Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
21 Million US Women Need Subsidized Birth Control, Live In Counties With Limited Access
NPR: New Maps Reveal Birth Control Access Gaps In The U.S.
There are 21.4 million women in the U.S. who need subsidized birth control living in a county somewhere with limited access. That's the major takeaway from a new analysis of contraception access from two reproductive policy organizations, Power to Decide and the Guttmacher Institute, shared exclusively with NPR. Both organizations are nonprofit and nonpartisan, and both support access to reproductive and sexual health services, including abortion. The analysis produced two interactive, county-level maps. It's an updated version of a map of contraception deserts that Power to Decide first made in 2017. (Simmons-Duffin, 9/16)
On the Lindsay Clancy case —
AP: Massachusetts Governor Proposes Better Postpartum Care After Clancy Trial
New parents in Massachusetts should receive better support and postpartum care, Gov. Maura Healey said Tuesday, following the high-profile murder trial of Lindsay Clancy who, her attorneys argued, was suffering from unresolved postpartum psychosis when she killed her three children in 2023. Healey proposed providing free home visits by nurses to all parents with newborns as well as updated regulations governing mental health screening of new mothers. (Willingham, 9/15)
The New York Times: When Are ‘Horrible Thoughts’ A Danger Sign?
Experts say that after childbirth, intrusive thoughts are common and mostly benign. Lindsay Clancy’s story provides a disturbing exception. (Barry, 9/16)
The New York Times: Scrutiny Of Jury May Complicate Future Of Lindsay Clancy Case
When several jurors from the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy spoke publicly last week about their deliberations, they probably did not imagine what would follow: Deep dives into their social media histories. Hateful memes depicting the women among them as crones. And excavation of two jurors’ past legal problems — none of which would have disqualified them from serving. With a retrial of Ms. Clancy still possible, the intense scrutiny of the jurors whose deadlock led to a mistrial could complicate attempts to seat a new jury, from a pool of candidates who now have reason to fear a similar backlash. (Russell and Bogel-Burroughs, 9/15)
More about women's healthcare —
AP: Phil And Penny Knight Donate $1.1B To Expand Women's Health Services In Oregon
Oregon billionaires Phil and Penny Knight committed $1.1 billion to the Providence St. Vincent Medical Center and the Providence Heart Institute to build Oregon’s first hospital dedicated to women’s health, the medical center announced Tuesday. Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike, and his wife, have supported the institute for more than a decade, previously giving it more than $200 million, including a $75 million gift earlier this year. Along with creating the new women’s hospital, their new donation will help the medical center expand cardiovascular care and clinical research and training programs for the heart institute’s medical personnel. It will also make it easier to integrate patient care across the medical center. (Di Mento, 9/15)
Fortune: Walmart Heirs Committing $100M To Halve America's Maternal Death Rate
The U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among wealthy nations, research shows, so heirs of the multibillion Walmart fortune are working to drastically lower it. (Lake, 9/15)
The New York Times: Harold Freeman, Who Helped Remove Barriers To Cancer Treatment, Dies At 93
Harold P. Freeman, an influential oncology surgeon whose knowledge of the devastating effects of breast cancer on poor Black women inspired him to create a landmark program at Harlem Hospital Center, helping patients navigate the health care bureaucracy, died on Aug. 11 in Atlanta. He was 93. His death, at a hospital, was confirmed by his son Neale. (Sandomir, 9/15)
