As more and more states move to block genderaffirming care for minors, the issue of whether or not to give Americans under the age of 18 access to this type of medical treatment that includes puberty blockers, hormone therapies and surgeries is becoming more contentious. In the first half of 2023 several states, including Texas, Missouri and Idaho, enacted laws that ban such care, bringing the total number of states that prohibit genderaffirming care up to 20. Advocates of the bans argue that this type of medical care is endangering children and there is a lack of scientific evidence to…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently finalized new blood donation guidelines that will make it easier for gay and bisexual men to give blood after decades of restrictions. The new guidelines removed a decades-long requirement that men who have sex with other men must abstain from sex for three months before donating blood in order to help protect blood supplies from HIV. Now, all potential blood donors will be given a questionnaire to evaluate individual risk for HIV based on factors such as sexual behavior and recent partners. Interested donors who report having had anal sex with new…

The Biden administration is going after what it calls “junk insurance” as part of its plan to lower health care costs for American consumers. In July the Health and Human Services, Treasury and Labor departments issued proposed rules that would limit short-term health plans to three months, with an option to be renewed for only one month. Initially created during the Obama administration, the short-term health plans were meant to be used during transition periods, such as times when people are between jobs, and were limited to 90-day periods. Under the Trump administration in 2018, the 90-day limit was expanded…

In March 2021, the House voted to extend a deadline for ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which would formally ban discrimination on the basis of sex and has lingered in a state of limbo for decades. The joint resolution (H.J. Res. 17) passed the House in a 222-204 vote that fell largely along party lines. Four Republicans joined all Democrats in favor of the resolution, which was introduced by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.). The House passed a similar resolution in 2020, but the Senate, controlled by Republicans at the time, did not bring it…

A movement in the U.S. that suggests that race is a social construct used to oppress minority groups is emerging as a fierce point of division among Americans. Many Republicans are pushing new policies to bar public schools from teaching critical race theory (CRT) and the issue has made its way into political campaigns. Originally developed through legal scholarship in the late 20th century, CRT is a concept that aims to explain how discrimination and inequity are woven into laws, policies and systems. Thus, the doctrine states, racism is perpetuated in American culture. The theory argues that racism goes beyond…

As COVID-19 began to surge again in late summer, so did the debate about mask mandates. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) relaxed its mask guidance in the spring when COVID numbers began to decline amid rising vaccinations. However, the agency reinstated recommendations for individuals, both unvaccinated and vaccinated, to wear masks indoors as cases began to rise again in July as the delta variant spread. The CDC’s guidance amplified the division among Americans about whether the government should be able to dictate safety precautions such as masks. The debate rang loud in Congress, where Attending Physician…