Healthcare & Policy News
Reporting on health care policy, insurance coverage, and federal health programs. Includes news updates and conservative commentary from The Daily Signal.
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- Opinion
FDA Slaps Warning on Puberty Blockers
Puberty blockers earned a warning label from the Food and Drug Administration earlier this month after six minors (ages 5-12) experienced severe symptoms. The puberty blockers in question are known scientifically as “gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) substances.” The minors, who were all biologically female, suffered from symptoms of “pseudotumor cerebri” (tumor-like masses in the brain), including visual disturbances…Joshua Arnold -
- Opinion
FDA Considers Over-the-Counter Birth Control. Here’s Why It Matters.
For the first time in history, women may soon be allowed to purchase birth control over-the-counter. The Food and Drug Administration first approved the pill in the 1960s, and since then, women have always needed a prescription for birth control pills. But that might be changing. The FDA is considering approving over-the-counter birth control. The…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Will Lower Courts Duly Follow the Supreme Court’s Lead in Abortion Cases?
The general has sounded the retreat. Will the soldiers follow? That is the question raised by Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, where the Supreme Court declared that the federal courts should retreat from their invasion of the democratic provinces of legislatures on the issue of abortion. But will the lower courts obey? One appellate…GianCarlo Canaparo -
- News
New HHS Rule Would Force Insurers to Pay for Children’s Sex Changes
The Department of Health and Human Services announced a new rule Monday that would force insurance providers to pay for breast removal and other transgender surgeries, including for minors. The proposed rule change by the federal agency concerns Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, a section of the law…Douglas Blair -
- News
YouTube to Remove Content Promoting ‘Unsafe Abortion Methods’
YouTube announced Thursday it would begin removing content containing abortion misinformation and “unsafe abortion methods.” The move came nearly a month after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision on June 24. “Starting today and ramping up over the next few weeks, we will remove content that provides instructions for unsafe…Samantha Aschieris -
- Opinion
Whither Future of Abortion Law
Hadley Arkes, a longtime commentator on abortion, natural law, and constitutional jurisprudence, joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the arguments that should be made to defend unborn human life in America. Arkes notes that the term “value judgment … is a term that we began to use with Nietzsche. When people lost their confidence…Richard M. Reinsch II -
- Opinion
Biden Gets COVID-19, Exposing Huge Double Standard
President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19. We should all hope the president has an easy time. We should not ask for media nastiness and/or glee. But this presents an obvious occasion to remember just how the “objective” press made a frenetic, mean-spirited, and hyperbolic mess out of former President Donald Trump’s bout with…Tim Graham -
- Opinion
Biden’s Attempts at Abortion Workarounds Fueled by Midterm Dreams, Constitutional Nightmares
In the wake of Roe v. Wade’s demise, after originalism prevailed and the Supreme Court recognized in last month’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case that indeed the Constitution, American history, and tradition do not support a right to abortion, Washington’s party in power has advanced a flurry of pro-abortion initiatives. But in the…Sarah Parshall Perry -
- Opinion
Pro-Abortion Extremist Democrats Push to Extend ‘Sanctuaries’ Nationwide
Pro-abortion activists are angry. They want Democrats in Washington to produce a cohesive plan to limit or overrule the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that undid Roe v. Wade. Democrats, in turn, are scrambling to do anything they can to extend abortion on demand, which, for nearly 50 years, they could take for granted. Last…Emma Waters -
- Opinion
Dick Durbin Flip-Flops on Abortion
Dick Durbin was the man in charge. It was Jan. 17, 1982, when the Springfield Right to Life Committee held its annual gathering at the Illinois Capitol to protest the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. As the master of ceremonies that day, Durbin presided over an event that opened with a prayer…Terence Jeffrey -
- Opinion
The National Pro-Abortion Echo Chamber
When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, there was a shocking (if temporary) turn in the news coverage. The anti-abortion victory was so historic that journalists actually interviewed anti-abortion activists to get their reaction to this glorious news. It was different when some scabrous leaker gave Politico a copy of Justice Samuel Alito’s draft…Tim Graham -
- News
Most Americans Support Transparency About Post-Abortion Complications, Poll Finds
A new poll revealed that most Americans agree on certain abortion policies. The abortion-related nationwide poll was commissioned from June 3-6 by The American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, an almost 50-year-old association with at least 7,000 members. The poll surveyed 1,600 registered voters. Here are three main takeaways from the poll results: Transparency…Bernadette Hassan -
- Opinion
Don’t Count on Abortion Clinics to Help 10-Year-Old Sexual Abuse Victims
In recent remarks on abortion, President Joe Biden sought to pull on Americans’ heartstrings by telling the horrifying story of a pregnant 10-year-old. “Just last week, it was reported that a 10-year-old girl was a rape victim in Ohio—10 years old—and she was forced to have to travel out of the state, to Indiana, to…Katrina Trinko -
- News
Cruz Demands Garland Explain Why He Hasn’t Stopped Illegal Protests Over Abortion Outside Justices’ Homes
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has demanded that Attorney General Merrick Garland attend a hearing Tuesday on abortion to explain why he refuses to enforce laws protecting Supreme Court justices from intimidation and to outline plans for protecting the justices in the future. Cruz sent a letter Thursday about Garland to Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the…Evalyn Homoelle -
- News
Biden Considers Declaring Public Health Emergency to Help Secure Abortion Access
President Joe Biden is considering declaring a public health emergency to enshrine abortion rights, he told reporters Sunday. Biden has asked members of his administration to look into whether he has the authority to make such a declaration and what impact it may have, he said during a brief interview while pausing from a Sunday bike ride….Laurel Duggan -
- News
General Suspended, Put Under Investigation After Responding to Jill Biden’s Tweet on Abortion
The U.S. Army suspended and is investigating Lt. Gen. Gary Volesky after he tweeted in response to first lady Jill Biden’s remarks about the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Volesky tweeted, “Glad to see you finally know what a woman is,” in response to the first lady’s June 24 tweet voicing her…Reagan Reese -
- Opinion
We Hear You: Abortion on Demand Ends in America
Editor's note: The Daily Signal's audience greeted the news of the Supreme Court's overruling of Roe v. Wade with both joy and new resolve. Here's a sampling from the mailbag at [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: In 1980, I was 22, single, and pregnant. I was devastated. My doctor told me to have an abortion. He recommended a…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
For Left-Wing Lawmakers, Only ‘Choice’ Permitted Is Abortion
Are “pro-choice” policymakers really interested in women having choices? A new bill from Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., shows they aren’t. Their target? Life-affirming, community-based pregnancy resource centers. Why target them? The abortion industry and its allies in Congress accuse pregnancy resource centers of being “fake clinics” that “deceive” pregnant women…Melanie Israel -
- News
Women Don’t Need Abortion to Be Equal and Empowered, Authors Say
“How tragic it is, for the past 49-and-a-half years, [Roe v. Wade] has built up an entire unjust social structure in which women’s equality means access to abortion,” says Ryan T. Anderson, co-author of a new book published just four days after the Supreme Court overturned its 1973 ruling legalizing abortion nationwide. Regnery Publishing released “Tearing Us Apart: How…Bernadette Hassan -
- News
Pro-Abortion Women’s March Aims for 1,000 Arrests at White House Rally
Activists with the feminist organization Women’s March plan to rally Saturday outside the White House. Their goal? To get arrested. An online document titled “Summer of Rage Toolkit – July 9th” explicitly says that the objective of the pro-abortion rally is to spur police to arrest participants. “While we welcome everyone to participate, the action will…Douglas Blair