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In 2023, in the richest and most powerful nation on Earth, it shouldn't be life-threatening to carry a child and give birth. Yet for years, mothers in these United States — Black mothers especially — have suffered from elevated mortality rates, rates that were only driven higher during COVID-19, as women of all ethnic backgrounds saw the sharpest-ever annual fatality spike. (3/21)

If we are serious about addressing the alarming worsening of teens’ mental health, we must reduce their social media use. (Leana S. Wen, 3/21)

While the overall vaccination rates for students remain relatively high in Texas, the number of parents seeking non-medical exemptions for religious and philosophical reasons has skyrocketed. In 2003-2004 school year, 2,314 non-medical exemptions were recorded. In the past school year, it was 85,726. (3/22)

Health policy circles have erupted in debate over a wonky administrative tool: the quality-adjusted life year (QALY) and similar metrics to value and price drugs and other health interventions. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) has warned of the potential for these approaches to discriminate, arguing that “All lives are worth living. It’s unconscionable that a health care bureaucracy would so callously determine that someone’s life is worth less,” suggesting that use of QALYs discriminates against individuals with greater disease burden. (Joshua T. Cohen, Peter J. Neumann and Daniel A. Ollendorf, 3/22)

Five years ago, I donated my “spare” kidney at the Mayo Clinic to a woman I read about in the newspaper. Though living with only one kidney has risks, I was not particularly concerned about my own health. The clinic’s medical evaluation was extremely thorough, and I knew their highly conscientious selection committee would not approve me to be a living donor if they were even the slightest bit concerned the procedure would cause me long-term health problems. (Martha Gershun, 3/22)