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In 2018, the Austria-based nonprofit Aid Access began offering Americans a new service: For the first time, pregnant people could obtain abortion pills by mail, with a prescription from a licensed physician, without ever visiting a clinic. For years, the group’s founder, Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, had been doing similar work overseas. But as abortion rights were steadily eroded by Republican-controlled legislatures, Dr. Gomperts found herself inundated with requests from the United States and decided to act. (Patrick Adams, 10/13)

Even though the rationale behind our drug policies is hard to defend, reform is painfully slow. The overwhelming majority — lawmakers, activists, health care providers — want the same thing: a steady and significant drop in overdose fatalities, access to effective treatment for those who seek it, quality health care for all and safe communities, especially for children. Together, we could save thousands of lives and billions of dollars. But we must overcome autopilot conclusions, take seriously the findings of medical research and conduct a deep analysis of the ways current practices do — and do not — serve the greater good. (Jessie Dunleavy, 10/13)

The White House Covid Summit recently convened world leaders, multilateral organizations, global health experts, and the private sector to address the pandemic. We were privileged to be among the stakeholders as representatives of Seed Global Health, which partners with governments to strengthen health workforces in countries with critical shortages. (Pooja Yerramilli and Vanessa Kerry, 10/14)