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Web Searches for 'Self-Managed Abortion' Rose After Dobbs Decision

When some U.S. states made abortion illegal after the Supreme Court overturned the longstanding Roe v Wade in June 2022, women in those areas increased their searches for self-managed abortions.

To come to that conclusion, researchers from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) analyzed Google search results regarding self-abortion.

“We found an increased number of searches in...

Lawsuit Against Makers of Ozempic, Mounjaro Claim Meds Caused 'Stomach Paralysis'

A Louisiana woman is suing the makers of two type 2 diabetes drugs used off-label for obesity, saying they failed to adequately warn about the risk of severe stomach problems.

The lawsuit seeks “very significa...

Biotech Company Settles With Family of Henrietta Lacks, Whose Cells Revolutionized Medicine

Cervical cells from Henrietta Lacks, a cancer patient who died more than 70 years ago, are a cornerstone of modern medicine, but her family has never been compensated for the cells taken without her knowledge.

Until now.

Thermo Fisher Scientific of Waltham, Mass., has settled a lawsuit filed in 2021 by the...

First Murder Conviction for Fentanyl Dealer Delivered in California

A fentanyl dealer has been found guilty of second-degree murder in what authorities believe is the first-ever murder conviction for dealing the dangerous drug.

The conviction happened in Placer County, Calif., in a case involving the fatal overdose last summer of a 15-year-old girl in Roseville, about 20 miles northeast of Sacramento, ABC News reported.

"This conviction cou...

Legalizing Marijuana Tied to More Binge Drinking in Folks Over 30

A growing number of states are legalizing marijuana for recreational use, and it may be leading to an unexpected side effect among millennials and Gen Xers: binge drinking.

Binge drinking is defined as five or more drinks at a time for men or four or more drinks for women, according to the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

“Recreational cannabis laws can hav...

In National Survey, U.S. Ob-Gyns Say Care Has Worsened After Dobbs Decision

The U.S. Supreme Court decision ending a nationwide right to abortion one year ago has made it harder for doctors to treat miscarriages and other pregnancy-related emergencies, a new report shows.

The nonprofit organization KFF surveyed ob...

Case Involving Access to Abortion Pill Moves to Appeals Court

A ruling on the abortion pill mifepristone will be one step closer Wednesday when three federal judges hear arguments in the case.

The three judges at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans have a history of supporting abortion restrictions, the Associated Press reported. They aren't expected to rule immediately.

In November, abortion opponents in Texas filed ...

Vermont Opens Its Assisted Suicide Laws to Out-of-State Residents

People seeking medically assisted suicide from any state can now get it in Vermont.

The state is the first to allow those with terminal illnesses from out of state to end their lives within its borders, the Associated Press reported.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill Tuesday removing a requirement t...

U.S. Supreme Court Keeps Abortion Pill Widely Available While Appeal Continues

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the abortion pill mifepristone can remain widely available while litigation over its fate winds its way through the court system.

In the meantime, the order effectively halts a ruling from a federal judge in Texas that said th...

Supreme Court Delays Decision on Abortion Pill Ruling

The Supreme Court on Wednesday delayed a decision on a federal appeals court ruling that seeks to limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone.

In a brief order, Justice Samuel Alito Jr. said the pause on any decision would lapse Friday at midnight, giving the court more time to consider the case, the New York Times reported.

The delay suggests there may be disagreemen...

In Emergency Filing, Biden Administration Asks Supreme Court to Keep  Abortion Pill Fully Available

The Biden administration filed an emergency application on Friday that asks the U.S. Supreme Court to pause parts of a recent federal ruling that limit the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone.

On Wednesday, a federal appeals court partially overruled Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk's ruling in Tex...

Feds to Toughen Rules on Privacy Around Abortion, Contraceptive Services

U.S. officials said Wednesday that they plan to strengthen existing privacy rules to prevent the sharing of private legal reproductive health care information for use in investigations and prosecutions against patients or providers.

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR),

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • April 12, 2023
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  • Johnson & Johnson Agrees to $8.9 Billion Settlement in Talcum Powder Lawsuit

    Tens of thousands of people suing Johnson & Johnson may get some relief after the company announced Tuesday that it will pay $8.9 billion to settle lawsuits that have been going for more than a decade.

    The settlement would be paid out over 25 years and Johnson & Johnson's LTL Management subsidiary filed for bankruptcy to enable the payment, the company said in a

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • April 5, 2023
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  • Utah Becomes First State to Ban Transgender Health Care for Minors

    Transgender youth in Utah are now blocked from receiving gender-affirming surgery and hormone therapy after Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill Saturday that largely bans such care for youth.

