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Almost 10 years ago, I stood on the floor of the Texas state Senate in front of my colleagues, wired and tired. For just under 13 hours, I filibustered to stop a disastrous piece of legislation that threatened to devastate reproductive health care in Texas. That day was a test of physical and mental stamina, but it paled in comparison to the struggle I knew people across the state would face if that draconian anti-abortion bill became law. We stopped the bill from passing that night, but it ultimately did go through. When the Supreme Court overturned the law three years later, it felt like vindication. (Wendy Davis, 5/16)

People are going to die. That’s what I tell folks asking what a post-Roe America will look like. It’s as simple, and as terrible, as that. I think about the future for a living. I ask, “What if … this one thing were different? How would life change?” And in a country where abortion is illegal, people will die. (Angelle Haney Gullett, 5/17)

The U.S. government has warned that Russia could use chemical weapons against Ukraine. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has threatened to use nuclear weapons under certain conditions. Russia’s secret police have used nerve agents to attack political opponents inside and outside Russia. And Russian forces have seized two of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. Russia is creating the possibility of a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) nightmare. Its aggression against Ukraine makes it clear that American investment in innovative medical countermeasures is long overdue. U.S. policymakers must ensure that this country is as ready as it can be before the worst comes calling. (Joe Lieberman and Michelle McMurry-Heath, 5/17)

Medical schools have increasingly been describing themselves as anti-racist. The term seems straightforward and as a result has been easy to incorporate into our lexicon. Being anti-racist and translating anti-racism into action is far more challenging. In “The Racial Healing Handbook,” Anneliese Singh defines anti-racist as “someone who is actively seeking not only to raise their consciousness about race and racism but also to take action when they see racial power inequities in everyday life.” (Dr. David Muller , Jennifer Dias and Taylor Harrell, 5/17)

The Biden administration just proposed a historic drug control strategy “to save lives, expand treatment, and disrupt trafficking.” Included is a plan to expand medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) throughout federal carceral settings. Similar comprehensive MOUD treatment mandates should be adopted by the state of Tennessee and local jurisdictions. (Lucas Womack, 5/16)

I was alone with my doctor in the hospital when she told me I had no bone marrow matches in the world. I cried a lot that day. I was admitted two weeks prior, after relapsing from acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive blood cancer. As a husband, father and criminal prosecutor, I’ve dedicated my life to caring for my loved ones and protecting my community. Now, leukemia was threatening my life, and there was no one who could protect me from it. Throughout COVID-19, I willingly endured isolation and brutal side effects of chemotherapy in hopes of receiving a bone marrow transplant to stay alive a little longer for my family. Without a match, all my sacrifices felt in vain. No transplant meant the cancer would return shortly after the chemotherapy treatments ended. I was haunted by thoughts of leaving my wife alone to raise my three wonderful daughters. (Charlie Huang, 5/13)