Health Care
Death rates for people under 40 have skyrocketed. Blame fentanyl.
A new Stateline analysis shows that U.S. residents under 40 were relatively unscathed by COVID-19 in the pandemic but fell victim to another killer: accidental drug overdose deaths. Death rates in the age group were up by nearly a third in 2021 over 2018, and last year were still 21% higher. COVID-19 was a small […]
Report: Columbus crisis pregnancy centers, funded by the state, show ‘gross inadequacies’
A study commissioned by the Columbus City Council and conducted by a pro-choice group showed crisis pregnancy centers greatly outnumber abortion and reproductive health clinics in the city, but don’t offer the same health services. The study was a follow-up to research done by Pro-Choice Ohio in 2013, but this time the investigation was contracted […]
Anti-abortion ‘abolitionists’ take slavery rhetoric to the next level
The first time Tina Marshall heard anti-abortion protesters call themselves “abolitionists,’” she said she burst out laughing. Marshall, a Black woman who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, was counter protesting at an abortion clinic when a mostly white group — save one Black woman — surrounded her and told her they were abolitionists. “I rolled […]
It’s not just CVS. Other big pharmacy chains cut hours, close stores
Walmart is cutting hours at its busy pharmacies, while Rite Aid — which is already selling off stores — is expected to file for bankruptcy protection, news organizations have reported over the past week. The news comes after inspectors have found that CVS’s understaffed stores in Ohio have in some instances lacked controls to protect […]
Still just a dream: 60 years later, racial wealth disparities remain wide
It was 60 years ago this week that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream Speech” to a quarter-million arrayed in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. The crowd must have been filled with hope. Lincoln’s war against slavery had been won almost a century earlier. But virtual slavery in […]
Economists: Abortion protections will lead to better outcomes for Ohio women
Abortion rights will be on the ballot in November, and Ohio Republican politicians who oppose them are again trying to stack the deck. However, a majority of economists who were surveyed this month said that such rights will improve economic prospects for women — especially those who are poor. After the U.S. Supreme Court in […]
Abortion rights amendment petition writers sue Ohio Ballot Board for “deceptive” summary
A coalition supporting a constitutional amendment on reproductive rights will take their arguments against a “deceptive” summary approved and written by the Ohio Ballot Board to the state supreme court. Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights filed a lawsuit Monday asking the Ohio Supreme Court either to order the ballot board to use the full text […]
Updated COVID-19 vaccines expected to be available in September, federal officials say
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is gearing up for a fall vaccination campaign that not only includes updated COVID-19 boosters, but the annual flu shot and the newly approved RSV vaccine. “We’re going to be encouraging Americans to get their COVID-19 vaccine in addition to their annual flu shot, as well as the immunizations for […]
Ohio Ballot Board sets language for proposed recreational marijuana law
The Ohio Ballot Board unanimously voted Thursday to solidify the language voters will see for the proposed recreational marijuana law in the November election. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol is backing the ballot proposal which would legalize and regulate cultivation, manufacturing, testing and the sale of marijuana to Ohioans 21 and up. It would […]
Inspectors find more serious problems at Ohio CVS pharmacies
From a lack of control over narcotics to expired drugs on the shelves, inspectors at the Ohio Board of Pharmacy have found more problems at what appear to be chronically understaffed CVS pharmacies. The new inspection reports from four Ohio pharmacies are in addition to reports finding similar problems at nine others that the Capital […]
Pregnant workers have new protections. Here’s what to expect from your boss.
Almost two months after workplace accommodations for pregnant workers became law, the rules surrounding what employers can and cannot do have yet to be finalized — but that doesn’t mean the protections are not in place. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s proposed regulations are expected to offer more clarity once finalized, but workers can still […]
Split ballot board approves reproductive rights amendment summary written by Ohio Sec. of State
In a 3-2 split decision Thursday, the Ohio Ballot Board rejected using the full text of a proposed reproductive rights amendment on the ballot in November, adopting instead summary language written by the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office that was criticized for being incomplete and inaccurate. The board’s approval of the language – which is […]