    Cox said that the ban was necessary until more research was done o...

    In States Where Recreational Marijuana Legalized, Less Demand for Prescription Codeine

    New research suggests that there's one potential way to reduce demand for prescription codeine: legalizing recreational cannabis.

    Exactly what brought scientists to that conclusion? States that legalized cannabis use saw a significant reduction in pharmacy-based distribution of codeine, an opioid with a high potential for misuse.

    “A reduction in the misuse of opioids can save live...

    When a Parent Is Jailed, Children's Health Care Suffers

    Children's health is jeopardized when they have a parent in prison, new research finds.

    In the United States, 5 million kids have an incarcerated parent. Those children have worse access to primary, dental and mental health care than their peers, the investigators found.

    And that puts the kids at risk of worse mental and physical health outcomes, according to the study.

    “...

    Walmart Offers $3 Billion to Settle Opioid Lawsuits

    Another major pharmacy chain has offered billions to settle claims for its role in the opioid epidemic.

    While saying it would pay out $3.1 billion, Walmart noted in a statement that it "strongly disputes" allegations made by state, local and tribal gove...

    Liability Fears Keep Some Schools From Stocking Asthma Inhalers

    It's a potentially deadly issue: Some U.S. school administrators don't keep life-saving albuterol asthma inhalers on hand because they're afraid of getting sued for misuse. That's true even in states like Illinois, where strong "stock albuterol" laws are on the books, researchers say.

    Kids with asthma don't always carry their inhalers, and some may not even know they have asthma until the...

    CVS, Walgreens Announce $10 Billion Opioid Settlements

    Years of litigation over the opioid epidemic could end soon, as the national pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens announced Wednesday that each company has agreed to a nearly $5 billion settlement.

    While neither of the companies admitted wrongdoing, the settlements are part of the fight over the drug industry's role in the epidemic that has led to 500,000 U.S. deaths in the past 20 years, t...

    As Clinics Providing Abortions Closed in Iowa, STD Rates Started Rising

    Even before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, many states had already moved to limit abortion access by defunding family planning health centers.

    Unfortunately, these very same clinics offer a broad range of essential primary care services beyond abortion, including access t...

    Paid Sick Leave Saves Workers' Lives: Study

    Access to paid sick leave saves lives, new research shows.

    The U.S. study found that when local laws required employers to provide paid sick leave, lower death rates from homicide, suicide and alcohol-related causes resulted.

    The researchers also believe that recent upticks in death rates -- up 6% between 2010 and 2017 -- among U.S. workers likely stem from state preemption laws, wh...

    Gun Deaths Rose 30% Among U.S. Kids in a Decade

    A grim new analysis finds that American youth became 30% more likely to die as a result of gun violence over the past decade.

    The jump in risk appears to have been largely driven by big spikes in gun-related

  • Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
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  • July 26, 2022
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  • Biden Signs Executive Order on Access to Abortion

    Under growing pressure from his own party, President Joe Biden on Friday issued an executive order designed to help protect women's access to abortion.

    Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court ended nationwide access to abortion, guaranteed for nearly 50 years under the Roe v. Wade...

    SCOTUS Overturns Roe v. Wade, Leaving Many Women Without Access to Abortion

    The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling on Friday that overturns the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision guaranteeing a woman's right to abortion.

    "The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion... and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives," the high court said in its opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.<...

    Biden Signs Law Banning Sleep Products Tied to Infant Deaths

    The manufacture and sale of products known as crib bumpers and sleep incliners - linked with more than 200 infant deaths in the United States - will be banned under a new law signed by President Joe Biden.

    "This is a long-fought and important victory for babies...

    After Roe v. Wade: Could Bans on Out-of-State Abortions, Mail-Order Pills Be Next?

    "I do not believe that the overturning of Roe v. Wade is where any of this will end."

    So warns Rachel Fey, vice president of policy and strategic partnerships for Power to Decide, a contraception advocacy group dedicated to reducing the risk for unplanned pregnancies.

    Elisa Wells, co-director of Plan C, an organization focused on ensuring access to at-home abortion pills, agreed

    ...

    When Abortion Means Traveling, More Women Forgo Procedure: Study

    Long-distance travel will likely prove a nearly insurmountable barrier to some women seeking abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned as expected, a new study concludes.

