Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Will Supreme Court Make Smart Decision On Mifepristone?; Let's Reframe Alzheimer's Diagnosis
The Washington Post: A Scientific Controversy At The Supreme Court
In March, the Supreme Court heard a case about access to mifepristone, one of two pills used for a medication abortion. Just weeks before that, though, a scientific controversy roiled the debate: Some of the scientific studies underlying the legal challenge to the abortion pill were retracted by Sage, the academic publishing company, over methodological and ethical concerns. The Supreme Court is expected to rule in a matter of days or weeks. (Katelyn Jetelina and Heidi Moseson, 6/10)
The New York Times: My Mom Had Alzheimer’s. Now I Do Too.
Through watching my mother, and through volunteer work I’ve done writing minibiographies for people who are losing their memories, I’ve learned that many of the more than six million Americans with Alzheimer’s have a relatively tolerable experience. They shouldn’t be referred to as “victims,” “sufferers” or even necessarily as “patients.” They’re still individuals in pursuit of happiness. (Stephen Gettinger, 6/8)
Stat: Curing Rare Childhood Diseases Will Falter Unless Congress Steps Up
When our son Peter was diagnosed with an ultra-rare form of muscular dystrophy at the age of 10, the first question we asked was: Is there a treatment? The answer was no. By the time our daughter Maggie, then just 6, received the same diagnosis, that answer hadn’t changed. We soon learned that our situation is tragically common. (Joe and Courtney Dion, 6/10)
The New York Times: A Lesson From Covid On How To Destroy Public Trust
Under questioning by a congressional subcommittee, top officials from the National Institutes of Health, along with Dr. Anthony Fauci, acknowledged that some key parts of the public health guidance their agencies promoted during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic were not backed up by solid science. What’s more, inconvenient information was kept from the public — suppressed, denied or disparaged as crackpot nonsense. (Zeynep Tufekci, 6/8)
Stat: How Faith Leaders Like Me Can Help Address America's Obesity Epidemic
Many factors drive America’s obesity epidemic — environment, genetics, eating habits, and more. Solving the problem isn’t solely about getting people to lose weight. What’s also needed is overcoming the stigma and systemic bias directed at people living with obesity. (W. Franklyn Richardson, 6/10)
