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The Unserious Ideas of Calley Means

What: If you’ve just heard of Casey and Calley Means in recent weeks, you aren’t alone. They’re the latest members of the Tucker Carlson/RFK Jr. universe, and they are pushing conspiracy-adjacent arguments about the federal government and nutrition, but with a friendly enough sheen for suburban moms and tech bros alike. Stat has an in-depth profile of them and the ultimately empty ideas they seem to be offering—plus the money they stand to make from the endeavor.

Why it matters: The entire piece is worth reading, but here’s a highlight — “Means asserts professional medical associations and agencies that receive industry funding ‘cannot be trusted’ to establish standards of care. He says the nation needs ‘right reports’ from federal agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, establishing how chronic disease should be dealt with. It’s not clear what Means is describing. At times it sounds like he wants clinical guidelines written by people without any industry ties. But he also suggests diet and exercise should feature more prominently — and pharmaceuticals less so — in treatment recommendations for some conditions. And he calls for new, federally funded research to give the public solid answers on the health effects of ultra-processed foods and environmental toxins, among other things. ‘Before talking about banning glyphosate, let’s just demand a study of what glyphosate is doing,’ he says as an example. However, there exist hundreds of studies of the herbicide, including ones linking it to human disease.”

Source: Stat
 
FERTILITY

The Devilish Details on Egg Freezing

What: Journalist Marina Gerner has an excerpt from her book, Vagina Business, on what to know about freezing your eggs before you begin–and how the devil is in the details. In one memorable moment, Gerner recalls being at a fancy members-only club in London, listening to a fertility clinic director answer questions from women trying to learn more about the process. One asked how many eggs she might need to freeze to have a successful pregnancy, and the clinic director didges the question.

Why it matters: “At that point, I’d like to hand the inquirer an evidence-based chart on the number of eggs she needs to freeze. Just a few eggs are a bad idea. But I realize that if I produce a research paper out of my tote bag, in the eyes of the audience, the presenters run a clinic, and I’m just an unknown woman with a bright orange umbrella. For women below the age of 35, freezing 20 eggs provides a 90 percent chance of a live birth. At the age of 38, one would need 40 eggs for a 90 percent chance. A larger number of eggs typically means multiple rounds of egg retrieval.”

Source: Wired // Vagina Business

PREGNANCY + POSTPARTUM

Doulas at Delivery Reduced C-Section, Preterm Birth Risks

What: A study in the American Journal of Public Health conducted by insurance company Elevance Health looked at over 700 pairs of demographically-similar women—but one had a doula for delivery, and one did not. They then compared birth outcomes and found those with doulas had a 47% lower risk of C-sections, 29% lower risk of preterm birth, and were 46% more likely to attend a postpartum checkup.

Why it matters: “As part of the blueprint for addressing the maternal health crisis in the United States, the federal government is actively making efforts to grow and diversify the doula workforce. Results from this study provide evidence to support this endeavor, by showing the positive impact doulas can make toward decreasing maternal health risks. … Because doula services are an optional benefit through Medicaid, however, it is at the discretion of the state to reimburse doulas for providing services to Medicaid enrollees. Access to doula care, therefore, varies substantially among Medicaid programs, with some states operating a fully funded Medicaid doula benefit, some states offering small doula programs not widely available to all Medicaid beneficiaries, and some states where the only option for individuals is to self-pay for doula services.”

Source: American Journal of Public Health

ABORTION ACCESS

VP Kamala Harris Talks Difficult Details of Abortion Access on ‘Call Her Daddy’

What: VP Kamala Harris went on Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast and talked a ton of topics relevant to women’s health care, including abortion access. In the conversation, Harris outlines in a way that you rarely hear elected officials do the reality that millions of American women face if they want to get an abortion.

Why it matters: “So let’s talk about how it affects a real person. The majority of women who receive abortion care are mothers. …So imagine she’s in a state with an abortion ban, one out of three women are, by the way, in our country. And she’s a mom, so she’s going to have to figure out, one–God help her–if she has affordable childcare. God help her if she has paid leave. And then she’s going to have to go to the airport, stand in a TSA line, sit on a plane next to a perfect stranger. To go to a city where she’s never been, to receive the care she needs. She’s going to probably have to get right back on that plane because she’s got those kids. Her best friend’s probably not with her because that’s who’s taking care of the kids. To get back in that TSA line, to get back on a plane, to go home.” – VP Kamala Harris

Source: Call Her Daddy (YouTube Version)

Supreme Court Allows Texas to Continue Emergency Abortion Ban

What: The Supreme Court declined to hear a case from Texas, effectively allowing the state to continue banning emergency abortions. The Biden administration had reminded hospitals in every state that regardless of state abortion bans, they must provide abortions in emergency situations when needed, or risk losing Medicare funding.

Why it matters: “Texas pointed to a state supreme court ruling that said doctors do not have to wait until a woman’s life is in immediate danger to provide an abortion legally. Doctors, though, have said the Texas law is dangerously vague, and a medical board has refused to list all the conditions that qualify for an exception.”

Source: Associated Press