Reuters: U.S. Eyes Emergency Contraception Grants If Top Court Cuts Abortion Rights
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration was looking at grants to help fund expanding access to emergency contraception as a possible response if the Supreme Court overturns a 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Wednesday. "What we have done to date ... where we have seen restrictions ... is created for example the dire need grant awards, which provide funding to expand access to emergency contraception," Psaki told reporters in a press briefing. (5/4)

The Washington Post: White House Scrambles For Ways To Protect Abortion 
In the hours after a leaked Supreme Court document signaled the court was poised to overturn Roe v. Wade in the coming weeks, President Biden vowed to fight to protect access to abortion. “We will be ready when any ruling is issued,” Biden said in a statement Tuesday. But in marathon meetings and phone calls among White House officials, government lawyers, outside advisers and federal agency officials, a sobering reality settled in: There’s little the White House can do that will fundamentally alter a post-Roe landscape. (Abutaleb and Pager, 5/4)

USA Today: How Can Biden Protect Abortion If Roe V. Wade Is Overturned? He Might Need 'Experimental Options'
Supporters of a woman’s right to choose quickly called on President Joe Biden to protect access to abortion after a leaked draft opinion suggested the Supreme Court is prepared to strike down Roe v. Wade. But legal experts caution that Biden’s options are limited. Most of the steps the administration could take to preserve abortion access would rely heavily on untested legal positions, said Mary Ziegler, a visiting law professor at Harvard University who has studied and written about abortion rights.“They’re experimental options,” Ziegler said, “in the sense that they may or may not work.” (Collins, 5/4)

The Hill: Biden’s Discomfort With Abortion Comes Under Scrutiny 
President Biden’s longtime discomfort with the issue of abortion, fueled by his Catholicism and his personal and complex stance on access, has come under scrutiny this week with the leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion that shows a majority of justices supporting the reversal of Roe v. Wade. The president is often criticized for attempting to balance his faith with his support for abortion access. But Biden hasn’t publicly used the word abortion out loud during his presidency until this week and he also hasn’t called for an end to the filibuster in order for Congress to codify Roe v. Wade as he has for other legislative matters. (Gangitano, 5/5)

The New York Times: With Roe Under Threat, Biden Is An Unlikely Abortion Rights Champion 
For President Biden, the threat to the landmark Roe decision represents a singular challenge as he attempts to put aside a long history of evident discomfort with the issue of abortion to transform himself into a champion of the constitutional right that may soon be erased from the law books. Over the course of a half-century in national politics, Mr. Biden has rarely been the full-throated backer of abortion rights that activists have sought, evolving from an outright critic of Roe early in his career to a seemingly reluctant and largely quiet supporter. While he has used the word “abortion” in written statements as president, he had never spoken the word out loud since taking office until this week when the draft ruling leaked. (Baker, 5/5)

The CDC weighs in —

Stat: ‘Lives Could Be At Stake’: CDC’s Walensky Warns Of Dire Stakes Surrounding Abortion Access
Alack of access to legal abortion services could directly lead to American deaths, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention argued Wednesday. “Women who are interested in accessing care, termination of their pregnancies, may not have resources to cross state lines,” Rochelle Walensky said. “Those who don’t may take matters in their own hands, and may not get exactly the care they need … I do think lives could be at stake in that situation.” (Facher, 5/4)

Politico: More Than A Show Vote? Senate Dems Weigh Their Roe Plans 
Senate Democrats are gearing up for an abortion-rights vote next week in response to the breach of a draft opinion that showed a Supreme Court majority prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade. They fully expect it to fall short of even 50 votes. In the wake of POLITICO’s report on the draft opinion, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer teed up a bill that would enshrine federal protections for abortion access, despite nearly identical legislation failing in the Senate at the end of February. And even as progressives on and off the Hill clamor for action to codify Roe before the Supreme Court has a chance to eliminate it, no one is expecting a different outcome now. (Levine and Ollstein, 5/4)

The Hill: Senate GOP Ducks Questions On Federal Abortion Bans 
Senate Republicans are dodging questions about whether they would seek restrictions or bans on abortion at the federal level if the Supreme Court overturns the Roe v. Wade decision and the GOP wins win back congressional majorities. The strong possibility the GOP could get such a chance was signaled this week when a draft ruling by five conservative Supreme Court justices leaked to Politico. The draft did overturn Roe, though Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday said it did not represent the final views of the court. (Sullivan, 5/5)

The Wall Street Journal: After Supreme Court Opinion Draft Leak Overturning Roe V. Wade, Lawmakers Weigh Next Steps 
Democratic and Republican leaders are weighing their next political steps on abortion after a leaked draft opinion suggested that the Supreme Court was poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. The prospect of such a ruling just months before midterm elections that will determine which party controls Congress has Senate Democratic leaders planning to put on the floor next week a bill to codify the existing abortion right laid out by Roe and related court decisions. It has no chance of passing because of Republican opposition in a 50-50 Senate, where procedures require a supermajority to advance most legislation. But Democrats could point to the blockade in an attempt to energize voters, particularly as some GOP-led states mobilize to enact laws banning the procedure. (Hughes and Wise, 5/4)

Politico: Roe Draft Supercharges Battle For State Control 
With the Supreme Court poised to strike down Roe v. Wade, the next battle over abortion rights in America won’t be fought in Washington. Instead, it will be state-by-state trench warfare — particularly in a small universe of swing states that are poised to play an oversized role in the midterm election and the presidential race to come. (Montellaro and Otterbein, 5/4)

The Texas Tribune: Campaigning for Henry Cuellar, a Democratic U.S. House leader says party shouldn’t shun abortion opponents
The No. 3 Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives charged into a raging national firestorm over abortion rights Wednesday as he visited Texas to campaign with U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a rare Democrat who opposes the practice, in his hotly contested primary runoff. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn’s trip was announced over a week ago, but it fell two days after Politico published a leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court that favors overturning Roe v. Wade. The timing of the news cast an uncomfortable spotlight on Cuellar — and the senior Democrats who support him — as he was the only House Democrat last year to vote against a proposal to codify Roe v. Wade. (Svitek, 5/4)

The Hill: Abortion Fight Puts Spotlight On Governors
The leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion striking down landmark precedents that protect the right to an abortion has upended the nation’s capital and the battle for control of the U.S. House and Senate. But it has increased pressure to an even greater degree on Democrats and Republicans vying to win governor’s mansions and state legislative chambers across the country, where the outcomes of this November’s midterm elections will determine just how far abortion rights advocates and opponents can advance their positions in the coming years. (Wilson, 5/4)

Also —

The Hill: Gaetz Faces Backlash For ‘Over-Educated’ Women Remark 
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is facing backlash after questioning how many “over-educated, under-loved” women have participated in protests supporting abortion rights after a draft ruling from the Supreme Court showed that the bench is poised to roll back Roe v. Wade. “How many of the women rallying against overturning Roe are over-educated, under-loved millennials who sadly return from protests to a lonely microwave dinner with their cats, and no bumble matches?” Gaetz wrote on Twitter Wednesday morning. (Schnell, 5/4)

ABC News: Senator Brings Up Family's Abortion Story, As Future Of Roe V. Wade In Jeopardy 
Sen. Gary Peters was one of the first sitting U.S. senators to share a personal family abortion story and, with the future of Roe v. Wade in doubt, he told his story to ABC News Live to underscore how devastating the loss of legal abortion will be for the country. In the late 1980s, Peters' first wife, Heidi, had to undergo an abortion procedure after her water broke during her second trimester. Peters warned that if Roe v. Wade is overturned, following reports on a leaked Supreme Court draft ruling, it will have a devastating effect on women and families who go through similar life-and-death situations. (Pereira, 5/4)

Reuters: Abortion Pill Provider Sees Spike In U.S. Interest After SCOTUS Leak 
A provider of prescription pills that are used to terminate pregnancy at home has seen a spike in interest from U.S. women this week, following news that the Supreme Court would likely reverse a landmark 1973 decision ensuring abortion rights nationwide, nonprofit Aid Access said on Wednesday. The court confirmed that a draft opinion signaling a reversal of the Roe v. Wade ruling, published late on Monday by the news site Politico, was authentic. The court said it did not represent the justices' final decision, due by the end of June. (Aboulenein, 5/4)

The Washington Post: Demand For Abortion Pills Will Soar If Roe V. Wade Is Overturned, Advocates Say 
The end of a national right to abortion could trigger a surge of interest in a method of pregnancy termination that has become popular in states that already restrict the procedure: Abortion pills by mail. Many Republican legislatures have tried banning the pills from being shipped or prescribed. But some women have been able to circumvent the restrictions by getting their pills online from overseas pharmacies that can’t be reached by U.S. laws. The five-day regimen of tablets usually comes in an unassuming envelope, making it hard to police. With the Supreme Court possibly poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, people seeking abortions in the United States will probably flock to these sources, experts say. (Rowland, McGinley and Bogage, 5/4)

AP: Next Battle Over Access To Abortion Will Focus On Pills 
It took two trips over state lines, navigating icy roads and a patchwork of state laws, for a 32-year-old South Dakota woman to get abortion pills last year. For abortion-seekers like her, such journeys, along with pills sent through the mail, will grow in importance if the Supreme Court follows through with its leaked draft opinion that would overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision and allow individual states to ban the procedure. The woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because she was concerned for her family’s safety, said the abortion pills allowed her to end an unexpected and high-risk pregnancy and remain devoted to her two children. (Groves, 5/5)

