Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Kansas Governor Vetoes Bill Banning Minors' Gender-Affirming Care
The Washington Post: Kansas Governor Vetoes A Ban On Gender-Affirming Care; GOP Vows Override
The Democratic governor of Kansas vetoed a bill Friday that would have banned gender-affirming care for minors, setting up a confrontation with the state’s Republican supermajority as it tries to join more than a dozen states restricting transgender care. The Republican-led legislature is widely expected to attempt an override of the veto. The measure that Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) quashed, Senate Bill 233, would ban hormone therapy, puberty blockers and gender reassignment surgery for people younger than 18. (Raji, 4/13)
The Washington Post: Philadelphia Becomes Fourth City To Ban Top Ghost Gun Parts Dealer
Philadelphia on Friday became the fourth city in the United States to successfully sue Polymer80, the nation’s biggest seller of “ghost gun” parts. The city negotiated a settlement in which the company agreed to stop selling the parts in eastern Pennsylvania, and JSD Supply, a large local distributor, agreed to stop selling the parts statewide. “Ghost guns” are firearms assembled by individuals, without serial numbers on any of the parts, so when they are discovered after a shooting or other crime, they can’t be traced to an original purchaser or owner. They are also convenient for convicted felons and others who are legally disqualified from buying guns. Some companies also sell “kits” with all the parts and directions needed to make a complete, unserialized weapon. (Jackman, 4/14)
AP: Oldest Living Conjoined Twins, Lori And George Schappell, Die At 62
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, according to funeral home officials. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died April 7. The cause of death was not detailed. The twins had distinct brains but were joined at the skull. George, who had spina bifida and was 4 inches shorter, was wheeled around by Lori on an adaptive wheeled stool. Despite each having to go where the other went, it was “very important” to both “to live as independently as possible,” the obituary said. (4/13)
The Texas Tribune: Texas Psychologists’ Board Considers Cheaper State Licensing Test
A costly new national certification exam for psychologists has convinced the profession’s licensing authority in Texas to consider crafting a cheaper alternative to help alleviate a persistent mental health provider shortage here. On Thursday, the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists moved to begin researching the cost of a cheaper state exam instead of requiring applicants to take a new $450 “skills” test offered by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, known also as ASPPB. (Simpson, 4/12)
The New York Times: Hudson Yards ‘Vessel’ Sculpture Will Reopen With Netting After Suicides
Nearly three years after a series of suicides shut down the Vessel, the 150-foot-tall centerpiece of the Hudson Yards complex in Manhattan, the project’s developer said on Friday that it would reopen this year with new safety measures. The attraction will reopen once “floor-to-ceiling steel mesh” has been installed on several staircases, said Kathleen Corless, a spokeswoman for Related Companies, the developer of Hudson Yards. (Meko and Schweber, 4/14)
ABC News: Lincoln University Administrator's Suicide Spotlights Black Women's Struggles In Higher Education
When Antoinette "Bonnie" Candia-Bailey, the former vice president of student affairs at Lincoln University in Missouri, died by suicide on Jan. 8, the tragedy brought attention to the difficulties and obstacles that many Black women report experiencing in higher education. Candia-Bailey, who received a termination letter from the historically Black university on Jan. 3, had previously accused the school's president, John Moseley, of bullying, harassment and discrimination. (Louallen, Kim, and Schwartz, 4/13)
