Health & Gender

Brief #92—Health and Gender
By Justin Lee
Former President Trump took strong actions against abortion and reproductive health policies during his presidency. Trump reinstated and strengthened the Mexico City Policy, which implemented funding restrictions to foreign organizations that provided abortion services or counseling. First introduced in the Reagan administration, Trump’s stance lead to the closure of many reproductive health clinics that provided care not just for abortions, but also for HIV care. Trump  also attempted to limit the scope of the contraceptive coverage mandate of the Affordable Care Act, which previously required most insurance plans to cover birth control without copayments. The Supreme Court upheld the exemptions for employers with religious and/or moral objections  to refuse providing birth control benefits for employees in July 2020.

Brief #91—Health & Gender
By Justin Lee
Newly inaugurated President Biden nominated Xavier Becerra to lead and be the next Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The HHS is comprised of various public health and human services agencies and offices that provide guidance, oversee and regulate operations, and establish laws and regulations. Agencies like the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (lead by the Surgeon General) all branch within the HHS.

Brief #90—Health
By Erin Mcnemar
In March of 2010 after a long fought battle between Democrats and Republicans, President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law.

Brief #89—Health & Gender
By Linda F. Hersey
For people with disabilities and their advocates, the victory of Joe Biden over Donald Trump offers hope the incoming president will renew support of, and emphasis on, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which offers protections to people with disabilities in the workplace and in the community.

Brief #88—Health and Gender
By Justin Lee
In early December 2020, President-elect Joe Biden announced the new members of his public health team and objectives he plans to implement within in his first 100 days in office.

Brief #87—Health & Gender
By Justin Lee
In early December, President-elect Joe Biden announced the new members of his public health team and objectives he plans to implement within in his first 100 days in office

Brief #86—Health & Gender
By Taylor J Smith
The US saw a million new COVID-19 cases in the first five days of December and states have begun reimplementing restrictions; However, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer & BioNTech vaccine last weekend and Moderna was approved this week.

Brief #85—Health and Gender
ByTaylor J Smith
The US Supreme Court upheld challenges from New York Churches and synagogues to state pandemic restrictions on religious services just before Thanksgiving.

Brief #84—Health and Gender
By Taylor J Smith
As the globe inches towards month ten of the coronavirus pandemic, promising vaccine advancements were announced last week.

Brief #83—Health & Gender
By Taylor J Smith
In late October, Purdue Pharma agreed to plead guilty to three federal criminal charges for its clear and impactful role in the nation’s deadly opioid crisis.

Brief #82—Health
By Taylor J Smith
After the Trump Administration’s July announcement requiring all hospitals to submit COVID-19 data to private company, TeleTracking Technologies, exclusively sharing data with the Department of Health and Human Services, critics opposed the White House’s move to bypass the Centers for Disease Control, raising transparency concerns. However, the requirements have continued, and President Trump has become dissatisfied with the level of compliance amongst the nation’s hospitals.

Brief #81—Health
By Linda F. Hersey
Out of work for a year, Gail Doffifild of California said that the pandemic has put her job search on life support.