The stakes of a SCOTUS case concerning Texas's new anti-abortion law are enormous.
By refusing to stop a law that violates decades-old precedent protecting the constitutional right to an abortion, SCOTUS has effectively changed that precedent.
The law, SB 8, is huge loss for abortion rights in Texas. It effectively bans most abortions; at six weeks, many people don't even know they're pregnant.
Abortion providers warned of the dangers of the law in an emergency request to SCOTUS, which it declined to take up:
Crucially, no court has actually reached the core question at the heart of this case: whether the law is unconstitutional.
If the justices remain silent, they will bless a tactic that could be used to undermine virtually any constitutional right. vox.com/2021/8/31/2265…
The Supreme Court's silence could embolden other states to follow in Texas's footsteps and enact all kinds of unconstitutional practices that can't be challenged until after the unconstitutional law takes effect. vox.com/2021/8/31/2265…
The Supreme Court might still choose to weigh in on SB 8, but in the meantime, abortion access in Texas will be extremely limited. Abortion providers who remain operational are likely to be crushed by a wave of lawsuits they can't afford to litigate. vox.com/2021/8/31/2265…
The Supreme Court's failure to issue a stay sends a "clear signal that they don't think the ordinary rules should apply to litigants they dislike. It is a terrifying sign about the future of the rule of law," @imillhiser writes. vox.com/2021/8/31/2265…
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1/ For decades, Black patients were believed to have fundamentally different bodies than white ones — so doctors would often mistreat or undertreat their medical conditions.
But this dangerous "race norming" remains widely pervasive in US medicine today: vox.com/22528334/race-…
2/ Race norming rests on a framework of white supremacy that we accept as “normal” science, and it affects major medical processes including:
—Diagnosing sickle cell anemia
—Deciding who gets kidney transplants fastest (white people)
—Gauging the risk of a vaginal birth
3/ And until last month, the NFL used race norming in a dementia test to determine payouts in brain injury settlements.
The test assumed Black players have lower cognitive function than white ones — meaning Black athletes needed to show steeper cognitive decline to get paid out.
1/ After a suicide attempt in 2020, Dr. Justin Bullock was put through a dehumanizing, month-long assessment by his employer.
It's part of a larger problem of stigma around mental health in the medical field that needs to change: bit.ly/3xIAeVe
2/ The evaluation, which included hair and blood tests and questions about Bullock’s childhood traumas made him “much less likely” to get help.
Despite his outstanding academic and clinical record, any “serious mistakes” could have cost him his license, he says.
3/ Nearly 40% of physicians are reluctant to get mental health care for fear of state medical boards revoking their license or restricting their ability to practice, one study shows.
Reforming how these boards function could encourage doctors to seek support, experts say.
1/ While Amazon publicly touts itself as valuing diversity and inclusion, interviews with more than 30 current and former workers reveal the company's race problem is deep-seated — and it connects to the HR department. bit.ly/35nCchS
2/ HR is supposed to lead efforts that create a safe, equitable work environment, but multiple employees tell @DelRey the department’s leader, Beth Galetti, has partially stalled progress.
“Beth is actively a gatekeeper and a blocker in this work,” said one former employee.
3/ Galetti leads HR and DEI efforts — despite having no experience in diversity work, which is a major concern for some staffers.
Many current and former workers also say she's resisted claims that some employees face bias and are at a disadvantage compared to others.