Stat: Telemedicine Abortion Services Prepare For Surges Where Still Legal
Federal protections around abortion will leap back half a century if the Supreme Court repeals Roe v. Wade, as a leaked draft opinion suggests it will. The reality of how people access abortions, though, has evolved in those 50 years. The majority of U.S. abortions are now induced with medication instead of done surgically, and telemedicine providers of these pills will play a crucial role in serving patients who live in states that sharply limit or ban abortions. It was only in December that the Food and Drug Administration made permanent a rule change allowing patients to receive abortion pills by mail instead of having to visit specially certified providers in person. Now telemedicine abortion providers will have to grapple with how to serve patients across the country as more states are expected to restrict and criminalize abortions. (Goldhill, 5/5)

The Boston Globe: ‘Everyone Who Is Vulnerable In Some Way’ Will Bear The Brunt If Court Overturns Roe, Specialists Say
Teenagers. People of color. Low-income workers. Undocumented immigrants. Victims of domestic violence. If the Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion, those and other marginalized groups will bear the brunt of the consequences, according to reproductive rights experts. “Everyone who is vulnerable in some way that makes leaving a state more difficult or impossible — that’s who this overturning is going to fall more heavily on,” said Shoshanna Ehrlich, a gender and sexuality studies professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston. (Pan, 5/4)

The Hill: After Leaked Abortion Draft, Democrats Fear What’s Next 
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), in a brief interview, pointed to Griswold v. Connecticut, the 1965 decision that struck down a state law that barred married couples from using contraceptives. Griswold, like Roe, rested on what the Supreme Court said was an individual’s right to privacy. “I think the most obvious one is Griswold just because it deals with that same kind of notion of privacy, which Alito seems to reject. … I think the scope of the rationale is incredibly sweeping,” Kaine said. (Carney, 5/5)

Reuters: Gay Marriage, Other Rights At Risk After U.S. Supreme Court Abortion Move
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's draft opinion that would end the recognition of a constitutional right to abortion could imperil other freedoms related to marriage, sexuality and family life including birth control and same-sex nuptials, according to legal experts. The draft ruling, disclosed in a leak that prompted Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday to launch an investigation, would uphold a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized the procedure nationwide. (Chung, 5/4)

Business Insider: GOP Senators Won't 'Wade Into' Same-Sex Marriage Amid Abortion Debate
Insider spoke with nearly a dozen Republican senators at the Capitol on Tuesday, asking each of them whether they believed the draft opinion threatens marriage equality and whether they would support overturning Obergefell v. Hodges. None gave a clear yes or no answer, and several outright declined to comment. Republican Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana, who recently faced criticism for telling reporters in Indiana that he believes interracial marriage should've been left up to the states instead of decided by the Supreme Court, told Insider that he had "no idea" whether Obergefell could be overturned. He argued the case was "a narrow consideration just on an issue that's been contested for like 49 years." (Metzger, 5/4)

NBC News: ‘It’s Already Having An Impact’: LGBTQ People Fear Abortion Rights Reversal
Josiah Ramos, a Black transgender man, said he fears that a Supreme Court opinion that would overturn longstanding precedent protecting access to abortion would have a greater effect on transgender and nonbinary people, who already face barriers to care. “We all should have the right to decide what we want to do with our bodies,” said Ramos, 23, who is also the co-director of Black Trans Blessings, a trans-led organization in New York City. “I’m not ready to have a kid,” he added. “So if I, God forbid, was to get pregnant, and I wanted to have an abortion, you’re basically trying to strip my right … and that’s not fair.” (Yurcaba and Bellamy-Walker, 5/4)

Politico: Poll: Half Of Voters Support Maintaining Roe V. Wade
By a nearly 2-to-1 margin, voters oppose overturning Roe v. Wade, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll conducted immediately after POLITICO published a draft opinion from the Supreme Court that would eviscerate the 1973 precedent guaranteeing federal abortion rights. Half of voters (50 percent) say Roe v. Wade should not be overturned — more than the 28 percent who say it should be overturned. More than 2-in-10 voters, 22 percent, are undecided, according to the poll. (Shepard, 5/4)

The New York Times: Do Americans Support Abortion Rights? Depends On The State.
In the states poised to put in new restrictions on abortion, people tend to say that abortion should be mostly or fully illegal, based on a New York Times analysis of large national surveys taken over the last decade. In the 13 states that have enacted so-called trigger laws, which would immediately or very quickly outlaw abortion if Roe were overturned, 43 percent of adults on average say abortion should be legal in most or all cases, while 52 percent say it should be illegal in most or all cases. (Cohn, 5/4)

The Texas Tribune: Most Texas Voters Say Abortion Should Be Allowed In Some Form, Poll Shows 
At a time when Texas is poised to outlaw the vast majority of abortions if the nation’s highest court overturns constitutional protections for the procedure, a recent University of Texas at Austin poll shows most Texan voters think access to abortion should be allowed in some form. Texas would make performing most abortions a felony if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade — a future that looks considerably more likely after a nonbinding draft opinion was leaked from the high court Monday. Constitutional protections for abortion could be struck down as soon as this summer. The university conducted the poll in April before the court’s document was leaked. The survey found that 78% of respondents believe abortion should be allowed in some form while only 15% said it should be never permitted. (Oxner, 5/4)

San Francisco Chronicle: How Californians Feel About Roe V. Wade, According To One Survey
California has a reputation as one of the nation’s liberal bulwarks — and already there’s talk that the state could become a refuge for women seeking abortions if the Supreme Court follows through on overturning Roe v. Wade. Still, residents’ opinions on whether the case should be overturned vary by geography and income, according to a survey conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California in July 2021. ... Statewide, 77% of respondents said the court should not overturn the precedent, while 21% said the justices should and 2% said they didn’t know. (Kost, 5/4)

Canada says Americans can get an abortion there —

NPR: Canadian Abortion Providers Can Treat Americans If Roe Goes Away, Official Says
While it's not yet clear what resemblance the Supreme Court's leaked draft opinion will bear to the final version, its current form suggests Justices may soon reverse federal abortion protections. And if that does come to pass, at least one Canadian official says Americans who are able to travel across the northern border will be able access the procedure there. Karina Gould, the minister of families, children and social development, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday that Canada would allow Americans to obtain abortions. (Treisman, 5/4)

The Washington Post: Scrapping Roe Would Affect Both Sides Of Border, Canadian Official Says
If Roe v. Wade were overturned, Americans could continue to receive abortions in Canada, Karina Gould, the country’s minister of families, children and social development, said Tuesday. She said such a decision would affect people on both sides of the border. ... “One of the concerning factors here is that there are many Canadian women who maybe don’t live near a major city in Canada, but will often access these services in the United States,” Karina Gould, the country’s minister of families, children and social development, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

NPR: Advocates Say Undoing Roe V. Wade Goes Against Global Abortion Access Trends
International rights groups warned the U.S. Supreme Court last year that possibly overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade case that made abortions legal in 1973 would put it behind the curve of other countries that have been expanding access to abortion care. Human Rights Watch says there is an international trend toward expanding abortion access. Argentina legalized abortion in 2020, while Mexico decriminalized the procedure in 2021. Statistics also show that in Ecuador, El Salvador, South Africa and Romania, the more restrictive abortion legislation is, the higher incidences of women dying or contracting diseases after giving birth are, according to a September 2021 brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. (Archie, 5/5)

Support floods in —

Reuters: Donations To U.S. Abortion Rights Groups, Clinics Surge After Supreme Court Leak
Donations have flooded into abortion clinics and abortion-rights advocacy groups since the leak of a U.S. Supreme Court draft ruling that showed the justices apparently poised to overturn the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision. The draft ruling, which was published by Politico on Monday evening, sparked a frenzy of giving by Americans to abortion clinics, groups that help individuals pay for abortions and organizations seeking to preserve abortion access. (Borter, 5/4)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Hundreds March Through Downtown Milwaukee, Supporting Abortion Rights
Hundreds marched through downtown Milwaukee Wednesday, calling for abortion rights in the wake of a leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion indicating the court is poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case. The march was organized by members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation-Milwaukee and the Milwaukee International Women's Day Coalition. Demonstrators met at Red Arrow Park for speeches before marching down Wisconsin Avenue to the Planned Parenthood clinic on N. 22nd Street and W. Wisconsin Avenue, outside of which organizers gave more speeches before the crowd marched back. (Shastri, 5/4)

NBC News: Some Religions Support Abortion Rights. Their Leaders Are Speaking Up.
After an abortion law took effect in Texas last fall that allows private citizens to sue someone who performs an abortion or helps someone obtain one after six weeks of pregnancy, Rabbi Mara Nathan, the senior rabbi at Temple Beth-El in San Antonio, knew she wanted to address it in a sermon. “It definitely felt like a risky sermon to give,” she said, “but I felt like I really didn’t have a choice.” In the sermon, which she titled “The Right to Choose is a Jewish Value,” Nathan took aim at the law, known as S.B. 8, and outlined how, as she put it, “Judaism has always been pro-choice.” (McShane, 5/5)

On corporate reaction and data privacy —

The Washington Post: After State Abortion Fights, Corporate America Braces For End Of Roe
The news this week caught corporate America off-guard, resulting in a barrage of worried emails and phone calls trailing into the night as corporate officials grappled with the realization that the slew of state abortion laws were simply dress rehearsals for a bigger, nationwide policy shift. “The communication with corporate parties has just been nonstop,” said Jen Stark, senior director at Tara Health Foundation, an investment firm focused on gender and racial equity. “Companies that were gearing up for impact in June are feeling the reality set in now.” (Frankel, Telford and Abril, 5/4)