    Women who need an abortion are more than twice as likely to delay the procedure or decide to continue their pregnancy if they live 50 or more miles from a clinic, compared with women who live within 5 miles of a clinic,

    Many Marijuana Vendors Aim Advertising at Kids: Study

    Some recreational pot shops are using tricks from the old playbooks of alcohol and tobacco companies to target underage users on social media, a new study reports.

    Despite state laws restricting such marketing, researchers found marijuana retailers on social media promoting their wares with posts that:

    • Featured cartoon characters like Snoopy, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Rick and...

    Conservatorships Keep the Homeless in Psychiatric Wards Too Long: Study

    Homelessness is difficult enough, but when it's compounded by serious mental health issues the result can be an inability to function at even the most basic level.

    Sometimes that leads to round-the-clock involuntary hospitalization, and when that happens a state-appointed psychiatric conservator can take over, making critical health care decisions for a person deemed mentally unstable.

    More Folks Drive High When Pot Made Legal: Study

    Here's more evidence that marijuana may make driving more dangerous: As pot has been legalized in more countries and states, a greater number of people are driving intoxicated by the drug and crashing, researchers report.

    THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, has been detected in twice as many injured Canadian drivers since 2018, when

  • Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
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  • January 13, 2022
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  • Months After New Rule, More Than Half of U.S. Hospitals Still Don't Disclose Prices Online

    Big "surprise" medical bills may still be a problem for Americans.

    According to a new study, more than half of U.S. hospitals haven't complied with recent regulations requiring that they disclose their prices online for all services, to help prevent unexpected bills for patients.

    About 55% of hospitals have yet to comply with the

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • December 13, 2021
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  • Supreme Court Allows Legal Challenges to Texas Abortion Law, But Doesn't Overturn It

    Abortion providers in Texas can sue state officials in federal court over the state's new abortion law, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday, but it refused to block the law while such legal actions may be taken.

    In its ruling, the high court said lower courts should consider challenges against the la...

    Some Republicans Calling for 'Natural Immunity' Exception to COVID Vaccines

    Republican lawmakers in several states are pushing vaccine mandate exemptions for workers who have so-called natural immunity due to a previous COVID-19 infection.

    That's despite evidence that vaccination can reduce the risk of COVID-19 even for those with a history of infection, and the fact that there's no easy way to assess the protection provided by prior infection, CBS News ...

    Abortion Remains Medically Safe for U.S. Women

    Debate rages over access to abortion, but experts say the collected medical evidence makes one thing clear -- it is a fundamentally safe procedure for women.

    Abortion is safer than childbirth and it's also safer than a host of other common procedures -- colonoscopy, tonsillectomy and plastic surgery, said Dr. Sarah Prager, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Wash...

    Biden Administration Moves to Cut Methane Emissions That Threaten Climate, Health

    A new rule to sharply cut methane emissions and other oil and gas industry air pollutants that harm health and contribute to climate change is in the works.

    The new Clean Air Act rule proposed Tuesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would cut 41 million tons of methane emissions between 2023 and 2035.

    That's the equivalent of 920 million metric tons of carbon dioxi...

    How 1.3 Million Americans Became Controlled by Conservatorships

    Pop singer Britney Spears was at the height of her fame in 2008 when, through a series of arcane legal maneuverings, her father gained conservatorship over her and took control of her personal and financial affairs.

    Spears' plight and the #FreeBritney movement has shone a bright spotlight on America's guardianship system, which experts say is shrouded in secrecy, ripe for abuse and in des...

    Over Half of Police Killings Aren't Reported, Blacks Most Likely Victims

    While high-profile cases like the 2020 killing of George Floyd have cast a harsh spotlight on police violence in the United States, researchers say deaths attributable to it have been underreported for at least 40 years.

    That's the key finding in a new study published Sept. 30 in The Lancet.

    For the study, a team from the University of Washington School of Medicine, in Seat...

    Appeals Court Backs Florida's Ban on School Mask Mandates

    The law on whether or not students in Florida schools will be required to wear masks has changed again.

    On Friday the First District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee reinstated that state's ban on school mask mandates, CBS News reported.

    The issue has been in flux since July, when Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order barring school districts from requiring that stu...

    Judge Rules Against Florida's Ban on School Mask Mandates

    School districts in Florida can require their students to wear masks, despite the governor's order blocking mask mandates -- for now at least.

    A circuit court judge in Leon County ruled Wednesday that the state can't enforce Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban on school mask mandates,CBS News reported.

