Different Takes: Impending Abortion Ban Already Affecting Ob/Gyn Training; Next Step Is Banning Abortion Pills

Los Angeles Times: What If You Have A Miscarriage In A State That Bans Abortion? 
We’re getting a clearer picture every day of the devastating effect of Texas’ near-total abortion ban. Many people are traveling out of state to get abortion services, and some have come to San Francisco, where I work. With the Supreme Court now poised to overturn the constitutional right to abortion in a matter of weeks, the national impact will be enormous as many more states ban abortion care. One consequence we haven’t fully reckoned with is how these antiabortion laws will affect the training of healthcare workers. (Jody Steinauer, 5/13)

Chicago Tribune: A Looming Battle Over Abortion Pills Threatens Cherished Freedoms 
Following the leak of a draft majority opinion, expectations run high that the U.S. Supreme Court soon will overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision affirming the constitutional right of women to abortion, and we have an idea of what abortion foes will target thereafter: pills. In recent years, a two-drug combination approved by the Food and Drug Administration has become a common method for ending pregnancies in the first trimester. (5/12)

The Star Tribune: Attack On Abortion Rights Threatens All Sexual Freedoms 
The leaked Supreme Court opinion by Justice Samuel Alito, which would overturn Roe v. Wade, marks a devastating setback for reproductive justice in the United States. It also highlights how bound up the right to abortion is with other fundamental sexual freedoms and civil rights. Whatever happens in the wake of this likely decision, we are already witnessing the undoing of more than a century of successful efforts to expand and protect individual rights to sexual and gender self-expression. (Rebecca L. Davis, 5/12)

Kansas City Star: Missouri Out-Of-State Abortion Ban Likely Unconstitutional 
With the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade appearing ever more likely and in fact imminent, the battle lines of the abortion wars in the country are shifting rapidly. One major confrontation will likely be over the extent to which anti-abortion states can restrict the right of citizens to travel to pro-choice states for an abortion. Missouri has already begun preparing such a law, S.B. 603. I believe such laws would violate the U.S. Constitution. Fifteen years ago, I worked on a law review article in the St Louis University Law Journal authored by my brother, Alan Howard, a constitutional law professor at the law school, addressing the question of the constitutionality of such an anti-travel, anti-abortion law. The article argued that there are two provisions of the U.S. Constitution that courts might and should construe to bar such a law, both in Section 1 of the 14th Amendment. (Bruce Howard, 5/13)

Also —

Bloomberg: US Covid Death Toll Hits 1 Million And Americans Are Still Confused 
Approximately a million people have died from Covid-19 in the US. The country now faces a new surge in BA.2 and BA.2.12.1; other variants are likely to follow. Yet Americans are now packing into restaurants, parties and exercise classes as if it’s 2019. It’s easy to blame Covid fatigue, but that may not be the problem. People are confused, badly informed, and cynical for good reason — the public health establishment has let us down many times, underplaying the risk early, making rules that were geared as much for show as for our protection, and blaming us for their failures. (Faye Flam, 5/12)

Chicago Tribune: COVID-19 Cases Among TSA Officers Shows Effects Of End To Federal Mask Mandate 
On April 18, a federal court judge ended the federal transportation face mask mandate, deeming it an overstep of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authority. Almost immediately, airlines responded by making face masks on flights optional. The White House continues to urge travelers on all modes of transportation (air, rail and public transit) to continue to wear face masks to reduce virus transmission, particularly for those most vulnerable to developing a serious case of COVID-19. (Sheldon Jacobson, 5/12)

The Washington Post: Stop Dismissing The Risk Of Long Covid 
The covid-19 pandemic is over. That is what most Americans seem to believe as they cram together for Formula One in Miami, sell out basketball stadiums and fill restaurants without masks. This conventional wisdom is gravely wrong. I will continue to wear my N95 mask, limit my air and train travel, and avoid eating at indoor restaurants. When I teach, I will run a HEPA filter and require all my students to wear N95 masks, too. (Ezekiel J. Emanuel, 5/12)