The New York Times: Corporate America Doesn’t Want To Talk Abortion, But It May Have To
Some political and cultural events set off a cascade of emails from brands — sneaker, makeup and food companies telling their customers that they stand with them in a stressful time, or reminding them to vote. But after a draft opinion obtained by Politico revealed the Supreme Court’s intention to overturn Roe v. Wade, the overwhelming reaction from corporate leaders was silence. “This is an issue that many companies have shied away from,” said Miriam Warren, Yelp’s chief diversity officer. (Goldberg, Gupta and Hirsch, 5/4)

The Washington Post: Your Phone Could Reveal If You’Ve Had An Abortion
When someone gets an abortion, they may decide not to share information with friends and family members. But chances are their smartphone knows. The leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion proposing to overturn Roe v. Wade raises a data privacy flash point: If abortion becomes criminal in some states, might a person’s data trail be treated as evidence? (Fowler and Hunger, 5/4)

Abortion clinics prepare for the unknown —

NBC News: Abortion Clinics Are Bracing For Protests, Harassment And Violence If Roe Falls
Security, always a major concern for abortion clinics, just became more urgent. The leak of a U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade has clinics worried about an uptick in harassment and other aggressive activity by abortion-rights opponents outside their doors. Laurie Casey, executive director of the WE Health Clinic in Duluth, Minnesota, said she is considering hiring security guards to boost protection in the aftermath of the Supreme Court leak. If the Supreme Court indeed nullifies Roe v. Wade, several states near Minnesota — including North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Michigan — would restrict or ban abortions. That could draw more protesters to Casey’s clinic. (Schuppe, 5/4)

The Washington Post: After Supreme Court Leak, Antiabortion Groups Cautiously Hopeful
Minutes after reading that the Supreme Court was prepared to gut Roe v. Wade, Kristan Hawkins joined a conference call to plan. The antiabortion activist had rearranged her life for this moment, even selling her house last year and moving her family into a camper to travel the country, advocating for abortion restrictions. Now a leaked majority opinion said Roe “must be overruled.” (Knowles, Roubein and Shammas, 5/4)

USA Today: Pregnancy-Related Deaths Could Rise 20% Or More In States That Outlaw Abortion, Experts Say
In the 26 states poised to either restrict or outlaw abortions if Roe v. Wade is overturned this summer, the number of pregnancy-related maternal deaths could rise 20% or more, according to some calculations. Currently in the United States, about 700 women die each year either during pregnancy, during delivery or soon afterward, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Denying people abortions increases deaths because staying pregnant is more dangerous than having an abortion,” said Amanda Stevenson, a sociology professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder. (Weise, 5/4)

AP: Abortion Battles In States Fire Up After Supreme Court Leak 
Democrats in blue states are bracing for a wave of legal attacks and other maneuvers seeking to undermine access, and some are even taking steps to enshrine the right to abortion in their constitutions, making it much more difficult to impose a ban in the future. Republican states are expected to ban or restrict abortion, but tactics also could include an aggressive effort to go beyond their borders to sue abortion providers and find other ways to punish those who assist a woman in securing an abortion. (Whitehurst, Ramer and Kruesi, 5/4)

Stateline: More States Shield Against Rogue Abortion Prosecutions
Last month, 26-year-old Lizelle Herrera was arrested in Texas and charged with murder over a self-induced abortion. A hospital had reported the abortion to law enforcement. But prosecutors later acknowledged she shouldn’t have been prosecuted and dropped the charge. “In reviewing applicable Texas law, it is clear that Ms. Herrera cannot and should not be prosecuted for the allegation against her,” Starr County District Attorney Gocha Allen Ramirez said in a news release. If the U.S. Supreme Court weakens or overturns the right to abortion as expected in the months ahead, health advocates warn that more people who manage their own abortions using U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved medications, herbal remedies or other non-medical methods will be falsely arrested on charges of violating abortion bans, homicide laws and other criminal statutes. (Vestal, 5/4)

How states in the East and Southeast are reacting —

The New York Times: In New England, Republican Governors Vow To Support Abortion Rights.
As Republican-led states across the country move to codify abortion restrictions, the three Republican governors in New England vowed this week to protect abortion rights in their states. If the Supreme Court ultimately overturns Roe v. Wade, said Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, “it would be a massive setback for women in states without responsible laws protecting abortion access and reproductive health services.” Gov. Phil Scott of Vermont reaffirmed his support for an amendment to the State Constitution that would enshrine the right to an abortion. And Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire said, “So long as I am governor, these health care services for women will remain safe and legal.” (Belman, 5/4)

The Boston Globe: R.I. Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To Reproductive Privacy Act
The Rhode Island Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a legal challenge to the Reproductive Privacy Act, the law Rhode Island enacted in 2019 to protect abortion rights in case the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The decision comes just two days after news broke that the US Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationally. The Rhode Island Supreme Court rejected a legal challenge brought by Catholics for Life and others, claiming the Reproductive Privacy Act violated the Rhode Island Constitution. The attorney general office disagreed and defended the validity of the law. (Fitzpatrick, 5/4)

The Washington Post: Maryland Expanded Abortion Access. But Hogan Won’t Pay To Train Providers.
Amid intense focus on abortion rights, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has decided to withhold the $3.5 million that state lawmakers designated for training new providers, his spokesman said. The decision effectively delays the state’s new abortion provider training program for a year and comes as the popular governor winds down his time in office and sharpens his national ambitions. (Cox, 5/4)

The Washington Post: Stacey Abrams Switches Gears From Campaign Fundraising To Aiding Abortion Rights
Stacey Abrams — one of the Democratic Party’s most notable fundraisers — has paused fundraising for her Georgia gubernatorial race to redirect funds to abortion rights groups after a draft Supreme Court opinion signaling the end to a constitutional right to abortion was made public. “This moment demands action, so I will be blunt: The abomination of that leaked opinion is coming to find every one of us,” Abrams said Wednesday in a campaign email. “Women in Georgia and across this country. LGBTQ+ and disabled people. And particularly those of color or low-income. This is a terrifying time for our nation.” (Scott, 5/4)

North Carolina Health News: After Supreme Court Leak, Future Of Abortion In NC 
As abortion rights advocates across the country chewed over a leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would strike down the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion, North Carolina Democrats emphasized the importance of the state government’s role in keeping abortion legal. At a press conference at the North Carolina General Assembly on Wednesday, North Carolina Democrats and abortion rights advocates stressed that the draft opinion is not yet in effect. Sen. Natalie Murdock (D-Durham), said the future of abortion “will begin in the States.” (Thompson and Hoban, 5/5)

WJCT News: Abortions Are On The Decline, So Far, In Florida This Year, According To State Data 
A controversial leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion on Roe v. Wade comes at a time when abortions are declining in Florida. The Agency for Health Care Administration recorded 79,811 abortions statewide last year, a 6.6% increase from 2020.But the pace this year is significantly slower. AHCA records show 16,623 abortions in 2022, which would be a 38% drop if the trend continued through the year. An overwhelming majority of the abortions in Florida are elective, according to ACHA records. That's immediately followed by abortions for social and economic reasons. (Brown, 5/4)

Louisville Courier Journal: Roe V. Wade: Will Kentucky Women Suffer And Die In Illegal Abortions?
One woman was beheaded after her boyfriend tried unsuccessfully to give her an abortion, then dumped her body in a field. The remains of other women who died in botched abortions were tossed in a well, left by the side of a highway, ditched in a Louisville parking lot and abandoned in a La Grange motel room. As the U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to overturn Roe v. Wade — a leaked draft decision leaves its legality to individual states — The Courier Journal examined what life was like for women in Kentucky in the 100 years before abortion was recognized as a constitutional right. (Wolfson, 5/4)

AP: Lawyer: Abortion Bill Could Subject Women To Homicide Charge 
A Louisiana House committee voted Wednesday to make abortion a crime of homicide for which a woman ending her pregnancy could be charged, along with anyone helping her. The bill also declares that any federal law, regulation or court ruling that allows abortion is void and that any judge who blocks enforcement of the bill’s provisions could be impeached. (McGill, 5/4)

Reaction from the Midwest and western US —

AP: Suit Challenging Minnesota's Abortion Restrictions Delayed
A lawsuit challenging Minnesota’s restrictions on abortions that was set to go to trial next month has been delayed indefinitely, under an order from the Minnesota Court of Appeals. The appeals court said late Tuesday that the lawsuit, filed by Gender Justice and other groups that support abortion rights, can’t proceed while the state’s appeal over which parties have legal standing to participate is pending. It’s not clear how long that appeal will take. (Karnowski, 5/4)

AP: EXPLAINER: How Could 1849 Wis. Abortion Law Face Challenge?
Wisconsin passed a law in 1849 making an abortion a felony offense. The law isn’t absolute, however. The language allows a woman to legally destroy her own fetus or embryo and grants immunity if an abortion is needed to save a woman’s life and is performed at a hospital. A 1985 law prohibits abortions performed after a fetus reaches viability, which is the point at which a child could viably survive outside of the womb. The law pre-dated a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that affirmed Roe v. Wade and established that women have a right to an abortion prior to viability, generally considered to be the 24th week of pregnancy. The 1985 law also includes an exception to save a woman’s life, but it appears to conflict with the 1849 ban since it allows abortions before the point of viability. (Richmond, 5/4)

