Experts Want States To Pump The Brakes On Labeling Porn A Public Health Crisis
Some experts argue that state resolutions to label pornography as a public health risk create a stigma for marginalized groups like LGBTQ people and miss a key piece of the puzzle by leaving out calls for more robust sex education for teens. In other public health news: gonorrhea, anxiety, Huntington's disease, sex after menopause, school shootings, children's safety and more.
The Associated Press:
A Growing Number Of States Call Porn A Public Health Crisis
More than a dozen states have moved to declare pornography a public health crisis, raising concerns among some experts who say the label goes too far and carries its own risks. The Arizona Senate approved a resolution this week calling for a systemic effort to prevent exposure to porn that's increasingly accessible to younger kids online. At least one legislative chamber has adopted a similar resolution in 15 other states. (Whitehurst and Cooper, 5/9)
The Washington Post:
Kissing May Help Spread Oral Gonorrhea, Australian Study Says
It may be possible to pass gonorrhea through kissing, challenging the widely accepted notion that the sexually transmitted disease is spread almost exclusively through sexual contact, a new study says. Researchers in Australia found that kissing with tongue may be a way to transmit oropharyngeal gonorrhea, or oral gonorrhea, particularly among gay and bisexual men. (Bever, 5/9)
The Wall Street Journal:
The Most Anxious Generation Goes To Work
Michael Fenlon’s company is one of the nation’s biggest employers of newly minted college grads. He’s watching a tidal wave approach. College presidents and deans tell him repeatedly that they’ve had to make managing students’ anxiety and other mental-health issues a priority. “They’re overwhelmed with the demand for mental-health services on their campuses. I hear this again and again. It’s really striking,” says Mr. Fenlon, chief people officer for PricewaterhouseCoopers, which hires thousands of college grads each year. (Shellenbarger, 5/9)
NPR:
Promising Huntington's Disease Drug Enters Large Study
Scientists are gearing up a major study to find out whether a drug can silence the gene that causes a devastating illness called Huntington's disease. This development follows the discovery that the experimental drug reduced levels of the damaged protein that causes this mind-robbing ailment. The new study will determine whether that drug can also stop progression of the disease. (Harris, 5/9)
NPR:
Good Sex After Menopause Means Trading Dryness And Doubt For More Talk And Touch
Menopause blindsided author Darcey Steinke. The hot flashes and insomnia were uncomfortable. The depression was debilitating. And the cultural expectations — that postmenopausal women are no longer interested in sex — made her both frustrated and angry. "I feel like in the world we live in, the patriarchal world, women are most valued for their sexuality and their motherhood," Steinke says. "Once menopause comes, there's a feeling of shame that comes for a lot of women." (Chang and Gordon, 5/9)
PBS NewsHour:
Another Series Of School Shootings Highlights The Challenge Of Keeping Students Safe
Two students at a high school outside Denver allegedly opened fire during class on Tuesday, killing another student. In North Carolina just a few days earlier, two students were killed and four injured by a gunman at UNC Charlotte. Amid a pattern of school violence that has become all too familiar, Judy Woodruff talks to John Ferrugia of Denver’s Rocky Mountain PBS and Education Week’s Evie Blad. (5/9)
The Associated Press:
Amazon To Make Sure School Supplies Don’t Have Lead, Cadmium
Amazon has agreed to make sure school supplies and children’s jewelry sold on its website do not contain excessive levels of lead or cadmium. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said an investigation found dozens of items that tested above legal levels for the dangerous metals. Some pencil pouches had parts containing 80 times the legal limit for lead and about 30 times the limit for cadmium. (5/9)
The New York Times:
Making Playgrounds A Little More Dangerous
“Oh my God, this is going to be amazing,” a preadolescent wearing a gray hoodie exclaimed as he dashed in to The Yard, a 50,000-square-foot adventure playground on Governors Island in New York Harbor. The Yard, for kids 6 through 13, lacks the usual monkey bars, slides and swings. It is, however, well-stocked with dismembered store mannequins, wooden packing crates, tires, mattresses, an old piano and assorted other detritus of the modern world. (Schiffman, 5/10)
The New York Times:
Statins May Cut Glaucoma Risk
More good news about cholesterol-lowering statin drugs: They may reduce the risk for glaucoma. Previous studies of the link between statin use and glaucoma have produced conflicting results. Now a large study, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, offers long-term data. Researchers followed 136,782 health care workers for up to 15 years, tracking statin use and the incidence of glaucoma, the fluid buildup in the eyeball that damages the optic nerve and can lead to blindness. (Bakalar, 5/9)
