December 23, 2024
(NBC News) – Health care sharing ministries advertise reimbursements for members’ medical bills. But they are largely unregulated, and most have restrictions on maternity coverage. One service ministries commonly restrict is maternity care, for which many require a waiting period … Read More
December 19, 2024
(NPR) – There were more abortion plotlines on TV this year – 66 across 63 shows, compared to 49 last year, according to the annual Abortion Onscreen report released Wednesday by Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, a research program … Read More
December 17, 2024
(Wall Street Journal) – Concerns grow about so-called endocrine disrupters, found in everything from plastic packaging to toys and cosmetics Fertility rates around the world are declining, including in the U.S., where the total fertility rate last year fell to … Read More
December 16, 2024
(KFF Health News) – Hawley’s local Indian Health Service hospital wasn’t equipped to deliver babies. But she said staff there agreed that the agency would pay for her care at a privately owned hospital more than an hour away. That … Read More
December 16, 2024
(ProPublica) – U.S. service members have long faced strict limits on abortions, even when used to resolve miscarriages. Under federal law, the military will only pay for abortions in cases of rape, incest or to save the mother’s life. In … Read More
December 12, 2024
(Wall Street Journal) – Employees worry the pullback and other new restrictions mean the entertainment giant is losing the identity that fueled its success Netflix made headlines nearly a decade ago when it unveiled one of corporate America’s most generous … Read More
December 11, 2024
(Medpage Today) – Independent experts found unacceptable safety risk The British government on Wednesday indefinitely banned puberty blockers for children with gender dysphoria after independent experts found there was an unacceptable safety risk in prescribing the medication. The decision, which … Read More
December 11, 2024
(Wired) – “People don’t always realize they are creating a human being and not a piece of furniture.” For years now, aspiring parents have been designing their children. Screening embryos for disease-causing genes during IVF, selecting their future baby’s sex, … Read More
December 10, 2024
(Wall Street Journal) – This Lunar year, the year of the dragon, is seen as an auspicious one for marriage and births in Chinese culture. Nonetheless, 2024 births are expected to drop below 8 million, less than half the number … Read More
December 9, 2024
(CNBC) – A federal judge approved a landmark class action settlement this week between Aetna and same-sex couples in New York who alleged the insurance behemoth had discriminated against them and other LGBTQ customers seeking fertility treatment. Aetna, a subsidiary … Read More
December 6, 2024
(MIT Technology Review) – The UK is seen as a global leader in regulating reproductive technologies. Some worry that onerous paperwork is causing embryos to be wasted. IVF is a success story for embryo research. But today, valuable embryos that … Read More
December 5, 2024
HEC Forum (vol. 36, no. 3, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
December 4, 2024
(New York Times) – Labor and delivery units are losing money and struggling to find staff, in rural areas and large cities alike. Over 500 hospitals have closed their labor and delivery departments since 2010, according to a large new … Read More
December 4, 2024
(NPR) – The Taliban’s supreme leader has reportedly ordered a ban on women attending nursing and midwivery institutes, closing a rare avenue they had to pursue an education beyond the sixth grade. Human Rights Watch says the ban was ordered … Read More
December 4, 2024
(Futurism via MSN) – An infamous insurance billionaire has been accused by several women of operating a bizarre “baby project” to build a giant white family. In a wide-reaching exposé, Bloomberg reports that North Carolina insurance tycoon Greg Lindberg operated this … Read More
December 4, 2024
(Wall Street Journal) – Justice Gorsuch remains silent during hearing on Tennessee’s ban of treatments for minors Several Supreme Court justices signaled a willingness Wednesday to let states prohibit transgender teenagers from obtaining puberty blockers and other treatments, but the … Read More
December 4, 2024
(ABC News) – Many moms-to-be opt for blood tests during pregnancy to check for fetal disorders such as Down syndrome. In rare instances, these tests can reveal something unexpected — hints of a hidden cancer in the woman. In a … Read More
December 2, 2024
(Axios) – Legally induced abortions decreased in 2022, the year that Roe v. Wade was overturned, the CDC said in its latest annual report. Why it matters: Abortions had ticked upward slightly between 2019 and 2021 after years of declines … Read More
November 27, 2024
(Becker’s Hospital Review) – The Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee, which examines all pregnancy-related deaths, will not examine cases from 2022 and 2023, The Washington Post reported Nov. 26. The committee made the decision in September, reasoning that … Read More
November 27, 2024
(The Walrus) – Time, relationships, identity, and, yes, finances: for a few years, a child’s arrival can upend anyone’s world. But between the housing crisis, an underperforming child care system, soaring food costs, and a status-driven culture that encourages top-of-the-line … Read More
November 25, 2024
(New York Times) – Two couples in California discovered they were raising each other’s genetic children. Should they switch their girls? Alexander would convince himself that everything was fine, only to be walloped once again by the suspicion that May … Read More
November 25, 2024
(ProPublica) – The 35-year-old’s death was preventable, according to more than a dozen doctors who reviewed a detailed summary of her case for ProPublica. Some said it raises serious questions about how abortion bans are pressuring doctors to diverge from … Read More
November 22, 2024
(MIT Technology Review) – Around 135 transplants have been performed, but it’s probably too soon to offer the procedure to trans women. A decade on, over 135 uterus transplants have been performed globally, resulting in the births of over 50 … Read More
November 21, 2024
(MedPage Today) – Australian study explored screening for hundreds of genetic conditions Couples who were found to be genetic carriers for autosomal recessive or X-linked genetic conditions often opted to change their reproductive strategy, a large Australian population-based study found. … Read More
November 18, 2024
(KFF Health News) – On online baby message boards and other social media forums, pregnant women say they are being asked by their providers to pay out-of-pocket fees earlier than expected. The practice is legal, but patient advocacy groups call … Read More
