verb in order to convey a past event: for example, “He been married” rather than the General American English “He was married.” This change in grammar can actually convey different meanings. In General American English, the sentence implies that the man is no longer married, whereas the sentence in AAVE indicates that the man is still married.

This is by no means an inclusive list of AAVE conventions, as languages are constantly evolving. Understanding that language differences result from culture, identity, and geography and that you, as a writer, have the opportunity to express yourself using your social norms is an important first step in recognizing the role of culture in language.

Although differences in pronunciation abound, English dialects are widely classified as “standard” or “nonstandard.” Standard dialect follows specific rules for syntax, vocabulary, and grammar. This dialect is often perceived as more academic than nonstandard dialects and is used in formal situations. Other dialects, usually lacking such standardization and generally perceived as having less stature, are considered nonstandard dialects . For years, academic scholars and teachers have subscribed to the idea that so-called standard English should be the default dialect used in schools and academic writing. This dialect is spoken by newscasters, television news anchors, and a large percentage of middle-class Americans, especially those with formal educations.

And yet you, like others, have your own patterns of speech based largely on your culture, family, and region. Code-switching , or alternating between two or more languages or language forms, was taught explicitly in schools with the intent that students learn to speak and write standard English for certain academic and professional situations. However, newer research in best practices is revealing that allowing students to learn in and use their authentic voices, including nonstandard dialects, is a more equitable practice that is both culturally responsible and beneficial to learning.

“Students’ Right to Their Own Language”

The Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) is the world’s largest professional organization committed to writing research, theory, and teaching. It publishes the quarterly journal College Composition and Communication and holds an annual convention. The CCCC also publishes position statements on writing and the teaching of writing based on research, best practices of writing pedagogy, and language practices. Recent research completed by the CCCC addresses the use of a wide variety of linguistic expressions and choices, including various regional and cultural dialects.

In 1974, the Conference on College Composition and Communication adopted “Students’ Right to Their Own Language,” a statement that affirmed students’ rights to use “their own patterns and varieties of language—the dialects of their nurture” or those that help them create their own identity. The statement recognizes that so-called General American English is aligned with a dominant White majority and includes implicit bias against students from other backgrounds. Finally, the statement reinforces the idea that a nation that praises and encourages diversity, particularly in academic circles, should not only accept diversity in language and dialect but also celebrate it. Doing so allows students to use the totality of their lived experiences, cultural language, and ideas to create fuller meaning in their writing. Over the years, the statement has undergone revisions and has been expanded to address students learning and writing in a second language.

This statement takes a step toward confronting the assumptions and hidden bias present in the educational system and works toward creating more equitable, anti-racist teaching for students, particularly from Black and other BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) backgrounds. The most recent updated and reaffirmed statement stems from 2014.

Demand for Linguistic Justice

One position statement released by the CCCC in July 2020 was “This Ain’t Another Statement! This Is a DEMAND for Black Linguistic Justice!” Responding to the historical and sociopolitical context of today’s world, this statement coincided with # BlackLivesMatter , a movement to fight racism directed at the Black community, often at the hands of police and vigilantes. The statement shifts the narrative to composition and communication, asking how Black lives matter in language education, research, and scholarship.

The CCCC strongly promotes students’ language rights based on their own cultural backgrounds, yet it acknowledges that language rights have suffered from a similarly “inadequate response” as other social justice movements. Specifically for Black students and writers, cultural traditions such as AAVE / Ebonics continue to be devalued and diminished in line with the devaluation of Black lives. The demand upholds the organization’s earlier statement that Ebonics communicates Black traditions and social truths. The statement includes these demands:

• That teachers stop teaching only standard English as the communicative norm
• That teachers stop teaching Black students to code-switch and instead teach about linguistic racism
• That teachers teach “Black Linguistic Consciousness” and work to unravel anti-Black linguistic racism
• That Black perspectives be included in the research and teaching of Black language

You can learn more about the impact of linguistic bias in education in this TEDx Talk .

Publication: Writing as Your Artifact

Try this short exercise to identify and practice writing in a dialect that directly reflects the culture your artifact comes from. Write a short three- to five-paragraph story from the perspective of the artifact you chose for this chapter’s writing assignment. What might your artifact see, hear, feel, or experience in its everyday life? Concentrate on using an authentic dialect, including vocabulary, grammatical conventions, and sentence structure, when constructing your story. As you reread your writing, ensure that you can hear your authentic voice in the text.

