Reproductive Rights - Stay Focused
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A Good Day To Advocate for Better Healthcare
If there are subjects you’d like to see or improvements made, please let me know using the comment button below. Two stories in work - one on medical claims denials and the other on psychiatric care.
Videos of these newsletters appear on Youtube on this channel. They are on hold until early June.
Cancer Treatment News
CAR-T cell therapies are transforming the treatment of previously incurable blood cancers, but a large proportion of patients still responds only poorly or not at all to them, calling for new strategies to overcome this challenge. Now, a research team has developed a simple intervention in the form of a biodegradable scaffold material called 'T-cell enhancing scaffolds' (TES) that can be locally injected under the skin and used to restimulate CAR-T cells after their administration. This increased their therapeutic efficacy and significantly curbed tumor growth and prolonged animal survival in an aggressive mouse lymphoma model. (Science Daily)
Smart Watches and Parkinson’s
Smart watches can call for help if you fall, measure your heart rate and blood oxygen level, check blood pressure (not mine), and even check for irregular cardiac activity.
New research adds to growing evidence that widely used and user-friendly consumer devices, in this instance an Apple Watch paired with an iPhone, can detect changes in Parkinson's symptoms over time in individuals in the early stages of the disease. (Science Daily)
Mifepristone Still Available - For Now
The Supreme Court took the cheap way out and will allow the abortion medication, mifepristone, to be available. Their ruling was that the “doctors” (one who was a dentist and one who only had a masters degree) who brought suit did not have standing to do so.
Remember, there is a large body of evidence that has shown mifepristone that first approved over 20 years ago, is a safe and effective alternative to surgical abortions and is used safely by 63% of those who have the procedure in the US.
The ruling is a welcome relief form so many. However, the court left the door open for additional suits in the future. Women’s rights were not restored.
What’s Next:
The ruling leaves an opening for three states with Republican attorneys general — Missouri, Kansas and Idaho — to quickly try to revive the challenge before a federal judge in Texas who is well-known for his antiabortion views.
The states have already made the case in court filings that they should be allowed to pursue a challenge in part because of what they describe as added public insurance costs for emergency medical care and mental health support because of complications from abortion pills.
Missouri and Idaho officials say they have a separate interest in enforcing the state’s strict abortion bans, which they say are undermined by the dispensing of abortion pills through the mail sent from states where the procedure is legal.
The issue of who has standing to sue over FDA decisions could also resurface if former disgraced, convicted felon, ex-president Donald Trump returns to the White House and appoints a commissioner who reinstates restrictions on the drug. This is exactly what the Heritage Foundation is calling for in Project 2025, the plan for an authoritarian America.
VOTE UP AND DOWN THE BALLOT
IN PRIMARIES AND IN THE GENERAL ELECTION FOR PEOPLE WHO PROTECT RIGHTS AND HEALTH CARE.
Abortion Care and Defense
The DoD makes every effort to care for their service members and their families. It is in their enlightened self interest. After all ,this is a volunteer operation and annoying volunteers is a good way to lose them.
The DoD offers leave for those personnel or dependents who need to travel out of state for abortion care. The policy is designed to preserve the health of personnel who happen to be stationed in some of the 21 US states that treat women as property. It is the same policy that service members have anywhere in the world.
The annual defense policy legislation emerged from a House committee with bipartisan backing, but Republicans loaded it with right-wing mandates targeting abortion, transgender care and diversity initiatives.
House Republicans then banded together today to narrowly pass an $895 billion defense policy bill that would restrict access to abortion and transgender medical care in the military and eliminate all positions and offices of diversity, equity and inclusion across the Pentagon.
The vote was 217-to-199 vote, largely along party lines, Many Democrats, bot not all, turned against the bill in droves after Republicans insisted for the second year in a row on loading it with conservative policy oppressive dictates.
One such proposal, offered by Representative Beth Van Duyne of Texas and approved on Thursday, overturns the Pentagon’s policy offering time off and transportation reimbursement to service members traveling out of state to obtain an abortion.
Along with the abortion policy amendment, House Republicans introduced and passed a wave of amendments that would ban drag shows on military bases, eliminate and ban any diversity, equity and inclusion programs or positions within the Defense Department, and prohibit the uniformed services health care program from covering related medical care for transgender people.
Here is a link so you can see how you member of Congress voted. I have called mine and complain.
Action
Again, this is a really important piece of legislation and at some point in life it is important to stand up for principles, especially supporting the brave women and men who choose to volunteer to keep all of us safe. Here is the link to the defense authorization vote.
I called mine and let her know how disgraceful I thought her vote was to support this legislation that punishes our military. Your Member of Congress phone number is here, https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials.
Resources
Find My Elected Officials
Contact State and Federal Representatives - phone and email
Healthcare Advocacy (Us) Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare - Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
Learn About Healthcare Policy
The Kaiser Family Foundation has put together an online course about healthcare policy. It is called Health Policy 101. It is free and here is the link to their course page. I will keep this note here for a few days.
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