Viewpoints: Soda Taxes Can Save Millions Of Lives, So Why Don’t More Cities Support Them?; Lessons On Courage From Physicians Who Strongly Support Science
Opinion writers weigh in on these health issues and others.
Los Angeles Times:
The Cigarette Tax Has Saved Millions Of Lives. A Soda Tax Could Too.
You might want to think twice before downing that 12-ounce can of Coke. Since sugary drinks can cause a host of health problems, drinking one sugar-filled soda ends up imposing about 10 cents of health costs on others because the resulting medical bills are paid through Medicare, Medicaid or private insurers. We came to this conclusion while studying what economics says about the benefits of “soda taxes,” which have been embraced by seven cities across the country. (Hunt Allcott, Benjamin B. Lockwood and Dmitry Taubinsky, 6/3)
The New York Times:
When Defending Vaccines Gets Ugly
Peter Hotez is no stranger to vitriol. An outspoken proponent of vaccines in a state with one of the most vocal anti-vaccine lobbies in the country, Dr. Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, has been harassed at lectures, threatened online and blamed for his daughter’s autism. In early May, he took to Twitter to lament a report from the Texas health department showing a 14 percent increase in the number of parents seeking vaccine exemptions in the state. In response, State Representative Jonathan Stickland accused Dr. Hotez of being in the drug industry’s pocket and referred to his science as self-serving “sorcery.” (Jeneen Interlandi, 6/2)
The Washington Post:
George Tiller Was Murdered 10 Years Ago. We Need To Fight For His Legacy.
Ten years ago today, George Tiller, a Kansas abortion provider, was handing out the bulletin in his longtime church when he was shot and killed. On May 31, 2009, he became the eighth abortion provider to be murdered by antiabortion terrorists. A decade later, his legacy is under dire and escalating threat. But those of us inspired by his motto, “Trust women,” aren’t going anywhere. We should take the anniversary of Tiller’s death as a reminder of what we’re up against, and his life as a source of courage to continue his work. (Lauren Rankin, 5/31)
The Washington Post:
The Fact That Missouri Only Had One Abortion Clinic Left Was Already A Scandal
For several days last week, it looked as though Missouri might become the only state in which there was no operating abortion clinic — until a St. Louis judge issued a last-minute temporary restraining order Friday, preventing the state from revoking the license of a Planned Parenthood facility operating in the city. The dispute that led to the near-closure is a scandal — but so is the fact that there was only one remaining clinic in all of Missouri, a function of a state government determined to end access to legal abortion. (6/2)
The Washington Post:
The Virginia Beach Shooting Confirms That Gun Violence Is A National Emergency
The twelve victims killed in the Virginia Beach massacre were the people who knit the sinews of a society together, who plot the course of overhead wires and underground pipes, who set the course of roadways and sidewalks. They were municipal engineers and administrators, account clerks and agents, all of them making sure in some way or another that the essential connections and pathways everyone relies on would keep functioning. One of the victims had come simply to follow the rules, and file for a permit. That they were murdered in cold blood at their workplace on Friday afternoon is another sign that our society is not functioning properly in the face of an awful scourge. (6/1)
The New York Times:
A Gun Killed My Son. So Why Do I Want To Own One?
To be clear, there was nothing I could’ve done to save him. It’s just a fantasy that has been circling my brain in a holding pattern for decades — that somehow I could have intervened. On the evening of Dec. 14, 1992, a student armed with a semiautomatic rifle fired into the guard shack at the entrance to Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, Mass., seriously wounding the guard stationed there. Moments later a car pulled up to the guard shack and the killer shot point-blank into the car’s side window. The driver died instantly and the car ran off the road. Someone heard the noise and rushed into the college library to report the accident. My son Galen, a sophomore at the college, rushed out the door to help. The shooter was waiting there, at the end of the sidewalk. Galen was hit twice; the chest shot was fatal. He staggered back into the library and died. (Gregory Gibson, 6/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
Are You Getting Too Much Salt In Your Diet? Probably Not
Dietary guidelines often change, but “restrict your salt intake” has resisted the advances of science. The National Academy of Medicine recently reiterated its advice to limit daily sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams (a little over a teaspoon of salt), or 1,500 milligrams for those at risk of cardiovascular disease. An article last week in the New England Journal of Medicine endorsed that view and called for the Food and Drug Administration to impose voluntary sodium limits on 150 food categories. (Michael H. Alderman and David A. McCarron, 6/2)
The New York Times:
How Much Does Your Education Level Affect Your Health?
Education is associated with better health outcomes, but trying to figure out whether it actually causes better health is tricky. People with at least some college education have mortality rates (deaths per 1,000 individuals per year) less than half of those without any college education, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.In addition, people who are more educated exhibit less anxiety and depression, have fewer functional limitations, and are less likely to have a serious health condition like diabetes, cardiovascular disease or asthma. (Austin Frakt, 6/3)
Stat:
The Shortage Of Haloperidol, An 'Old' Drug, Haunts Me
Much as I don’t want to, I must face the fact that I might run out of haloperidol before it comes back on the market. I am confident I won’t experience the kind of eruption of my subconscious that happened in college. There may be a bumpy road ahead of me, filled with aggravating side effects and unknown outcomes, that I will have to somehow take in stride. I’ll also miss the haloperidol. It’s become something of a trusted companion, the reassuring friend you want to hold onto forever. (Maya Gottfried, 6/2)
Austin American-Statesman:
Texas' Health Needs Suffer As Planned Parenthood Battle Rages On
Senate Bill 22, which the governor is expected to sign, cuts off government support for existing sources of health care — clinics that provide cancer screenings, birth control and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, or outreach efforts to reduce teen pregnancies — if those services are affiliated with an abortion provider, such as Planned Parenthood. ...Supporters of SB 22 made Planned Parenthood’s East Austin clinic the poster child of the debate, not realizing it’s likely safe from the impact of this bill for at least two decades. (5/31)
