Trump Intimidated Hospitals To End Trans Youth Care, States’ Suit Alleges
The lawsuit was filed Friday by attorneys general from 15 states and the District of Columbia, plus the governor of Pennsylvania. It comes on the heels of at least eight major hospitals announcing restrictions on gender-affirming care for people under 19. Meanwhile, UI Health in Chicago suspended gender-affirming surgeries for youths.
AP:
States Accuse Trump Of Intimidating Hospitals To Drop Gender-Affirming Care
Seventeen Democratic officials accused President Donald Trump’s administration of unlawfully intimidating health care providers into stopping gender-affirming care for transgender youth in a lawsuit filed Friday. The complaint comes after a month in which at least eight major hospitals and hospital systems — all in states where the care is allowed under state law — announced they were stopping or restricting the care. The latest announcement came Thursday from UI Health in Chicago. (Mulvihill, 8/1)
Chicago Tribune:
UI Health Ends Gender-Affirming Pediatric Surgery
Another Chicago hospital has ended gender-affirming pediatric surgery amid threats to its federal funding. But Illinois and 15 other states are fighting back in a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration for “intimidating providers” into denying such care. On Friday, UI Health became the latest hospital to suspend gender-affirming surgical procedures for adolescents effective immediately, according to an announcement posted on the hospital’s website. (Channick, 8/1)
On the gun violence epidemic —
AP:
Manhunt Continues For Ex-Soldier Suspected Of Killing 4 People In Montana
The former U.S. soldier suspected of killing four people at a Montana bar was still at large early Sunday and may be armed after escaping in a stolen vehicle containing clothes and camping gear, officials said. Authorities believe 45-year-old Michael Paul Brown killed four people on Friday morning at The Owl Bar in Anaconda, Montana, about 75 miles southeast of Missoula in a valley hemmed in by mountains. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said at a news conference Sunday that Brown committed the shooting with a rifle that law enforcement believes was his personal weapon. “This is an unstable individual who walked in and murdered four people in cold blood for no reason whatsoever. So there absolutely is concern for the public,” Knudsen said. (Riddle, 8/3)
More health news from across the U.S. —
The Hill:
Texas Abortion Ban Prompts Travel Surge For Procedures
Texans who sought an abortion out of state more than quadrupled between 2021 and 2023 after a state law went into effect that bans the procedure in almost all cases. Data from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) shows at least 7,844 Texas residents received an abortion in a different state in 2023, up from 4,718 in 2022 and 1,712 in 2021. Still the total number of abortions for Texas residents dropped by 85 percent compared to 2021. (Adams, 8/1)
The CT Mirror:
Lamont Nixed Overdose Prevention Centers, But Advocates Fight On
The provision would have made Connecticut one of the only states in the country to have an overdose prevention center, or OPC, a space equipped with supplies to mitigate the dangers of drug use that would allow people to bring illegal drugs and use them under the supervision of trained staff, equipped with supplies, like Narcan, that can prevent and reverse overdoses. (Golvala and Tillman, 8/3)
The Baltimore Sun:
Two Years After Cannabis Legalization In Maryland, Teachers See Impact On Kids
It’s been two years since recreational cannabis became legal in Maryland. While revenue has increased and arrests for cannabis possession have decreased, health experts and school officials say there’s an often-overlooked impact — many kids don’t see the drug as risky. (Fine, 8/4)
The Denver Post:
For ‘Mama Bear’ Parents, Access To Their College Kids’ Medical And Student Records Can Be A Waiver Away
When Jennifer Hughes’ son was in a mountain biking accident last year, she was prepared to go into full “mama bear” mode, overseeing his medical care and insurance details. But the Chicago-area mom ran into repeated roadblocks — federal privacy laws — that turned an already stressful time into a nightmare. (Hernandez, 8/2)
Also —
The Washington Post:
Police Nationwide Are Embracing A New First Responder: Drones
In dozens of U.S. cities, the next time you call 911, a drone might show up before an officer does. The technology behind that — “Drone as First Responder,” or DFR — has skyrocketed in popularity among police departments nationwide since the Federal Aviation Administration streamlined the process for agencies to adopt the program this spring. While it could previously take up to a year to get approval, it now often takes just days. Law enforcement and drone industry leaders praise the technology as lifesaving, with the potential to help authorities in situations ranging from missing persons cases to active shooter incidents. But critics worry the programs encourage mass surveillance and violate the public’s privacy. (Sheinerman, 8/4)