    "We're not in normal times. We are in a pandemic," said Leon County Circuit Judge...

    How Did New 'Surprise Medical Bill' Laws Affect Your State?

    Anesthesia is a vital part of almost every surgery, but unexpected bills for the service can cause a lot of pain. Now, a new study finds that these costs fell in several states that introduced legislation targeting "surprise" billing.

    "These price declines show that state surprise billing laws both directly lower out-of-network prices and indirectly lower in-network prices, providing evid...

    Pesticide Harmed Children's Brains: Lawsuits

    Lawsuits claiming that the widely used bug killer chlorpyrifos caused brain damage in children were filed Monday in California.

    Past research has shown that the pesticide harms the brains of fetuses and children, the Associated Press reported.

    Chlorpyrifos is approved for use on more than 80 crops, but was banned for household use in 2001. The U.S. Environmental Protection ...

    Pharmacy Exec Behind Meningitis Outbreak Gets Longer Prison Sentence

    A longer prison sentence has been handed to the founder of a now-closed Massachusetts pharmaceutical facility responsible for the 2012 meningitis outbreak that killed 100 people and sickened hundreds of others.

    Barry Cadden, who was president and co-owner of the New England Compounding Center (NECC), received a 14-and-a-half year sentence from a federal judge Wednesday.

    Cadden was ...

    Pandemic Silver Lining: Global Decline in Urban Crime

    COVID-19 lockdowns had at least one welcome upside: a significant drop in crime in cities worldwide, according to an international study.

    Researchers analyzed crime data from 27 metro areas (including Chicago; London; Sao Paulo; Barcelona, Spain; Tel Aviv, Israel; and Brisbane, Australia) and found big declines in most types of crimes, with the notable exception of homicide.

    "City l...

    Tougher Gun Laws, Fewer Gun Deaths: Study

    The more gun laws a state has, the lower its suicide and murder rates, a new U.S. study finds.

    Gun violence in the United States is a public health crisis. In 2017, nearly 67,000 Americans died by suicide and homicide. And guns were involved in about half of the suicides and 74% of the murders, the researchers reported.

    But in recent decades, "as states' strictness [on gun ownership...

    Despite Pandemic's Toll, Many Older Adults Don't Have Living Wills

    As the coronavirus pandemic continues in the United States, less than half of older Americans have legally stated their wishes should they become seriously ill, a new survey finds.

    People 50 and older are at increased risk for severe COVID-19, and the pandemic may be an opportunity for them to discuss health care issues with their family and document their preferences if they suffer sever...

    Want Less Violent Prisons? Plant More Trees

    It's already known that green space offers significant benefits in institutional settings, such as hospitals and schools, but new research suggests it may also reduce violence in prisons.

    In the new study, researchers compared the amount of trees, lawns and shrubs at prisons in England and Wales with data on violence between prisoners, prisoner assaults on staff and prisoner self-harm.

    Tougher State Gun Laws, Less Gun Violence Among Teens: Study

    States with more gun laws have less youth gun violence, new research reveals.

    For the study, the researchers examined data from several states from 2005 to 2017, and found that kids were less likely to be armed in states with more gun laws, and more likely to carry a weapon in states with fewer gun laws.

    Louisiana and Arkansas had the highest percentage of armed youth in 2017 at 12....

    Too Many U.S. Doctors Biased Against Patients With Disabilities: Study

    Dr. Lisa Iezzoni is all too familiar with the discrimination that patients who have a disability can face: Having lived with multiple sclerosis for more than four decades and now in a wheelchair, she has also studied health care experiences and outcomes for people with disabilities for more than 20 years.

    But her new survey on doctors' attitudes towards disabled patients still surprised h...

    As More Legal Pot Dispensaries Open, More Young Adults Start Using

    As more states legalize marijuana and more shops begin to sell it, more young adults are using pot and developing drug-use disorders, a new study finds.

    For the study, researchers looked at young adults in Los Angeles County before and after retail sale of recreational marijuana was legalized in California.

    The study linked areas with many pot shops, particularly unlicensed retailer...

    Police Use of Neck Restraint Never Medically Appropriate, Neurologists Say

    Despite training that teaches police officers to use neck restraints, there is no medical justification for the tactic, three neurologists write in JAMA Neurology.

    The killing of George Floyd, who died in May 2020 after an arresting police officer pressed a knee to his neck for more than eight minutes, helped spark a nationwide conversation about racial injustice.

    While Fl...