Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Will Abortion Shield Laws Protect Doctors From Extradition?; RFK Jr. Is A Danger To Childhood Vaccines
The Boston Globe: The Abortion Wars’ New Frontier: The Limits Of Shield Laws
Last week, Louisiana prosecutors filed criminal charges against a New York doctor for violating the state’s abortion laws. The facts of the case aren’t fully clear, but prosecutors allege that the doctor mailed pills to a woman who gave them to her minor daughter. When the daughter experienced complications and called 911, law enforcement learned that she’d terminated her pregnancy and discovered the pills had come from out of state. (Mary Ziegler, 2/5)
The New York Times: Senate Should Protect Kids From Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
What would happen if there were a need for another Operation Warp Speed, but this time the point man on health was suspicious of vaccines — including those that arrested the last pandemic? (Nicholas Kristof, 2/4)
CNBC: I Know What's Needed To End Fentanyl Crisis. Tariffs Aren't It
President Trump’s decision to impose sweeping tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China — which he justified under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to combat the fentanyl crisis —makes good on a running threat to do so. It may appear bold to some or as an attempt to “negotiate” by others, but for many it is legally questionable, economically risky, and geopolitically shortsighted. (Dewardric L. McNeal, 2/3)
Stat: The Health Insurance Industry Is Based On A Single Deceit
Why are Americans furious at health insurers — so incensed that many have made an alleged assassin, charged with terrorism, into a folk hero? (M. Gregg Bloche, 2/5)
Stat: Discourse On DEI Bans Need Evidence, Nuance, And Empathy
Across the country, state legislatures are considering or enacting bans on state-funded diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. National leaders have broadly criticized DEI efforts, with the current administration working to dismantle decades of federal programs. Businesses that once championed diversity after the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery are retreating from prior commitments. But what is fueling this backlash? (Jerome Adams, 2/4)