When all stories have been written, consider collaborating with your instructor to collect them in a class book that includes illustrations of the artifacts and a short quotation from the point of view of each artifact, similar to the format of the Trailblazer sections of this book.

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• Publication date: Dec 21, 2021
• Location: Houston, Texas
• Book URL: https://openstax.org/books/writing-guide/pages/1-unit-introduction
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Strategies for Variation

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Adding sentence variety to prose can give it life and rhythm. Too many sentences with the same structure and length can grow monotonous for readers. Varying sentence style and structure can also reduce repetition and add emphasis. Long sentences work well for incorporating a lot of information, and short sentences can often maximize crucial points. These general tips may help add variety to similar sentences.

1. Vary the rhythm by alternating short and long sentences.

Several sentences of the same length can make for bland writing. To enliven paragraphs, write sentences of different lengths. This will also allow for effective emphasis.

2. Vary sentence openings.

If too many sentences start with the same word, especially The , It , This , or I , prose can grow tedious for readers, so changing opening words and phrases can be refreshing. Below are alternative openings for a fairly standard sentence. Notice that different beginnings can alter not only the structure but also the emphasis of the sentence. They may also require rephrasing in sentences before or after this one, meaning that one change could lead to an abundance of sentence variety.

Possible Revisions :

• Coincidentally, David and I ended up sitting right next to each other at the Super Bowl.
• In an amazing coincidence, David and I ended up sitting next to each other at the Super Bowl.
• Sitting next to David at the Super Bowl was a tremendous coincidence.
• But the biggest coincidence that day happened when David and I ended up sitting next to each other at the Super Bowl.
• When I sat down at the Super Bowl, I realized that, by sheer coincidence, I was directly next to David.
• By sheer coincidence, I ended up sitting directly next to David at the Super Bowl.
• With over 50,000 fans at the Super Bowl, it took an incredible coincidence for me to end up sitting right next to David.
• What are the odds that I would have ended up sitting right next to David at the Super Bowl?
• David and I, without any prior planning, ended up sitting right next to each other at the Super Bowl.
• Without any prior planning, David and I ended up sitting right next to each other at the Super Bowl.
• At the crowded Super Bowl, packed with 50,000 screaming fans, David and I ended up sitting right next to each other by sheer coincidence.
• Though I hadn't made any advance arrangements with David, we ended up sitting right next to each other at the Super Bowl.
• Many amazing coincidences occurred that day, but nothing topped sitting right next to David at the Super Bowl.
• Unbelievable, I know, but David and I ended up sitting right next to each other at the Super Bowl.
• Guided by some bizarre coincidence, David and I ended up sitting right next to each other at the Super Bowl.

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AQA A Level Essay - The importance and cause of variation and diversity in organisms

Subject: Biology

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Other

Last updated

4 August 2023

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• Writing Tips

How Word Variation Could Improve Your Academic Writing (And 5 Handy Examples)

3-minute read

• 25th December 2015

While it’s important to use consistent terminology in academic writing , this applies primarily to technical terms and concepts central to your argument. When it comes to the rest of your paper, varying the language can make it much more engaging and easier to read .

What words should you vary? This depends very much on the individual, but the essence is to avoid frequent repetition of certain basic terms. This doesn’t mean short words like “the”, “a” or “and”, which everyone will use regularly in their writing, but it might include words like “interesting”, “because”, “including”, “said” and “important”.

Alternatives for these terms are presented below, but you might also want to try a thesaurus for other ideas. Just remember to check the meaning of words you find in a thesaurus before using them, as sometimes there can be subtle differences.

1.    Variations on ‘Interesting’

The word “interesting” is often used to introduce a point as worthy of attention (e.g., “It is interesting to note that…”). Ironically, overusing “interesting” is very uninteresting indeed, so you might want to try these instead:

• Noteworthy/notable (e.g., “One noteworthy claim…”)
• Compelling (e.g., “One theory seems particularly compelling…”)
• Fascinating (e.g., “The Ancient Greeks were a fascinating people”)

2.     Because

The word “because” is used when explaining the reasons behind something (e.g., “The results were this way because…”). As such, it’s often used in academic writing, so you may sometimes need to limit repetition:

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• Since (e.g., “Since the pilot experiment failed, we had to start again.”)
• Due to (e.g., “The failure was due to several oversights.”)
• As a result (e.g., “As a result of these omissions, the results are unreliable.”)

3.     Including/Includes

The term “including” is most commonly used to introduce examples of something just mentioned, including in this sentence you’re reading right now. See what we did there? It can also be used to describe something contained within a whole (e.g., “It will take a full week, including Sunday.”)

