Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Are We Prepared For The Next Pandemic?; Texas Law All But Eliminates Options For Teenage Girls
The Atlantic: The World Needs A Pandemic Plan B
There is never a good time for a pandemic, but the coronavirus may have hit the world at the worst possible moment. In the decade before the virus, China had grown more dictatorial and assertive; populist nationalists held power in the United States, India, and Brazil; geopolitical tensions were heightened, not just between Beijing and Washington but within the West itself; and the very notion of objective truth was being called into question. (Thomas Wright, 9/13)
The New York Times: Texas’ Abortion Law Traps Desperate Teenagers
In Texas, teenagers who need abortions must get their parents’ consent, but for many young people, that’s not an option. Maybe they’re in foster care, or they’re unaccompanied minors in immigration detention, in which case the government has legal authority over them. Maybe their parents are abusive, or adamantly opposed to abortion. (Michelle Goldberg, 9/13)
The Washington Post: In Texas, Women Are Being Sentenced To Continue Their Pregnancies
At the Whole Woman’s Health clinic in McAllen, near the southernmost tip of Texas, not a single patient arrived in time to obtain an abortion during the first week that the state’s draconian new ban was in effect. In Fort Worth, only five of 55 patients made it, according to Whole Woman’s Health founder Amy Hagstrom Miller. The rest came too late — after about six weeks into pregnancy, when a sonogram detected the electrical impulses that are the first glimmerings of a fetal heartbeat. (Ruth Marcus, 9/13)
The Star Tribune: Congress Must Codify The Tenets Of Roe V. Wade
For nearly half a century, the federal courts could be counted on to protect women and their constitutional right to a safe and legal abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed in four major rulings — starting with Roe v. Wade — that women have a right to an abortion up to the point of viability of the fetus at about 24 weeks and could not be hindered by onerous requirements. (9/12)
USA Today: On Elizabeth Holmes, I Hope Theranos Founder Isn't Lying About Abuse
I believe women – and men. Why would they lie about enduring any form of domestic violence or intimate partner psychological abuse? It’s not a claim that is glamorous, one that will gather them Instagram influencer status or endorsements from their favorite sneaker brand. It’s a claim that is shrouded in shame, fear and lifelong trauma. It is why millions of people hide this secret and have found #MeToo a liberating tool that is changing the power dynamics of abuse and offering support when they are ready to claim their truth. When it’s real. (Michele Weldon, 9/14)
Bloomberg: Democrats And Health Care: Moderates Are The Real Progressives
One-point-five trillion dollars is a lot of money. But by reportedly saying that’s the most he is willing to have the federal government spend on a package of social, climate and infrastructure programs, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia is forcing his fellow Democrats to make choices they avoid in their $3.5 trillion plan. Some of the most difficult for them involve health care. (Ramesh Ponnuru, 9/13)
Newsweek: Mental Health Doesn't Evolve In A Vacuum. Can Mental Illness Be Prevented?
any psychiatrists are now seeing an increase in mental illness. Not only in isolated individuals, but in populations, rates are increasing. Brought about by longstanding disparities in income, employment, access to health care, education, nutrition and safe housing the destructive effects of discrimination on mental health may be permanent. According to the World Health Organization, "depression is one of the leading causes of disability. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds. People with severe mental health conditions die prematurely – as much as two decades early – due to preventable physical conditions." Effective treatment remains elusive. (Vivian Pender, 9/13)
