Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Abuse Reports Of 'Reproductive Coercion' Doubled After Roe Ended
The 19th: Domestic Violence Calls About ‘Reproductive Coercion’ Doubled After The Overturn Of Roe
Reports of abuse involving reproductive coercion — actions that prevent someone from making crucial decisions about their body and reproductive health — nearly doubled in the yearlong period after Roe v. Wade was overturned, according to new data from the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH). (Gerson, 10/18)
AP: Illinois Gov. Pritzker Takes His Fight For Abortion Access National With A New Self-Funded Group
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is taking his abortion-rights advocacy nationwide, introducing on Wednesday a political organization to fund similar efforts outside Illinois, a state that legalized abortion by statute even before the Supreme Court invalidated the right to undergo the procedure. Think Big America has already funded support for constitutional amendments favoring abortion access in Ohio, Arizona and Nevada. The effort also enhances the profile of the Democratic governor and multibillionaire equity investor and philanthropist. Pritzker has said he’s focused on serving as a Midwest governor, but speculation is rampant that he harbors presidential ambitions. (O'Connor, 10/18)
In other reproductive health news —
CBS News: New Research Underway Links Breast Cancer And Drinking Alcohol
The American Cancer Society said women who have one alcoholic drink a day have a seven to 10% increase in risk. If you're up to three drinks a day, the risk jumps to 20% higher. And while cancer prevention guidelines say it's best not to drink alcohol, it's recommended women limit their intake to no more than one drink a day. (Stahl, 10/18)
WebMD: Promising New Blood Test Accurately Detects Ovarian Cancer
A breakthrough new test for ovarian cancer may for the first time offer a way to detect the disease before it progresses to potentially deadly later stages. The new blood test was 91% accurate at detecting high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC), which is the most common type of ovarian cancer, according to results published this month in the journal Clinical Cancer Research. HGSOC has a 5-year survival rate of 40% or less when diagnosed at later stages, the authors said, noting that the disease is advanced beyond stage I in about 85% of women at the time of diagnosis. (O'Mary, 10/18)
The Cut: What Is Cycle Syncing Really About?
On TikTok, influencers promise you can beat burnout by planning your life around your menstrual cycle. (Gellman, 10/18)
KFF Health News: Feds Try To Head Off Growing Problem Of Overdoses Among Expectant Mothers
When Andria Peterson began working as a clinical pharmacist in the pediatric and neonatal intensive care units at St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson, Nevada, in 2009, she witnessed the devastating effects the opioid crisis had on the hospital’s youngest patients. She recalled vividly one baby who stayed in the NICU for 90 days with neonatal abstinence syndrome, a form of withdrawal, because his mother had used substances while pregnant. The mother came in every day, Peterson said. She took three buses to get to the hospital to see her baby. Peterson watched her sing to him some days and read to him on others. (Rodriguez and Houghton, 10/19)
