Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Sex, Abortion Are Taboo Topics For Meta Chatbots, Leaked Papers Show
Mother Jones: Leaked Documents Show Meta Cracking Down On Access To Abortion Information
Leaked documents reveal that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, has blocked its AI chatbot from discussing topics including abortion with minors—a blanket policy that contrasts sharply with the firm’s handling of child sexual exploitation claims, and that may also inadvertently affect its content for adults. Internal Meta documents obtained by Mother Jones, containing a comprehensive list of policy guidelines for Meta’s chatbot interactions with users under the age of 18, shed light on how the company is training its chatbots to respond to children’s questions on issues ranging from sexual health to suicide and self-harm, eating disorders, and other mental health issues. (Parmar, 2/25)
More reproductive health news —
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Appeals Court Upholds Block On Ohio’s ‘Fetal Remains’ Law, Citing The Reproductive Freedom Amendment
An appellate court in Cincinnati on Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling that permanently blocks a law requiring the burial or cremation of fetal remains from surgical abortions. (McGowan, 2/25)
Chicago Tribune: Illinois Republican Governor Hopefuls Oppose Abortion-Is-Murder Bill
Opposing abortion has been an Illinois Republican litmus test for decades, but even the party’s four candidates seeking the GOP nomination for governor are walking away from recently filed legislation that would criminalize the procedure as murder and make women who undergo an abortion and those who assist her eligible for the death penalty. (Pearson, 2/25)
Nashville Banner: Tennessee Bill Seeking Death Penalty for People Who Have Abortions Likely to Stall in Senate
A Tennessee bill that would amend the state’s criminal code to allow the death penalty for people who receive abortions is likely to stall, as sponsor Sen. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) says there’s a lack of support for the policy in the Senate. (Taylor, 2/24)
WSMV: Tennessee Woman Says Hospital Canceled Her Sterilization Surgery While Admitted To Hospital
A Tennessee woman says Ascension St. Thomas Midtown canceled her scheduled sterilization surgery Friday morning hours after she had been admitted and an IV had been placed. The woman said she had been seeking a salpingectomy — a surgery that removes the fallopian tubes — after years of trying other birth control options. (Mehling, 2/23)
Mother Jones: Red States Are Doing What Trump Won’t: Going After Abortion Pills In Court
A new case in Louisiana tests how far courts will go to restrict access in a post-Roe landscape. (Martin, 2/24)
San Francisco Chronicle: Texas AG Credits Abuser’s Claims In Lawsuit Against Bay Area Doctor
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has piled onto the legal woes of a Bay Area doctor accused of helping women overcome their states’ extreme abortion bans by sending abortion pills through the mail. Paxton announced Tuesday that his office had sued Dr. Remy Coeytaux along with nonprofit Aid Access and its founder Rebecca Gomperts, claiming they conspired to mail abortion medication into Texas against the state’s laws. (Hosseini, 2/25)
