Viewpoints: Lessons On Why A World Without Roe Would Be Very Complicated; Democrats Can Push For Comprehensive Marijuana Reforms
Editorial writers weigh in on these and other health issues.
Los Angeles Times:
Alabama's Amendment 2 Provides A View Of A Post-Roe World
In Alabama on Tuesday, 59% of voters ratified Amendment 2, adding the State Abortion Policy Amendment to the state constitution. It would be easy to dismiss Amendment 2 as an empty political gambit aimed at increasing Republican voter turnout, but that would be a mistake. Instead, it represents clear and troubling evidence of what a post-Roe vs. Wade world would look like — and the U.S. Supreme Court should take note now. (Ronald J. Krotoszynski Jr., 11/9)
The Hill:
Pro-Choice Voters Won, Now Let's Get To Work
Tuesday was the first chance for the entire American electorate to cast their vote on the Trump-Pence agenda. And in historic, overwhelming numbers they showed up to cast their ballots and emphatically rejected two years of the Trump-Pence administration’s destructive agenda. President Donald Trump and his allies tried to ban abortion; they tried to defund Planned Parenthood; they tried to erase the transgender community; they embraced racist and discriminatory policies and the American people firmly said no. (Dana Singiser, 11/8)
The Hill:
Marijuana Was A Big Winner On Election Day
On Tuesday, marijuana was favorable among voters. In Michigan, voters approved Proposal 1, legalizing the adult use, cultivation, and retail marketing of marijuana. Michigan is the first Midwest state to legalize adult marijuana use and sales, and it is the tenth state to do so overall. An estimated 25 percent of the U.S. population now resides in a jurisdiction where the adult use and possession of cannabis is legal. Marijuana also won big in Missouri and Utah. In both states, voters approved ballot initiatives legalizing medical cannabis access. They are the 32nd and 33rd states to do so. They will not be the last. (Paul Armentano, 11/8)
The Washington Post:
VA, Skirting Court Order, Kills ‘Official Time’ For Medical Professionals
Further poisoning the Trump administration’s already noxious relationship with federal labor organizations, the Department of Veterans Affairs has rejected parts of collective-bargaining agreements with four unions. The heading on a memorandum sent to union leaders is blunt: “Notice of Repudiation.” (Joe Davidson, 11/8)
Stat:
People With Serious Mental Illness Tend To Die Prematurely. We Can Fix That
Media reports of suicides of high-profile individuals make it easy to believe that suicide is a leading killer of people with serious mental illness. It’s not even close, falling behind largely preventable conditions such as heart disease (10 times higher than suicide), cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Although these diseases can affect anyone, they make for a particularly lethal combination among people with serious mental illness. In fact, people with serious mental illness die 10 to 25 years earlier than the general population. (Shekhar Saxena and Ralph Aquila, 11/8)
New England Journal of Medicine:
Politics And Pandemics
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the deadliest event in U.S. history: the Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918, which killed more Americans than World Wars I and II combined. Although science and technology have advanced tremendously over the past century, the pandemic peril remains: a recent exercise at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security showed that an epidemic of an influenza-like virus could kill 15 million Americans in a single year. (Ron Klain, 11/7)
Sun Sentinel:
A Triumph For Voting Rights. Next Up, Medicaid?
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has estimated that Florida’s refusal will cost the state $66.1 billion in Medicaid money by 2023, more than any other state. That translates to thousands of jobs turned away — and many lives lost.If Ron DeSantis clings to his narrow lead, Florida’s next governor will be hostile to Medicaid expansion. So will the Legislature. But Florida’s people aren’t.The time is right — and so, we think, is the public’s mood — for another voter initiative. If Andrew Gillum is looking for a good cause to lead, that would be it. (11/8)
Detroit News:
Voters Have Spoken: They Want Pot
Nearly 60 percent of Michigan voters came out in support of recreational marijuana Tuesday. Yet now that Proposal 1 has passed, many local communities are already working to preempt its influence, just as they did with medical marijuana a decade ago. We're pretty sure that’s not what most voters intended. (11/8)
