Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Antibiotic Market Needs New And Better Options; SB 8 Affecting More Than Just Texas
Stat: The Antibiotics Are Not All Right. We Need New Ones Now
I biked to work in a rainstorm one day in October 2019. As a longtime bike commuter, I was unfazed by the torrents of water as I skidded through puddles in a rush. After facing down the weather, I was surprised to find a far more violent storm brewing in my own body. Within 24 hours I felt feverish, it hurt to pee, and I experienced the characteristic cloudy urine that signals a urinary tract infection (UTI). These infections are incredibly common: there are more than 150 million cases a year globally and most women will experience a UTI at least once in their lives. While antibiotics are routinely used to treat them, the existing ones are becoming less and less effective as the pathogens that cause UTIs — and every other bacterial infection — are becoming more and more resistant to them. (Natalie Ma, 10/29)
Los Angeles Times: The Texas Abortion Ban Is Already Harming Reproductive Rights Beyond Texas
On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on the Texas abortion ban that it has so far declined to block. In the two months since SB 8 was passed, access to abortion in Texas has been severely restricted, and its effects have gone well beyond Texas. My organization, the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project, based in Los Angeles, has heard from a surge of patients traveling out of Texas for care. We work with a network of more than 700 clinics and doctors to help pay for abortions and emergency contraception in all 50 states. (Sylvia Ghazarian, 10/29)
Kansas City Star: Missouri Senate Candidate McCloskey Says No Abortions For Teen Rape Victims
Republican Missouri Senate candidate Mark McCloskey told an audience last week he believes 13-year-old rape and incest victims should not be allowed to have abortions, stating he had a client who was raped at 13 but who gave birth to a child who now has a master’s degree. (Jeanne Kuang and Jonathan Shorman, 10/27)
Stat: For People With Sickle Cell Disease, Add Check-Ins To Checkups
Among the many lessons the Covid-19 pandemic has taught society are that individual behaviors matter; leadership counts; and the burden of Covid-19 is not equally distributed. I’ve learned something more as a health care provider taking care of patients with sickle cell disease: Successfully caring for a vulnerable population with a chronic illness requires more than high-quality medical care. As a community health worker connected with the sickle cell population once told me, people need more than a checkup; they need a check-in. (Kim Smith-Whitley, 10/29)
The Star Tribune: Credit St. Paul For Focus On Smoking
St. Paul is on the verge of adopting a tobacco ordinance that would put it at the forefront of efforts to reduce smoking, a well-known health hazard that is among the leading causes of preventable death and disease in the U.S. The ordinance would set a minimum price of $10 per pack of cigarettes. But more importantly, it would prohibit the use of coupons or other discounts that often lower prices and entice purchases. The ban also would apply to e-cigarettes, which often are heavily discounted by an industry attempting to lure younger buyers with an alternative to tobacco. In some stores, a single e-cigarette containing an entire cigarette pack's worth of nicotine can be had for 99 cents. (10/28)
