Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Arizona's Abortion Ban Is Struck Down And Abortion Rights Enshrined
Doctors and women now have the final say about when an abortion should be performed, after a Maricopa County Superior Court judge struck down the state’s 15-week ban following last year’s vote to enshrine abortion rights in the Arizona Constitution. (Gomez, 3/5)
Losing a baby late in pregnancy is more common in the South than in other regions of the United States, according to a new report given exclusively to NBC News. The difference is dramatic: Compared with other parts of the country, the odds of having a high rate of late-stage pregnancy loss are nearly three times greater in Southern states. The lack of Medicaid expansion in the South ... contributes to the high rates of fetal loss in the second half of pregnancy, according to the report by United States of Care, a nonpartisan health care advocacy organization. (Cohen, 3/6)
On infant and maternal care —
The Minnesota Department of Health has officially added two more diseases to the list of more than 60 conditions for which newborns are typically screened. Newborns in Minnesota can now be screened for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and guanidinoacetate methyltransferase (GAMT) deficiency. (Moser, 3/6)
Governor Josh Shapiro is pushing for universal health screenings to identify postpartum depression sooner. "By participating in the IOP in this room, I found out and connected with friends how common yet under-discussed how common postpartum and anxiety is," said Jessica Tucker. (Bah, 3/6)
Dr. Lillian Ruth Blackmon Crenshaw, a national medical leader in the care of premature infants, died of Lewy body disease Feb. 25 at her Guilford home. She was 87. Born in Benton, Arkansas, she was the daughter of George Truett Blackmon, a religion professor, and Bessie Hicks Blackmon, a teacher. A 1959 graduate of Ouachita Baptist University, she was one of the first female students to attend what is now the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. (Kelly, 3/7)
On sexual health —
A total of 19.0% of 609 men who completed a survey in Japan and had persistent COVID symptoms reported erectile dysfunction (ED) 1 and/or 2 years post-infection, perhaps due to depression, anxiety, and/or sleep disturbances, suggest researchers with the COVID-19 Recovery Study II Group. (Van Beusekom, 3/6)
