Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Kansas Extremists Are At It Again; How One Doctor Views Biden's Fitness For The Job
Kansas Reflector: Kansas Extremists Can't Ban Abortion. So They've Decided To Harass Women Instead.
A bunch of archconservative Kansas Republicans would love nothing more than to ban abortion for all women in all circumstances. Because our state Supreme Court ruled that the Kansas Constitution protects the right to bodily autonomy — and because Kansas voted overwhelmingly to preserve that right — that’s not going to happen anytime soon. So anti-abortion activists have settled on a new tactic: harassing women who want to terminate their pregnancies. (Clay Wirestone, 3/8)
Los Angeles Times: What A Doctor Sees When Joe Biden Hesitates
As a geriatrician, I discuss the effects of aging with patients every day. I wish I had a chance to give my usual talk to everyone who chortles or tears their hair out about President Biden’s fitness for his job. First, memory. I explain to patients that there are three components to consider. One is formation. Then storage. And finally, recall. The most common issue among seniors is slow recall. This is the familiar “tip of the tongue” phenomenon, when a word seems to hide or a name won’t come to mind. You know the name, it’s in your bank of memories, it just can’t be accessed quickly. Given time, it usually arrives. (Daniel J. Stone, 3/7)
Stat: A New Approach To Psychiatric Drug Development
In many ways, psychiatry is still flying blind. People experiencing mental health conditions are prescribed various drugs until one (or a combination) finally works — a painful process that can take years. As a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, I became increasingly impatient and frustrated with this ineffective way of treating patients. This guided the core question behind my research: Can biology explain how people with the same psychiatric disorder respond differently to the same treatment? (Amit Etkin, 3/8)
Kansas City Star: If Missouri Conservatives Compromise On Guns, Will Liberals?
Shootings such as what happened at the Chiefs Super Bowl parade stir up debate about guns, with everyone seeing evidence supporting their own view — frankly, some of the opinion columns seemed as if they were prewritten by authors waiting for just this kind of a tragedy. But while policing and public safety are important debates, we need to do a better job of thinking them through. (Patrick Tuohey, 3/8)
