Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Legal Moves In Texas, Missouri Bring Bans On Trans Youth Care Into Effect
The Texas Tribune: Texas Ban On Transition-Related Care For Kids Goes Into Effect Sept. 1
A Texas law banning transgender youth from accessing puberty blockers and hormone therapy will go into effect this week after the state attorney general’s office filed to block a judge’s temporary injunction against Senate Bill 14. In her decision Friday, state district court Judge Maria Cantú Hexsel wrote that SB 14 “interferes with Texas families’ private decisions and strips Texas parents … of the right to seek, direct, and provide medical care for their children.” (Melhado, 8/25)
St. Louis Public Radio: Missouri Judge Denies Freeze On Restricting Care For Transgender Youth
A St. Louis judge has denied an attempt to prevent a new law prohibiting gender-affirming care for transgender youth from going into effect. Earlier this summer, a number of plaintiffs sued to block the law barring transgender minors from accessing things care such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy. They contended that the law violated state guarantees of equal protection. But in a ruling released on Friday afternoon, St. Louis Circuit Judge Steven Ohmer denied a request for a preliminary injunction. That means the new law will go into effect on Monday while the case is heard. (Rosenbaum, 8/25)
AP: In Iowa And Elsewhere, Bans On LGBTQ+ ‘Conversion Therapy’ Become A Conservative Target
One of Iowa’s largest cities repealed its ban on “conversion therapy” — the discredited practice of trying to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity through counseling — after a Christian organization threatened legal action, part of a deepening national movement to challenge protections for LGBTQ+ kids. The city council in Waterloo voted this week to remove its restrictions after Liberty Counsel warned in a letter June 30 that it would “take further action” if the city did not repeal the ordinance by August 1. It was enacted in May. (Fingerhut, 8/25)
The Kansas City Star: Missouri Health Agency Quietly Scrubbed Sexual Health, LGBTQ Resources From Website
As Missouri lawmakers were considering the most anti-LGBTQ bills of any state, the state health department quietly scrubbed youth sexual health and LGBTQ resources from its website. (Bayless, 8/25)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
AP: Schoolkids In 8 States Can Now Eat Free School Meals, Advocates Urge Congress For Nationwide Policy
When classes resume for kids in eight states, they won’t have to worry about where their next meals will be coming from because they’ll be free. Minnesota, New Mexico, Colorado, Vermont, Michigan, and Massachusetts will make school breakfasts and lunches permanently free to all students starting this academic year, regardless of family income, following in the footsteps of California and Maine. Several other states are considering similar changes and congressional supporters want to extend free meals to all kids nationwide. (Karnowski and Bryan, 8/26)
AP: Alabama Wants To Be The 1st State To Execute A Prisoner By Making Him Breathe Only Nitrogen
Alabama is seeking to become the first state to execute a prisoner by making him breathe pure nitrogen. The Alabama attorney general’s office on Friday asked the state Supreme Court to set an execution date for death row inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith, 58. The court filing indicated Alabama plans to put him to death by nitrogen hypoxia, an execution method that is authorized in three states but has never been used. (Chandler, 8/25)
Health News Florida: Researchers To Study Effects Of Sugar Cane Burning On Brain Health
Sugar cane burning in South Florida makes harvesting the crop easier and cheaper. But residents at the southern end of Lake Okeechobee in Palm Beach County may be at greater risk of Alzheimer’s and related dementia. Particle pollution from sugar cane burning can cross the blood brain barrier and lead to brain inflammation. (Zaragovia, 8/25)
Military Times: VA Helped House More Than 26,000 At-Risk Vets Since The Start Of 2023
Veterans Affairs staffers have found housing for more than 26,000 veterans at risk of homelessness through the first seven months of this year thanks to unprecedented outreach through community partners, department leaders announced Monday. Combined with similar efforts last year, more than 67,000 veterans have received permanent housing since the start of 2022, part of an administration-wide effort to cut down on homelessness across America. (Shane III, 8/28)
