Viewpoints: Comedian Got (At Least) One Thing Right: Feds Haven’t Solved Flint Water Crisis; Anti-Abortion Advocate’s Remarks Show Disregard For Women’s Health

Boston Globe: Michelle Wolf’s ‘Mic Drop’ On Flint Was Dead Serious
The fiery backlash against the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner held on Saturday night continues, with one hot take after another about whether the annual fête has become an anachronism (it has) and whether comedian Michelle Wolf went too far with her jokes (she did not). And yet, what should have been the main takeaway of the whole affair was a line that Wolf saved for the kicker, appropriately. “Flint still doesn’t have clean water,” she said. But instead of focusing on Flint, Mich., media Twitter accounts were brimming with angst about Wolf’s brand of humor. The hyperbole is particularly disingenuous when it comes from conservatives who have consistently tolerated a vulgar, bullying president. But tough love from a comedian whose job was to speak truth to power, and get some laughs in the process? An outrage. (5/1)

Detroit Free Press: Michigan Needs A Stronger Environmental Quality Department
In early April, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) approved Nestlé’s permit to pump 60% more Michigan groundwater to expand its bottling operations. Days later, Gov. Rick Snyder announced that the state will no longer provide free bottled water to the thousands of families in Flint who still don’t trust their tap water. But it’s not only Flint. There are families in Rockford, Alpena, Grayling, Oscoda, Marquette and nine other communities that cannot drink the water flowing out of their taps due to PFAS contamination. Toxic chemicals are seeping through the groundwater in places like Mancelona and Ann Arbor, threatening well water along with local businesses and real estate values. And, more than 17,000 Detroit residents face water shutoffs, a move the United Nations has called a violation of human rights. (Lisa Wozniak, 4/29)

The Washington Post: Think Abortion Should Be Punished? Take A Look Around.
Conservative writer Kevin D. Williamson says that, past comments to the contrary notwithstanding, he doesn’t think women should be hanged for having abortions. But he still wants them to be punished somehow. So really we’re just negotiating the terms. Williamson made headlines in April for being hired and, after his views touched off a firestorm online, he was very quickly fired by the Atlantic magazine. Now he aims to make clear what he says the so-called Twitter mob — actually, women and men across the country with real concern about his beliefs — wasn’t interested in knowing: What Williamson truly thinks the punishment for abortion should be. “Only real-world experience will show what is effective, and our preference should be for the least-invasive effective settlement,” he writes in a Post op-ed. I suppose that’s meant to be reassuring. (Ilyse Hogue, 4/30)

USA Today: Abortion Politics Will Shift As Young Americans Grow More Supportive
Though they are frequently met with judicial opposition, anti-abortion lawmakers continue to test boundaries in their attempts to severely or totally outlaw abortion access in their states. Americans themselves are split on abortion, and attitudes toward the legality of the procedure have remained remarkably stable over the last two decades. But a new poll released by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), where I work as a contributing researcher and organizational strategist, shows that the general stability of public attitudes is only part of the story when it comes to whether and how Americans are shifting on abortion. Over the past few years, young Americans have actually become more supportive of legal and widely available abortion — expanding the generational gap and suggesting that anti-abortion lawmakers are increasingly out of step with younger voters on this issue. (Carolyn J. Davis, 5/1)

The Hill: Gun Rights — Constitution Needs To Be Amended To Protect The Lives Of Our Patients
There appears to be change afoot in the area of gun violence research. For example, at the federal level, the new CDC Director Robert Redfield agrees that there’s no ban on gun violence research, and on the state level, seven (so far) governors have recently created a consortium to study the problem of gun violence.We are nurses who have a vested interested in the health of the public. Each of us has many years of experience working in practice, and in teaching public health, mental health, and women’s health. Gun violence touches on all these areas. We agree that there’s a need for gun violence research but we also think about the root cause. By definition, there would be no gun violence if there were no guns. (Mona Shattell, Ellen Olshansky and Sarah Oerther, 4/30)

