Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Unexpected Pandemic Effect: A Drop In Twin Births
Reuters: Pandemic Lockdowns Linked To Decline In U.S. Twin Births, Study Suggests
Reduced access to infertility treatments early in the pandemic may have contributed to a drop in twin births, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest. The number of twin births fell 7% between 2019 and 2020 - from 120,291 to 112,437 - compared to an average 2%-per-year decline from 2014 to 2019, researchers reported on Wednesday in the CDC's National Vital Statistics Reports, based on data from 50 states and the District of Columbia. (Alleyne-Morris, 12/7)
In other reproductive health news —
Bloomberg: Abortion Clinic Closures Double In Year After End Of Roe V. Wade
As of November, 42 independent clinics had closed this year, most of which were in the South and Midwest. That’s up from 20 in 2021, according to a Tuesday report from Abortion Care Network, an association of community-based abortion providers. Independent clinics provide 55% of abortion services nationwide. (Butler, 12/6)
Reuters: Alabama Case Over Mistaken Pregnancy Highlights Risks In A Post-Roe World
Etowah County officials are facing what appears to be the first lawsuit in the state alleging false imprisonment because a woman who was jailed for exposing her unborn child to drugs wasn’t pregnant — although it isn’t the first time such dystopian injustice has played out in Alabama. Stacey Freeman, who is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, was under investigation by a family services agency for substance abuse when her daughter incorrectly told social workers that Freeman was pregnant, according to her Nov. 7 complaint. Freeman said she offered to take a pregnancy test, but it wasn’t administered. (Kanu, 12/6)
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Genital Examinations Removed From Ohio Legislature’s Transgender Sports Bill, Though Prohibition Remains
Lawmakers amended a bill Tuesday afternoon that would prohibit transgender high school girls from playing women’s sports by removing a provision that could have required genital examinations when an athlete’s sex is in question. (Hancock, 12/6)
Houston Chronicle: Texas' Maternal Death Report Was Ready. So Why Was It Shelved?
State health officials had completed a long-awaited report on maternal deaths and were preparing talking points about the findings just days before it was shelved until after the November midterms, according to emails obtained by Hearst Newspapers. (Blackman and Gill, 12/6)