Wyoming Public Radio: Plans For Casper Health Clinic That Will Offer Abortion Services Will Continue Despite Draft Opinion
Plans for a reproductive healthcare clinic that will offer abortion services to open in Casper next month are not affected by the leaked draft Supreme Court opinion indicating the justices may overturn Roe v. Wade. That's according to Julie Burkhart, the president of the company which is opening the clinic, Wellspring Health Access. Burkhart said the fact that the justices may overturn the right to abortion is more of a reason to fight for abortion access in Wyoming. "At the end of the day, we just felt like it was more important to keep forging ahead and then fight those battles if and when they appear," said Burkhart. (Kudelska, 5/4)

Salt Lake Tribune: How Utah Leaders Are Reacting To Reports Supreme Court May Overturn Roe
The high court’s draft opinion, which would strike down Roe, caused Utah politicians to begin reacting to the news and led to a large protest at the Utah Capitol on Tuesday evening. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall attended the protest and addressed about 1,000 supporters of reproductive rights from the Capitol steps. “I’m sad and I’m angry, but most of all I’m worried for the women of Salt Lake City and Utah who may soon have to leave the state to get a safe abortion,” the Democratic mayor wrote on Twitter Tuesday night. “But, I’m proud to stand alongside the entire Salt Lake City Council to say we stand with women everywhere for our reproductive rights!” (Parrott, 5/3)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada To See Wave Of Abortion Patients If Roe Reversed, Advocates Say
Nevada will see an influx from other states of patients seeking abortions if the U.S. Supreme Court reverses Roe v. Wade, as a leaked draft opinion suggests, abortion advocates said Tuesday. Nevada is one of 14 states with protections to keep abortions legal, said Lindsey Harmon, executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada, the political arm of the organization which provides abortion services. “Our right to abortion was statutorily protected through a referendum in 1990,” she said. “Even in a post-Roe world, the right to access abortion is still safe in the state of Nevada.” (Hynes, 5/4)

From California —

The New York Times: Newsom Accuses Democrats At The National Level Of Sleeping As Abortion Rights Are Eroded. 
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California on Wednesday vowed to protect the right to abortion in the state he leads and issued an impassioned “wake-up call” to the Democratic Party about what he described as a coordinated Republican-led effort to erode more rights that many Americans have for decades assumed were settled, such as the right to interracial marriage. “Don’t think for a second this is where it’s going to stop,” he said, speaking outside of a Planned Parenthood building in Los Angeles, flanked by women wearing pink shirts. “Pay attention, America. They’re coming for you next.” (Cowan, 5/4)

Los Angeles Times: With Roe Vs. Wade Doomed, Newsom Urges Americans To 'Wake Up' 
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday blasted a potential U.S. Supreme Court ruling that would overturn federal abortion protections under Roe v. Wade and urged Americans to “wake up.” “It’s just a remarkable moment in American history,” Newsom said, during an appearance in Los Angeles. “At a time when countries around the world are expanding liberties, expanding freedoms, expanding rights, here we are in the United States of America about to roll back rights.” (Mejia, 5/4)

San Francisco Chronicle: How Californians Feel About Roe V. Wade, According To One Survey
California has a reputation as one of the nation’s liberal bulwarks — and already there’s talk that the state could become a refuge for women seeking abortions if the Supreme Court follows through on overturning Roe v. Wade. Still, residents’ opinions on whether the case should be overturned vary by geography and income, according to a survey conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California in July 2021. ... Statewide, 77% of respondents said the court should not overturn the precedent, while 21% said the justices should and 2% said they didn’t know. (Kost, 5/4)

San Francisco Chronicle: Roe V. Wade: California Could Be Home To Almost 30% Of America's Abortion Clinics If Ruling Overturned
If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe V. Wade this summer, as a recently leaked draft opinion indicates it will, clinic shutdowns across the country could mean that California ends up being home to nearly 30% of all abortion clinics in the U.S., despite having just 12% of its population. The Chronicle examined data on nearly 800 clinics that were open and providing abortions in 2021. The data was collected by UCSF’s Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health program, or ANSIRH. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice policy organization, 26 U.S. states are likely or certain to pass near-total or total bans on abortion immediately if Roe is overturned. (Neilson, 5/4)

From Oklahoma and Texas —

AP: Oklahoma Joins Texas In Offering Glimpse Of "Post-Roe" World 
Abortion providers in Oklahoma said they are prepared for the law to take effect and have been helping women get appointments at clinics in neighboring states. “I think something we realized in September (when the Texas law took effect) is that we are already living in a virtual post-Roe world in our region,” said Dr. Iman Alsaden, the medical director of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which operates clinics in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. (Murphy, 5/4)

The New York Times: Women Flock To Abortion Clinic On Texas Border 
The colorful murals outside the storefront clinic a few miles from the Mexican border celebrated “dignity, empowerment, compassion, justice.” Inside, there was a reminder posted on the wall for anyone who had begun to doubt it: “Abortion Is Legal in Texas!” A 28-year-old woman peered anxiously at the sign and gently caressed a necklace with an image of St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes and hopeless situations. Her situation indeed felt difficult: three young children at home, a husband in prison, an unfinished college education. Another baby, she told herself, would send her struggling family straight over the edge. “I never thought I would be here,” said the woman, who before coming in had driven past a few anti-abortion protesters demonstrating outside and had to stop her car to throw up. (Sandoval, 5/4)

Houston Chronicle: Data: Which Texans Would Be Most Affected By Total Abortion Ban?
Since the six-week abortion ban was enacted, nearly 7,000 Texas residents still received an abortion in the state. If the Supreme Court overturns Roe vs. Wade, those thousands of women would have to travel to New Mexico or farther to terminate their pregnancy. Politico leaked a draft of a Supreme Court ruling that would overturn Roe vs. Wade, the court case that legalized abortion in all 50 states. If officially overturned, abortions occurring under any circumstance — other than threats to maternal life  — would become illegal in Texas and several surrounding states. (Seline, 5/4)

Politico: Roberts Investigation Could Make The Supreme Court Very Uncomfortable
Now that Chief Justice John Roberts has ordered an investigation into the breach of an initial draft majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, what happens next is a total mystery. There are virtually no precedents for Roberts’ plans to identify the 98-page document’s path from the high court to the pages of POLITICO, a disclosure he termed a “betrayal” of the institution’s trust. Supreme Court leak controversies have occasionally sparked national intrigue and even calls for federal investigations, but those calls haven’t resulted in any significant investigation. (Cheney, 5/4)

The New York Times: Supreme Court Marshal Takes Up Leak Investigation As Theories Swirl
But while the city’s lobbyists, journalists and political operatives trade theories over encrypted messages and social media, Col. Gail A. Curley, the 11th marshal of the United States Supreme Court has been given the task of rooting out the truth in what Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. called “a singular and egregious breach” of the court’s operations. ... The second woman to hold the marshal position at the court, Colonel Curley serves as the chief security officer, facilities administrator and head of contracting for the third branch of the federal government. She manages about 260 employees, including the court’s police force, and is a voice that might be recognizable to anyone who has attended or listened to any of the court’s oral arguments. (Shear and Kanno-Youngs, 5/4)

Some say the leak could change the court forever —

NBC News: Former Supreme Court Law Clerks Worry Roe Leak Could Sow Distrust Among Justices And Staff Members
Former Supreme Court law clerks said this week's publication of a draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade was a disturbing breach of court tradition that could change how the justices do their jobs. ... Brian Fitzpatrick, a professor at Vanderbilt Law School who clerked for the late Justice Antonin Scalia in 2001 and 2002, said that when he heard Politico had gotten hold of the internal document, "I thought it probably wasn’t true," adding that it seemed "inconceivable" to him. "When I found it was true, I thought we turned a very sad corner," Fitzpatrick said. "I'm worried this could happen again and again and is a sign of the times." (Gregorian, 5/4)

The New York Times: Leak On Roe Heightens The Perception Of A Politicized Supreme Court 
The revelation of a Supreme Court draft opinion that would overrule Roe v. Wade has caused many Americans to express doubts about whether the justices are guided by the law rather than by their political beliefs. In interviews across the country, even some opponents of abortion expressed unease with the way that a majority of the court had coalesced behind the sweeping draft written by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. that would undo nearly 50 years of legalized access to abortion nationwide. (Hubler and Wines, 5/4)

More about Justice Alito —

The Hill: Alito Becomes Lightning Rod In Abortion War
Conservative Justice Samuel Alito is coming under new scrutiny and criticism after his draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade leaked Monday evening, creating a firestorm in Washington. ... “I think he’s going to become a household word,” said Marge Baker, executive vice president for policy at People for the American Way, a liberal advocacy group that tracks the Supreme Court. “For the first time, if this decision becomes final, a majority of the court will have taken away a constitutional liberty that’s been recognized for 50 years. That’s the core of this,” she added. (Bolton, 5/5)

The New York Times: Roberts And Alito, Once Close Allies, Have Taken Divergent Paths
There was a time when Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., the author of the leaked draft opinion on abortion that rocked the nation on Monday night, was Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.’s closest ally on the Supreme Court. The two men are both products of the conservative legal movement, and they were named to the court by President George W. Bush within months of each other. Their voting records were initially indistinguishable. Indeed, when the chief justice had a particularly difficult case, he would often assign the majority opinion to Justice Alito. (Liptak, 5/4)

On the confirmation process and court history —

The Washington Post: Draft Abortion Ruling Puts Spotlight On Justices' Confirmation Hearings 
It is not just the increasingly predictable and evasive answers of nominees that are prodding some senators to conclude that Supreme Court hearings have become empty theater. More and more, the confirmation votes themselves seem a foregone conclusion, with senators hewing to the party line and many using their allotted time to launch political broadsides rather than seek information. (Kim, 5/4)

