‘It’s A Reminder That Pain Is A Political Tool’: Transgender People Decry Timing Of Proposed Trump Policy So Close To Midterms
“This is a very evidently political move done, approaching the midterms, to garner favor with a portion of the American public who would be encouraged and pleased by this news,” said Gabrielle Bychowski, a college professor and married mother of two in Grand Rapids, Mich. Meanwhile, CDC Director Robert Redfield cautioned that the policy would increase stigma around transgender people and that is not in the interest of public health.
The New York Times:
Two Weeks Before Midterms, Transgender People Feel Like ‘Pawns’
When the news broke on Sunday morning, many transgender people, world-weary, saw it as grimly predictable: With two weeks to go until the midterm elections, the Trump administration was considering a new move that would undermine federal civil rights protections for the transgender community. This time, they thought, it was the nuclear option. Under the terms of a proposal reported by The New York Times on Sunday, the administration would adopt a narrow definition of gender as an unchangeable biological condition — either male or female — that is determined by genitalia at birth. Such a move would not only roll back protections for transgender people: It could also legally negate their very existence. (Stack, 10/23)
Stat:
CDC Director Warns Against Potential ‘Stigma’ Of Trump Transgender Proposal
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday suggested a Trump administration proposal that would define someone’s sex at birth risked heightening stigma around transgender people. The director, Robert Redfield, did not directly criticize the proposal. But when asked whether any such effort might hamper efforts to treat HIV, especially among transgender women, he replied: “We need to understand that stigmatizing illness, stigmatizing individuals is not in the interest of public health.” (Swetlitz, 10/23)
In other national health care and election news —
The Hill:
White House Report Warns Of The ‘Costs Of Socialism‘ Ahead Of Midterms
The White House on Tuesday issued a report warning of the dangers of socialism two weeks ahead of pivotal midterm elections. The report from the White House Council of Economic Advisers fits with a larger campaign strategy from Republicans trying to portray Democrats as extremists for ideas gaining traction in their party, including Medicare for All, the health proposal that would provide government-run health insurance to cover everyone. (Sullivan, 10/23)
The New York Times:
Sandra Day O’Connor, First Female Supreme Court Justice, Says She Has Dementia
Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve as a justice on the United States Supreme Court and a critical swing vote for much of her tenure, revealed on Tuesday that she had dementia and had decided to withdraw from public life as the disease advanced. In a letter addressed to “friends and fellow Americans,” Justice O’Connor, 88, wrote that she was told she had early-stage dementia “some time ago” and that doctors believed it was most likely Alzheimer’s disease. (Haag, 10/23)
Stat:
Crowdfunding Raises Millions For Unproven And Potentially Harmful Treatments
Crowdfunding campaigns have raked in millions of dollars for scientifically unproven — and potentially dangerous — medical treatments since 2015, according to a new analysis. The study, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, turned up 1,059 campaigns that raised money for five unproven or possibly risky treatments: homeopathy or naturopathy for cancer, hyperbaric oxygen for brain injury, experimental stem cell therapy for brain or spinal cord injuries, and long-term antibiotics for chronic Lyme disease. Almost all of the campaigns were on GoFundMe, the largest crowdfunding platform of its kind. (Thielking, 10/23)
The New York Times:
What Big Pharma Fears Most: A Trump Alliance With Democrats To Cut Drug Prices
The pharmaceutical industry, pilloried by President Trump for the last two years, is war-gaming for the possibility that its worst fear is realized: that Democrats, if they flip control of the House, find common ground with the president to rein in drug prices. Democrats say they are determined to squeeze the industry’s prices and profits, and they have a stack of legislative proposals that could do so. Drug makers are quietly making contingency plans. (Pear, 10/20)
Politico:
‘Winter Is Coming’: Companies Brace For Flurry Of Investigations
Washington law firms are preparing for a boom in business from a projected Democratic takeover of the House in 2019, anticipating that pharmaceutical, tech, and oil and gas companies will need help navigating a flurry of oversight investigations. Law firms that specialize in helping businesses manage congressional investigations, including Covington & Burling and Akin Gump, have been tracking Democrats’ criticisms of a host of corporations all year. (Levine, 10/22)
NPR:
Why Are Suicide Rates Higher In The Mountain West?
At the confluence of the Gunnison and Colorado rivers, the town of Grand Junction, Colo., sits in a bowl of a valley ringed by tall mountains, desert mesas and red rock cliffs. For local residents like Victoria Mendoza, sometimes the setting makes her and others feel isolated. "I know we can't really fix this because it's nature," says Mendoza. "I feel like people in our valley feel like there's only life inside of Grand Junction." (Siegler, 10/23)
The Wall Street Journal:
After A School Shooting, A Town Frays
At a September school-board meeting in this rural town, a group of families stood before a lectern to recite the names of loved ones killed in a school shooting last May. When Scot Rice, whose wife Flo was shot five times that day, began reading the names of those injured, board president J.R. “Rusty” Norman interrupted to tell him his allotted time was up. “There’s dead bodies between me and you,” Mr. Rice shot back, as two police officers approached him. (Frosch and Hobbs, 10/24)