If you’re using “includes” a lot in a paper, you might want to consider these variations:

• Such as (e.g., “I collect tools, such as hammers and tongs.”)
• Like (e.g., “I eat fruit, like apples and pears.”)
• Incorporates (e.g., “The design incorporates many useful features.”)

4.     Said

The word “said” is most overused when quoting sources (e.g., “Costello said that ‘there’s nothing underhand that she won’t understand’”). Your options here include:

• Claimed (e.g., “Holland claimed…”)
• Argued (e.g., “Weller argued…”)
• Stated (e.g., “Suggs stated…”)

5.     Important

The term “important” is used to emphasize the significance or value of something, so overusing it can undermine its impact. Substitutes include:

• Significant (e.g., “The most significant finding…”)
• Vital (e.g., “It is vital to remember that…”)
• Crucial (e.g., “Addressing this problem is crucial in order to…”)

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• Biotechnology
• Biochemistry
• Microbiology
• Cell Biology
• Cell Signaling
• Diversity in Life Form
• Molecular Biology

Importance of Variation

• Direct Variation Formula
• Coefficient of Variation Formula
• Inverse Variation Formula
• What is Genetic Variation?
• Inheritance of One Gene Notes
• How to calculate Coefficient of Variation?
• Principles of Inheritance and Variation CBSE Notes for Chapter 4
• Speciation and Evolution
• Concept of Variable and Raw Data
• How to Calculate the Coefficient of Variation in Excel?
• Microevolution
• Accumulation of Variation During Reproduction - CBSE Class10 Notes
• Which is a Better Mode of Reproduction & Why?
• NCERT Solutions Class 12 Biology Chapter 4 Principles of Inheritance and Variation
• Law of Similarity in UX Design
• Variability in R Programming
• Program for Coefficient of variation
• Coefficient of Variation: Meaning, Formula and Examples
• Estimation of Variable | set 1
• Animal Cell
• Cell Organelles - Structure, Types and their Functions
• Parts of a Flower and their Functions
• Molecular Basis of Inheritance Notes Class 12
• What is Ecosystem? Definition, Structure, Types, and Functions
• Mitosis - Overview, Phases, & Significance Class Notes
• Evolution Of Humans - History, Stages, Characteristics, FAQs
• Food Web - Definition, Diagram, Food Chain and Examples
• Diagram of Animal Cell
• Ecological Pyramid - Definition, Types, Importance, Limitations

Variations occur due to struggling between organisms for food, shelter, and other resources in an environment, which makes the organisms more adaptive and strong in comparison to other struggling organisms that fail to adapt or dominate in the struggling environment. So, if an organism develops variation, it means that while competing for natural resources, it was able to survive by adapting to an environment with fewer resources. This adaptation results in the occurrence of variations in the body, which help you survive in adverse conditions. So, variations are important for species because they make organisms more adaptable to unfavorable conditions. Variation makes an organism a better version of itself.

• Genetic and body modifications could make it harder for an organism to survive in its ecosystem. But we know that the environment is always changing. It changes because of changing factors like the weather, temperature, the availability of resources, etc. If a specific species is too resistant to adapt to these environmental changes, it cannot exist in that ecosystem. Hence, variation is important to withstand the changes in the environment.
• Differences within a species help in its ability to adapt to a given environment and increase its chances of survival.
• Certain members of a population can adapt to a changing environment due to variation. More genetic diversity within a population typically allows more phenotypic diversity because natural selection only affects phenotypes directly. 
• Certain novel alleles improve an organism’s capacity for survival and reproduction, which guarantees the allele’s persistence in the population. Because certain individuals present in a population may survive despite a changing environment, here genetic variation is beneficial for better chances of survival. 
• The species benefits from variations because they can better adapt to their environment and increase their chances of surviving.

FAQs on the Importance of Variation

Question 1: what is the importance of meiosis in  variation.

During the time of cell division, cells ensure that each cell gets an equal amount of chromosomes. During meiosis a process known as recombination, which produces the genetic variation.

Question 2: How does genetic variation occur in individuals?

Genetic variation is the term used to describe variations in a population’s genetic structure. Major causes of genetic variation include, Genetic variation is brought about by DNA mutation, which modifies the genes of people within a population. Gene flow causes genetic variation when new individuals enter a group of people carrying various gene combinations. Genetic variation arises from the development of different gene combinations through sexual reproduction.

Question 3: What is the variation?

Any difference between the cell, in organisms, or in a group of organisms of any one species because of the variation in the DNA is known as variation .

