Viewpoints: The Comstock Act Must Be Eliminated; Chronic Pain Sufferers Deserve Better Management Options
Editorial writers tackle reproductive rights, chronic pain, bird flu, and health care hiring.
Scientific American:
Disregard For Women's Lives Explains The Comstock Act's Origins. It Also Explains Its Revival Today
The saga of Anthony Comstock and the Comstock Act mostly lingered as a dusty historical tale until March 26, 2024. On that day, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments from attorneys representing a small group of anti-abortion physicians who sought to restrict access to mifepristone, a safe and effective abortion drug approved by the FDA in 2000. (Amy Werbel, 5/15)
Stat:
Chronic Pain Treatment Should Go Far Beyond Medications
There’s a lot of buzz surrounding the new non-addictive pain pill that is up for FDA approval. It works as well as opioids for treating acute pain, and shows promise in treating chronic neuropathic pain as well. We are constantly getting messages from patients we are treating for all different types of chronic pain — arthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia, and pain we just can’t seem to figure out — along the lines of “Doc, have you heard about it? When it’s available, sign me up!” But treating chronic pain is so much more than a prescribed pill — even a non-addictive one. (Antje M. Barreveld and Edin Randall, 5/16)
The New York Times:
Lessons Of Past Pandemics Take On New Urgency As Bird Flu Looms
In 1918, an influenza virus jumped from birds to humans and killed an estimated 50 million to 100 million people in a world with less than a quarter of today’s population. Dozens of mammals also became infected. (John M. Barry, 5/16)
Modern Healthcare:
Ban On Noncompetes Likely To Make Healthcare Hiring Even Harder
Healthcare added more than 650,000 jobs last year. How many of those new hires signed a noncompete agreement with their employment contract when they walked through the door? (Mary Ellen Podmolik, 5/13)
