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Taking a common arthritis drug together with the morning-after pill Plan B could boost the contraceptive’s effectiveness, according to new research published Wednesday. Levonorgestrel, often called Plan B, is the most widely available type of emergency contraception. It works by preventing or delaying ovulation. Scientists estimate that it is about 95% effective when taken within a day after unprotected sex, dropping to 58% or lower within three days. The new study, published by the medical journal Lancet, suggests levonorgestrel can remain highly effective up to three days after unprotected sex when it is taken with piroxicam, an anti-inflammatory pain medication typically prescribed for arthritis. (Cheng, 8/16)

Meta tweaked its “adult products or services” advertising policy last October to include clearer guidelines about reproductive health, clarifying that it allows the promotion of “reproductive health products or services” if the content is targeted to “people aged 18 or older.” ... However, female reproductive experts tell CNN that the advertising policy is still too restrictive and is creating barriers for how younger people around the world access information about female reproductive health issues, including the menstrual cycle, which can start as early as 8 years old. (Gretener, 8/15)

The New Jersey Supreme Court sided on Monday with a Catholic elementary school that fired an unmarried art teacher who was pregnant, ending a long legal battle that had drawn national attention at a time of fierce debate over religious freedom and the separation of church and state. [The woman's lawyer] noted that the decision would affect not only religious schools, but “all different types of religious entities that employ people,” including hospitals. (Nolan, 8/16)

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek on Tuesday joined advocates to celebrate the state’s push to strengthen abortion access and enact minimum nurse staffing standards for hospitals. At a ceremonial bill signing, Kotek signed two health care bills. The first was House Bill 2002, which shores up abortion rights and access to transgender health care. The bill was central to the six-week walkout of GOP senators in the Oregon Senate this session. The other bill was House Bill 2697, which puts minimum nurse staffing standards in place for hospitals. (Botkin, 8/16)

Members of a Southern California community are grappling with a devastating blow to critical abortion access after a major fire engulfed a Planned Parenthood clinic in the early morning hours of August 15. Located in El Centro, Planned Parenthood’s Imperial Valley Homan Center is the only abortion provider in greater Imperial County. While the facility had been a staple for care in the region since it opened in 2015, it became a safe haven for out-of-state abortion patients following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson ruling in 2022, which overturned Roe v. Wade. (Mitchell, 8/16)

Once inside the clinic, the woman told a U.S. district court jury Wednesday, a handful of protesters began grabbing her, yelling at her and blocking her from getting farther inside. Security footage played in court showed how she then stood on a chair, lifted her body onto a receptionist’s desk and climbed through an office window so she could get into the back area where abortions are conducted. (Alexander and Silverman, 8/16)