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Live Updates: Supreme Court to Consider Access to Emergency Abortions

The case, which could reverberate beyond Idaho to over a dozen other states with abortion bans, is the second time in less than a month that the justices have heard an abortion case.

• Share full article

Abbie VanSickle

Reporting from Washington

Here’s the latest on the argument.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday about whether Idaho’s near-total abortion ban conflicts with a federal law that protects patients who need emergency care, in a case that would determine access to abortions in emergency rooms across the country.

The federal law affects only the sliver of women who face dire medical complications during pregnancy. But a broad decision by the court could have implications for the about 14 states that have enacted near-total bans on abortion since the court overturned a constitutional right to abortion in June 2022.

The case may also have broader consequences if the justices adopt language about fetal personhood, some legal scholars argue , an increasingly polarizing fight that surfaced recently in Alabama, after its top court ruled that frozen embryos in test tubes should be considered children.

The dispute is the second time in less than a month that the Supreme Court is grappling with abortion. It is a potent reminder that even after Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. vowed in 2022 that the issue of abortion would return to elected representatives in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, it continues to make its way back to the court. In late March, the justices considered the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone.

The federal law at issue, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA , enacted by Congress in 1986, mandates that hospitals receiving federal funds provide patients with stabilizing care.

The Biden administration maintains that this law collides with — and should override — Idaho’s near-total abortion ban. Under the state law, the procedure is illegal except in cases of incest, rape or when it is “necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman,” and doctors who perform abortions could face criminal penalties. Lawyers for the state contend that the administration has maneuvered the federal law in a way that would bypass state bans.

Here’s what to know:

In a brief to the court, lawyers for the Biden administration called the effect of the federal law “limited but profound.” The government’s position is that the law can be triggered when a pregnant woman who suffers a dangerous condition that requires immediate medical care goes to an emergency room for medical care.

Idaho’s attorney general, Raúl Labrador, has insisted the matter of abortion is now up to the states. In a brief , he argued that the Biden administration was trying to use federal law to turn Idaho emergency rooms into “abortion enclaves in violation of state law.”

The Biden administration has relied on EMTALA as a narrow way to challenge state-level abortion bans. After the court overturned a constitutional right to an abortion, near-total bans on the procedure swiftly took effect in some states, including in Idaho . After Idaho’s Republican-controlled Legislature passed the Idaho Defense of Life Act, which makes it a crime to perform or assist in performing an abortion, the Biden administration sued the state in August 2022, a few weeks before the law was set to take effect, arguing that federal law should trump the state law when the two directly conflict.

The federal law specifies that a hospital must provide care to a person with an “emergency medical condition.” For pregnant women, the law states, that means when “the absence of immediate medical attention could reasonably be expected to result in” placing “the health of the woman or her unborn child” in “serious jeopardy.” If a hospital breaks the federal law, it can be sued and potentially lose Medicare funding. The federal law also includes a provision that it will not pre-empt a state or local law unless “the requirement directly conflicts with” the federal law.

But the state law imposes a prison sentence of up to five years if it is violated and can lead to the loss of a doctor’s medical license. The legislation allows exceptions “to prevent the death of the pregnant woman,” to end an ectopic or molar pregnancy, or to end certain pregnancies from rape or incest.

A federal trial judge temporarily blocked the state’s ban. In the fall of 2023, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit put the ruling on hold and reinstated the ban. But that decision was ultimately overridden by an 11-member panel of the appeals court, which temporarily blocked Idaho’s law as the appeal continued.

Pam Belluck

What is EMTALA and what does it do?

One of the newest fronts in the abortion debate is a decades-old federal law requiring hospitals to guarantee patients a certain standard of emergency care.

At issue in the case the Supreme Court is hearing on Wednesday is whether Idaho’s near-total ban on abortions violates that law, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, and if it does, whether the state law can be followed instead of the federal law.

What does the law do?

EMTALA (pronounced em-TAHL-uh) was passed by Congress in 1986 and signed by President Ronald Reagan, to address concerns that hospital emergency rooms were turning away patients, especially poor ones or those without insurance.

The law says that if a patient goes to an emergency room with an “emergency medical condition,” hospitals must either provide treatment to stabilize the patient or transfer the patient to a medical facility that can, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. It applies to any hospital that receives Medicare funding and has an emergency department — most hospitals in the United States.

Hospitals that violate the law can face consequences including fines and exclusion from further Medicare funding.

What does that have to do with abortion?