AP: Justices' Views On Abortion In Their Own Words And Votes
Even before arguments in the current case, the justices themselves have had a lot to say about abortion over the years — in opinions, votes, Senate confirmation testimony and elsewhere. One justice, Clarence Thomas, has openly called for overruling Roe and Casey. (Sherman and Gresko, 5/5)

The Hill: Conservative Court Strategy Bears Fruit As Roe Faces Peril 
“People need to remember that the justices who are willing to overturn Roe v. Wade have been raised on a steady diet of teachings that Roe has always been illegitimate,” said Robert Tsai, a law professor at Boston University. “For most of them, it has been just a matter of when, not if, to vote against abortion rights.” Roe v. Wade has long been in the crosshairs of the conservative legal movement, but political blowback to the decision was not immediate. Its political potency came years later when Republican Party elites seized on the issue of abortion as a way to unify social conservatives and evangelical Christians. (Kruzel, 5/4)

The Hill: Five Times The Supreme Court Reversed A Precedent
The current clash over the fate of Roe is the not the first time the court has wrestled with the tension between deference to past rulings and flexibility to maneuver. Here are five big historical examples of when the Supreme Court has reversed itself. (Dress, 5/4)

The New York Times: The Fight Over Abortion History
The Constitution includes no references to abortion. And it wasn’t until the second half of the 20th century, Justice Alito writes, that people began claiming the idea of a basic right to abortion. Mary Ziegler, the author of several books on the history of abortion (and a critic of the draft decision), said that part was correct. But the opinion, she and others argue, underplays the fact that for most of the first 100 years of American history, early abortions — before fetal “quickening” (generally defined as the moment when the fetus’s movements can be detected) — were not illegal. (Schuessler, 5/4)

NBC News: Covid's Toll In U.S. Reaches 1 Million Deaths, A Once Unfathomable Number
The U.S. on Wednesday surpassed 1 million Covid-19 deaths, according to data compiled by NBC News — a once unthinkable scale of loss even for the country with the world's highest recorded toll from the virus. The number — equivalent to the population of San Jose, California, the 10th largest city in the U.S. — was reached at stunning speed: 27 months after the country confirmed its first case of the virus.  (Chuck and Siemaszko, 5/4)

In updates on the omicron variant —

Reuters: Omicron As Severe As Previous COVID Variants, Large Study Finds 
The Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV2 virus is intrinsically as severe as previous variants, unlike assumptions made in previous studies that it was more transmissible but less severe, a large study in the United States has found. "We found that the risks of hospitalization and mortality were nearly identical between periods," said four scientists who conducted the study based on records of 130,000 COVID-19 patients, referring to times in the past two years when different variants were dominant across the world. (5/5)

Bloomberg: Omicron: Vaccines Effective Against New Subvariants, WHO's Tedros Says
Vaccines are effective against new omicron sub-variants driving a surge in Covid-19 cases in South Africa, the head of the World Health Organization said. “It’s too soon to know whether these new sub-variants can cause more severe disease than other omicron sub-variants, but early data suggest vaccination remains protective against severe disease and death,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said at a media briefing in Geneva Wednesday. (Hoffman, 5/4)

The New York Times: A New Subvariant Is Spreading Rapidly In The United States
First came Omicron, then came its highly contagious subvariant, BA.2. That subvariant gave rise to its own subvariants, whose share of new coronavirus cases in the United States is growing. The coronavirus is constantly mutating. While some variants seem to vanish, causing little ripples of surges in their wake, others have kept driving large outbreaks. Experts say a new form, BA.2.12.1, is spreading rapidly and will likely in the next weeks become the dominant form of the virus in the United States. There’s no indication yet that causes more severe disease. (Paz, 5/5)

San Francisco Chronicle: Why Getting COVID Is Still Nothing Like Getting The Flu — Even If It’s Just As ‘Normal’
Health officials are saying it, friends are saying it: COVID-19 seems on track to become as common and familiar to us as influenza. But experts stress that there are still limitations to this comparison — COVID is still, and may always be, no ordinary flu. “It is time to accept that the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is the new normal,” leaders at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration wrote in a paper published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “It will likely circulate globally for the foreseeable future, taking its place alongside other common respiratory viruses such as influenza.” (Echeverria, 5/4)

And more news about the spread of covid —

Bloomberg: Blinken Tests Positive For Covid-19, Delays China Policy Speech
Secretary of State Antony Blinken tested positive for Covid-19 and will work from home in the coming days, prompting him to postpone a key China policy speech that had been scheduled for Thursday. Blinken, who attended the White House Correspondents Association dinner on Saturday, is fully vaccinated and boosted and is experiencing only mild symptoms, according to a statement Wednesday from State Department spokesman Ned Price. (Martin and Faries, 5/4)

The New York Times: Virus Cases Grow After White House Correspondents Dinner 
On Saturday, the comedian Trevor Noah stood before a ballroom of 2,600 journalists, celebrities and political elites at the White House Correspondents Dinner, and asked: What are we doing here? ... By Wednesday, Mr. Noah’s chiding remarks at what he called “the nation’s most distinguished superspreader event” were beginning to appear prophetic as a growing number of attendees, including a string of journalists and Antony J. Blinken, the secretary of state, said they had tested positive for the virus. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said on Wednesday that President Biden had tested negative on Tuesday after attending the dinner unmasked. Ms. Psaki added that Mr. Blinken was not considered a close contact to Mr. Biden and “has not seen the president in several days.” (Cameron, 5/4)

ABC News: COVID-19 Hospital Admissions, Deaths Forecasted To Rise In The US For First Time In Months 
For the first time in months, daily hospital admission levels and new COVID-19 related deaths in the United States are both projected to increase over the next four weeks, according to updated forecast models used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The projected increases come after weeks of steady upticks in infections across the country, subsequent to the removal of masking requirements and mitigation measures in many states and cities. (Mitropoulos, 5/4)

Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Gains In California Spark New Concerns 
Coronavirus cases are continuing to increase in California, prompting one health official to warn that the state is heading into the next wave of the pandemic. California has seen its coronavirus case rate rise by 10% in the past week, from 5,700 new cases a day to 6,300. Health experts note, however, that the official numbers may be a significant undercount, given the now-widespread availability of at-home tests — the results of which are not reliably reported to health agencies. And while still at relatively low levels, statewide coronavirus-positive hospitalizations have risen for eight consecutive days: from 950 to just above 1,100. (Lin II and Money, 5/4)

Axios: COVID Cases Jump In Northeast, Pacific Northwest
COVID cases are rising in all but four states and Washington, D.C., as Omicron and new, potentially more transmissible versions of the Omicron variant, sweep across the U.S. COVID rates in the Northeast are reaching some of their highest levels in three months. But the South may be in for a new wave come summer. A South African study found two of the new Omicron subvariants are able to evade antibodies from previous infections and vaccinations. (Reed and Beheraj, 5/5)

Des Moines Register: Iowa COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Are Both Up In Weekly Update
Newly reported COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rose for a second consecutive week, according to data released Wednesday from the Iowa Department of Public Health and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The number of new COVID-19 cases was 2,114 over the past week, or an average of 302 per day. They were the highest figures registered in one week by the state health department updates since early March. (Lane, 5/4)

Anchorage Daily News: New COVID-19 Cases And Hospitalizations Reported In Alaska Hold Relatively Steady Over 7 Days
COVID-19 hospitalizations and new cases reported to Alaska’s health department held relatively steady over the past week as the “stealth” omicron subvariant remains prevalent. Even though the state’s weekly data doesn’t reflect home test results, it may be indicative of broader pandemic trends. (5/4)

The Washington Post: Carnival Cruise Passengers Stuck In Seattle After Covid Outbreak 
A Carnival Cruise Line ship that docked in Seattle on Tuesday had an undisclosed number of passengers test positive for coronavirus onboard, with some reporting to local media that the company was ill-equipped to handle the latest outbreak. (Diller, 5/4)

Bay Area News Group: Los Gatos High COVID: 60 Cases, District Sends 2,000 Exposure Notices
At least 60 students at Los Gatos High School have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past two weeks, the school announced Tuesday. The positive cases increased after students returned home from spring break, and principal Kevin Buchanan said the school is not considering the surge in cases an outbreak. “So, it’s not really an outbreak. No one here said it’s an outbreak,” Buchanan said in an interview. “The message that went home was we have seen an increase since coming back from spring break, and this is not the time of year we want to see numbers trending in this direction, because there’s a lot at stake with all the remaining activities we have left in the year.” (Kanik, 5/4)

Also —

AP: Edwards Getting 4th COVID-19 Shot As Storm Season Nears 
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards encouraged state residents to stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters as hurricane season approaches, saying at a Wednesday afternoon news conference that he was about to get his second booster — his fourth COVID-19 shot overall. Edwards said COVID-19 cases have been increasing but hospitalizations and deaths have remained low. He said two deaths were reported Wednesday. ... “For the third year in a row we are entering hurricane season while COVID-19 remains a real threat to individuals and to families — especially in the event that we have to do congregate sheltering,” Edwards said. (5/4)

NPR: New Report Reveals COVID's Toll On The Mental Health Of Frontline Doctors And Nurses
A new report details the economic, mental and physical health of healthcare workers. Much of the workforce is struggling with symptoms of burnout, anxiety and trauma and want to leave the profession. (5/3)

