Science and Health

The exterior of a Planned Parenthood Reproductive Health Services Center in St Louis, Missouri

The Supreme Court Prepares to Take Its First Shot at Contraception The Supreme Court Prepares to Take Its First Shot at Contraception

A case just added to the high court’s docket takes on the question of whether Medicaid can be used to pay for services at medical providers that also perform abortions.

Dec 24, 2024 / Elie Mystal

Barry Malzberg at ReaderCon in 2010.

Novelist on a Deadline: Barry Malzberg, 1939–2024 Novelist on a Deadline: Barry Malzberg, 1939–2024

A speed demon at the typewriter, Malzberg wrote quickly and brilliantly in a variety of genres including mystery, thrillers, and erotica, but his core work was in science fiction....

Dec 23, 2024 / Jeet Heer

Self-help section at a bookstore.

A Close Reading of Luigi Mangione’s Self-Help Library A Close Reading of Luigi Mangione’s Self-Help Library

A look at the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter’s social media accounts points to what Americans are inclined to turn to when their government fails to give them sufficient options.

Dec 19, 2024 / Maya Vinokour

President-elect Donald Trump with Elon Musk at a launch of a test flight of the SpaceX rocket in Brownsville, Texas.

Red Tape Saves Lives Red Tape Saves Lives

“Government” might sound ineffective and wasteful in the abstract. But Americans will miss it when it’s gone.

Dec 19, 2024 / Bryce Covert

Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. speaks.

RFK Jr. Is Giving Infectious Diseases a Promotional Tour RFK Jr. Is Giving Infectious Diseases a Promotional Tour

We nearly eradicated polio with a vaccine in the 1950’s. But the probable new leader of the HHS has plans that will bring back such life-threatening illnesses.

Dec 17, 2024 / Gregg Gonsalves

Good Neighbor Policy: Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro chat during an exposition game between the Cuban national team and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in Havana on March 22, 2016.

Biden’s Legacy on Cuba Biden’s Legacy on Cuba

On the 10th anniversary of Obama’s opening, the outgoing president should take immediate action because it is good for the US, good for the Cuban people—and the right thing to do....

Dec 17, 2024 / Peter Kornbluh

The Making of a Medical Care Crisis

The Making of a Medical Care Crisis The Making of a Medical Care Crisis

Over the past decade, Massachusetts witnessed the slow death of its largest hospital chain, leaving the largest and most diverse neighborhood in Boston without essential care.

Dec 16, 2024 / StudentNation / Annika Inampudi

Will There Be a Bird Flu Epidemic Under Trump?

Will There Be a Bird Flu Epidemic Under Trump? Will There Be a Bird Flu Epidemic Under Trump?

H5N1 currently poses a real threat for human transmission. Meanwhile, Trump’s picks for public health roles don’t bode well for vaccination.

Dec 5, 2024 / Gregg Gonsalves

Activists for and against trans rights protest outside the Supreme Court Building before the start of the United States v. Skrmetti case on December 4, 2024.

Trans Medicine’s “Merchants of Doubt” Trans Medicine’s “Merchants of Doubt”

There is plenty of uncertainty involved in gender-affirming care—as in most aspects of medicine. But the groups behind the Tennessee ban aren’t driven by science—or patient care.

Dec 4, 2024 / Joanna Wuest

Georgia’s Disastrous Medicaid Work Requirements

Georgia’s Disastrous Medicaid Work Requirements Georgia’s Disastrous Medicaid Work Requirements

Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, said that 345,000 people would enroll in the state’s Medicaid program, which has strict work requirements—so far just 5,118 have.

Dec 3, 2024 / Column / Bryce Covert

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