The law does not mention abortion or name specific treatments for any emergency medical condition. It requires only that hospitals use accepted medical approaches for each patient. But soon after the Supreme Court overturned the national right to abortion in June 2022, the Biden administration issued a memorandum saying that EMTALA applies when abortion is necessary to stabilize a patient. Such cases could include a patient whose water breaks too early in the pregnancy or a patient experiencing severe pre-eclampsia.

“If a physician believes that a pregnant patient presenting at an emergency department is experiencing an emergency medical condition as defined by EMTALA, and that abortion is the stabilizing treatment necessary to resolve that condition, the physician must provide that treatment,” the memorandum said. “When a state law prohibits abortion and does not include an exception for the life of the pregnant person — or draws the exception more narrowly than EMTALA’s emergency medical condition definition — that state law is pre-empted.”

In its brief to the Supreme Court, Idaho said that the federal law “only requires hospitals to offer treatments that are ‘available,’” and that the state’s near-total ban made abortions unavailable in most circumstances. The brief also said that EMTALA requires that emergency departments stabilize both a pregnant woman and an “unborn child.”

The federal government argues that Idaho’s abortion ban violates EMTALA because its very limited exceptions allow abortions to prevent a pregnant woman’s imminent death, but not to prevent severe worsening of her health. EMTALA requires emergency departments to provide stabilizing care when not doing so could put a patient’s health in “serious jeopardy.”

In its brief, the government wrote: “EMTALA treats pregnancy termination the same as any other stabilizing care: It must be provided if, and only if, it is required to assure that no material deterioration of the individual’s condition is likely to occur.”

Abbie VanSickle contributed reporting.

Advertisement

The New York Times

21 states have restricted or banned abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Twenty-one states ban abortion or restrict the procedure earlier in pregnancy than the standard set by Roe v. Wade, which governed reproductive rights for nearly half a century until the Supreme Court overturned the decision in 2022.

In some states, the fight over abortion access is still taking place in courtrooms, where advocates have sued to block bans and restrictions. Other states have moved to expand access to abortion by adding legal protections.

Tracking Abortion Bans Across the Country

The New York Times is tracking the status of abortion laws in each state following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Two lawsuits, in Texas and Idaho, highlight the fight over emergency medicine law.

In the weeks after the Supreme Court dismantled a constitutional right to abortion in 2022 and returned the issue of access to the states, a new series of court battles began.

After the Biden administration announced it would protect access to abortion under emergency situations through a decades-old federal law, conservative states pushed back, leading to dueling lawsuits in Texas and Idaho.

Those cases created a divide among federal courts, known as a circuit split. It intensified pressure on the Supreme Court to settle whether the law, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, pre-empts state abortion bans, shielding doctors who perform emergency abortions in efforts to stabilize the health of a pregnant woman.

After Roe fell, the Department of Health and Human Services issued guidance to hospitals , including those in states with abortion bans, that federal law mandated that pregnant women be allowed to receive abortions in emergency rooms so long as doctors believed the procedures were required for “stabilizing treatment.”

In July 2022 , days after the Biden administration announced it would use the federal law to ensure abortion access in some emergency situations, Texas’ state attorney general, Ken Paxton, sued. The administration’s interpretation of the federal law, he said, would “force abortions” in Texas hospitals.

In the complaint , Mr. Paxton accused the administration of trying to defy the Supreme Court’s ruling. “President Biden is flagrantly disregarding the legislative and democratic process — and flouting the Supreme Court’s ruling before the ink is dry,” he wrote.

The federal government was misinterpreting the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, he added, writing that the law “does not guarantee access to abortion.”

“On the contrary,” he continued, the law “contemplates that an emergency medical condition is one that threatens the life of the unborn child.”

In August 2022, Judge James Wesley Hendrix of United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, a Trump appointee, ruled for Texas , finding that the federal guidance of how to interpret the act went “well beyond” the text of the law. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld Judge Hendrix’s ruling.

In Idaho, a near-total ban on abortions had gone into effect after the court overturned Roe v. Wade. The Biden administration sued Idaho in August 2022, a few weeks before the state’s law was set to take effect. The federal law, it said, should trump the state law when the two directly conflict.

A federal judge in Idaho, B. Lynn Winmill, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, temporarily blocked part of the state’s ban. He wrote that Idaho could not penalize doctors for acting to protect the health of endangered mothers.

In the fall of 2023, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit put the ruling on hold and reinstated the ban. But that decision was ultimately overridden by an 11-member panel of the appeals court, which temporarily blocked Idaho’s law as the appeal continued.