Bloomberg: Pfizer’s Advice On Retaking Covid Drug Contradicted By FDA
There is “no evidence” that a second course of Pfizer Inc.’s Paxlovid will help Covid-19 patients whose symptoms return after an initial course of the antiviral, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration official said a day after Pfizer executives advocated the idea. Doctors and virologists have been struggling to understand a number of patient reports of viral rebounds after completion of a five-day course of the Covid treatment. In an interview Tuesday, Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said doctors could prescribe a second course of treatment to patients who suffer a rebound. (Langreth, 5/4)

Axios: FDA: “No Evidence” Second Pfizer COVID Pill Stops Repeat Symptoms, Contradicting CEO
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official said Wednesday that there is "no evidence" that a second round of the Pfizer COVID pill Paxlovid will help patients who suffer a relapse in symptoms. The FDA’s comments contradict Pfizer chief executive officer Albert Bourla, who said patients experiencing COVID-19 symptoms after their first treatment can take more of the pill. "There is no evidence of benefit at this time for a longer course of treatment or repeating a treatment course of Paxlovid," John Farley, director of the Office of Infectious Diseases in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement. (Scribner, 5/4)

In other news about covid sufferers —

CIDRAP: Remdesivir Slightly Lowers Death, Ventilation In COVID Hospital Patients 
COVID-19 patients already on ventilators don't benefit from remdesivir, but the antiviral drug offers a slight reduction in death or progression to ventilation among other hospitalized patients, according to final results from the adaptive World Health Organization's (WHO's) Solidarity randomized trial and an updated meta-analysis. The findings, published this week in The Lancet, were from an ongoing study of four repurposed antiviral drugs as treatments for COVID-19 in hospitalized patients. (Van Beusekom, 5/4)

CIDRAP: Neurologic Illness May Affect 1 In 8 Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Nearly 13% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had serious neurologic illnesses in the first year of the pandemic, suggests an international study published last week in Critical Care Explorations. ... Among the 16,225 patients enrolled in the registry whose hospital release status was available, 12.9% had serious neurologic illnesses, of whom 10.2% had encephalopathy (disease affecting brain structure or function) at admission, 2.0% had a stroke, 1.5% had seizures, and 0.5% had encephalopathy or meningitis (inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord) at admission or during their hospital stay. (5/4)

In updates on masks —

CIDRAP: Study Suggests Double-Masking For COVID-19 Hurts More Than Helps
A study yesterday in Physics of Fluid shows that wearing two face coverings to protect against COVID-19 does not offer more respiratory protection, and may offer a false sense of protection for the wearer. Researchers from Florida State University and Johns Hopkins University used fluid dynamics simulation models to show how improperly fitted masks—even when layered—force flow from a simulated cough out of the perimeter gaps (sides, top, and bottom) of masks. (5/4)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Decatur Schools Urges Mask Wearing Again Due To Uptick In COVID Cases
City Schools of Decatur is asking staff and students to wear masks due to rising COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks. But the district is stopping short of a mandate due to a new Georgia law. “As we can see, COVID is a disease we will continue to live with and as we see spikes in our community, we must continue to adjust our mitigation strategies accordingly,” Superintendent Maggie Fehrman said in a letter sent to the school community on Wednesday. (Reyes, 5/5)

Houston Chronicle: Dr. Mary Klotman, Duke University School Of Medicine Dean, In Running To Be Director Of NIH
Dr. Mary Klotman, a Duke University scientist and spouse of Baylor College of Medicine president Dr. Paul Klotman, is in the running to become the next director of the National Institutes of Health. She had several conversations with senior administration officials, as first reported by the Washington Post. Dr. Mary Klotman couldn’t immediately be reached for comment, but Dr. Paul Klotman confirmed she was in the running with the Chronicle. “I am not sure that the NIH could find a more qualified candidate with her background as a scientist, a dean and an academic leader,” Dr. Paul Klotman said. (Carballo, 5/4)

The Washington Post: Duke’s Klotman Is Under Consideration As The Next NIH Head
Mary Klotman, a Duke University scientist and senior leader, is a strong contender to be the next director of the National Institutes of Health, according to three people with knowledge of the selection. A physician known for her research into HIV, Klotman has served as dean of the Duke University School of Medicine since 2017. She has had conversations with several senior administration officials, said the three people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the selection. (Abutaleb, Diamond and Johnson, 5/4)

In related news about the NIH —

Nature: Four Lessons From The Pandemic To Reboot The NIH
The COVID-19 pandemic represented an important test for the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest funder of biomedical research in the world. Many say that it passed admirably: the agency substantially contributed to the high-speed development of medicines and vaccines to fight SARS-CoV-2 by funding basic research and collaborating with pharmaceutical firms to coordinate clinical trials at a breakneck pace. “It is an accomplishment for the ages,” says Shirley Tilghman, a molecular biologist and president emeritus at Princeton University in New Jersey, who has frequently written on the challenges faced by the NIH. (Kozlov, 4/20)

BuzzFeed: This Activist Group Tapped Into Partisan COVID Politics To Make Big Trouble For Anthony Fauci And The NIH
As much of the United States entered COVID lockdowns in April 2020, a tiny group that campaigns against federal funding for animal experiments spotted an opportunity. Speculation was swirling in right-leaning media that the virus behind the pandemic had emerged from a lab in Wuhan, China, rather than from wildlife sold for food in the city’s markets. As it happened, the White Coat Waste Project had been looking into taxpayer money going to labs in China, including in Wuhan. The group’s founder had strong contacts with Republican politicians and had launched the group with the mission of getting conservatives into animal activism. (Aldhous, 5/4)

Stat: Congress Moves Toward Reforming The FDA’s Accelerated Approvals
House lawmakers are moving a little closer toward cracking down on drugmakers that game the FDA’s accelerated approval pathway, but their latest legislation is friendlier to industry than previous drafts. The House Energy and Commerce Committee announced Wednesday that its sweeping user fee authorization bill will include a revised policy from Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) that would make it easier for the Food and Drug Administration to rescind its approval for drugs cleared through the pathway when drug makers don’t complete required follow-up studies. (Florko, 5/4)

Stat: FDA Warns Miami University Contract Testing Lab Over Falsified Data
A contract testing laboratory run by Miami University was scolded by the Food and Drug Administration for failing to ensure that drugs are appropriately tested and preventing data from being changed or omitted. In an April 20 warning letter, the agency noted the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry failed to follow good manufacturing practices as it went about testing the raw material used to make heparin, which is relied on to prevent and treat blood clots. The letter, which was posted to the FDA website this week, followed an inspection conducted by the agency last November. (Silverman, 5/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Telehealth Startup Cerebral To Stop Prescribing Adderall For New Patients 
Cerebral Inc. executives told its clinicians that the company will pause prescribing controlled substances such as Adderall to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in new patients beginning Monday, the company said. Cerebral’s co-founder and chief executive, Kyle Robertson, made the announcement in an email sent to staff on Wednesday, adding that the company will continue to treat existing ADHD patients. (Winkler, 5/4)

The Wall Street Journal: J&J Sues Drug-Benefit Middleman Over Use Of Drug-Cost Assistance Program 
Johnson & Johnson filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing a drug-benefit middleman firm of improperly exploiting a J&J program that pays out-of-pocket costs for patients who use some of the company’s pricier prescription drugs. J&J, of New Brunswick, N.J., said in the lawsuit that it has paid at least $100 million more in copay assistance than it otherwise would have as a result of the services provided by the firm, SaveOnSP, which has offices in Buffalo, N.Y. (Loftus, 5/4)

NPR: A Shortage Of Health Aides Is Forcing Out Those Who Wish To Get Care At Home
More seniors and people with disabilities are choosing to stay in their homes — and with the number of adults aged 60 and older in the U.S. expected to increase 30 percent by 2050, home health aides are predicted to be one of the fastest growing professions nationwide in the next decade. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the number of openings for home health and personal care aides will increase nearly 37 percent by 2028. (Krebs, 5/5)

Grow: RIP Medical Debt Sends Surprise Letters Clearing People's Medical Debt
Americans owed at least $195 billion of medical debt. That’s despite the fact that more than 90% of the population has health insurance coverage, according to March research by the Kaiser Family Foundation. RIP Medical Debt is trying to relieve Americans of that burden. The nonprofit organization pays off medical bills for individuals who need it most. The charity looks for households whose incomes are less than two times the federal poverty level guideline, which is $13,590 for 2022, or who have medical debt representing at least 5% of their gross income. RIP Medical Debt uses “precise data analytics to pinpoint the medical debt of those most in need of relief,” according to the charity’s website. Once it has paid off their debts, the organization then sends out a surprise letter in the mail letting individuals know that their medical debt has been wiped away. (Pitt, 5/4)

Modern Healthcare: Insurers Offer Housing Aid To Foster Youths To Improve Health Outcomes
Foster children and young people transitioning out of the child welfare system frequently encounter obstacles to adequate housing, which some healthcare providers and health insurance companies are trying to address with novel programs. This interest in foster youths stems from the increased focus on social determinants of health, including housing, over the past decade. In addition to the potential societal good, these organizations see opportunities to keep children connected to the healthcare system, which could lead to adverse health outcomes and higher spending. (Devereaux, 5/4)

