Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
The New York Times: In Isolated Guam, Abortion Is Legal. And Nearly Impossible to Get
For decades, the Pregnancy Control Clinic, tucked inside a squat, beige building around the corner from a bowling alley, handled most of the abortions on Guam, a tiny U.S. territory 1,600 miles south of Japan. But the doctor who ran it retired seven years ago, and the clinic now appears abandoned. An old medical exam table stands near a vanity with a dislodged faucet, and a letter from Dr. Edmund A. Griley is taped to the front door: “My last day of seeing patients is November 18, 2016,” he wrote. “I recommend that you begin looking for a new physician as soon as possible.”Dr. Griley has since died, and his deserted clinic is a dusty snapshot of Guam’s past — and some say, its future. (Chen, 6/26)
Politico: Alito Said Dobbs Would Lower The Temperature. Instead, It Fanned The Flames Of Abortion Extremism
When the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion a year ago, Justice Samuel Alito suggested that returning the issue to lawmakers might alleviate extremism on both sides of the issue. Roe v. Wade and other rulings protecting abortion, Alito wrote, had “enflamed debate,” “deepened division,” and prevented a “national settlement of the abortion issue.” But one year later, abortion-related crime seems to be on the rise. The Justice Department is prosecuting a record number of abortion opponents with abortion-related crimes, including arson and clinic blockades, according to data from the Prosecution Project, a nonpartisan organization that tracks and analyzes federal criminal cases related to political violence. (Swan, 6/24)
The New York Times: The Reality Of Postpartum Depression
If you give birth to a baby in the United States in 2023, odds are you will learn something about postpartum depression along the way — maybe from your doctor or midwife, maybe from a celebrity or on social media. But for many women, postpartum depression is shockingly isolating — a mix of sadness, hopelessness and overwhelm that stems not just from the hormonal tumult of pregnancy and the postpartum period, but from many other stressors, like a lack of paid leave, insufficient child care, and the staggering responsibility of caring for a new and helpless human. (Pearson, 6/27)
The Atlantic: The Cancer-Drug Shortage Is Different
Last November, FDA inspectors found almost farcical conditions when they inspected an Indian manufacturing plant that supplies medical drugs to the United States. The plant, owned by Intas Pharmaceuticals, had hardly any working systems for ensuring the purity or sterility of its products. And its employees were trying to conceal evidence of these problems by shredding and hiding documents or, as one quality-control officer admitted, dousing them in acid. (Yong, 6/26)
The New York Times: How The Shortage Of A $15 Cancer Drug Is Upending Treatment
Tony Shepard learned he had vocal cord cancer this spring, but he was encouraged when his doctor said he had an 88 percent chance at a cure with chemotherapy and radiation. That outlook began to dim in recent weeks, though, after the oncology practice he goes to in Central California began to sporadically run out of the critical medication he needs. Since Mr. Shepard’s doctor informed him of the shortage, each treatment session has felt like a game of “Russian roulette,” he said, knowing that failure would mean the removal of his vocal cords and the disappearing of his voice. (Jewett, 6/26)
The Wall Street Journal: Magic Mushrooms. LSD. Ketamine. The Drugs That Power Silicon Valley
Elon Musk takes ketamine. Sergey Brin sometimes enjoys magic mushrooms. Executives at venture-capital firm Founders Fund, known for its investments in SpaceX and Facebook, have thrown parties that include psychedelics. Routine drug use has moved from an after-hours activity squarely into corporate culture, leaving boards and business leaders to wrestle with their responsibilities for a workforce that frequently uses. At the vanguard are tech executives and employees who see psychedelics and similar substances, among them psilocybin, ketamine and LSD, as gateways to business breakthroughs. (Grind and Bindley, 6/27)
NPR: Why Do Astronauts Get Sick? Blood Samples Show Space Travel Affects Immunity
Astronauts are supposed to be in excellent health. It's part of the job description. They quarantine before blasting off to avoid getting sick and derailing a mission. Once aloft, they live and work in a sterile environment. And yet, when they get to outer space, some have viral flareups or break out in rashes. It's a puzzle that got Odette Laneuville, a molecular biologist at the University of Ottawa, asking herself, "Why is it that they get infections up there?" (Daniel, 6/26)
The Washington Post: Melted, Pounded, Extruded: Why Many Ultra-Processed Foods Are Unhealthy
Would you eat food that’s been predigested? Experts say that’s what we’re doing when we consume many popular packaged foods — those breads, cereals, snack chips and frozen meals that have been refined, pounded, heated, melted, shaped, extruded and packed with additives. (O'Connor and Steckelberg, 6/27)
The New York Times: New Tours Mean No More FOMO for Plus-Size Travelers
A small but growing market catering to size-inclusive travel (often aimed exclusively at women) is seeking to bring joy, community and reassurance to people in bigger bodies at price points on par with standard group trips. (Sosenko, 6/27)
