Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Repealing Roe Could Have Unintended Ramifications; Abortion Clinics Bracing For End Of Roe
The Atlantic: The Right To Become A Parent Is Now At Risk Too
The Supreme Court may not realize it, but in overturning Roe v. Wade it would open up a horrifying and perhaps counterintuitive possibility that should repulse all admirers of liberty: the legality of forced abortion or sterilization. Just as a fetus is inextricably fused with the body of the person gestating it, if the Court erases Roe and thus obliterates the right not to beget and bear a child, it will inevitably erase its reflection: the right to bring a child into the world. If Roe was wrong, then decisions upholding mandatory sterilization and abortion would be right. (Lawrence H. Tribe, 6/14)
The Atlantic: What It’s Like At An Abortion Clinic In Mississippi Right Now
Mississippi’s last abortion clinic is almost certainly operating on borrowed time. In early May, a leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion suggested that the majority-conservative bench will nullify the consitutional right to an abortion as set in Roe v. Wade. Such a decision would pave the way for significant rollbacks at the state level. An official ruling is expected in the next few weeks. But for now, Jackson Women’s Health Organization—the clinic at the center of the high-profile case before the Court—remains open. (Caroline Mimbs Nyce, 6/14)
Also —
The Baltimore Sun: The ‘COVID Cancer Effect’ Calls For Creative And Collaborative Solutions
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death for women in the United States. Yet breast cancer doesn’t impact all communities in the same way. Despite having similar rates of breast cancer, Black women in the United States are more likely than white women to die of the disease, due to a range of social, economic, political and environmental factors that contribute to an individuals’ health conditions and disparities. COVID-19 also has wreaked havoc on cancer detection and further compounded these disparities, creating a “COVID cancer effect.” (Clare Dougherty, 6/14)
USA Today: COVID Health Care Workers Who Care For Americans Are Burning Out
One of my greatest sources of inspiration and hope during the pandemic has been the courage and dedication of health workers. Their fierce commitment to care for us, despite the dangers to themselves and their loved ones, deserves our lasting appreciation and support. Which is why it is so troubling that, these days, when I visit a hospital, clinic or health department and ask staff how they’re doing, they use words like exhausted, traumatized, helpless and heartbroken. (Dr. Vivek Murthy, 6/14)