The Washington Post: Are Restrictions On Opioids A Threat To Human Rights?
Fatal overdoses of prescription opioids were rare before 1999. Then doctors, influenced by pharmaceutical industry marketing, began prescribing them for chronic non-cancer pain. By the end of 2016, prescription opioids — not illicit heroin or fentanyl — had claimed 200,000 lives. Now, at last, the opioid wave has crested. Per capita usage declined for the sixth straight year in 2017, according to IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science , a health-care consulting group. Changes in public policy, including long-awaited prescribing guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in March 2016, promise to sustain this life-saving progress. (Charles Lane, 4/30)

The New York Times: Worried About Risky Teenage Behavior? Make School Tougher
Like all parents of teenagers, I worry that my children will engage in risky behavior, including drinking, smoking and drug use. The more time they spend doing healthier extracurricular activities — soccer, piano, cleaning their rooms (ha!) — the better. But it turns out that what they do in school can also affect their choices outside the classroom. (Austin Frakt, 4/30)

Houston Chronicle: Cuts To SNAP Would Hurt Working Poor In Texas
One in seven Texans, nearly 4 million of us, benefit from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. But changes to the welfare program in the House Agriculture Committee’s proposed Farm Bill will push needy, hardworking Texans off the program while failing to provide a path to higher-paying jobs. By the time the Farm Bill — a massive omnibus package passed every five years — makes it to President Donald Trump’s desk, Congress must restore these cuts to SNAP. (5/1)

The Hill: Teen Pregnancy Prevention Suit Against HHS Is A Huge Win For Baltimore City
Last week, Judge Catherine Blake of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland ruled in Baltimore City’s favor in its Teen Pregnancy Prevention suit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Judge Blake granted the City’s motion for summary judgment, ruling that HHS’s decision-making was arbitrary and capricious. By issuing this ruling, Judge Blake vacated HHS’s decision to prematurely terminate Baltimore’s five-year Teen Pregnancy Prevention Grant and ordered HHS to process Baltimore’s application for continued funding under the grant. This ruling is a victory for the youth of Baltimore City and it’s a victory for the use of science and evidence in education and health. (Leana S. Wen, 4/30)

Des Moines Register: Updating Concussion Law Protects Iowa's Kids
Chronic Traumatic Encelphalopathy, commonly referred to as CTE, is a devastating illness that impacts people of all ages who suffer from numerous concussions or repeated head trauma. It was discovered in 2002 after several former NFL football players took their own lives or suffered early deaths after bouts with depression and other mental illnesses. However, we continue to learn every day this tragic illness impacts a growing number of families, including Iowans who lose a child. Recently, I attended an event hosted by friends whose child suffered from CTE and took his own life. The event was meant to heighten the awareness of CTE, signs of brain injury and concussion prevention. Concussions are a common injury reported in children. This injury often occurs during high contact sports and other activities. As a former athlete, I understand the dangers concussions may pose and advocated for this bill, which we had tried to move forward during past legislative sessions. We were successful in getting this legislation passed this session. (Jack Whitver, 4/30)

Kansas City Star: For Mental Health Month, Help Put Broken Lives Back Together
Truth is, we all have a breaking point — whether in response to the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, unemployment, chronic poverty, a violent encounter, the loss of a pet, or exposure to abuse and bullying as a child. These types of traumatic experiences, these moments of breaking, can cause any number of behavioral or physical health issues, from depression to anxiety to heart disease. (Randy Callstrom, 4/30)

Portland Press Herald: Think About The Destructive Consequences Of Distracted Driving
Like sailors drawn to sirens’ songs, we seem perilously drawn to the tantalizing ringing, beeping and buzzing of our phones – all too often with the same destructive results. Everyone in Maine probably has their own list of Top 10 places to go and things to do in the summer. I know I do – but I’ve learned that a winter’s worth of planning for these warm, sunny days can be undone in an instant by a multi-tasking motorist who is distracted. As we look to a season full of people walking, biking and driving in Maine, it’s worth thinking about distracted driving, its destructive consequences and the tools we can and should use to prevent it. (Michael R. Rifkin, 5/1)