Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Massachusetts House Approves Bill Relaxing Rules On Late-Term Abortion
A bill easing access to late-term abortion in Massachusetts passed in the state House of Representatives on Wednesday. The Senate is expected to vote on the measure before the legislative session ends next week. (Russell, 7/22)
Over the past decade, Louisiana hospitals began stocking specialized carts designed to treat hemorrhages, one of the most common pregnancy complications in the state. The plug-in cart can be wheeled from room to room and holds surgical tools and lifesaving medications to stem blood loss. A state law passed in 2024 forced hospitals to remove a key drug — misoprostol — from the medical cart and keep it locked in a secure room designated for controlled substances. (Parker, 7/23)
A group of 61 biopharma companies, executives and investors has filed an amicus brief in support of the FDA in an ongoing case brought by Louisiana meant to remove access to the abortion pill mifepristone. (Incorvaia, 7/22)
In other reproductive and maternal health news —
Higher levels of trihalomethanes (THMs) -- a disinfection byproduct of the drinking water treatment process -- were linked to a higher risk of uterine cancer among a cohort of California women. (Bassett, 7/22)
The families of two men who discovered through DNA tests that they were switched at birth 38 years ago are accusing a North Dakota hospital of robbing them of the lives they were supposed to lead. (Schuettler, Peipert and Johnson, 7/17)
Jury selection began Monday in the trial of a Massachusetts mother who strangled her three children while undergoing medical treatment for psychiatric problems that developed after she gave birth. The trial of Lindsay Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, could take several weeks and is expected to explore the complicated and rare phenomenon of postpartum psychosis, which afflicts a very small percentage of women who develop delusions and sometimes hallucinations after childbirth. (7/22)
On menopause —
Had this guide existed during my years of confusion, suffering and self-doubt, my experience with menopause would have been far more legible to me. Instead, I experienced gaslighting, racism and disbelief. (Harris and McCray, 7/22)
In 2021, Karen, who asked that her last name not be used, was always running to the bathroom because of a burning sensation and the urge to urinate. It had been more than 30 years since she had a urinary tract infection (UTI), but Karen suspected that one was causing her frequent bathroom trips. She visited her gynecologist, but her urinary culture tested negative for infection. At the time, her doctor didn’t seem concerned by Karen’s discomfort. (Holohan, 7/22)
Despite access to the best healthcare, Melinda French Gates said it took three doctors to diagnose and treat her when she started perimenopause in her early 40s. (7/21)