Healthcare

The Next Infodemic: Abortion Misinformation

Approximately 20% of women in the United States have had an abortion. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization allowed a Mississippi law that proposed to make abortion illegal after 15 weeks to stand, which effectively overturned Roe v. Wade, a 1973 SCOTUS decision that affirmed the right to have an abortion under the 14th amendment . With the reversal of Roe v. Wade, a perfect storm of factors is driving an abortion infodemic including a confusing and rapidly changing legislative landscape, the proliferation of abortion disinformants, lax efforts by internet…
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Week In Review

Illinois  Governor  JB  Pritzker  signed  the  Wellness  and  Oversight  for  Psychological  Resources  Act  (WOPR),  which  limits  the  use  of  artificial  intelligence  (AI)  in  therapy  and  psychotherapy  services.  WOPR  prohibits  using  AI  in  the  state  for  therapeutic  decision-making,  but  allows  licensed  behavioral  health  professionals  to  use  AI  for  administrative  and  support  tasks.  WOPR  aims  to  protect  patients  from  “unregulated  and  unqualified”  AI  products,  especially  amid  concerns  over  the  use  of  AI  chatbots  in  youth  mental  health  services.  It  also  seeks  to  preserve  the  jobs  of  thousands  of  behavioral  health  providers  in  Illinois.
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Congresswoman Friedman Announces Legislation to Restore Planned Parenthood Funding

U.S. Congresswoman Laura Friedman (CA-30) held a press conference at West Hollywood City Hall alongside city officials, members of local Planned Parenthoods, and healthcare providers to introduce the Restoring Essential Healthcare Act. Friedman’s new bicameral legislation aims to repeal a recently enacted Republican ban on Medicaid reimbursements for services provided at Planned Parenthood clinics. The bill is seen as a critical step toward protecting vital and affordable healthcare services that millions of Americans rely on.
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Patient Numbers at NIH Hospital Have Plummeted Under Trump, Jeopardizing Care

The number of people receiving treatment at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center — the renowned research hospital that cares for patients with rare or life-threatening diseases — has tumbled under the second Trump administration, according to government documents and interviews with current and former NIH employees.
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Trump cuts threaten access to birth control for millions of women

Contraception is a routine part of life for many Americans and polls show people across political parties agree that it should be legal and accessible. But the Trump administration is walking back access to birth control for some people — including withholding funding from a Nixon-era program that guarantees access to contraception for low income people.
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Major Developments in Sexual & Reproductive Health

By mid-June, sixteen state legislatures (AZ, CA, DE, FL, MA, MI, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, VT, and WI), five territory legislatures (AS, GU, MP, PR, and VI) and the District of Columbia had convened their regular sessions. Thirty-four states have adjourned their regular sessions (AL, AK, AR, CO, CT, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NM, ND, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV and WY). (As of June 15, 2025)
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Gates Foundation pledges $2.5B for women’s health worldwide

The Gates Foundation has announced a new $2.5 billion pledge through 2030 for women’s health initiatives worldwide. It comes at a time when the Trump administration is cutting major research and aid directed at women and maternal health. Amna Nawaz discussed the goals of this new funding with Dr. Anita Zaidi, president of the Gates Foundation's Gender Equality division.
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