In corporate updates —

St. Louis Public Radio: Affinia Healthcare To Open Ferguson Health Center In 2023 
Affinia Healthcare will start construction soon on a 15,000-square-foot health center in Ferguson, thanks in part to a $2 million federal grant. The center will be located on Pershall Road, adjacent to the Emerson YMCA. The comprehensive health center will include family medical, obstetric, pediatric, dental care and behavioral health services. It will provide more health care options for an area that has lacked sufficient access to health care services, said Dr. Alan O. Freeman, president and CEO of Affinia Healthcare. “We realized very quickly in Ferguson and in that area around the YMCA, there were particular opportunities to serve people in need and to provide greater access to care,” Freeman said Wednesday. (Davis, 5/4)

The Boston Globe: State Approves Pared Down Expansion At MGH, Growth At Brigham Faulkner
State regulators approved a pared down expansion at Massachusetts General Hospital and growth at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital on Wednesday, giving final state sign-off on approximately $2 billion in projects. The Public Health Council approvals fell in line with staff recommendations from the Department of Public Health, which had recommended the addition of 78 inpatient beds at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner and supported the construction of two connected clinical towers at Massachusetts General Hospital. (Bartlett, 5/4)

Modern Healthcare: Mass General Brigham Scores Approval For Slimmer Expansion
The Massachusetts Public Health Council approved a pared-down version of Mass General Brigham's $2 billion expansion amid opposition from state watchdogs. The council on Wednesday green-lit a 482-bed inpatient tower at Massachusetts General Hospital and a 78-bed addition to Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital. It denied Mass General Brigham's request for 94 new licensed inpatient beds and a PET/MR scanner at Mass General Hospital. (Kacik, 5/4)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Lindner Center Of Hope Announces $30 Million Expansion In Mason
The Lindner Center of Hope announced plans to renovate and expand its Mason facility as part of a $30 million campaign that includes new wellness and diagnostic assessment centers. The center's leaders joined members of the business community to announce the launch of the campaign Wednesday at a news conference atop the Lytle Park hotel downtown. The campaign has begun with pledges of more than $6 million, with $2.5 million coming from Corporex chairman William P. Butler, his wife Sue and the Covington-based development firm his family owns. The announcement also comes as part of Mental Health Awareness Month and at the waning of a COVID-19 pandemic that has brought mental health issues to the foreground, especially among children. (Sutherland, 5/4)

In research news —

Stat: Researchers Describe The Human Element In Making Medicines
Veteran vaccine developer Jacqueline Miller joined Moderna in May 2020, at the height of the race to develop a Covid shot. “The culture shock for the first four months was breathtaking,” she told an audience at a STAT event in Boston on Tuesday. Miller, who previously was a top vaccine executive at GlaxoSmithKline, said that she had been used to a certain kind of tempo in vaccine development: Researchers would conduct a study, sit and reflect, conduct another study, and reflect on that. (Herper, 5/4)

Stat: Race Is Often Overlooked In Key Clinical Trial Data In Europe
Just two-thirds of the pivotal clinical trials that were used to win prescription drug approvals in Europe reported any data on the race of the study participants, and less than one-third contained information about their ethnicity, a new analysis found. Meanwhile, the percentage of Black participants decreased significantly in studies run between 2007 and 2019, while the percentage of Asian participants increased. In general, races other than white were underrepresented at least twice as often in pivotal trials during that time, according to the analysis by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development. (Silverman, 5/4)

AP: UN: Record Number Of People Without Enough To Eat In 2021
The United Nations said Wednesday that the number of people without enough to eat on a daily basis reached all-time high last year and is poised to hit “appalling” new levels as the Ukraine war affects global food production. Almost 193 million people in 53 countries suffered acute food insecurity in 2021 due to what the U.N. said was a “toxic triple combination” of conflict, weather extremes and the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. (5/5)

In mental health news —

NBC News: Almost Half Of LGBTQ Youths 'Seriously Considered' Suicide In Past Year, Survey Says
Nearly half of LGBTQ youths in the United States have “seriously considered” suicide in the past year, a survey released on Wednesday found, piling onto concerns for a vulnerable group of adolescents amid a nationwide culture war over LGBTQ issues. The survey, conducted by the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ youth suicide prevention and crisis intervention group, polled 34,000 LGBTQ people aged 13 to 24. Among the report’s key findings is that 73 percent of respondents reported symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and 58 percent reported symptoms of major depressive disorder.  (Lavietes, 5/4)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UW 'Tackle The Stigma' Talks Athlete Mental Health In Social Media Age
The session was sponsored by UNCUT Madison, a non-profit media platform designed to let UW athletes share their life stories. The session lasted a little more than an hour and the topics covered were varied. Ball, a Heisman Trophy finalist as a junior in 2011 who left UW with 77 rushing touchdowns and 83 total TDs, discussed his battle with alcoholism. Borland, the Big Ten defensive player of the year as a fifth-year senior in 2013, touched on what life has been like since he walked away from the NFL after his rookie season with the San Francisco 49ers, concerned about potential head trauma. (Potrykus, 5/4)

In other news —

Fox News: Medical Company Creates Most Accurate 3D Model Of Female Anatomy Ever
Elsevier has launched "the most advanced 3-D full female model ever available," according to a recent press release. "This is the first time that a female model has been built with this level of detail in its entirety, to represent the female — versus replacing specific areas of the male anatomy with female features," the Elsevier release stated. The company, which is a known leader in publishing research and information analytics, said in the release that this model would help educators for the first time teach, visualize, and edit anatomy entirely from the female perspective using a realistic detailed 3-D model. (McGorry, 5/2)

Stat: A New 'Master Regulator' Could Call The Tune For Hair Cells Key To Hearing
The act of hearing is like a ballroom dance, scientist Jaime García-Añoveros says. Tiny hair cells lined up in the outer ear leap and sway, transmitting sound’s vibrations to other hair cells in the inner ear that carry information via nerves to the brain. Exquisitely sensitive to frequency, these hair cells detect highs and lows, music and noise, in something like a ballet. But the music stops when these cells are damaged, by noise or some cancer drugs or antibiotics. The cells can live as long as we do, but once they die, they cannot be regenerated. ... García-Añoveros, professor of anesthesia, neurology, and neuroscience at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, led a team that identified a master gene regulator that controls whether these hair cells made by the cochlea become inner or outer hair cells. The hope is that other cells surrounding them that provide a lattice of support could be reprogrammed to regain lost hair cell function. (Cooney, 5/5)

AP: Court Hears Challenge To Grand Jury In Flint Water Cases 
The Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday that could wipe out charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder and eight others in the Flint water scandal, as lawyers challenged a rarely used, century-old method to investigate crimes and file indictments. It’s the most significant attack by the defense in the 16 months since Snyder and others were indicted by Judge David Newblatt, who served as a one-person grand jury in Genesee County with evidence offered in private by the attorney general’s office. (White, 5/4)

In health news from California —

Los Angeles Times: California Faces Summer Of Dangerous Heat, Extreme Drought
Heat waves. Severe drought. Extreme wildfires. As Southern California braces for unprecedented drought restrictions, long-range forecasts are predicting a summer that will be fraught with record-breaking temperatures, sere landscapes and above-average potential for significant wildfires, particularly in the northern part of the state. “The dice are loaded for a lot of big fires across the West,” said Park Williams, a climate scientist at UCLA. “And the reason for that is simple: The vast majority of the western U.S. is in pretty serious drought.” (Duginski and Wigglesworth, 5/4)

AP: LA Hospital Sued For Racism In Death Of Black Mother 
The husband of a Black woman who died hours after childbirth in 2016 sued Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Wednesday, saying she bled to death because of a culture of racism at the renowned Los Angeles hospital. Charles Johnson IV said he discovered the disparity in care women of color receive at Cedars compared to white women during depositions in his wrongful death lawsuit that is scheduled to go to trial next week in Los Angeles Superior Court. (Melley, 5/5)

In news from Maine, Virginia, and Texas —

Bangor Daily News: Maine’s Push To Let Lawns Grow Could Create A Paradise For The State’s Exploding Tick Population
Maine’s key pollinator species — such as bees, butterflies and birds — thrive in tall grass, tall-stemmed plants, leaf litter, decaying damp wood and brush. The problem is, so do ticks. In a perfect world, homeowners could manage yards for tick control and promote pollinator habitat. It’s the unfortunate reality that you can’t do both. This year tick control efforts and pollinator habitat promotion is falling in with the growing trend of “No Mow May,” a movement to pause mowing lawns during the month of May so pollinators will have a chance to dine on early blooming plants such as dandelions and other wildflowers. (Bayly, 5/4)

The Virginian-Pilot: As Demand For Dental Care Skyrockets, Medicaid Providers Struggle To Find An Empty Chair
The Augusta Regional Dental Clinic in Fishersville, like many others that serve Medicaid customers across Virginia, has been very busy for months — especially as more and more have learned about the expanded benefits for adults, according to Sophie Parson, director of the clinic. The need for services is so great, people have called the clinic trying to get an appointment from Louisa County, roughly 60 miles away. On July 1, Medicaid began covering more dental procedures as a result of Virginia’s decision to expand Medicaid eligibility during former Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration. “But there is nobody to deliver,” Parson said. (Munro, 5/3)

KHN: Sex Education Update In Texas Still Lacking, Say Some Students And Educators
Cali Byrd is a junior at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas. She remembers in eighth grade a group came to talk to her class about sexually transmitted infections. “They had a bunch of tennis balls and wrote [the names] of STIs on them,” Cali said. “Then they had a couple of kids come up, put on gloves, and said, ‘If he throws the ball to her and she has a glove on, then she’s protected. But if she doesn’t have a glove on, then she’ll get the disease or something.’ It was really weird.” Cali said the instructors never explained what the STIs were, just that people should wear condoms to prevent them. “It really was not helpful,” she said. (Rivera, 5/5)

