Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Louisiana's Amendment On Abortion Leaves Many People Confused
The Washington Post: Louisiana Passed Amendment One: Abortion Is No Longer A Right
Louisiana’s amendment will add new language to the state constitution, specifying that abortion is not a right. For now, it will change little about abortion access in the state: Women will be able to get abortions as they did before, with no additional restrictions. But the purpose of the new amendment is to lay groundwork for the future. If the Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade, the measure will provide additional protections to ensure abortion would be illegal in Louisiana. Some of those details were missed on Tuesday night, as a portion of voters across the state were left thinking their state had just outlawed abortion.(Kitchener and Wax, 11/4)
CNN: Abortion Ballot Measures: Louisiana Amendment Passes, While Colorado 22-Week Ban Fails
Voters in two states weighed in on abortion rights on Election Day. Louisiana voters decided to amend the state's constitution by adding language that expressly states the document offers no protections for a right to abortion or the funding of abortion, and Colorado voters rejected a ban on abortion beginning at 22 weeks of pregnancy, according to CNN projections. (Kelly, 11/4)
KHN: Coming Abortion Fight Could Threaten Birth Control, Too
Abortion opponents were among those most excited by the addition of Justice Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. And they had good reason to be. As a law professor and circuit court judge, Barrett made it clear she is no fan of abortion rights. She is considered likely to vote not only to uphold restrictions on the procedure, but also, possibly, even to overturn the existing national right to abortion under the Supreme Court’s landmark rulings in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey. (Rovner, 11/5)
Also —
The Wall Street Journal: Voters Back Legalized Drugs, Higher Wages, Voting Restrictions
Voters on Tuesday approved measures favoring legalizing drugs, raising the minimum wage and keeping noncitizens from casting ballots, among dozens of other ballot initiatives before the electorate. With the approval of Measure 110, Oregon became the first state to eliminate criminal penalties for possession of hard drugs. Possessing small quantities of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD, MDMA (ecstasy) or psilocybin (the psychedelic ingredient in magic mushrooms) will be a civil violation carrying a small fine that can be waived upon completion of a health assessment with an addiction-treatment professional. The measure, which also reduces criminal penalties for possession of larger amounts of illicit drugs, won close to 60% of the vote. Selling and manufacturing drugs is still a crime. (Gershman, 11/4)
NPR: Psilocybin Effective For Major Depression, Study Finds
The substance that makes some mushrooms "magic" also appears to help people with major depressive disorder. A study of 27 people found that a treatment featuring the hallucinogen psilocybin worked better than the usual antidepressant medications, a team reported Wednesday in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. "The effect was more than four times greater," says Alan Davis, an author of the study and a faculty member at both Johns Hopkins University and Ohio State University. (Hamilton, 11/4)
FierceHealthcare: California Dialysis Measure Fails, Mixed Results For Tobacco Taxes In State-Level Ballot Measures
California voters resoundingly rejected a measure to require dialysis clinics to have an on-site physician as patients are treated. The ballot measure lost with 64% voting against it with nearly 70% of the votes being tallied. The rejection was a major win for provider groups that have been fighting the measure, which would have required clinics in the state to report data on any dialysis-related infections and get consent from the state health department before closing. (King, 11/3)
