Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Reform Needed Within Organ Transplant System; Incarcerated People Shouldn't Be Living Donors
Last year, nearly 20% of organs recovered from selfless donors were not transplanted. This includes more than a quarter of recovered kidneys. Most of those organs come from older donors; these can be more medically complex to transplant but remain safe for patients. (Dr. Maureen McBride, 2/9)
Incarcerated people are not autonomous. They exist in an intrinsically coercive environment, where every aspect of their daily life is controlled and surveilled and every interaction with other human beings is monitored. They are stripped of normal clothing and forced to wear prison garb. They are ordered, not asked, to do just about everything. (Arthur Caplan and Dominic Sisti, 2/8)
Legislation filed by Representatives Carlos González of Springfield and Judith GarcÃa of Chelsea would allow prison inmates to qualify for a reduction in their sentence by donating one of their organs or bone marrow. Their bill, HD.3822, imposes no mandate or penalty; it simply offers prisoners who become organ donors a chance to shorten their incarceration by up to 12 months. (Jeff Jacoby, 2/8)
Also —
Though it may be hard for many to fathom, even pregnant people and new parents can have active substance use disorders. They need support, not criminalization. (Nora D. Volkow, 2/8)
Parents around the world want what’s best for their babies. Many have heard that breastfeeding is good for their babies’ health, and most expectant mothers want to breastfeed, but many can’t attain that goal. A new series of papers published in The Lancet — of which I am a co-author — makes clear that a key reason for this is the marketing tactics of companies selling formula. (Cecilia Tomori, 2/8)
For years since the U.S. Supreme Court made abortion legal with the decision on Roe versus Wade, the New England Journal of Medicine has supported reproductive rights. In July 2022, soon after the Supreme Court overturned Roe, the Journal published an editorial condemning the Court’s reversal. (Rachel Gotbaum, 2/9)
Remember hearing stories about ancient civilization throwing women into volcanos to save their towns? That type of sacrifice lives on today in the town of Putnam. The CEO of Day Kimball Healthcare, Kyle Krammer, is claiming that the only way to save the hospital is to be acquired by Covenant Health, an out-of-state Catholic conglomerate. (The Rev. Jane Emma Newall, 2/9)
