Overwhelmed U.S. animal shelters, calls for surrogacy bans, climate change and antibiotic resistance, more
Overwhelmed U.S. shelters took in 250,000 more animals in 2023, most of them dogs: Information from 7,000 animal shelters nationwide shows a 250,000 increase in 2023 over 2022 in the number of animals surrendered to shelters, reports Shelter Animals Count. Dogs are being turned in more often, experts say, because of financial concerns. The increase in surrendered animals includes puppies and purebred animals, writes CBS News.
People in rural areas have greater obesity risks: People of Color already experience greater rates of obesity because of historic inequities in health care access, but a new study says those disparities are worsened in particular for People of Color who live in rural areas, reports the University of Rhode Island. In addition, rural areas show a higher rate of obesity overall, leading to higher rates of type 2 diabetes and increased rates of death, says Steve Cohen, an associate professor of health studies at the University of Rhode Island.
Pope Francis calls for ban on surrogacy: The leader of the Catholic Church called Monday, in his “state of the world” speech, for surrogate parenting to be banned worldwide, reports PBS. Pope Francis, who late last year sanctioned “blessings” for same-sex unions, labelled surrogacy “uterus for rent” and an ethical violation. Surrogate parenting is when a person bears a child through pregnancy for a fee, paid by a couple seeking to have children but unable to conceive themselves. The practice is currently banned in Spain and many parts of Europe, PBS writes. Some attribute the increased attacks on surrogacy as facet of conservative attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, writes the CBC.
Gender transition surgery in Ohio banned: A week after vetoing a legislative ban on all gender-affirming care for minors, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has announced a ban on gender transition surgeries only, for minors. The ban is expected to have little impact: a Reuters report from October 2022 indicates less than 300 youths nationwide annually are documented to receive either “top” surgery (removal of breasts) or genital surgery (reconstruction of genitals to match their chosen identity).
Climate change may increase challenge of antibiotic resistance: Labelling climate change and antibiotic resistance as “two of the biggest health issues of our time,” several researchers are exploring how the increased flooding and heat caused by climate change could be increasing the spread of bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics, reports Nature Magazine. Factors at play include how disasters caused by climate change can lessen access to sanitary water; possible evolution in bacteria triggered by higher temperatures; and differences in how people interact with each other when facing climate change crises or natural disasters.
Climate change and Hispanic Americans, prescription drugs from Canada, Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ+ law, smartphones as envirometers, Perry school shooter and Discord
Hispanic, Latino Americans hit hardest by climate change: More than 70 percent of U.S. Latino adults say climate change is already affecting their local community, according to a new report by the Hispanic Access Foundation. In addition, more than half of the country’s Hispanic/Latino residents live in states with the highest levels of climate-change threats, reports Public News Service.
Florida can import prescription drugs from Canada: With the United States’ prescription drug prices among the highest in the world, the FDA has authorized Florida to be the first state to import prescription drugs from Canada, reports NPR. The pharmaceutical industry is vowing to fight the decision.
Ugandan LGBTQ+ people suffer under new “draconian” law: A new law in Uganda that issues the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” and requires citizens to tell law enforcement about suspected homosexuals is causing international concern while earning favor from some fellow African countries, including Burundi, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, and Zambia, reports The Guardian.
Perry school shooter used racial slur just before attack: The 17-year-old who killed a sixth-grader and injured seven others before taking his own life is believed to have used a racial slur on a Discord account just before the morning attack, reports NBC News. In addition, the killer was believed to belong to a Discord group devoted to discussing school shootings.
Future smartphones may become “envirometers:” Your phone may soon be able to measure on-site, in-home air quality and smoke levels (rather than from weather stations), thanks to technology developed by an Israeli company, reports Axios. Worldwide, poor air quality outdoors and indoors contributes to 7 million premature deaths (World Health Organization).
(photo credit: Demonstration in 2018 in London against Uganda’s already-draconian laws against homosexuality, courtesy Alisdare Hickson on Wikimedia Commons)
Idaho abortion law stays for now, immigration update, and the question of teaching religion in public schools
Actions by Mexican immigration officials appear to lower U.S. border crossings: U.S. illegal border crossings have dropped by about 75 percent since December because of new steps being taken by Mexican authorities, reports NBC News. Immigrants seeking asylum from Venezuela and some other Latin American countries, are finding themselves stopped on buses and redirected to southern Mexico or Venezuela. Read here about what led to the change in Mexican officials’ immigration enforcement, and the experiences of some migrants.
Idaho’s super-strict abortion law to stand until at least April: An Idaho law that imposes a five-year prison sentence on a doctor who performs an abortion at any time in a woman’s pregnancy will stay in effect until at least April, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday (Mother Jones). The Biden administration had challenged the law, which allows abortions to save the mother, as so vague as to be unconstitutional, and had asked for a hold on the ban.
Should public elementary, middle schools teach religion? A Hindu diversity, equity and inclusion educational consultant says yes. Read in Interfaith America why Smita Garb says it’s important for even young students to receive education about all the world’s religions “in a culturally sensitive way that considers students who religiously identify with the faith being studied and those who identify with another religion (or lack thereof).”
Supreme Court to take up Trump case; health care discrepancies, Elijah McClain sentencing
Supreme Court to hear oral arguments on Trump’s Colorado ballot challenge Feb. 8: Releasing its announcement Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court said it will receive Trump’s opening brief Jan. 18, reports the Los Angeles Blade. The Court’s decision, anticipated by the end of February, could have far-reaching impact, affecting dozens of states (including Illinois) where challenges have been filed against Trump’s candidacy because of his role inciting the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection, and especially Colorado and Maine, both of which have officially removed Trump from their state’s presidential ballots.
People of color feel more concerned about appearance than whites at medical appointments: People of Color are almost twice as likely to be concerned about their appearance and possible insults prior to visiting health care providers, according to a new survey by KFF. Involving 6,300 patients who had received care within the last three years, the survey found that 55 percent of Black adults; almost half of American Indian, Alaska Native and Hispanic people; and 40 percent of Asian people were concerned bout their appearance prior to an appointment, while only 29 percent of white people held similar concerns.
Study shows discrepancy in chronic health conditions for LGBTQ+ and heterosexual cancer survivors: LGBTQ+ cancer survivors are more than twice as likely to experience chronic health conditions than heterosexual cancer survivors, writes the Cancer Network about a new study. Researchers emphasized the next step is to explore whether the discrepancy is related to health screening access, or to poor behavioral and health choices.
Police officer who held down Elijah McClain gets 14 months: Randy Roedema, the former Denver police officer who held down the late Elijah McClain while paramedics administered a fatal dose of ketamine in 2019, will serve 14 months in jail, a judge decided this week. Roedema was convicted in October of criminally negligent homicide; he was the most senior officer of several on the scene and can be heard in bodycam footage of the fatal incident directing othe rofficers on how to further restrain McClain, reports The Detroit News.
(photo courtesy Tap the Forward Assist, through Wikimedia Commons)
