Viewpoints: The Case For Rethinking Baby Boxes; What Exactly Does ‘Ultra-Processed’ Food Mean?
Opinion writers dissect these public health issues.
The CT Mirror:
Infant Abandonment Boxes Introduce New Harms -- Including Death
We are a bioethicist, an adoptee rights advocate, and a pediatrician writing in response to op-eds in the Hartford Courant and the New Haven Register which support “baby boxes.” These boxes are modern versions of foundling wheels from medieval times. They are metal boxes (usually installed in fire stations or hospitals) to give a mother the means to anonymously surrender an infant when they are unsure they can care for the infant themselves. These boxes represent good intentions. However, they are an inadequate and ineffective policy response which introduces many ethical, legal, and medical problems. This is especially concerning given Connecticut’s SB 1310 seeking to legalize these devices. (Lori Bruce, Patrice Martin and Mark Mercurio, 2/25)
Stat:
What Actually Makes A Food ‘Ultra-Processed’?
In recent years, an idea has taken hold across the ideological spectrum: The rise in diabetes and obesity in the United States is attributable to addictive, ultra-processed foods that dominate the American diet. But many people who are enthusiastically objecting to ultra-processed foods have little (if any) understanding of what the phrase means. (Chris Gismondi and Megan Kinney, 2/25)
Stat:
What Academic Research Could Learn From College Athletics
Since the end of World War II, the business plan of American universities has included two key principles that now are undergoing rapid disruptive change: Student-athletes participate in college sports in exchange for tuition, room, and board. Federal funding for academic research is the primary engine for the nation’s basic science enterprise. (Morris W. Foster, 2/25)
Stat:
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla Inflicts Injury On His Company — And All Of Pharma
It’s only February, but my pick for the Worst Biopharma CEO of 2025 has already been decided: Albert Bourla of Pfizer. Pfizer’s decision to hire Patrizia Cavazzoni, a former top drug regulator at the Food and Drug Administration, as its new chief medical officer is one of the dumbest, most damaging corporate screwups since the rollout of New Coke. (Adam Feuerstein, 2/24)