On opioids, marijuana, and fentanyl —

CBS News: Justice Department Charges 12 Medical Professionals For Allegedly Fueling The Opioid Epidemic In Appalachian Region
Over a dozen defendants across eight federal districts have been charged in connection with the illegal prescription and distribution of 5.1 million opioid pills, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. The various law enforcement actions were the result of the department's Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid (ARPO) Strike Force, a multiagency approach that targets the unlawful prescription of opioid drugs across the Appalachian region. According to Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite, who was part of Wednesday's criminal announcement in Cincinnati, Ohio, over 75,000 Americans died last year due to opioid overdoses.  (Legare, 5/4)

AP: Procedural Ruling Kills Medical Marijuana Bill In SC House
A seven-year fight to pass a medical marijuana bill may have abruptly ended Wednesday in South Carolina when a House leader ruled the proposal contains an unconstitutional tax increase and cannot be considered further. The decision shocked leaders in the state Senate and may have repercussions well beyond failing to make South Carolina one of about 40 states allowing patients to use marijuana as medicine. (Collins, 5/4)

KHN: As Overdoses Soar, More States Decriminalize Fentanyl Testing Strips 
With time running out in the 2022 legislative session, Georgia lawmakers took up a bill to regulate raw milk. An amendment suddenly got tacked onto the House version of the bill, although the new wording had nothing to do with dairy. The language called for legalizing the use of strips that test drugs for fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid fueling a wave of fatal overdoses across Georgia and the U.S. The amendment, said Sen. Jen Jordan, an Atlanta Democrat who sponsored it, was “a commonsense solution to save lives.” (Miller, 5/5)

ScienceDaily: Surprising Risk Factors May Predict Heart Attacks In Young Women 
A new study has for the first time identified which risk factors are more likely to trigger a heart attack or acute myocardial infarction (AMI) for men and women 55 years and younger. (Yale University, 5/4)

New England Journal of Medicine: Prefusion F Protein–Based Respiratory Syncytial Virus Immunization In Pregnancy 
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a major cause of illness and death in infants worldwide, could be prevented by vaccination during pregnancy. The efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety of a bivalent RSV prefusion F protein–based (RSVpreF) vaccine in pregnant women and their infants are uncertain. (Simoes, M.D., et al, 4/28)

CIDRAP: COVID-19 Tied To Adverse Maternal Outcomes, Preterm Birth
A surveillance study of more than 6,000 women who gave birth in Canada during the pandemic suggests that those infected with COVID-19 were at higher risk for hospitalization and intensive care unit (ICU) admission than those of nonpregnant women of childbearing age. (Van Beusekom, 5/3)

New England Journal of Medicine: Efficacy And Safety Of A Recombinant Plant-Based Adjuvanted Covid-19 Vaccine 
Coronavirus-like particles (CoVLP) that are produced in plants and display the prefusion spike glycoprotein of the original strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are combined with an adjuvant (Adjuvant System 03 [AS03]) to form the candidate vaccine. (Hager, M.Sc., et al, 5/4)

The Lancet: Subjective Experience And Meaning Of Delusions In Psychosis: A Systematic Review And Qualitative Evidence Synthesis 
Delusions are a common transdiagnostic feature of psychotic disorders, and their treatment remains suboptimal. Despite the pressing need to better understand the nature, meaning, and course of these symptoms, research into the lived experience of delusional phenomena in psychosis is scarce. Thus, we aimed to explore the lived experience and subjective apprehension of delusions in help-seeking individuals with psychosis, regardless of diagnosis and thematic content of the delusion. (Ritunnano, MD, et al, 5/3)

The Atlantic: Biden Is Rightsizing The COVID Crisis 
This past weekend, Anthony Fauci bailed on the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser concluded that the indoor event, though open only to vaccinated attendees who tested negative for COVID-19 the same day, was too risky for his own taste. Biden himself split the difference and showed up only for the speeches, not for the meal. Asked to explain this turn of events, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “Every individual will make their own decisions about whether they attend this event, other events, whether they wear a mask at it or not.” (Juliette Kayyem, 5/4)

The Washington Post: Measles Outbreak Could Follow Covid Pandemic. We Must Vaccinate
What has been feared for two years, that the global coronavirus pandemic might trigger knock-on health crises, is now becoming a reality with measles, a highly contagious disease that can be stopped by effective immunization. The pandemic interrupted vaccination campaigns aimed at children, and the disease is roaring back. (5/4)

New England Journal of Medicine: Do We Need New Covid-19 Vaccines? 
The continuing spread of SARS-CoV-2 remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. What physicians need to know about transmission, diagnosis, and treatment of Covid-19 is the subject of ongoing updates from infectious disease experts at the Journal. (Eric J. Rubin, M.D., Ph.D., Lindsey R. Baden, M.D., and Stephen Morrissey, Ph.D., 5/5)

Also —

USA Today: Naomi Judd: Mental Health Advocacy Was Her Greatest Triumph
Was I shocked to learn on Saturday that Grammy-winning singer Naomi Judd had died from what a statement issued by her daughters called "the disease of mental illness"? Alas not, since Judd had disclosed her battle with depression so publicly and poignantly in her 2016 memoir. In that book, "River of Time: My Descent into Depression and How I Emerged With Hope," Judd wrote about experiencing the "boulder-like weight of my severe treatment-resistant depression and terrifying panic attacks." She brought focus and attention to not only her condition but also to millions of Americans – about 1 in 5 adults – who suffer from mental illness. (Steven Petrow, 5/4)

The CT Mirror: A New Mental Health Resource Is Coming To Connecticut
In October 2020, Congress passed legislation which designated 988 as the universal number to access the national mental health crisis hotline system, including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) and Veterans Crisis Line. Since then, Connecticut has spent time planning for the implementation of this system, which will soft launch this summer, with a full-scale launch in July of 2022. This easy-to-remember three-digit number will act as the mental health counterpart to 911, which also relieves the burden on the 911 system. If an individual is experiencing any kind of mental or behavioral health crisis, they will be able to quickly connect with a trained specialist, a peer with lived experience, and/or a mental health clinician. As a Masters of Social Work intern this year, I’ve had the opportunity to support the planning process for 988, and I believe this will be an invaluable resource. (Mariah Chadukiewicz, 5/5)

Houston Chronicle: Texas’ Tampon Tax Is Discriminatory. Period
Texas already has a laundry list of less-than-essential items exempt from the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax, from yachts to male libido enhancers. Yet, when advocates suggest adding something as essential as tampons to that list, lawmakers start acting like a dinner guest trying to avoid picking up the check. (5/5)

Also —

Bloomberg: Supreme Court Can Overturn Roe V Wade. Who Picks Up The Maternity Care Pieces?
In the now-famous leaked draft abortion ruling, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito alludes to the tsunami about to be unleashed. “We do not pretend to know how our political system or society will respond to today’s decision overruling Roe and Casey. And even if we could foresee what will happen, we would have no authority to let that knowledge influence our decision.”  (Therese Raphael, 5/5)

Los Angeles Times: The Supreme Court Flunks Abortion History 
Monday’s revelation of a leaked draft opinion overruling Roe vs. Wade was shocking on many levels. It portends the end of a constitutional right that millions of Americans have relied upon for nearly half a century. It threatens dramatic political repercussions for the Supreme Court and elected officials. And it represents a stunning breach of the court’s protocol. But the most shocking aspect of the leaked opinion is something else entirely: the glaring historical mistakes that pervade its supposedly originalist analysis. Contrary to the draft’s conclusion, for as long as America has existed, so too have abortions — in most cases free of any form of criminal punishment. (Aaron Tang, 5/5)

The Boston Globe: We’re About To Find Out How Much Voters Care About Abortion Rights 
If the draft opinion to overturn Roe, first revealed by Politico, accurately reflects the final outcome, we will find out just how much abortion rights matter to voters, and especially to women. For all the outrage over the ability of unelected justices to take away a right that has been in place for nearly 50 years — if that happens, it’s because voters around the country have been electing politicians who oppose abortion rights. There’s no Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, or Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court without an antiabortion Republican president in the White House and a Senate controlled by antiabortion Republicans. There are no state trigger laws designed to take away abortion rights without state legislatures controlled by antiabortion lawmakers and governors willing to enact the bills they pass into law. (Joan Vennochi, 5/4)

The Boston Globe: Supreme Court’s Activism Could Make Much Of US An Antiabortion Vigilante State
If the US Supreme Court follows through on its initial resolve expressed in a draft abortion opinion, it will not only eliminate a half-century constitutional right to safe and legal abortion. It will also trigger a political reaction that could turn a broad swath of the nation into an antiabortion vigilante state. What such a decision will not do is end abortion. Not even for citizens of states that ban the procedure. Women with enough means will travel elsewhere to end unwanted pregnancies. Some poor women and girls will try to self-induce an end to pregnancies. Others will resort to dangerous abortions administered by unqualified people in unsafe settings, with no emergency care should things go wrong. (Scot Lehigh, 5/4)

Scientific American: What The Supreme Court Should Know About Abortion Care 
Abortion makes many people uncomfortable. I get it. When I was an ob-gyn resident, I recall telling my supervising physician that I would learn the skills to perform an abortion, but probably wouldn’t provide them after I graduated because doing so made me “a little uncomfortable. ”My supervising physician asked me in response, “Do you think women have a right to this procedure?” I thought, “Well … yeah, of course.” (Cara C. Heuser, 5/4)