Idaho asked the Supreme Court to intervene, and the court reinstated the ban and agreed to hear the case .

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NPR editor Uri Berliner resigns with blast at new CEO

David Folkenflik

Uri Berliner resigned from NPR on Wednesday saying he could not work under the new CEO Katherine Maher. He cautioned that he did not support calls to defund NPR. Uri Berliner hide caption

Uri Berliner resigned from NPR on Wednesday saying he could not work under the new CEO Katherine Maher. He cautioned that he did not support calls to defund NPR.

NPR senior business editor Uri Berliner resigned this morning, citing the response of the network's chief executive to his outside essay accusing NPR of losing the public's trust.

"I am resigning from NPR, a great American institution where I have worked for 25 years," Berliner wrote in an email to CEO Katherine Maher. "I respect the integrity of my colleagues and wish for NPR to thrive and do important journalism. But I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems at NPR I cite in my Free Press essay."

NPR and Maher declined to comment on his resignation.

The Free Press, an online site embraced by journalists who believe that the mainstream media has become too liberal, published Berliner's piece last Tuesday. In it, he argued that NPR's coverage has increasingly reflected a rigid progressive ideology. And he argued that the network's quest for greater diversity in its workforce — a priority under prior chief executive John Lansing – has not been accompanied by a diversity of viewpoints presented in NPR shows, podcasts or online coverage.

Later that same day, NPR pushed back against Berliner's critique.

"We're proud to stand behind the exceptional work that our desks and shows do to cover a wide range of challenging stories," NPR's chief news executive, Edith Chapin, wrote in a memo to staff . "We believe that inclusion — among our staff, with our sourcing, and in our overall coverage — is critical to telling the nuanced stories of this country and our world."

Yet Berliner's commentary has been embraced by conservative and partisan Republican critics of the network, including former President Donald Trump and the activist Christopher Rufo.

Rufo is posting a parade of old social media posts from Maher, who took over NPR last month. In two examples, she called Trump a racist and also seemed to minimize the effects of rioting in 2020. Rufo is using those to rally public pressure for Maher's ouster, as he did for former Harvard University President Claudine Gay .

Others have used the moment to call for the elimination of federal funding for NPR – less than one percent of its roughly $300 million annual budget – and local public radio stations, which derive more of their funding from the government.

NPR names tech executive Katherine Maher to lead in turbulent era

Berliner reiterated in his resignation letter that he does not support such calls.

In a brief interview, he condemned a statement Maher issued Friday in which she suggested that he had questioned "whether our people are serving our mission with integrity, based on little more than the recognition of their identity." She called that "profoundly disrespectful, hurtful, and demeaning."

Berliner subsequently exchanged emails with Maher, but she did not address those comments.

"It's been building up," Berliner said of his decision to resign, "and it became clear it was on today."

For publishing his essay in The Free Press and appearing on its podcast, NPR had suspended Berliner for five days without pay. Its formal rebuke noted he had done work outside NPR without its permission, as is required, and shared proprietary information.

(Disclosure: Like Berliner, I am part of NPR's Business Desk. He has edited many of my past stories. But he did not see any version of this article or participate in its preparation before it was posted publicly.)

Earlier in the day, Berliner forwarded to NPR editors and other colleagues a note saying he had "never questioned" their integrity and had been trying to raise these issues within the newsroom for more than seven years.

What followed was an email he had sent to newsroom leaders after Trump's 2016 win. He wrote then: "Primarily for the sake of our journalism, we can't align ourselves with a tribe. So we don't exist in a cocoon that blinds us to the views and experience of tens of millions of our fellow citizens."

Berliner's critique has inspired anger and dismay within the network. Some colleagues said they could no longer trust him after he chose to publicize such concerns rather than pursue them as part of ongoing newsroom debates, as is customary. Many signed a letter to Maher and Edith Chapin, NPR's chief news executive. They asked for clarity on, among other things, how Berliner's essay and the resulting public controversy would affect news coverage.

Yet some colleagues privately said Berliner's critique carried some truth. Chapin also announced monthly reviews of the network's coverage for fairness and diversity - including diversity of viewpoint.

She said in a text message earlier this week that that initiative had been discussed long before Berliner's essay, but "Now seemed [the] time to deliver if we were going to do it."

She added, "Healthy discussion is something we need more of."

Disclosure: This story was reported and written by NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik and edited by Deputy Business Editor Emily Kopp and Managing Editor Gerry Holmes. Under NPR's protocol for reporting on itself, no NPR corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly.

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