Alabama Court Rules Embryos Are Children. What Now?

The Host

The Alabama Supreme Courtroom’s groundbreaking ruling final week that frozen embryos have authorized rights as folks has touched off a nationwide debate concerning the potential fallout of the “personhood” motion. Already the College of Alabama-Birmingham has paused its in vitro fertilization program whereas it determines the continued legality of a course of that has turn into more and more frequent for these wishing to start out a household. 

In the meantime, former President Donald Trump is reportedly leaning towards endorsing a nationwide, 16-week abortion ban. On the identical time, former aides are planning an extended agenda of reproductive well being restrictions ought to Trump win a second time period.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Well being Information, Lauren Weber of The Washington Put up, Rachana Pradhan of KFF Well being Information, and Victoria Knight of Axios.

Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:

• The Alabama Supreme Courtroom’s choice on embryonic personhood may have wide-ranging implications past reproductive well being care, with potential implications for tax deductions, baby help funds, felony regulation, and rather more.
• Donald Trump is contemplating a nationwide abortion ban at 16 weeks of gestation, in line with current experiences. It’s unclear whether or not such a ban would go far sufficient to please his conservative supporters, however it might be far sufficient to offer Democrats ammunition to marketing campaign on it. And a few are trying into utilizing a 19^th-century anti-smut regulation, the Comstock Act, to implement a nationwide ban below a brand new Trump presidency — no motion from Congress essential.
• New reporting from KFF Well being Information attracts on many interviews with clinicians at Catholic hospitals about how the Roman Catholic Church’s directives dictate the care they could supply sufferers, particularly in reproductive well being. It additionally attracts consideration to the huge variety of religiously affiliated hospitals and the truth that, for a lot of girls, a Catholic hospital could also be their solely possibility.
• Questions on President Joe Biden’s cognitive well being are drawing consideration to ageism in politics — in addition to in American life, with fewer folks taking precautions in opposition to the covid-19 virus even because it stays a critical menace to susceptible folks, particularly the aged. The psychological health of the nation’s leaders is a legitimate, related query for a lot of voters, although the questions are additionally fueled by frustration with a political system during which many workplaces are held by older individuals who have been round a very long time.

Plus, for “additional credit score” the panelists recommend well being coverage tales they learn this week that they suppose it is best to learn, too:

Julie Rovner: Stat’s “New CMS Guidelines Will Throttle Entry Researchers Have to Medicare, Medicaid Information,” by Rachel M. Werner.

Lauren Weber: The Washington Put up’s “They Take Kratom to Ease Ache or Nervousness. Generally, Demise Follows,” by David Ovalle.

Rachana Pradhan: Politico’s “Purple States Eager for a 2^nd Trump Time period Put together to Curtail Medicaid,” by Megan Messerly.

Victoria Knight: ProPublica’s “The 12 months After a Denied Abortion,” by Stacy Kranitz and Kavitha Surana.

Additionally talked about on this week’s podcast:

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